PROXUXCIATTOX OF EXGLISTI. 369 



The following dialogue from Adam Bcdc will serve to bring 

 out this point: — 



" I dare say he'd tiiink me a hodd talker, as you Loam- 

 shire folks allays does hany one as talks the right language." 



" The right language," said Bartle Massey contemptu- 

 ously. " You're about as near the right language as a pig's 

 squeaking is like a tune played on a key-bugle." 



" Well, I don't know," answered Air. Casson, with an 

 angry smile. " T should think a man as has lived among 

 the gentry from a by, is likely to know what's the right 

 language pretty nigh as well as a schoolmaster." 



Some Difficulties of the Case. — It is a very unpleasant 

 and unprofitable task to attack individuals on points of pronun- 

 ciation, for most people are sensitive in this respect, and are 

 generally convinced of their own perfection. I have already 

 offended more than half the white teachers of a sub-continent 

 by denouncing the pronunciation of the Scotch and Dutch 

 teachers of English, and anyone taking up this crusade will suffer 

 a like fate. 



Again, even when the teachers have been converted, the 

 speech-environment of the pupils will be against reform. How- 

 ever, to take one of the worst cases, the London Board Schools, 

 if greater stress were laid in school* upon correct pronunciation, 

 the pupils would tend to become immune against infection from 

 parents and friends. I do not wish to minimise the difficulties 

 in the way, but merely plead for an attempt to remedy this 

 linguistic disease. Of course, if Great Britain becomes more 

 and more Socialistic, there will be a corresponding tendency 

 towards uniformity of speech, for the Socialist will not tolerate 

 " affectations " such as those of the parson or of the subaltern. 

 Such uniformity would, however, be of a down-grade type. 



Conclusion.- — In conclusion, I must state my conviction 

 that the American Professor Lounsbury is too optimistic when 

 he states that 



"the forces that tend to bring abont nnity are now so nnich more power- 

 ful than those that tend to bring about diversity, and the former are so 

 constantly gaining in strength, that deviation on any large scale between 

 the language as spoken in Great Britain and in its Colonies, and in 

 America, can now be looked upon as hardly possible." 



The following propositions sum up my contention : — 



( 1 ) That the correct pronunciation of English as the 



medium of Empire is extremely important; 



(2) That the teaching of such pronunciation is at present 



almost entirely neglected ; 



(3) That the first step towards reform is to train the 



teachers of English on sound phonetic principles ; 



(4) That all other means of securing an approximation to 



uniform pronunciation should be adopted. 



