352 CANADIAN ENGLISH. 



subjects its users to ridicule, uuless the precisiou which our English 

 tongue once boasted of is no longer a feature worth preserving. 



Bat a volume might be written about the evils glanced at here. 

 In closing this paper, therefore, I can only indicate a few more of the 

 indigenous elegancies which are already meeting with such general 

 acceptance, and thereby corrupting, not simply the speech of the 

 Province, but such literature as we have. It cannot, we fear, bs 

 justly affirmed that such expressions as the following are so entirely 

 confined to the vulgar and uneducated as to be undeserving of notice 

 as an element likely to affect permanently the language of the 

 Province : — 



" Are you better to-day ?" inquires Britannicus. " Some," replies 

 Canadiensis. " "Were there many people present?" asks B. " quite 

 a number," answers , meaning thereby " a number," for how can 

 a number be otherwise than quite a number ? B : — " Where did you 

 go to-day ?" C : — " down town," that is, he walked through, or in the 

 city. B : — " are you going by this train ?" C : — " yes, I'm just on 

 hoard." B : — " where is your master ?" C : — " the boss is out." 

 B : — -" How many horses have you ?" C : — " a span" which word he 

 substitutes for " a pair." B : — " what is that man's character ?' 

 C :— " he's a loafer," that is, in plain English, " a good for nothing 

 fellow." B : — " how do you vote ?" C : — " I go the Hincks ticket" 

 B : — " has there been a committee meeting ?" C : — " yes, they had 

 a caucus last night." B : — " can that wheel revolve now ?" C : — 

 "yes, I guess it can do nothing else, for I've fixed it." B : — " did 

 you mend my shoe." C: — "yes, I've fixe d it." B: — "when will 

 your sister be ready?" C: — Jane is just fixing her hair." B: — 

 " what do you eat to venison ?" C : — "jelly fixings." B : — " what 

 have you done with your other horse ?" C : — " I've dickered him." 

 B : — " what kind of a speaker is W — ?" C : — " a stump-orator." B : 

 — " how did he get his present office ?" C : — " by chiselling." B : 

 — " is there much jobbing in the house ?" C : — " no end of log- 

 rolling.'''' B: — " did he run away ?" C: — " yes, he sloped," or " he 

 made tracks? B : — " how do you feel to-day ?" : — I'm quite 

 sick." B : — " sick ! why don't you take something to settle your 

 stomach ?" C : — " my stomach isn't unsettled. Its my toe that 

 aches !" &c 



Nor is it in solitary words or phrases alone that we are thus aim- 

 ing at "gilding refined gold," in our improvements on the English 

 language. So far has this process already been carried that it 

 tvould not be difficult to construct whole sentences of our Canadian 



