American English, 



349 



VIII. 



Dr. Elwyn's Glossary of Sl'pposed Americanisms was underta- 

 ken, as the preface informs us, to show how much there yet remains, 

 in this country, of language and customs directly brought from our 

 remotest ancestry" — a purpose quite different from that of Mr. 

 Pickering ; but the chief value of the book, in my estimation, lies 

 in the contribution it makes to our knowledge of Pennsylvania pro- 

 vincialisms, of which the author is evidently a careful observer. About 

 four hundred and sixty words are included, of which I will venture to 

 say that a clear majority would be quite as little understood in decent 

 American as in decent British society ; but it seems that we have been 

 accused of manufacturing the whole list, while the fact is that they 

 are one and all of foreign origin. The book is carelessly written, and 

 not accurately alphabetized. 



IX. 



Scheie de Yere's *' Americanisms," a small octavo of something less 

 than seven hundred pages, differs from the other works mentioned in 

 not adopting the dictionary form, but presenting our verbal peculiari- 

 ties as arranged in various classes — those invented by the Indian, the 

 Dutchman, the Frenchman, the Spaniard, the German, the Negro, 

 and the Chinaman ; expressions peculiar to the "West, to the church, 

 to politics and to trade ; marine and railroad terms ; cant and slang; 

 new words and nicknames, etc. The author has been accused of 

 plagiarizing from Bartlett, and doubtless did avail himself freely of 

 the labors of that diligent lexicographer ; but he added a good deal of 

 original matter, and his book possesses an interest of its own, being 

 indeed the only one of the four that is likely to be read entirely 

 through. About four thousand items appear in the index. 



X. 



Baktlktt's Dictionary (or, to give the full title, "Dictionary of 

 Americanisms, a Glossary of AVords and Phrases usually regarded as 

 peculiar to the United States, by John Russell Bartlett,") is, in its 

 latest edition, a bulky octavo of over eight hundred pages, exceedingly 

 well printed, and containing something above five thousand six hun- 

 dred entries, but hardly representing, I think, more than about five 

 hundred and fifty genuineand distinct Americanismsnow in decent use 

 — less than one-tenth of the whole number of articles. Of the remainder, 

 nearly four hundred words and phrases are set down by the author him- 

 self as of British origin, some being used in this country in exactly the 

 same manner as on their native soil, while others have been slightly al- 



