Page:Glossary of words in use in Cornwall.djvu/343

 X PREFAOS. say ; but it is (or rather was) the language of the most populous, most active, and most enterprising portion of this large county, and for that reason deserves consideration, if not for its beauty, at least for its raciness, copiousness, and vigour. All Yorkshiremen unite in looking down on men of other counties as unenlightened barbarians, insomuch that they regard the county as the undoubted centre of the universe, and would say, to parody the Earl of Derby's celebrated declaration, *' An Englishman if you please, but a Yorkshireman first " By no means inconsistently with this amusing view of their position they hold two canons. 1st, That no south countryman can speak Yorkshire at all ; 2nd, That they themselves speak the most perfect and classical English. It is clearly no fault of theirs, then, but a subject for praise, that they never can banish their vowel sounds, nor shake off the drawling so well known, and the terrible roughness of their speech, which is very remarkable to a southern ear. On one occasion a highly respectable friend of mine, a well-to-do manufacturer, indeed one of my most valued and gifted friends, went to call on a London customer, who said to him, perhaps not very politely, * Do you come from that part of England where the men talk like bulls T In another case, a merchant, wealthy, well-informed, well-educated, was making a tour in the south, and on the deck of a steamer struck up an extempore acquaintanceship with an intelligent southerner, and the two conversed long and agreeably. Our friend thought he was getting on capitally, when in a pause in the conversation he was thus addressed : ^ And how far did you say you lived from York^ sir 1 ' which pleasant piece of chaff astonished our friend, as no mention of York had been made. Be this as it may, the dialect is undoubtedly rich in philological treasures, the vowel sounds are very remarkable, the local words numerous, and the idioms in many instances both peculiar and interesting ; and whether the dialect be classical or not, there can be no doubt about its variety and vigour, and the compiler fears he has by no means done justice to it, though he has spared neither pains, time, nor money in making his Glossary as perfect as possible. Ho hopes, however, it will be admitted as a small contribution towards