Page:Littell's Living Age - Volume 128.djvu/521

Rh pronounced, as some people pronounce it, softly. It is usual in correspondence to speak of an "inclosed" letter, but Parliament still passes "enclosure acts." Such words as abridgment and irreconcilable are thought by many people to want another "e," and, whatever be the correct rule, it is certainly convenient to drop an unnecessary letter. The old-fashioned pronunciation of "obliged" may have led many into what can hardly be called an error. As for "honourable," and other words of the same class, there will perhaps never be, and there certainly is not, agreement. We should write of the "license" of the press, but acts of Parliament require publicans to take out "licences." It is perhaps desirable to be strict in spelling, because pronunciation varies, and if spelling followed it there would soon be no standard of correctness in speech. But it is possible to carry accuracy to an extreme. There is a wide difference between spelling "supernumerary " without its penultimate syllable, and spelling "postillion" with one "l." The former, if not carelesssness, must be gross ignorance, like that shown in spelling "quadrilateral" with an "o" in the last syllable, or "commensurate" with "o," instead of "u." Here, again, a small knowledge of Latin would have prevented mistakes which seem to have arisen from an untutored ear listening to a vulgar tongue. A person who said "quadrilatoral" or "commensorate" must have escaped the influence both of school and society. We saw lately a lady's letter, in which "areas" was written for "arrears," and it might be charitably thought that ignorance of the thing made her unfamiliar with its name. In the strictest age of pleading and practice at common law, the principle of idem sonans was applied, and we think the same principle ought to prevail to some extent in a "spelling-bee," but it is difficult to say how far. If this amusement becomes fashionable, there will no doubt be dictionaries expressly printed for it, with a set of rules, and it certainly would promote more accurate knowledge of our language. When an assembly receives the spelling of "ecstatic" with an "x" with shouts of derisive laughter, it is evident that many people have a good deal to learn. But the spelling of "cynical" with "le" at the end, instead of "al," shows ignorance of the meaning and origin of the word, and that sort of ignorance may fitly excite derision. The lady who had to spell "aurora borealis" could scarcely go wrong, unless she was very ignorant or very careless. When we have once heard and understood this word, it would be difficult to misspell it.

The popularity of these competitions in the United States is one of the many fortunate circumstances of that country. It cannot be too often impressed on American speakers that when they come to write they must add a "g" to the word which they call "fixins," and that they must not spell calculate with an "i." It might be awkward if the manager of a "spelling- bee," either in America or here, pronounced words as he hears his friends and neighbours speak, and then applied the standard of some dictionary to the spelling of them. It appears that a "spelling-bee" has lately been "inaugurated" at Gloucester, and it is proper that a big word should be made to do duty on this occasion. This competition was finally decided on the word "ecclesiastic," and it may be inferred that the person who failed to spell it correctly had never heard it before, and did not know whence it came, or what it meant. Spelling such words as this is a test, not so much of spelling, as of the general education and associations of the competitor — not that that is an objection to them. The same remark might be made on " millennium," with the addition that failure in this word would imply ignorance of Latin, which it is hardly expected that a commercial clerk should know. Some years ago a bet upon the word "reindeer" caused great excitement in the sporting world. It was alleged that the gentleman who induced a friend to bet on the spelling of this word had looked beforehand at a dictionary. But, on reference to several dictionaries, it appeared that both "reindeer" and "raindeer" were recognized. It is stated that at Gloucester failure occurred at such words as, among others, "broccoli." Now, on referring to the first dictionary we have at hand (an English-Latin one of 1845) we find "brocoli." Yet it would appear that a competitor was disqualified for adopting this form. People of rather wider views as to language should, if possible, take the direction of these competitions.

 

 From The Gardener's Chronicle.

history of the introduction of the hop into general use, as given in our 