Page:The American language; an inquiry into the development of English in the United States (IA americanlanguage00menc 0).pdf/189



Mr. Ervine then proceeded to a detailed analysis of a book called "Full Up and Fed Up," by Whiting Williams, an American who lived as a workingman in England, Wales and Scotland during 1920, and sought to report the conversations of the native workingmen among whom he worked. He recorded the speech of an English laborer as follows:

And that of an English soldier thus:

Said Mr. Ervine of these alleged specimens of Cockney English:

Now, with all respect to Mr. Williams and his admirable book, I declare that never in his life did he hear any Englishman, illiterate or otherwise, talk