DEGRADING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 418, 29 January 1909, Page 5

DEGRADING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

;; fGROSS AND PEB\T3RSE,,piC»IONrsr v'. I .''.; '% (BI.TELEGRAPH—MESS ASSOCrATKW.); \;7 V '>\.7 ; i,CV:,/ ;i : :; :::> r ''7:, AucWand/. January 7 j - : iA.tVtiiis affcornoon's' meeting of;tW:lJiiivei>..-.: ■' 'sity' Senate Mr. L. Cohen commented .strongly ,7 ■ 'oii'wbat. he declared-to be V degradation of > '.:.: 'th'e- , English .language': by :;New:ZealandersS/77 'His.remarks .Y7ere'called-forth by-'a ■recom- ~; meiidation of-the-Authors, ancl.periods Com-.;;'. • mittee to , include iu. the .matriculation - course:' : . ,\ graininw;,->otSiß9l^ihg,vhißtor|cal;gr)!immßr' : ' ;:■' and' tJie'ialwe'~Md\''olassJlication^of ; ;modera?' i Englisli, sounds in ' relation.to their bearing oii.^■■■',:■ orthography,,. It. seemed that ; t)i& : recpmmen-rX : dation : *:wn3iabout:. to -pass. mthout'. ; exciting.j:■'■;■'. any , imußual cbnimerit, when Mr..'Cph'en' rose.'■•." : y" I regard .this .new:prescription as<being ','-. ]■■;. ;the' greatest-advaVice 1 that .has been- made in.;; : " ■ 'elementary English'-cultureiduring myjcareer : ..'; ioiijtliesenftto, ;he said;? As' an example 'of;:.' , Trhat. he meant, % Mr,. Cdheu said,that;.in:'.-'■ singing; .the .diction'; of ■ Now Zealand; boys.; .■;; and:, girls: was bo;faiilty; ; that 'they".'lost'-the '•' \. 'only'.to. hear; some ;cultured .Englishman- ot- ~ '.woman sitig to learn ...tow gross and perverse ■ . diction'hod become.:. As tp-. the proposal,:-,'/ 'ho hoped that the esaminers would,', so; ■farv , : !as it oould bedoiie by written work, mako it: .an essential..part :-of :their' paper, so as■ to ..: isavo the N-evr. Zealand;people' from talking a: .' ' and un-English -tongue.'; Ho attri-- v .' '. ;buted the fault bo --had.', pointed outito'tho. ■ ; : inability of the teachers'.in country.'schools; ; : ■' jto-.speak.-docent-English,.'-The,'r.ecominenda-:';. \', , ition,;was ; carried..; i:'.:';:.:-. . ;/,-.^'.;,i''>-ij'!-v i> - : i : ''j- ; '--'.f