AMERICAN ENGLISH.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2413, 29 December 1881, Page 3

AMERICAN ENGLISH.

The American use of the word " quit" is peculiar. They do not limit the word, as we do, to the signification " take leave." In fact, I have never heard an American use the word in that sense. They generally übo it as equivalent to " leave off," or " stop." (In passing, one may notioe as rather strange the circumstance that the word ' quit," which properly means "to go away from," and the word " stop," which means "to stay," should both have oome to be usod as signifying to " leave off.") Thus Americans say "quit fooling" for "leavo off playing the fool; "quit singing," and so forth. To English ears an American use of the word "some" sounds strange—viz., as an adverb. An American will say, " I think some of buying a new house," or the like, for "I have some idea of buying," &c. I have indeed heard the usage defended as partly correct, though assuredly there is not an instance in all the wide range of English literature which will justify it. So also many Americans defend as good English the use of the word "good " in suoh phrases as the following : —" I have writton that note good," for " well;" " that will make you feel good," for " that will do you good ;" and in other ways, all equally incorrect. Of course there are instances in which adjectives ore allowed by custom tobo used us adverbs, as, for instance, " rigat" for "rightly," &c.; but there can be no reason for substituting the adverb " good " in place of the adverb " well," which is as short a word, and at least equally euphonious. The use of "real" for "really," as "real angry," "real nice," is, of course, grammatically indefensible. An American seldom uses the word " stout " to signify " fat," saying generally "fleshy." Again, for our English word " hearty," signifying "in very good health," an American will sometimes employ the singularly inappropriate word "rugged." The use of the word "elegant" for "fine" strikes English ears as strange. For instance, if you say to en American, " This is a fine morning, he is likely to reply, " It is an elegant morning," or perhaps oftener by simply ueing the word "elegant." It is not a pleasing use of tho word.—R. A. Prootor, " Gentleman's Magazine."