THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3102, 27 January 1909, Page 4

THE AMERICAN LANGUAGE.

Just as a citizen of the British Empire . has no adequate word with which to indicate his citizenship, the inhabitant of the United States, if he thinks about the matter, is at a :loss to know what to call himself. Professor Bander Matthe-vs, writing in "Monsey's Magazine," dwells on this .unsafefactory state of affairs The very designation of the country— the United States of America—is clumsy and inaccurate. Theifeerm American J ignores all the other nationalities in two continents, and is a source of irritation to the Latin peoples tin the South. Mexican, -.Canadian, LatinAmerican, each ofithese is a specific national name, but the citizen of the greatest community of all has to use a vague term to indicate his nationality. The aborigines of the United States are 3tili termed Indian?., or American Indians .(the;lafcter:a ripub'ie absurdity), and it sis no wonder that some scientists have called them "Amerinds/' a term which has faiiled to win acceptance. Further, when -students of comparative .philology refer to the "American languages/' they mean, not the differences in speech of the white people of the United -States, but rthe languages of the 'lndians. Not only has the citizen of the United States no name, but he has no language of his :He belongs to the only great nation in the history .of the world that lias not had a national speech bearing the national name. To some Americans this is more than a dis,advantage.; it is almost a disgrace. To remove this hint .on the 'scutcheon,' -an organisation has recently been formed to persuade Americans to declare that they speak the American language, and not the English. ! The language of the Americans is to remain English, but is to be calie;.. American.