ALL TALKING

In the current issue of the Atlantic Monthly George Arliss and Frank Vizetelly have admirably touched on the vagaries of modern diction. East side, West side, Limehouse, or Mayfair, Mr. Arliss believes in adopting the general mode of pronouncing his words and has little objection to enriching the language with slang. He is chiefly disturbed by lazy and careless delivery of words which characterizes many Americans.

The notorious Oxford accent receives a double-barrelled crack from the two writers. To their critical eyes, the distorted and emasculated Oxonian drawl is readily imitated by those who would ape their betters. The snippishness of the typical don has had a wide effect in debasing the English speech.

The idiosyncrasies of American diction furnish a rich variety of also fronts. Around Cambridge certain students quickly assimilate a so-called Harvard accent along with class banners and Veritas shields. This dialect fortunately has no such widespread influence as the Oxonian, yet it does serve to stamp some Harvard men from Tampico to Timbuctoo. While the lingo of a telephone girl often prevents one from making embarrassing remarks to the wrong person, the Harvard accent has no significance beyond indicating that its possessor has got the wrong number.