Show Ir I I I L Timely Topics r I LOOSENING THE LANGUAGE BOND DOND Whether either American or Britons use the language i of Shakespeare may be doubted but as the thought Is i treason to a aery very ery convenient figure of speech let It not be pursued further here But what may be safely considered Is whether AmerIcans Amer Amer- leans and Britons are not cultivating languages of their own that will ultimately make the speech of each unIntelligIble unintelligible to the other Some recent British novels have been particularly In insIstent insistent in- in In asserting the claims of certain expressions to be parts of English speech A In one of them repeatedly declares that he cant stick certain things What the poor thing means Is he cant can't stand They I fade him You'd think hed he'd say so instead of saying he cant can't stick them which Is nutty Another character says Lets have no niggling All right lets let's not That Is If he means let there be no rag rag- ging But Dut If he means that why doesn't he say Bay ay so BO or say Jawing or But to one Just doesn t Not In this country where language has a meaning Theres There's grouse too The British novelists are dippy about that word word word-If if word it Is What they seem to mean is grouch Any American can understand how a man might be a grouch grouchy or be grouchy or eyen even grouch about something that didn't please hl him But how can a man grouse grouse As purists Americans will tell the world he cant can't Kansas cant Kansas City Star Ind md Maybe l after Luther Burbank has exhausted the wonders won won- ders dels of the tho vegetable department he will turn his attention atten atten- tion fion to livestock and invent a cow that gives malted milk Kansas Kansas City Journal S |