The American Language — Vocabulary
Henry L. Mencken
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On the contrary, they are keenly aware of the differences between the two dialects, and often discuss them, as the following pages show.†117 more

Here there is room for inquiry, and that inquiry deserves the best effort of American phonologists, for the language is undergoing rapid changes under their very eyes, or, perhaps more accurately, under their very ears, and a study of those changes should yield a great deal of interesting matter.19 more

And as it thus yielded to /are/ in the indicative, it now seems destined to yield to /am/ and /is/ in the subjunctive.19 more

An early authority, John G. E. Heckwelder, argued that it was derived from an Indian mispronunciation of the word /English/.†29 more

[24] Chesterton, however, refrained from denouncing this lack of identity; on the contrary, he allowed certain merits to American†36 more

Of analogous character are artificial words of the /scalawag/ and /rambunctious/ class, the formation of which constantly goes on.†24 more

For one thing, I am eager to attempt a more scientific examination of the grammar of the American vulgar speech, here discussed briefly in Chapter VI.†36 more

/Selectman/ is first heard of in 1685, displacing the English /alderman/.†29 more

Others, which have long been obsolete in England, are still retained in common use among us.†15 more

Contributions of materials and suggestions for a possible revised edition of the present book will reach me if addressed to me in care of the publisher at 220 West Forty-second Street, New York.†12 more

On American spelling, with its wide and constantly visible divergences from English usages, there was little more.†15 more

"A /scooner/ let her be!" replied Captain Andrew Robinson, her [Pg048] builder—and all boats of her peculiar and novel fore-and-aft rig took the name thereafter.12 more

[10] This use of the word was then relatively new in England, though, according to White, the /Saturday Review/ and the /Spectator/ had already succumbed†17 more

His novels are mines of American idiom, and his style shows an undeniable revolt against the trammels of English grammarians.†25 more

Both are useful words; it is impossible, not employing them, to convey the ideas behind them without circumlocution.†5 more

At an early date they shortened the English law-phrase, /to convey by deed/, to the simple verb, /to deed/.5 more

But we still have two plainly defined conjugations of the verb, and we still inflect it for number, and, in part, at least, for person.†17 more

That it should be regarded as an anti-social act to examine and exhibit the constantly growing differences between English and American, as certain American pedants argue sharply—this doctrine is quite beyond my understanding.†15 more

But it was as much an affectation in those [Pg060] days as it is today, and Webster indicated the fact pretty plainly in his "Dissertations."†13 more

Fraternizing was made difficult by the wide divergence in vocabulary and pronunciation—a divergence interpreted by each side as a sign of uncouthness.†10 more