AMERICANISMS.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR."] SIR,—One might have expected a paper like the Spectator* to to give us something a little more profound or original than the regulation list of Americanisms which we come across every month or so. Why does it never occur to any writer to inquire whether, in such instances, the British or American usage is the more correct? If this were done, in by far the majority of cases it would be found that the Transatlantic expressions are superior alike on etymological, historical, and practical grounds. To begin with the word which most inspires the sneers and jeers of English scribblers, "guess" is the old Saxon word which is found used in the same sense in every page of Chaucer and other ancient writers, and is colloquial to this day in many parts of this country. It is far more concise and correct than such words as "fancy," "imagine," "suspect," &a, used in England to avoid the derided "Americanism," to say nothing of "expect," which is positively ungrammatical unless relating to a future event. "Store" is manifestly more exact than "shop," which means a place where things are "shaped," and is properly used in the sense of "workshop," as in "fitting-shop," &c. "Rail- road" was the more common expression in England also fifty years ago, and is at least as correct as " railway ;" while "track" is obviously so much more expressive and handy than our roundabout denominations that the Engineer has decided to adopt it. "Tramway," I admit, is an excellent word that it is very unfortunate the Americans do not naturalise, though John Stephenson and Co. and others are endeavouring to make it current. "Shunt" is also a very useful word which the Americans would be well advised to adopt, as the meaning of " switch " is properly the mere action of moving the handle which causes the "shunting." "Sidewalk" is manifestly the right word to use, as it may or may not be paved, the "pavement" being the actual stone
surface, and not necessarily a sidewalk at all, Lift" is perhaps a better word than elevator," seeing that it lifts both up and down, though the French expression " ascensettr " shares this defect. As regards American spelling, the pre- judice against it here is of the crudest and most thoughtless kind. Unquestionably it is more consistent to spell alike both "governor" and "savior," " tenor " and "labor," and any change towards consistency in our most unruly language is to be welcomed. " Skeptic " is just as correct as "skeleton," the regular form of which should be " sceleton," pronounced like "sceptre ; " and as long as there is an exceptional pronun- ciation, there can be no objection to a correspondingly excep-
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