Life, 1920-05-06 · page 16 of 56
Life — May 6, 1920 — page 16: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This article satirizes American newspapers adopting British English terminology and expressions. The author argues that British linguistic quirks are being imported unnecessarily into American journalism via London correspondents. The cartoon illustrates the complaint: a British correspondent (likely representing the *New York Times*'s London office) asked a telephone operator to be "put through"—unfamiliar jargon to Americans. The piece mockingly suggests Americans should protest this "invasion" of Briticism rather than adopting foreign language habits. The accompanying illustration shows a confused child asking "What's the matter, my dear? Are you lost?" with response text mocking British affectations. The satire targets what the author sees as pretentious imitation of British speech patterns infiltrating American discourse through press influence.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
in this fashion. “ To be put through "— go to! That is a bad word, and we do not thank him for it. But it reminds us that the British are so be- nighted that when they want “long dis- tance” they have to request the hello- girl to give them “trunk-lines.” “ Put through” and “ trunk-lines,” quotha— where will this end?) They will next be asking us to call a railroad con- ductor a “guard,” and after that we may expect the deluge. BoM LIFE’S Title Contest Closed on May 3rd—no answers re- ceived after noon on that date being considered. At this writing the re- plies are being tabulated and read. Owing to the large number, an exact count is not yet possible, but we hope to give this information in our next issuc Our readers may be sure that we shall award the prizes at the earliest moment consistent with a painstaking decision. BEFORE we endeavor to load upon ourselves our “in-laws” abroad we should first consider our “out laws” at home. Rb Mew von — The Invasion of Briticisms UR kin across the sea—a little more than kin and less than kind—have often denounced the impending defi- niteness of the English language by the jerky and pic- turesque Americanisms which their newspapers import in the original package. And perhaps the time has come when we Americans ought to arise in our wrath and turn the tables on them, and protest as shrilly as they do against the importation of needless Briticisms in the United States. For instance, the London correspondent of the New York Times recently had occasion to explain how he got per- mission from the London Times to cable Lord Grey's letter about the League of Nations; and he asserted that he tele- phoned to the office of the Thunderer and “asked to be put through to the acting editor.” The context reveals that he wanted the telephone girl in the office of the Lon- don Times to give him the acting editor. “To be put through” is a repellent and horrific expression, unknown to telephone users in the country where the telephone was invented, where it was developed and where all its improve- WHAT'S THE MATTER, MY DEAR? ARE You Lost?” ments have been invented. And there is no excuse for the | | AtA-AM, THEY C-CAN’T AFFORD TO 1.-LOSE ME, correspondent of an American paper dropping into British NEITHER, ‘COS I'M THE O-ONLY ONE THEY'VE GOT.” comicbooks.com