Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph from Colorado Springs, Colorado • Page 38

2 Gazette Telegraph Colorado Springs, Colo. Thursday, March 17, 1977 The Americanization of English ERMA BOM BECK Situatio Reversed Why Not Leave Adults at Home? became a writer and director singer is a "chirp," a thrush." a "warbler." Brevity is the stuff of Varie tyese. The reason for it may have been the small space available for headlines, or what Chicago bureau chief work? And where did you get that pretty dress? I want you to meet my parents. Mom 34 and Dad is 36. You should have a lot in common.

Now run along and get acquainted. Maybe their Mom will show you her new microwave oven and their Dad his new power mower. Keep it down now." Later, as the children are really having a good time, the four parents approach the children. "Kids, when are we going home? All the parents are sleepy. Besides, Dad has to be in court early tomorrow and he has a brief to write tonight." The kids look at one another, "Isn't that just like a parent? Putting everything off until Sunday night.

How long have you known about the brief?" making English American. Ttws forces included Damon Runyon. Will Rogers. L. Mencken.

Mark Twain, and Sime Silverman. Sime Silverman? In 1905, Silverman started Variety, the weekly trade paper covering the business of show business. Silverman brought into his paper the breezy off theuff talk of the circus lot. of backstage at vaudeville houses, of saloons that closed at dawn. Ha rvard Prof.

Morton Bloomfield in the forward to "The American Heritage Fic tionary of the English Language" wrote, "It is a supple and variegated language." And for 71 years, Variety has tested that suppleness, added to that variegation, reflected the biz, viz: An act that draws great applause is said to be "greeted bv heavy mitting." A boring show is a "yawner." Someone leaving a show before it's over is said to be "ankling." A songwriter is a "cleffer:" a director is a "helmsman;" an actor is a "thesp." A girl By CHARLES LEROUX Ctaknfo Tribwt The language in which ask for a bus transfer or for a cup of hot tea with no lemon and in which we write grocery lists and columns tike this one has come to our lips and hands courtesy of a long percolation Lots of folks have added to the brew Saxons. Jutes. Normans, a smattering of Frisians, the odd Angle or two. an occasional raiding Viking. In the 17th Century.

English speaking people boarded ships and sailed not off the edge of the world as some had feared 200 years earlier but into something language purists 200 years later would consider more dangerous America. Edwin Newman's book. "Strictly Speaking." is subtitled "Will America Be the Death of English?" The bulk of the book seems to answer, "verily." While American sportscas ters, corporate vice presidents, and teen agers were busily making English unintelligible, other forces were JAPANESE FASHION A typical soft butterfly dress in light silk crepe print with a snake motif was shown by Hanae Mori who was the first Japanese designer to be officially welcomed to the world of Paris high fashion recently in the spring summer collection. Morry Roth called "the garrison mentality among show business people who didn't trust laymen and wanted their own language." Whatever the reason, contraction, abbreviation, and shortcuts are the hallmarks of the paper. A neighborhood theater is a opposed to an "out Iyer." An indoor theater is a "hardtop," while an outdoor theater is an "ozoner." A station owned and operated by a network is an and not to be confused with "the o.o.," which means to look at, to give something the once over, as in "give it the o.o." Long before CB.

cities were "Chi," "Beertown," "Motor City," "Gotham," which, like many of the examples here, are no longer used. By reading Variety, even the folks up in MPLS could sound like the folks on old B'way. When the stock market crashed in 1929, Variety headlined: Wall Street Lays an Egg. And when a writer found that small town theater patrons didn't care for films with small town settings, the headline read: Sticks Nix Hick Pix. Perfect Varietyese.

"The heyday of slanguage in Variety was the '20s," said Robert Landry, who has worked for the paper for 35 years 'and is managing editor under Syd Silverman, grandson of the founder. "We had a guy here named Jack Convoy who wrote a lot of that stuff. He used to take leaves of absence to go to Hollywood and write amusing titles, wisecracks, and quips for silent movies. "Claude Binyon wrote the Wall Street headline. He later with Paramount.

He's retired and lives in California. The Sticks Nix head was written by Lyn Bonner who came to New York from Hollywood because he had been ill and thought the climate would be good for him. Six weeks after he wrote that, he died of cancer." And there was Abel Green. For 40 years, from the day in 1 9 3 3 that Sime Silverman pointed to his own desk and said, "You sit here. Abel," until Green's death in 1973, Green was the editor and embodiment of Variety.

Staffers (formerly called recall that Green "could write faster than anybody could read," and. unlike current "muggs," he conducted his everyday life in Varietyese. He once dashed off a note canceling an engagement. "Can't meet you today unforch." Changes soon may ring down the curtain on Varietyese. "Conglomerates are in the industry now," Roth pointed out, "and the guys at Gulf and Western don't talk that way." Despite all the flash and dash, Variety staffers and executives insist that the language is precise.

"Whammo means a sensa tion, like Roth said. "Boffo is not as big. It's box nffire like 'Sound of Music' Socko is a very good success like 'The It depends on a lot of factors, the kind of film, how long it has played, and the size of the theater. Whammo cannot happen in a small theater." Edwin Newman, from his NBC office in New York, admitted heavily: "I think Variety has enriched the language. Anything that gives it vigor and color is a good thing." Varietv is still stirrine the language brew with its pen ls.

Koth coined "nappy talk" for light handed news treatment, proving that a phrase that accurately and cleverly describes a whole spectrum of experience can still make the paper and per per and per haps catch on with its 46,000 influential readers. Opportunity onro that thp Commerce ence that the Commerce De Token' Likes T.n New York News CLOCK STOPPING SUPER SHOPPING TIME NEW YORK She is the partment stands behind the token white woman in President stgte Department and the Trea Carter's cabinet, and she says: non.mon) 4nof AT STEVINS0N T0TUTA Toyota's Sales Event Ever! Ends Midnight Saturday. Biggest 634 2822 "That's all right. Juanita Kreps. Secretary of Commerce, put it right on the line.

"I'm not put off by the constant refer Dale Strauss, son of Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Strauss of 1231 Ogood Road will be initiated April 28 into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society at Texas Tech University. Lubbock. JTZZXA T.thPran Univprsitv's Dioduc STUDENT SCENE CLOCK STOPPING HM: DDRESS Thursday noon Mm 17th thru Mr.

mianignr mm i Tin 18 S.Weber Parents. When you call your children to go visit your friends with you, do they hide under the car and refuse to come out? Do they make excuses for not going like they have to stay home and rotate the tires on their tricycle? Do they exude all the enthusiasm of a child invited to a fire drill in December in the middle of showers? Then these words are for you. Suppose just suppose the situation was reversed and you were being dragged along to visit their friends. It might go something like this. "Look, Mom.

would you and Dad stop dawdling or we're going to be late at Debbie and Mike's house. And I'm telling you before we go, I don't want you whining around about when are we coming home and running in and out every two minutes to And for crying out loud take something to do some of your favorite toys. Mom, why don't you take your needlepoint That would keep you occuDied for awhile. Your home workshop is out of the question, Dad. It's too big.

Take something small like ybe your keyring to play with." At the house, the introductions are brief. "This is Mom and Dad. but you'll forget their names anyway. Say hello. And would you look at your parents I swear they've grown a foot since we last saw them.

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I hope you two didn't drink a lot of liquids or you'll be up all night. And don't you dare fall asleep on the way home or we'll leave you in the car all night. Tell me, did you have a good time?" THE "BRIGHT IDEA" IN A 6 WAY ADJUSTABLE CLEANER $7995 Model 1454 Exclusive 6 WAY A NAP gives precise settings lowest Top Filling disposable dust bag avoids clogging needs fewer changes. Daylight Headlight finds dirt DUAL ACTION EDGE KLEEN ER Carries full suction right up to baseboards. EUREKA POWERFUL Vs PEAK H.P.

METAL CLEANER WITH LPCsjnACHIVIINIJSEI YOU WOULD EXPECT TO PAY MUCH MORE FOR A CLEANER THAT HAS MUCH LESS. 4995 We also honor firCSfO lt Ouit I center stage Originally priced 20c '0 tnkpnim not put off by cries rfjoteaim One has to distinguish be tween the reasons he or she got a job and what they do with it afterwards. Tokenism that's all right. I don't mind as long as it's understood that once I do the job, it's sex free." Ms. Kreps.

55. econonvst and vice president of Duke University in Durham. N.C took the cabinet job after Carter's first choice. Jane Cahill Pfeiffer, withdrew her name from consideration. Ms.

Kreps took sharp issues ith Carter's statement that it! was difficult to find qualified i en. She saM that was 'hard to defend. UUU18 UK 6 in Manhattan at a recent press conference sponsored by; Ms Magazine, which published; her article on working women i the March issue. Kreps; laborated on the theme of the differences between "qualifed" iles and females. MEETINGS 01LENQ4R FRIDAY The Rosicrucian Order, AMORC, Pronaos of the Sun, 8 p.m., American Legion 36 Washington Manitou Springs.

F.O.E. No. 3260, 6 to 8 p.m., 2332V2 E. Platte dinner, sale. Christian Women's Club North, 12:30 p.m., Hilton Inn, lunch.

Mother's Club. F.O.E. Auxiliary No. 143, 6:30 p.m., Bonanza Restaurant. UKtA 1 HAWAIIAN GETAWAY Days left for two.

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