Good English in the Home by Estelle M. Hurll

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 13, 1916

Good English in the Home

By Estelle M. Hurll

“How can children who hear good English at home, but who live in a region in which a somewhat ungrammatical and colloquial English is spoken, be trained to use the language they hear at home, and not that spoken by the neighbors?” asks a puzzled mother.

It is only by constant correction that parents can overcome the faults of speech which the child has contracted from outside associates. With children who are old enough to grasp the idea, an appeal may be made to family pride. Tell them how mortifying it is that people should have reason to suppose that this sort of language is spoken in their own home. The problem is easier when there are several brothers and sisters who may be set to watch one another, and perhaps have a little fun by catching the mistakes.

If a record is kept of the double negatives, “ain’ts,” etc., which each one uses during a day or week, some method of fining the greatest offender, or rewarding the most careful, will cause a good deal of merriment. Children can often help one another more effectively than their parents can help them.

It must not be forgotten that incorrect English is not a fault of character, and should be treated in a different way from questions of morals. The appeal is not to the conscience, but to the intelligence, and the first aim is to awaken the child’s own interest in correct speech.—Estelle M. Hurll, in Home Progress.