Victorian Verses Fade as Home-Spun Sayings Take Over Pioneer Language

The penning of poetic Valentines has been documented since the 15th century, and it rose to immense and lasting prominence during the Victorian period of the late 1800s. Consider the following four-line plea:

Thou say my heart, my too fond heart / is cold, my dear, to you. /  Ah! Canst thou such a thought impart / to one who loves so true?

Sigh. What was popular for Easterners, sitting in their gardens sipping tea amidst the roses, somehow doesn’t fit as well on the high plains of the West amidst the tumble weeds and rattle snakes. Besides, who had time to pen even a couplet, let alone four lines when there’s wood to chop, livestock to feed, fields to plow, vegetables to pick, bread to bake, supper to get on the table… You get the idea.

Pioneers, no matter what they did in their former lives “back east”, became consumed with merely surviving on the frontier, and by the time they were established, many of their eastern trappings had been left in the dust. 

The same is true of their language. Gone were the “thou’s” and “canst’s” evident in flowery Victorian speech. Such verbiage was replaced by plain language befitting plain people. That said, it’s also true that pioneers developed some interesting vernacular of their own.

Consider what slang might be heard at a barn raisin’ or a quilting bee: “That ol’ biddy got ‘er dander up and commenced to have a conniption fit until Bob told ‘er to give it a rest.” (Translation: Overheard at a gathering to build a barn or make a quilt: That older woman expressed anger to the point of hysterically over-reacting until Bob told her strongly to be quiet.)

Easy? Try this: “Bob said he had a hankering for a lot of grub, so I told ’im I’d take care of the fixins if he’d get his iron and keep his eyes peeled while moseyin’ over the hill, and give that old gobbler a case of lead poisoning.” (Bob said he craved a big meal, so I told him I’d make all the extras if he’d get his gun, stay on the lookout while moving slowly over the hill, and shoot a turkey.)

Or: “You think yer so high-falutin’! You better mind yer manners, lest my daddy make us jump the broom to avoid an incident. That way, we’ll be out of the woods and can have the Jenny Lind,” he says. (You think you’re so entitled! You’d better show some manners, or my father will make us get married to avoid an illegitimate child. That way, we’ll avoid a bad situation and can inherit the spool [good] furniture, he says.)

While not quite as colorful, standard English comes closer to pioneer expression than Victorian speech. If you want to try your hand at penning verses or feel artistically crafty, join members of the Historical Society Saturday, February 8, as they handmake old-fashioned Valentines for loved ones and residents of local assisted living centers (who love receiving them!) at the Baugh House (44th Ave. and Robb St.) from 10:00-2:00. All materials will be provided. 

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