Preface<br > Everyone knows that language is variable:<br > Ye knowe ek that in forme of speche is chaunge<br > Withinne a thousand year， and wordes tho<br > That hadden pris， now wonder nyce and straunge.<br > o o o<br > I knowed you wasn t Oklahomy folks. You talk queer kinds-That ain t no<br > blame， you understan." Ever body says words different， said Ivy. Arkansas<br > folks says em different， and Oklahomy folks says em different. And we<br > seen a lady from Massachusetts， an" she said era differentest of all. Couldn <br > hardly make out what she was sayin .<br > o Q o<br > "Why yes sir， Mister Jem. " Calpurnia timidly put her fingers to her mouth.<br > "They were the only books I had. Your grandaddy said Nil . Blackstone<br > wrote fine English-"<br > "That s why you don t talk like the rest of em，" said Jem.<br > "The rest of who?"<br > "Rest of the colored folks. Cal， but you talked like they did in church.<br > That Calpurnia lead a modest double life never dawned on me. The idea<br > that she had a separate existence outside our household was a novel one，<br > to say nothing of her having command of two languages.<br > "Cal，" I asked， "why do you talk nigger-talk to the-to your folks when<br > you know it s not right?"<br > "Well， in the first place I m black-"<br > "That doesn t mean you hafta talk that way when you know better，"<br >said Jem.<br > vii<br >