Early inarticulateness cites?

[Bethany K. Dumas]

On Fri, 4 Jun 1999, Jesse T Sheidlower wrote:

>I'm supposed to be discussing the notion that youth
>(or perhaps society in general) is more inarticulate
>today than they ever have been. Does anyone have good
>cites from the past (say, before the 1960s) wherein
>people complain about the inarticuleness of youth?
>This could be attacking specific expressions ("like"
>or "you know") or more generally.

You could cite my father, John Wesley Dumas, who forever harped on my
/chont?/ = "What do you want?" (The harping was strongest between about
1949 and 1954.)

: )

Bethany