ABSTRACT OF A NENV MET-IOD TO N ALYZE -Z7e nolisl2 anuIale ab a itera tnre. E V GL I S H, THE YOUNGEST, 3MOST ELASTIC, AND GRAIMMATICALLY THE SIMPLEST LANGUAGE. ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS PHILOLOGICALLY, HISTORICALLY, AND NUMERICALLY PROVED. ITS INFLUENCE AND IMPORTANCE AS A MEANS OF CIVILIZATION. ITS EXTENT.AND DESTINY. Y Jokh.A Weisse, J.a. "Language is an art, and a glorious one, whose influence extends over all others, and in which all science whatever mu'st centre; but an art springing from necessity, and originally invented by artless men." HORNE TooKE's " Diversions of Purley." Vol. I. p. 317. L. E. NEW-YOR: PRINTED BY I, LUDWIG, 39 CENTRE-STREET. 18 73. Entered, according to Act of Cohgress, in the year 1873, BY JOHN A. WEISSE, M D., Ihi the Office of the Libhatliah of Cohgress, at Washingtoh. CHAPTER I. J NT iPO D U CT I0 kY. Epitome of the Progress of the English Language; its Advantages over other Tongues; its Drawbacks. In Sharon Turner's "History of the Anglo-Saxons,"' we read: "To explore the history of any language is a task peculiarly difficult at this period of the world, in which we are so remote from the era of its construction. We have as yet witnessed no people in the act of forming their language, and cannot therefore from experience demonstrate the simple elements, from which a language begins, nor the additional organization, which it gradually receives." We assent to this statement, when applied to any of the ancient idioms, as: Aryan, Sanscrit, Chaldee, Zend, Hebrew, Arabic, Phoenician, Coptic, Etruscan, Celtic, Basque, Greek, Latin, Gothic, German, Sclavonic, &c.; but English, being the latest linguistic offspring, we shall endeavor to show its "'simnple elernents," and to trace" t/he additional organization, which it gradually receives". To perform this "task 5peeuliarly diffeult at this period of the world," we ask and answer the following questions: I. What is the origin of the English language from A. D. 1600 to our times a II. mWhat was the language in England fiom Ethelbert, King of Kent, A. D. 570, to Edward the Confessor, A. D. 1043, and William the Conqueror, A. D. 1066? III. What was its progress fromr William the Conqueror, A. D. 1066, to A. D. 1400, when Chaucer, the pioneer of English literature, died? IV. What was its progress from Chaucer, A. D. 1400, to Shakespeare, A. D. 1600?. V. What is its present extent, importance, and influence as a means of civilization? VI. What is its Destiny? To answer these questions we select Anglo-Saxon, English 4 and American writers of different styles and on different subjects, take extracts, arrange the words under appropriate headings, and arrive at numeric results. Again from these tables of 100 words each we drop repetitions, choose the different nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs of quality, and particles, place them in separate columns, and thus reach ultimate totals, which must irrevocably settle the origin and progress of the English language. Poetry, prose, the pulpit, the Forum, the university, the Press, School- and lectureroom, and the fireside furnish their quota to this analysis. We are convinced there are thousands, who desire satisfactory answers to the above questions, language being a nation's intellectual and moral mirror. To those, who sincerely seek knowledge, we present tables and columns ofAngloSaxon and English words; to those, who, from prejudice, ignorance, or want of proper research, parade the -terms "Anglo-Saxon, Teutonic, _lvorman, or Norman-French, and think they have exhausted the subject, we offer linguistic transitions with percentages. We thought long and earnestly, till we reached this new Method of analyzing the English language and literature. If it affords as much pleasure to readers as it did to the author, who, at the age of thirty knew not a word of English, his labor of thirty years will be amply rewarded. He offers it to the English-speaking populations as a linguistic monument to supply an educational want, hoping it will find its way into schools, colleges and universities. In this numeric investigation from Ethelbert's Anglo-Saxon Code, A. D. 597 to Milton's "Paradise Lost" 1670, we fbund this curious linguistic progression: From A. D. 600 to 900 the dialect was putre Anglo-Saxon. "r 4 900 to 1100 we find 6 per-cent Grmco-Latin. "4 1100 " 1200 " 14 " " "c 1200 " 1300 16 " " "c 1300 " 1400 " 33 " " 1400 1500 " 33 " "' ~15500 0 1600 " 32 " 1600 " 1670 " 35 " " 1670 " 1870 Greeco-Latin rose to 62 per-cent in some authors. This progressive influx of words from a different and more advanced family of languages and dialects, unconformable to the Anglo-Saxon Grammar, compelled a relinquishment of odd inflexions. Aimless and arbitrary declension, conjugation and construction were simplified, shortened and generalized to suit froln 6 to 62 new corners. Here was the knell of Anglo-Saxon stagnation and the dawn of English progress. The great linguist, Jacob Grimm, consoles Anglo-Saxon enthusiasts by assuring them, that modern English gained in spiritual maturity, what it may have lost in Anglo-Saxon inflexions. The ultimate result of our strict analysis shows over two-thirds of Groeco-Latin, and less than one-third of Anglo-Saxon or Gotho-Germanic.' After all, language is the truest gauge of a nation's advancement. No doubt, Shakespeare and Milton settled the character of the English idiom from about 1600 to 1670. From our analysis of the Anglo-Saxon dialect through its transition into the present composite English language we infer, that Ethelbert of A. D. 600 could hardly have conversed with Ethelred II., A. D. 1000; that Egbert of A. D. 828 could not have easily read Chaucer's " Canteribry Tales"' of 1380; and should Alfred the Great suddenly appear at queen Victoria's Court and address Her Majesty in the Anglo Saxon of A. D. 900, some linguist wmould be called to interpret the distinguished Stranger's idiom. Hence Sir Charles Lyell's saying: "None of the tongues now spoken, were in existence ten centuries ago," is literally true. The changes of the Anglo-Saxon dialect from Ethelbert, A. D. 597, to Chaucer 1370, were striking; from Chaucer, 1370, to Shakespeare 1600, they were less so; and from 1600 to our day, they were comparatively slight, as may be realized by our tables. Shakespeare, with his varied conceptions, did not burst the mould of England's dialect; for some admirer counted the words in his writings and states them to be 15, 000; probably Mrs. Cowden Clarke, who made a concordance of Shakespeare's works. Milton did not beggar his native tongue, for he only employs 8,000. The translation of the Scriptures, under Jamues I., 1611, did not exhaust it, although it required.773,746 words, of which about 98/loo are proper names and repetitions, if it be true, that the insignificant particle and occurs 46,219 times. No doubt, these figures were taken from concordances. It is said few good authors use 10,000 words, while ordinary people employ but 3000, which is but a fraction of the 80,000populacr, scientific, and tec/hnical words, mentioned in Noah Webster's preface to his dictionary of 1840, in which he says: I" It has been my aim in this work-to furnish a standard of our vernacular tongue, which we shall not be ashamed to bequeath to five hundred millions of people, who are destined to occupy, and hope to adorn, the vast territory within our jurisdiction." Since then Texas, California and Alaska were added. Trench, in his "Study of Words,"' corroborates the superiority of language over authors in this felicitous strain: "Far more and mightier in every way is a language than any one of the works which may have been composed in it; for that work, great as it may be, is but the embodying of the mind of a single man, this of a nation. The Iliad is great, yet not so great in strength or power or beauty as the Greek language. "Paradise Lost" is a noble possession for a people to have inherited, but the English tongue is a nobler heritage yet." English, now the easiest language as to grammar, combining the elegance of the Graeco-Latin with the vigor of the Gotho-Germanic tongues, would be ready for universal adoption, if the English-speaking peoples would adopt tbe plain phonographic German rule: WFrite as you pronosunce, and pronounce as you write; in other words: write the same letter or letters for one sound, wherever that sound is required, and utter the same sound for the same letter or letters, wherever you find the letter or letters. This same plain phonographic German rule has been applied over two thousand years, to Greek and Latin, not only by the nations of continental Europe, but of Asia, Africa, and South America. — A Greek or Latin scholar of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Russia, Siberia, or even Turkey can converse in these classic languages with a scholar of Arabia, Armenia, Persia, Tartary, Egypt, Miorocco, Brazil, Peruvia, or Mexico, because among all those heterogeneous and distant nations Greek and Latin are written as they are pronounced and pronounced as they are written. Strange, the Isle of Britain and North America should stand in their own light and attempt to carry their 7 inconsistent pronunciation into those classic idioms, which ought to be a sacred universal linguistic medium for the educated of all climes, whether from Oxford, Heidelberg, IMlecca, Fez, Yale, or Rio Janeiro. This so-called English pronunciation of Greek and Latin has not as yet obtained even in Ireland, where a classic student frim any part of the world, except Oxford and Yale, can attend divine service and understand every word uttered by the officiating priest; so can any classic scholar attend and understand mass in the Convent of Mount St. Bernard or of Mount Carmel. Is it not high time the English and Americans should awake, not only from their night-mare pronunciation of Greek and Latin, but from the nightmare phonography of their own superior language, whose universcl acdoption is thereby retarded. We are told, the German phonographic rule would be impossible in English. If it has been possible for centuries in German, Greek and Latin, why should it be impossible in English or any other language? To pronounce the same letter or letters differently in certain words or in one and the same word, seems not only strange but capricious to unbiassed observers. Such is the case with ou in fl oour, four, hour, pour, c&c. with ough in bough, cough, doutgh, &c. with ow in bow, n. and v., row, n. and v., sow, n. and v., &c. We might multiply such anomalies, but let these suffice here and now, we shall give more details and suggest a remedy in our chapter on orthoepy and phonography. English-speaking people do not seem to notice these irregularities. To tax the memnories of their own children with linguistic conundrums, is not only wrong, bat cruel. Of all sciences, language should be made as simple and easy as possible; for man's labors are so numerous and varied, that it is useless to waste his time in minutike of spelling-books and " Pronouneing-Dictionaries," where at the top of each page, are guide-words with numbered vowels, and where each word in the text is printed doubly and differently to indicate its pronunciation. Foreigners, who have'studied and realized the advantages of the English idiom, as to grammar and construction, regret that the English and Americans, so eminently practical in other matters, continue to tolerate such glaring inconsistency in their language, a faculty, science and art, which they must use daily and hourly fromn the moment they rise till they retire. Yet, by a concerted effort to write and print as they pronounce, and pronounce as they write and print, this arbitrariness might be removed from their language, if not in a year, at most in half a century. To say nothing of the many useless letters, dropped by such a course, the time saved in type-setting, the ink and paper economized, just consider, how simple, easy and consistent the English language would be! Why,'a bright child of seven could master it in one year; an intelligent adult in two years; a scholar in six months. Surely, if this improvement is not made now, when there are but one hundred millions of English-speaking people, can it be made with more hope of success, when there will be five hundred millions? In his "Intellectual Life' ETarnerton observes: "A language cannot be thoroughly learned by an adult without five years' residence in the country where it is spoken; and without habits of close observation, a residence of twenty years is insufficient.99 Alas, this is too true, not only with regard to English, but with regard to other languages, past and present! will it be so with language to come? Let the English-speaking populations once realize, how easy the acquisition of their tongue would be for their own children and foreigners, if the same letter or letters were strictly adapted to one sound, and one sound to the same letter or letters; then no intelligent Englishman or Yankee w ould rest, until anomalies and irregularities would be removed from their language, now the admiration of philologists, as may be seen by our quotations. It is said 100 students are employed at Jeddo to simplify the Japanese characters so as to adapt them to the sounds of the European languages. If a nation, that was but yesterday considered barbarous, is acting thus, why should not England and America call a scientific convention to harmonize the letters of their alphabet with the sounds of their language? Why should not all the modern nations have a philologic congress to extend into language the uniformity we have in mathematics, chemistry, and music? The Arabic figures, algebraic characters, and mathematical signs have been and are used and understood at sight, not only by Arabs, Turks, English, French, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, and Scandi Inavians, but by Russians; so are Lavoisier's chemical symbols and equivalents. Notes and musical language are read and played at sight by artists of all nations, not only from one and the same composer, but from one and the same sheet. Why not have such uniformity and unanimity as to sounds, signs, and characters in language, in which, according to Horne Tooke, all science whatever munst centre " As to the destiny of the English language, the myriads, who speak it in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Oceanica, are fully aware of its capacity to become the universal linguistic medium, which may be realized by looking at the malp of North America, where the English idiom has, within twenty-five years, spread from the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific and Behring's straits, and displaced the Spanish, Indian, and Russian dialects. Cuba, St. Domingo, Mexico, Central America, the Sandwich and Navigators' Islands are feeling its influence and desire its sway; even exclusive China and Japan seem to lean more and more towards America and the English language across the Pacific. Thus the tide of empire is not only westward, but eastward; it meets and mingles in America. In his " Lectures on the English Language, 9' p. 121, G. P Marsh says': " In order to arrive at satisfactory conclusions on this point (origin of the English language), more thorough and extensive research is necessary." In our extracts and tables the "nore thorough and extensive researeh, " urged by Mir. Marsh, will be found. There we even supply the want, felt by the erudite lecturer, when he says, p. 122: "I have made no attempt to assign words, not of Anglo-Saxon origin, to their respective sources." We made the attempt and found, that the respective sources of the English vocabulary are: Anglo-Sacxon, Gothic, Danish, Swedish, Gernman, D)utch, and Icelrand ic; Welsh, Scotch, Irish, and Armnoric; Greek, L;atin, Frenchz, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese; IIe brew and Arabic; and Russian. Hence a careful perusal of this analysis will enable any reader to learn, that the English of to-day is a compound of twenty idioms, ancient and modern, dead and living. No wonder Wilberforce says:'English is a composite language." To realize that England's dialect has added from 6 to 62 per-cent of 10 Greco-Latin since Alfred the Great, must prove interesting to the English-speaking millions over all the globe. Our extracts and tables show these curious facts: 1st, teachers, professors, and grammarians abound in repetitions; next come journalists, preachers, political speakers, lecturers, scientists and historians; last, but not least, poets, whom measure and rhyme compel to be Laconic. 2d. More than half the words, even in the works of the best English authors, arepctrticles. * If such is the case in print, what shall be said of daily intercourse and conversation? It is to be hoped telegraphing, phonography and philology will do away with linguistic prolixity, in order to save time, ink and paper, to say nothing of vocal organs. Spartan Laconism in speech and print and Pythagorian schools would not' come amiss in this age of small print and smaller talk. Less tongue, more brain; fewer words, more thought; less grammar, less syntax, more practice; less preaching, more example, would soon lead towards a higher intellectual, moral and social standard. All tends to shorten space by air-line Rail Roads, time by telegraphs, labor by machinery. This is well; but why not carry this tendency into language? Certain styles of writing demand more or less Anglo-Saxon, while others require more or less Graeco-Latin: for domestic subjects Anglo-Saxon almost suffices; whereas topics of science, art and progress require Graeco-Latin. Thus one and the same author, writing a poem on domestic affairs unconsciously uses 80 per-cent AngloSaxon and 20 per-cent Groeco-Latin, yet in the preface he uses but 60 per-cent Anglo-Saxon and 40 per-cent Graeco-Latin. The only reason we can assign for this is, that the one is primitive, the other progressive. Of all sciences the sublimest - language - is the most complicated and inconsistent, not for want of votaries, but for want of strictly scientific analysis and synthesis. In our tables, let the reader compare the words of the Grmeco-Latin and the Anglo-Saxon columns and realize, that nearly all the Groeco-Latin, are words of progress, civilization and refine* Articles, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and most adverbs of place and time, we call partic7es, or words without inherent meaning; while we style nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, formed from adjectives, words with inherent meaning. ment, whereas almost one-half of the Anglo-Saxon are insignificant particles and words of primary necessity. According to Tyrwhit's "'Essay on the Language and Versification of Chauncer," p. 7, the French element, in the Anglo-Saxon dialect, began with the accession of Edward the Confessor, (1043); and not, as usually asserted, with the so-calledNorman Conquest, which but hastened the fusion of the two idioms. In this analysis we fully realize what Mr. Marsh says p. 122: " Words of original Latin etymology have been, in the great majority of instances, borrowed from the French and are still nlsed in forms more in accordance with the French than with the Latin orthography." No wonder, the English under Edward the Confessor ceased to cultivate Anglo-Saxon and introduced French. Swinton's adage: "When a tong ao becomes petrified the national mind walks out of it, " was fully realized under Hardicanute. The Anglo-Saxon dialect was too poor and contracted for a an Anglo-French population, who mixed the two idioms in such proportions as suited their progress in morals, literature, science, art, commerce and civilization. As they progressed from Egbert to Victoria, their language advanced towards its present standard of excellence. The English character is a happy mixture of Celtic wit, Franco-Norman daring, and Germanic gravity, tinged with a peculiar love of enterprize and distant adventure. Perhaps the varied tribal and national elements, that engendered the English, together with their hazy island-home, tended to produce a race distinguished for sagacious ecclecticism, not only in science, art, mechanics and manufactures, but in language. In this numeric analysis of the English language, we realize the workings of the English and American mind; its power to expand, accrete and excrete; its faculty to select and assimilate; its versatility and progress in literature, science, art, mechanics and manufactures. The English idiom is the cream and essence of the Aryo-European dialects: it contains the choicest Groeco-Latin, Gotho-Germanic and Celtic elements: A happy medium between French and German; more grave than the former; less guttural, harsh, inverted and cumbersome than the latter; grammatically simpler than either; but very capricious in its orthoepy and phonography, 12 which might be easily modified. Vowels and consonants are so felicitously combined in the English language, that the dwellers of the frigid and torrid zones can articulate and speak it with comparative ease. No wonder, Dr. Rapp says: "The nations of Europe may esteem themselves fortunate, that the English have not made the discovery of the suitableness of their language for universal adoption."' Our numeric investigation also shows, that the English language improved in Laconism and directness, as it progressed from Ethelbert, 597, to Victoria, 1873: Less words and fewer particles are almost the rule. "The whole Earth was of one language and of one; speeel." Such is the declaration of Moses, Gen. xi, 1. Hence we realize his appreciation of language thirty-five centuries ago. Much has been said and written as to the origin, character and name of that one language and one speech, so emphatically mentioned in the oldest known Record. There can be little doubt as to the one language hereafter; for already the sun never sets on the English-speaking populations; already the Oceans, seas, and isles resound with English. Hence travel, Englishmen; travel, Americans; already not only the Esquiinaux and Ethiopian, but the American Indian, Australian, and Hindoo speak English; already hotelwaiters in Europe have to pass a competitive examination in the English language; spend your gold! By so doing, you diffuse and expand your language, and with it your influence and civilization. Should the author of this work contribute one iota towards a universal language, he would consider his Earth-life as a link ini the endless chain of progression. As he claims Saxon origin and traces his ancestry to the Fatherland, this book can hardly be considered partial. Impartiality is his aim, truth his object. No doubt, the English language with the Decimal System of measures, weights, and moneys, as a means of intercourse, would simplify commerce, facilitate travel, and favor universal education. They would be the crowning glory to printing, steam, and telegraph. National boundaries, jealousies, custom-houses and all manner of prejudice would vanish like mist before a genial sun. The English Sovereign and President of the United States, who initiate this movement, will figure in History as the greatest benefactors of mankind. We hope the international Congress, 13 about to meet in Paris, July 22, 1873, after discussing the Japanese and other Asiatic idioms, will find time to direct attention towards the language, that is simplest in its alphabet, grammar, and construction, and choicest in its vocabulary; then call for an international congress of linguists to consider its riversal adoption. If that congress is impartial, they will find English most suitable. Before we close this Introductory survey of the Englishspeaking millions, and begin our curious analysis of their language and literature, let us cite a passage from that most erudite living philologist, Mlax Muller, who preferred his professorship at Oxford to that recently offered him by the Kaiser: "Why certain words die, and others live on, why certain meanings of words become prominent, so as to cause the absorption of all the other meanings, we have no chance to explain. We must take the work of language as we find it, and in disentangling the curious skein, we must not expect to find one continuous thread, but rest satisfied, if we can separate the broken ends, and place them side by side in something like an intelligible order. " We shall now endeavor to disentangle the curious skein of the English language, and unroll it in one continuous thread, without separating or replacing any broken ends. CHAPTER II. "OvoFa aipa SLdaaKaR~Lov ir' Ee-tV opyavov Kat JlalptmIctov T1a vataq, a7rsep;ep9tg qba~'rog." —Pclato's Cratylus. Noah Webster, in his "'Dictionary of the English Language" of 1861, Author's Preface, p. XIV., says: "What individual is competent to trace to their source, and define in. all their various applications, popular, scientific, and technical, seventy or eighty thousand words!" We averaged the words therein and found about: 55,524 Grseco-Latin words 22,220 Gotho-Germanic (mostly Anglo-Saxon) " 443 Celtic " 98 Sclavonic 1, 724 Semitic (Hebrew and Arab.) 4( 80,011 14 We also averaged Walker's "Critical Pronouncing Dictionary and Expositor of the English Languaoe, " Edinburgh edition of 1865, and realized about: 56,108 Grmeco-Latin words. 21,777 Gotho-Gerlmanic (mostly Anglo-Saxon) 461 Celtic 768 Semitic 79,114 These figures from Webster's'and Walker's Dictionaries show nearly- three-quarters of Grweeo-actin, and about onegquarter of Anglo-Saxon. Thomas Shaw, in his " Outlines of English Literature," p. 44, says: "The English now consists of about 38,000 words." Some anonymous writer, who had the patience to count the words in each part of speech, observes: "There are in the English language 20,500 nouns; 40 pronouns; 9,200 adjectives; 8,000 verbs; 2,600 adverbs; 69 prepositions; 19 conjunctions; 68 interjections; and 2 articles; in all about 40,498 words." No doubt, the figures of Shaw and of the anonymous writer, refer to school-dictionaries, in which many scientific and technical words are omitted. Since people speak of language, as though it were within the covers of some Dictionary or Encyclopedia, let us survey its domain as to time, space, and importance: according to the Sacred Record language antidates everything, even light; for God said: Let there be light, called the light D)ay, the darkness Night, the firmament tHeaven, the gathering together of the waters Seas, &c..... (Gen. I, 3 il.) Thus Elohim uttered and formed language, before He made man, animals, or plants. Language embraces Zo6logy and the names of its 245,000 living species of animals; Botany and the names of its 100, 000 living species of plants; Geology with its 95,000 fossil species of animals and 2500 fossil species of plants; Mineralogy with its myriads of crystals, metals and minerals. Language.includes, not only, the ordinary dictionary of 40,000 popular words, but the Classical Lexicon, the Dictionaries of IMledicine, Jurisprudence, Chemistry, Arts and Manufactures, Biography, and the universal Gazetteer. The 4000 Christian names, the Bible names and the innumerable family names, 15 also belong to language. Have we not compassed language? Not yet: Look at yonder cathedral and churches with their lofty spires; at those grand edifices, reared for parliaments, congresses, legislatures, courts, institutes, universities, faculties, colleges, theatres; watch that post-office and the mails streaming to and from it; glance at those newspaper palaces, issuing bulletins and extras; behold those wires, freighted with the tersest and choicest treasures of language, rapping out telegrams in yonder office; see those structures, erected for casting type, printing, binding, publishing, and selling books. Forget not the 84 Bible societies and agencies, that issued and distributed 110,000,000 Bibles and Testaments since 1804one andl all were founded to diffuse and convey thought by and through language, either spoken, written, printed, or mapped. Should the God, who originated language on Earth, strike mankind dumb to-day, to-morrow these architectural splendors would begin to fade, for language raised them; language underlies them all. Now we can exclaim with Horne Tooke: "Language is an art and a glorious one, whose influence extends over all others, and in which all science whatever must centre." Hence should not this most powerful of engines-'lcnqguacge-lbe made as simple, easy, fluent, and perfect as possible? Lift your eyes to that azured dome! When you have learned, that language gave names and lent speech to those comets, moons, planets, suns, stars, constellations, and galaxies, you will be able to realize Jean Paul Richter's striking simile on language:,,tij biint, ber menjt miiarbe ja, (o0 mlie ba~ iprac0loe toier, baB in ber aunFeren welt, mvie in einem buntelnt, ethubenben effeen;-Meere 4)mimmt), ebenuaMl in bern voggeatirnten i)immet ber aiugeren Wncfactung bumpf'ertieven, mwenn er bac ervworrene ~euncten nictt buxr ~~rcrtcae in ~ternbitber abtteifte, anb tic~ buvrc btiee bac (actnae in')eiTe ftir bcta 3ewuf3tfein aufof}ete."i JJ Fromn this survey of language's vast domain we conclude, that the Klnglish Vocabulcary should number, at least, one m,illion of words to satisfy present science, art, and literature. No wonder then, the German Universal Dictionary, now issuing by the Brothers Grimm,. is to contain 500,000 words I CIIAPTER III. Anglo-Saxon Extracts from A. D. 597 to A. D. 900. Code of Etelbert, King of Kent, A. D. 597, AGLO- SAXON. * ENGLISH. Gif Cynin his ode to him gehatath, and heom mon thaer yfel gedo, II. "If King his people to him calls, and any one there evil does, two fines shall ~~~~bote and c~~yning L. scillinga. ~be paid, and to the King fifty shillings. Gif in Cyninges tune nan mannan ofsleah, L. scillinga gebete. If in the King's town a man slay a man, fifty shillings shall e paid. ~~~~Gif o~n Eres tune man mannan ofsleath, XII. scillinga gebete. If in an Earl's town a man slay a man, twelve shillings shall e paid. Gif man hone man ofsleahth. XX. scillinga gebete. If a man slay any man, twenty shillings shall be pid. Gif thuan (of a slaehth, XX. scillinga. Gif thuman naegl of weordeth If the thumb be cut off, twenty shillings. If the thumb nail e cut off thre III. scillina gebete. Gif man scyte-finger (of a slaehth), VIII. scillinga ge- shillings shall be paid. If a man cut off the forefinger, eight shillings hall be bete Gif an middle-finger (of a slaehth), IV. scillinga gebete. Gif man paid. If a man cut offthe middle finger, fonr shillingshalepaid. Ifman gold-nger (of a slehth, VI. scillinga gebete. Gif mais thon litlan finger cut off the gold (ring) finger, six shillings shall be paid. If any an cut off of a slaeth), XI. scillinga gebete." the little finger, eleven shillings shall be paid." Saxon Chronicle, A. D., 891. "An. DCCCXCI. Her for se here east, and Earnuilf cyning gefeaht with "An. 891. Here fared the army east, and King Earnulf fought with the rid- 0 thaem raede-here aer tha scipu comon, mid East-Francum, and Seaxum, and log army (cavalry) ere the ships camne with the East-Francs. and Saxons and Baegerum, and hine geflymde. And thry Scottas,cavomon to Aelfrede cyninge-on Bavarians, and defeated them. And three Scots came to King Alfred insa host, anum bate, butan aelcum gerethum of Hlibernia; and thonon hi woldon for without any rowers, from Hibernia; and thence they departed, bece.-nse they Godes Muan on eitheodinesse bion, hy ne rohton hwaer. would for God's love be in a state of pilgrimage, they did not care where. Se bat waes gewor-ht of thriddan healfre hyde, the. his on foron, and hi namon The boat was made of three haides and a half, in which they fared. and they mid him that his baefdon to seofon nihtumn mete, -and tha comon his ymb seofon took with them that they had for seven nights meat. and they came about the niht, to londe on Corowealum, and foran tha anna to Asifrede cyninge."1 seventh night, to land in Cornwall, and fared to King Alfred.".; Anglo-Saxon Version of Orosius by King Alfred A. D., 900. I "1Ohithere saede his hiaforde, Aelfrede kyninge, thaet he salra North-man, "4Ohithere said to his lord, King Alfred, that he lived northmost of all the north most buds. He cwaeth that he buds on thaem lands north-weardum north-men He quoth that he dwelled in the land northward with the west with tha west sae. He saede theah thaet landey swythe north thanon; ac hit sea. He said, though that land is quits north from thence, and it is all waste is sail west but on feavuin slowumn sticce mnaelum wiciath Finnas."1 but in a few places, where for the most part dwell the Finns-tIn the above extracts are 237 common words, of which 1108 are particles. We give these extracts in the Roman character because, as Sir David Dalrymsple pertinently t Bioding is his "1History sf Scsodiooavia," p 20, says: "1On the entrance of the Goths intQ observes: "vhs -nouthncss of the Angls-Saxsn. character deters many frem examining swhat Scandinavia, the Sand was inhabited by two reciprocally kindred uations, -whose prescutnam~es Sissy would understaod, if they could read." are Laplauders and Finns.' Origin of 1OO diererent Words from the precoding Eztraots of Ethelbert's Code, A. D. 097, Caxon Chronicle, A. D. 89i, and Anglo-Saxon Version of Orosious by Alfred the Great, A. D. 900. AR YO-PIOENIAryo*- European Type of Languages: CIAN TYPE: PELEGO-PELASGIC OR GRECO-LATIN GuMELt- SCLAVO~~FAZ~iILY. ~GOTHO-GERMANIC FAMILY: CELTIC NIC TI FAMILY.~~~~~~~~~~~~ FAV ILY__ __ _ _ __ FAMILY. FAMILY.FAMILY. Greek: French: Anglo-Saxon: Gif slaehth' butan mete I Cyning I naegl aelcumn ymb his weordeth gerethum night leode scyte-finger hi londe to middle betaelon sona gehatath gold forthon s:ede and litlan the hlafirde lCO Angloheom Her woldon ealra SaAongLatin: mon for Godes North thaer se lufan mest yfel here eltheodinesse bude gedo east bion cwaeth bote gefeaht ne west scillinga with rohton sae in thaem geworht theah tune raede thriddan sw) the man aer healfre ac ofsleah tha hyde hit gebete scipu hie eall on comon foron buton E orles hine namon feawun thone geflymde I that s owum thuman thry heafdon sticce of anum seofon mealum a bate nihtum wiciath Greeco-lat:n Wo-ls: Anglo-Saxon Words: Caltic: Sclavonic: Semitic: 1 00, of which 31 are particles. * The above classification is based on modern and ancient linguistic investigations: Aryo from Max Muller's Aryoss, which has recently been~considered the priinitive dialect. Pelego,frcm Peleg, Gen. XN, 25; Pelasgic, from Pelasgi. Herodotus lilb I., LVIL; Gomero, from Gomser. Gen. X., 2; and Semitic, from shem, (Sem) Gen. V., 32, which has been generally adapted in Philology for this family of' lansuaces.., t Hence we realize, that: The language, spoken in England before the Norman invasion, hid been for some centuries a rure Saxon dialect. u1nmixed with Latin or British." Pettit Andrews' "History (f Creat Britaisn," Vol. I p. 261., L. E. Perhaps Anglo-Saxon instead of Saxon, would have been more appropriate, because the Angles, and not the Saxons, gave their name to the country. 18 xtrat fro Chauoer's* "Canterbury Tales," A. D. 100. Appleton's Edition 1857, p. 578. Now have told you of veray confession, that is the seconde part of "penitence. The thridde part is satisfaction, andthatstontmostgenerally in almee dede and in bodily peine. Now ben ther three aner of almesse: contrition of herte, wher a man offreth himself to God: another is, to have piteeof the defaute of his neighbour: and the thridde is, in yeving of good conseil,t gostly and bodily, wher as men have nede, and namely in sustenance of mannes food. And take kepe that a man ath nede of thse thinges generally, he hath nede of food, of clothing, and of herberow, he hath nede of charitable conseilling and visiting in prison and in maladie, and sepulture of his ded body. And if thou maest not visite "the nedeful in prison in thy person, visite hem with thy message, and "thy yeftes. Thise ben generally the almesses and werkes of charitee, of "hem that have temporel richesses, or discretion in conseilling. Of thise werkes shalt thou heren at the day of dome." "This alese shuldest thou do of thy propre thinges, and hastily, and "prively if thou maiest: but natheles, if thou mayest not do it prively, thou "shalt not forbere to do almesse, though men see it, so that it be not don "for thanke of the worldl, but only to have thanke of JesL rist. For as "witnesseth Seint Matliewe, Cap. &c"1 229 common words, amongy which The occurs 7 times. 65 a it 2 it be (aux.) occurs 5 times. of " 20 "t have (aux.) "t 8" to "4 4 "t shall "t 3 i feom "t 0 "i will (aux.) "t 0 it in "t 9 cc may "t 2 i with it 1 "t do (aux.) "t 0 i by "t 0 "t that 5i Pron. of 1st person 1I and "4 15 " It 2d " 1 1 it 3d "10 "103 - ~~~~~other particles 33 65 133 particles. *"To penetrate the mists, which hatefully lowered over the English tongue, the. brightness of a Chaucer, the accuracy of a Gower were. needed, and those co)nstellations were not yet visihle." Pettit Andrews' " History of Great Britain." t Marsh (Le'-tures on the English Ianguage, p 124) says: "1Chaucer uses 50 per-cent Angte-Saxon. Our analysis shows hot 63 per-cent, 30 of which are mere particles. nence there are nearly as many French as Anglo-Saxon words of inherent meaning in Chaucer's style. 18 of the 31 French words printed in Italics, in the Tahle, are now spelt in French, a~ when Chaucer introduced them into English from 1360,to 1400. Werkes is the present German for work. Oririn 100 different wordc from the prceding Extraot of Ohauoer's Canterbury Tales, A. D. 100. IARYO Y[ EI Aryo-European Type of Languages: CIANRY TPE GOMERO- SCLAVO PELEGO-PELASGIC OR GR. CO-LATIN GOMERO-RA -CF SCLAYCLTISEMITIC ~~~~FAMILY:GOTHO-GERMMILY: A YLT F FAMILY: ELTIC SE F4M FAMIL Y:IFN Greek: Latin: French: Anglo-Saxon. German: veray. Confesssion tefpo~el Now to yeftes, n. as Cap. secon adj richesses haveaux. God or werkes, 2 ~~~~~~discretion so 2 ~ part.,~~ n. p~I ~ another shalt, aux. ~penitence hasily told neighbour heren, v. satisfacton prively you yeving, v. day Gothic: ~generally sintea. of good dome, n. almesse, n. lit hat gostly (1do at ~~~pein~, fl. is ~ nede, n. but, c. 1 ~maner, n~. the ~ namely notheles contrition thridde food forbere., v. Result offreth and take thong-1Lain 2 pitee, n. stont, V. kepe, v. see French: 3 defante, n. moot tipr. frGelo-a~cn: 6 conseil, n. in thinges: thanke, n. Gerano sustenance dede, n.. clothil"g. n. worldGohc charitable bodily herberow, n. Iortly, adv. 100 prison there ded, adj. witnesses, v. 313 per-cent. Grreco-Latin. nsaladie three if 63t 6 emnc sepultuare herte, n. thon visite. v. wher, adv. malest, aux. pe~rson a not message man. n. nedeful, n. cisaritee himself with Graeco.Latin Words: Germanic Words: 33 67, of which 3-1 are particles. Nc5 kof the 33 Groaco Lat-in words have each an inherent mean~ng; whereas 30.of the 67 Germanic are mere particles. Hence Iwo infer that Chaucer used 137 per ct.Graian 32prcn.GcoLtn words of inherent.maig and 31 per-cent. particles. 20 Extrct rom Pueer Victoric's Speech i ariaent February 6th, I866. My LORS D GENTLEMEN, It is with reat satisfaction that I have recourse to your asssistance and advice. "I have recently declared my consent to a marriage between "my dauhter, Princess Helena and Prince Christian of Schleswig Holstein Sonderbou!rg-Augustenburg. I trust this union may be prosperous and happy. "Te death of my beloved uncle, the King of the Belgians, has affected me with profound grief. I feel great confidence, howevr, that the wisdom, which he evinced during his reign, il animate "his successor, and preserve for Belgium her independence and prosperity. My relations with foreign powers are friendly and satisfactory, and I see no cause to fear any disturbance of the general peace. "The meeting of the fleets of France and England in the ports of the respective countries has tended to cement the ait of the two nations and to prove to the world their friendly concert in "the promotion of peace. "I have observed with satisfaction that the U-nited States, after ~-' terminating, success fully the severe, struggle in. which they were "so lonig engaged, are wisely repairing the ravages of civil war. "The abolition of slavery is an event calling, &c. 178 common words, amiongi which The occurs 17 times. be occurs 6 times. a " 2 " have " 5 "4 of " 11 " shall " 0 "4 to " 6 " Will " 1 " from " 0 " may " 1 " in II 3'' do " 0 with " 4 " that " 3 " by " 0 " and " 6 4 Pron. of 1st person' 11I 2d I 84 S d 7 other particles 11 95 particles. )~4 As every word in a document like tleis, is cooesidered and stndied by the author, and eagerly cantvassed by every Englishman, that can read, it is a f1i1 linguistic representative af its day. Origin of loo different words from the Preceding Extractt of Queen Victori'is.Address to PcTrlimentz2 February 6th2 1866. ARYO-PHOENI Aryo-E-uropean Type of Languages: CIAN TYPE: PELEGO-PELASGIC OR GRECO-LATIN GOMERO SCLAVOELEO-PE AMILY OR GRGOTHO-GERMANIC FAMILY: CELTIC SNIC SEMITIC FAMILY:.______ ~~_ ______.____ _ ___ _FA ClIlLY: FA MILY:'_: Greek: Latin: ]French: Anglo-Saxon: German: Welsh: Evinced satisfaction general It no so happy animiate v. recourse peace is fear, v. 1 stru-le, n. successor assistance parts with any disturbance advice respeclive great meeting, n. United recently countries that fleets, n. States declared tended I in terminating consent. n. cement, v. have two Danish: Rsult: slavery marriage amity to world event Princess nations your after trust, v. Lti - 10 calling, n. Prince prove a long 1 French: 47 O Anglo-Saxon: 3 9. 10 union concert between wisely ran: prosperous promotion daughter warGemn: observed zn ~~war Pnsi uncle observed this Danish: 1 affected successfully may, aux. Welsh: 2 profound severe the 100 grief engaged death 10057 e-ent. recoconfidence repairing of during, prep ravages beloved La in. reign, n. civil king 41 per preserve abolition feel nic. independence 47 however 2 per-cent. Celtic. prosperity wisdom relations which foreign will, aux. powers for satisfactory friendly cause, n. see Graec3-Latin Words: Germanic Words: Celtic 57. 41, Words: of which 20 are particles. 2. NOTE: 56 ofthe 57 Greeo-Latin words have each an inherent meaning; whereas 20 of the 41 Germanic are mere particles. Hence we infer, that Queen Victoria uses about'21 per-cent. Germanic and 56 per-cent. Grmeco-Latin words of inherent meaning; and 21 per-cent. particles. 22 Extract fromP Tresident Graz's Inugral Address, Jflarck 4th, 1869. itizen of the Unitel States: Your suffrages having elected me to the office of President of the United States, I have, in conformity with the Constitution of our country, taken the oat of office prescribed therein. I have taken this oath without mental reservation, and with the determination to do, to the best of my ability, all that it requires of me. The responsibilities of the position I feel, but accept them without fear. The office has come to me unsought: I commence its duties untrammelled. I bring to it a conscientious desire and determination to fill it to the best of my ability to the satisfaction of the people. On all leading questions agitating the public mind I will always express my views to Congress and urge them according to my judgment, and when I think it advisable, will exercise the constitutionalprivilege of interposing a veto to defeat measures which I oppose. But all laws will be faithfully executed, whether they meet my approval or not. I shall on all subjects have a policy to recommend, none to enforce, against the will of the people. Laws are to govern all alike-those opposed to as well &c. 198 common words, among wrhich The occurs 17 Ttimes. be occurs 2 times. a 3 " have5 " of 9 " shall1 " to 14 " Will3 " from 0 " my0 " in F'' do 0' with and. 4 "9 by " that 1 " Pron. of 1st person lo- 3 " " 2d " 1 CC 87~ " 3d " 8 ~~~~~~~ other particles 18 105 particles. M-As every ward in a d, onment like this, is considered aend studied by the author, and ea.,erly canvassed by every American that can read, it is alit linguistic representative of its day, Origin of loo different words from the Preceding Extract of (President Grant's Inaugzural.,Address, March 4th, 1869. Aryo-European Type of' Languages: TARYO-POENIGOMEROCOERO- SLAVONIC SEMITIC PELEGO-PELASGIC OR GRaCO-LATIN FAMILY. GOTHO-GERMANIC FAMILY: CELTIC FAMILY: FAMILY: ____ ____ ____ ___ ____ ____ ___ FAM ILY: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Greek: Latin: French: Anglo-Saxon: Gelman: Armoric: United Citizens advisable of leading all faith States suffrages exercise, v. the mind. n. as I elected office constitutional your will, aux. 2 prescribed President privilege having when agitating conformity interposing me think Result: express, v. constitution defeat, v. to always Congress country measures, n. in which Latin: 10 urge nmental oppose with law French: 41 veto, n. reservalion executed taken be, aux. Anglo Saxon: 46 subjects, n determination approval oath fully German: 2 10 ability Ipolicy therein whether Armoric: 1 O requires recommend this meet, v. I responsibilities enforce without or 100 positi(n govern and not 51 per-cent. accept 41 do shall Groeco-Latin. [Grseco-Lalin.:48 per-cent. Gercommence best none nc dutie- that against manic. ~~~~ ~ I~~nJ~~~v~t