Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

deavours, with a degree of success that could not possibly be obtained by the most lavish waste of erudition on his para doxical attempt to reduce all the languages of civilized men to Ag, Wag, Dwag, Rag, and Nag!

It has been observed that Dr. Murray recognizes only. two parent languages in early times: of which the Teutonic, represents the one,; and Hebrew with its kindred dialects perpetuates the other. It is extremely probable that future research will discover such affinities between these two pri mitive forms of speech, as will justify the philologist in reducing them to one more ancient and more simple language, of which the materials as well as the leading principles may be distinctly traced in both. The inspired writings inform us that, at one period, there was but one race of men and one tongue on the face of the whole earth; and we have no doubt that the time is approaching when philology will supply for the truth of Revealed Religion an argument not less-convincing than those which have been recently drawn from other departments of science. Dr. Murray does not attempt to connect Hebrew, Arabic, and Syriac with the genealogy of European tongues. He thought that such an attempt was still premature, as the derivation and composi tion of these Eastern dialects are not yet sufficiently known to warrant any conclusion in regard to their origin. He even appears to question the grounds upon which some writers have laboured to establish an affinity between the languages of ancient Syria and those of Greece and Rome. Whiter and Allwood are, however, of a different opinion:, and as the speculations of these authors on this subject partake largely of the character which belongs to those of the Edinburgh Professor, we proceed to lay before the reader a precis of their several performances.

The Key to Mr. Whiter's theory is to be found in the assumption that the body and meaning of all words are lodged in the consonants. The vowels go for nothing, they are necessary indeed for spoken language, as being essential to vocal utterance; but in written language they may be entirely dispensed with. The word stblr, for example, is as plain to the eye, and serves all the purposes of communica tion equally well when printed as we have now set it down, as when it is given with all its vowels and printed stabler. It is therefore (he thinks) perfectly philosophical to conclude that the vowel sounds are not essential to language, and also that the affinities of words will be most successfully traced by confining attention to the consonants only. Mr. Whiter perceived that FATHER in English is FÆDER in Saxon

VATER in German-PADRE in Italian and Spanish-FADER in Islandic and Danish-VADER in Belgic-PATER in Latin, and PATEER in Greek-PADER in Persian, and PETREE in Sanscrit. We here perceive, says he, though the word father has assumed these various forms, that the difference arises only from the change of the vowels themselves or of their place; but that the same consonants, or those which all grammarians, at all times, have acknowledged to be cognate, have still been preserved. In our earliest stages of acquiring knowledge we learn that, inter se cognatæ sunt FI, B, Q, &c. that is, that P, B, F.-K, G, Ch.-T, D, Th, may be changed into one another in the variations or declension of the same word.

After writing at some length on the convertibility of the three orders of mute consonants, he arrives at the following conclusion, which contains the essence and leading principle of his two quarto volumes.

"I must again repeat what we shall instantly acknowledge, that a general idea pervading a race of words with the same consonants, is not attached to the name but the nature of the symbol, That it is not a necessary attendant on the form of the symbol, which is an arbitrary sign perpetually changing; but it is an inseparable adjunct to the power and property of that symbol, whatever form it may assume, and by whatever name it may be called. Probable as this fact is, it may appear that even its illustration borders upon ridicule, yet we know that the Hebrew Lexicographers have had no glimpse of its existence: and they have continued to compose Dictionaries, as if among the maxims of their art, it had been expressly decided that ideas were enamoured with one form of a symbol, and were abhorrent from another. This then was my conclusion: if it is accordant to the genius of the Hebrew language that similar ideas, should be represented by the same consonants, or by consonants bearing the same form and name; it must certainly be true that the same COGNATE consonants, through the whole compass of the language will be impregnated with a train of similar ideas. As those principles of the human mind which are effective in the production of one language will operate in that of another, I again was led to conclude that in every form of Speech, the same fact will necessarily exist. I again referred to the English, Latin, and Greek languages for the confirmation of this idea; and I found the most ample proofs for the establishment of my hypothesis, which the reader will see detailed in the following discussions."

In short, having satisfied himself that in each particular language, the same element conveys the same train of ideas; and assuming the general affinity of all languages as a fact

[ocr errors]

completely acknowledged and ascertained, Mr. Whiter thought he had good reason to conclude that through ALL LANGUAGES which this affinity pervades, the same element conveys the same train of ideas. Suppose, for example, that there subsists an affinity between Hebrew and English, we may expect to find that the words in these languages which signify any particular object, which is so common as to be frequently named, would consist of the same radical or cognate consonants. Now it so happens that the terms, EARTH in English, ARETZ in Hebrew, and ERD in Arabic, not only mean the same thing, but do actually contain the same elements, that is, the same consonants, either identical or cognate. Thus then, exclaims Mr. Whiter, according to the doctrine which I have before established respecting the cognate consonants and the rejection of the vowels, the name of the earth might be represented in an abstract manner by Ꭺ Ꭱ Th, - Ꭱ Ꭲ Ꮓ, Ꭱ D, &c. and if we adopt a mark to express that a breathing commonly occurs before the first letter of the Radical, our representation will be complete, and will be found to answer every purpose for which it was adopted.

A

A

In this way he arrives once more at his favourite conclusion that, Letters in their abstract state, unformed into words, REPRESENT, RECORD, AND PROPAGATE IDEAS. These elements of speech appear to Mr. Whiter to discharge an office somewhat similar to that of algebraical symbols; with this exception, that the notions expressed by his consonants remain always unchanged, both as to their quantity and quality, at least when placed in the same order and connection. R B, C B, D R, and B C, are elements which have in themselves a peculiar and unalienable signification; and whether we find them in Hebrew or Greek, or Arabic, or German, or Celtic, or English, they always "represent, record, and propagate the same ideas." The element which he finally selects for the illustration of his doctrine is C B; which, owing to the convertibility of the several classes of mute consonants, may be expanded as follows.

[blocks in formation]

It is to be observed that the above element C B, in all the forms which it is here made to assume, signifies gene.. rally" to be hollow-to contain-to comprehend-infoldenclose-confine-retain-hold-to collect or bring together. to contract-to possess or take into possession," &c. &c.

&c. From these generic meanings come the more particu lar" names of garments vessels, enclosures of any kind,"

or of the actions "to hold, contain, to collect or bring together, or lastly, the qualities of holding, containing, and hence of being prominent, convex or concave, raised, elevated, eminent, topping."

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

When vowels are supplied to any one of the forms in which the element C B is represented in the table just exhibited, we have a variety of regular and current words produced. The following is a list in various languages, where the element uniformly denotes hollowness, capaciousness, or the power of reception.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]
[ocr errors]

The object of the author, we need not repeat, is to shew that the true meaning and import of every word is to be found in the radical consonants of which it is composed, and that the vowels are of no farther use than to make these consonants pronounceable. C B, or C V, or C F, contains the particular idea, which is afterwards only somewhat varied, according to the uses of the different ages, nations, and languages by which they have been employed. Cab a cave, and cap a dish, and cape and cope a cover, and caffe coffee, and cope to contend, and cob a horse, and cepe an union, must, according to this system of philology, have originally meant the same thing.

We may, however, remark in regard to this learned work, as we have already remarked in reference to Dr. Murray's still more paradoxical undertaking, that the reader will be more frequently astonished at the success of the author, than surprised at his failure. Admitting the affinity of alk known languages, it is certainly to be expected that they shall be found to resemble one another in that very parti

*

cular on which Mr. Whiter has fixed. The roots of words are less liable to be changed than the terminations are, by that process of abbreviation which is constantly going on, in all improving countries. The consonants, too, by minisering less than the vowels to the music of a language, are farther removed from that caprice which innovates so deeply on the form of speech, whenever society has arrived at such a degree of refinement as demands a gratification to the ear from the melody and cadence of vocal sounds. It is not, therefore, altogether without reason that Mr. Whiter expected to discover the rude frame of human language in those firmer portions of the material, of which it appears to have been originally constructed. That his success was equal to the ardour of his pursuit, or even to the complacency with which he was accustomed to look back upon his abours, we do not make bold to assert: and we believe too there are few of his readers who, after attaining the 505th page of his first volume, will be ready to join him in the song of triumph with which he closes that portion of his lite

rary toil.

[ocr errors]

Surely Mr. Whiter could not be serious in deriving Gip, the slang term for a college servant, from C B or any other of the cognate consonants; nor could he wish to enter into grave discussion when he assérted that, in our word SERVANT, we perceive in the final ANT, the name of man or person, such as it exists in ANTHROPOS or ANDROS. The derivation of the former, we have always understood, had not so creditable an etymon; whilst, in regard to the origin of the second, we would much rather accompany Dr. Murray in one of his longest and darkest excursions into the ancient Teutonic, where at least we should be gratified with a more plausible account of that syllable, and of all the other participial terminations which belong to the Latin tongue.

In Mr. Allwood's Literary Antiquities of Greece, we meet with an attempt to carry the origin of the languages of Europe still farther East, than either Dr. Murray or Mr. Whiter deemed advisable. He finds the rudiments of all speech, ancient as well as modern, in the monosyllabic tongue of China; and, like the Edinburgh Professor, he chuses to exemplify his system and display his philological dexterity by a praxis on nine radicals. These are:

[blocks in formation]
« AnteriorContinuar »