man.

VI.

a perfect system of it was all at once given to LECT. It is much more natural to think, that God taught our first parents only fuch Language as fuited their prefent occafions; leaving them, as he did in other things, to enlarge and improve it as their future neceffities should require. Confequently, those first rudiments of Speech muft have been poor and narrow; and we are at full liberty to enquire in what manner, and by what steps, Language advanced to the ftate in which we now find it. The history which I am to give of this progrefs, will fuggeft feveral things, both curious. in themselves, and useful in our future difquifitions.

If we should fuppofe a period before any words were invented or known, it is clear, that men could have no other method of communicating to others what they felt, than by the cries of paffion, accompanied with fuch motions and geftures as were farther expreffive of paffion. For these are the only figns which nature teaches all men, and which are understood by all. One who faw another going into fome place where he himself had been frightened, or expofed to danger, and who fought to warn his neighbour of the danger, could contrive no other way of doing fo, than by uttering thofe cries, and making those geftures, which are the figns of fear: just as

two

VI.

LECT. two men, at this day, would endeavour to make themselves be understood by each other, who fhould be thrown together on a defolate island, ignorant of each other's Language. Thofe exclamations, therefore, which by Grammarians are called Interjections, uttered in a ftrong and paffionate manner, were, beyond doubt, the first elements or beginnings of Speech.

WHEN more enlarged communication became neceffary, and names began to be af figned to objects, in what manner can we fuppose men to have proceeded in this assignation of names, or invention of words? Undoubtedly, by imitating, as much as they could, the nature of the object which they named, by the found of the name which they gave to it. As a Painter, who would reprefent grafs, muft employ a green colour; fo, in the beginnings of Language, one giving a name to any thing harsh or boisterous, would of course employ a harsh or boisterous found. He could not do otherwife, if he meant to excite in the hearer the idea of that thing which he fought to name. To fuppofe words invented, or names given, to things, in a manner purely arbitrary, without any ground or reason, is to suppose an effect without a cause. There must have always been fome motive which led to the affignation of one

name

VI.

name rather than another; and we can con- LE CT. ceive no motive which would more generally operate upon men in their firft efforts towards Language, than a defire to paint, by Speech, the objects which they named, in a manner more or less complete, according as the vocal organs had it in their power to effect this imitation.

WHEREVER objects were to be named, in which found, noife, or motion were concerned, the imitation by words was abundantly obvious. Nothing was more natural, than to imitate, by the found of the voice, the quality of the found or noife which any external object made; and to form its name accordingly. Thus, in all Languages, we find a multitude of words that are evidently constructed upon this principle. A certain bird is termed the Cuckoo, from the found which it emits. When one fort of wind is faid to whistle, and another to roar; when a ferpent is faid to bifs; a fly to buz, and falling timber to crash; when a stream is faid to flow, and hail to rattle; the analogy between the word and the thing fignified is plainly discernible.

In the names of objects which address the fight only, where neither noife nor motion are concerned, and ftill more in the terms appropriated to moral ideas, this analogy appears to VOL. I.

K

fail.

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LECT. fail. Many learned men, however, have been of opinion, that though, in fuch cafes, it becomes more obfcure, yet it is not altogether loft; but that throughout the radical words of all Languages, there may be traced fome degree of correfpondence with the object fignified. With regard to moral and intellectual ideas, they remark, that, in every Language, the terms fignificant of them, are derived from the names of fenfible objects to which they are conceived to be analogous; and with regard to fenfible objects pertaining merely to fight, they remark, that their most distinguishing qualities have certain radical founds appropriated to the expreffion of them, in a great variety of Languages. Stability, for instance, fluidity, hollowness, fmoothness, gentleness, violence, &c. they imagine to be painted by the found of certain letters or fyllables, which have fome relation to thofe different ftates of visible objects, on account of an obfcure resemblance which the organs of voice are capable of affuming to fuch external qualities. By this natural mechanifm, they imagine all Languages to have been at first conftructed, and the roots of their capital words formed*.

As

The Author, who has carried his fpeculations on this fubject the fartheft, is the Prefident Des Broffes, in his "Traité de la Formation Mechanique des Langues."

Some

As far as this fyftem is founded in truth, LECT. Language appears to be not altogether arbi

Some of the radical letters or fyllables which he fuppofes to carry this expreffive power in most known Languages are, St, to fignify ftability or reft; F1, to denote fluency; Cl, a gentle defcent; R, what relates to rapid motion; C, to cavity or hollownefs, &c. A century before his time, Dr. Wallis, in his Grammar of the English Language, had taken notice of these fignificant roots, and reprefented it as a peculiar excellency of our Tongue, that, beyond all others, it expreffed the nature of the objects which it names, by employing founds harper, fofter, weaker, stronger, more obfcure, or more ftridulous, according as the idea which is to be fuggefted requires. He gives various examples. Thus; words formed upon St, always denote firm nefs and ftrength, analogous to the Latin fto; as, ftand, ftay, ftaff, ftop, ftout, fteady, ftake, ftamp, stallion, ftately, &c. Words beginning with Str, intimate violent force, and energy, analogous to the Greek Towuμs ; as, ftrive, ftrength, ftrike, ftripe, ftrefs, ftruggle, ftride, ftretch, ftrip, &c. Thr, implies forcible motion; as, throw, throb, thruft, through, threaten, thraldom. Wr, obliquity or diftortion; as, wry, wreft, wreath, wrestle, wring, wrong, wrangle, wrath, wrack, &c. Sw, filent agitation, or lateral motion; as, fway, fwing, fwerve, fweep, swim. S1, a gentle fall or lefs obfervable motion; as, flide, flip, fly, flit, flow, flack, fling. Sp, diffipation or expanfion; as, fpread, fprout, fprinkle, fplit, fpill, fpring. Terminations in Afh, indicate fomething acting nimbly and sharply; as, crafh, gafh, rafh, flash, lafh, flifh. Terminations in Uh, fomething acting more obtufely and dully; as, crush, brush, hush, gush, blush. The learned Author produces a great many more examples of the fame kind, which feem to leave no doubt, that the analogies of found have had fome influence on the formation of words. At the fame time, in all fpeculations of this kind, there is so much room for fancy to operate, that they ought to be adopted with much caution in forming any general theory.

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