STATEMENTS TO BE EXAMINED.

'IN THE COURSE of these considerations we had to lay down two axioms, to which we shall frequently have to appeal in the progress of our investigations. The first declares grammar to be the most essential element, and therefore the ground of classification in all languages which have produced a definite grammatical articulation; the second denies the possibility of a mixed language.'1

"Taking the actual number of words from a good English dictionary, the sum total will be over 100,000. Words of classical origin are calculated to be about twice as numerous as pure English words; hence some writers, who have only considered the constituent parts of our vocabulary, have come to the conclusion that English is not only a mixed or composite language, but also a Romance language. They have, however, overlooked the fact that the grammar is not mixed or borrowed, but is altogether English.'"

PRINCIPAL WORKS CONSULTED AND NOT ACKNOWLEDGED IN THE BODY OF THE ESSAY.

MAX MÜLLER: Lectures on the Science of Language, 1st and 2nd Series.

DIEZ: Grammatik der romanischen Sprachen; Etymologische Wörterbuch der romanischen Sprachen.

LEWES: Essay on Origin and Formation of the Romance Languages.

RAYNOUARD: Lexique Roman.

EARLE Philology of the English Tongue.

BORROW: Gypsies in Spain; Romano Lavo-Lil.

BALBI Atlas Ethnographique.

ADELUNG: Mithridates.

BRACHET: Historical Grammar of the French Language.

HALLIWELL: Dictionary.

The Publications of the ENGLISH DIALECT SOCIETY.

MORRIS Historical Outlines of English Accidence.

1 Max Müller, Lectures on the Science of Language, 1st Series, p. 74.

2 Dr. Morris, Historical Outlines of English Accidence, p. 34.

MIXED LANGUAGES.

INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.

CERTAIN philologists have stated that a mixed language is an impossibility, but the truth of the axiom may well be doubted; indeed, as it would, perhaps, be impossible to find any modern language which contains no foreign elements, it is evident that the principles involved in the question are fundamental.

Language consists of three parts-sounds, words, and grammar; and a mixture in any one of these points produces a mixed language.

Perfectly pure languages have only existed in very early or very rude stages of society. Whenever there is an exception, the language which violates this rule must eventually commit suicide. Few languages have been more stringently protected than Greek, yet modern Greek is of no literary importance; and even that, in its colloquial forms, contains much Turkish; but, as these and other impurities are not permitted in literature, the lateral development of the language is crippled. The purity of Latin was jealously guarded, but it is now a dead language, whilst the Italicisms, the Tuscanisms, and vulgar Latinisms, have been developed into the modern Romance languages.

The evil of measuring out a language by rule and line may be seen in modern French. There is scarcely an European language in which a translation of Shakspeare looks so bald as in this- -a result of the meagre list of classical vocables allowed by the pedantic Academy. As, then, in the physical world with animals, so also in the mental with lan

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guages, mixture of blood becomes almost a necessity of existence; and, this being the case, it is well to know that as there are about a thousand languages now spoken, besides an infinite number of dialects, the various degrees of mixture are endless. Military, political, commercial, and missionary enterprise, as well as the fickle dictates of fashion, bring peoples together, and thus new ideas are circulated, which require new words to express them. New words are either composed out of the existing roots of a language, or, what is more frequent, are adopted from foreigners. Perhaps in this way every modern language has been mixed, for it seems almost impossible to conceive a nation to exist which has always been so exclusive as to have effectually withstood the importation of foreign roots.

As these new words so introduced must of necessity be communicated orally from one individual to another, they are, at first at least, pronounced as nearly as possible as in their original language, and thus foreign sounds are brought in with the foreign words, and nothing is commoner than to find certain letters introduced to express these new sounds.

But mixture in grammar does not take place so easily. It always supposes a violent revolution, either political or religious, or else a great influx of new blood by emigration.

Grammar is therefore, on account of its greater individuality, chosen as the primary classifying principle in philological enquiry; but there is no doubt that its importance in this respect has been much overrated, and it is too often practically treated as the only principle of classification.

Suppose now, for instance, that every gypsy dialect in the world were swept away except the English variety, and of this every written particle to be lost. Now, although the English gypsy language is almost the same in grammar as English itself-in fact, there are very few if any gypsy points left in it at all-yet no philologist would for a moment say that Romanny was a dialect of English; but if grammar alone is to be the classifying principle he would be obliged to do so. We, however, all know that in this case we should hear something about the Romanny roots being so entirely