The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1859-03-24
Advertiser.
-, De,eupmens Of the Enslisi,
Language.

- s>fore the Honoiuiu Lyceum, March
fsrs ~ uv PROFESSOR W. D. ALsxAxDER)
lCOnclnieti-l
.snturies the two languages remained
" TIE yorman-French ike an exotic plant,
'"' 0 its native soil, hourishing for a
-,.duaIly fading away. The Saxon, like
,-se bufeted by the storms, trimmed
g.. =. :, an unskilIful hand. but still retaining
VIC - hs.riug flowers and fruit The Saxon
=, ,ower and vitality which could not be
=. Norman might enrich and polish, but
.x.irpate it. This was partly owing to
..;-s Numbers. The Norman soldiers
-, castles and garrisons to observe the
,-xs the country These few Normans
= antilles, immurei in castles. and too
.,.;.,e with the Saxon yilleins, anx-
,hsir connection with France, and held
- but With their own countrymen- All
,,,i..,;on was stopped, when, in the thir-
-,,,,rv. Philip of France wrested Normandy
;,,bsr;Ie King John. Then the Norman,
France. began TO feel more and more that
v,s his home and sphere The Anglo
-..,xbile. bad been guarded and preserved
-, Persecution had but made it dearer
,s,r;Br race. II now rose slowly and imper-
Init with unceasing perseverance,, from rank
uu,I Il snaIIy reached the very court from
had beea 20 ANONYMOUSLY driven, and seated
more on the throne Of England.
.5r-.b cpatributej its influence to this same
r,.-bs only outlet from bondage Every young
AK boiy orders was forever free Hence the
80 Of Saxon priests and bishops These
farleut patriotism, connected by ties Of
4, opuressed race. and they welded all the
nat learning and piery could give them in
sr their native race and language.
er sIiss Of patriots were the burgesses of
-rus. Here. the Saxsns, denied all hope to
IA themselves At court, or in arms, were per-
ssry free municipal institutions, and here
NH tie Industry and perseverance, of their
IS probabIy here that the amalgsmat;on
y races proceeded most rapidly. Ii was in
81. szrending from the expulsion of King
., Normandy to the close of the fourteenth
thai that happy marriage took place be-
s4r1a AMI Norman-French, which we call
sh anguage 1t was during this same Pc
ne English national character began TO ap-
he foundation was laid in Magma Charta
n institutional liberty, and that the Saxon
s.rs transformed into that inyincible yeo-
tat ssn the battles of Crecy and Agincourt
> principal elements of the English language
xiv that relation to each other which We
tpest from their history We might even re-
English history from an analysis of our
Asguage- While the basis and framework
Al the words Of state, of Office, of a more
ElltGre, all that relate to chivalry or the chase
na1-Freneh.
ere il i but just that should acknowledge
rs1ions 10 nv learned friend, DIR. Frick, to
N indebted for many interesting facts in
hs Norman element of the English Ian
ne word king is Saxon, the words state and
sasraI and admiral, duke and marquis,
and 5Gr0a, chancellor and peer, and the
Norman All words relating to the army,
~ discipline, divisions and titles, are French
relating 10 JHdicia! matters, such as JUS
4, Judge. jury, Iaw, plaintiff, defendant,
t., are French. The same Is true to great
scrissiGaicGf terms
e0aasrciai terms and phrases generally
q the French. In all that relates 10 archi-
nj domestic life, the superior civilization of
asnt Is evident The limited household vo-
ai the Saxon comprises only the names of
nfspensable articles known TO an infant
ThIatiOn- For example, house and hut are
sts, While palace, mGnsioE and castle are
again, room IS Saxon. while parior, cham
ri and sGiOOa are Norman-French. The
lSlry parts Of a house, as roof, doors and
are Saxon, while such accessories as cellar,
Tag and chimney are Norman So of fur
ieca and stool are Saxon, but sofa and
Norman knife is Saxon, while fork is
Ias analysis might be applied to with a
sat 10 every department Of domestic life,
ae alnes Of vegetables and animals As
q, pointel out in his IraHhoe, the Saxon
al, sriae and sheep appeared on the
1 tiole the Norman lord under the French
'sS's beet, real, pork and mutton
s'raie rnther the fact that all terms relating
zAoeies Of life and the manners OF chivalry
AZ, lst u, after the manner of Prof. De
4 C0nParatire Philoiogy. confne ourselves
eai to Norman words Thus at bril-
- and spieRdid tournaments, collected the
'''rliTy; naGgniicent balls, where beauty
'ss Atstr eachanfed the assembled Ho6fes,
'ysseaor to society, polished the manners
'ae admirGtioH of the ancient inhdo-
-'e'y word NOrman-Prench, except the
va, ts. Of, to and at But the dominion
'aaa dbl not reach the Saxon's home.
~ =, herman ancestors for the word! word
es'e INTO any Of the languages Of Southern
w AaoSn IN IT'S full beauty aud depth OF
.ay 70 the English. 1t stopped ut the
= as y A0use- There around the Saxon tIre-
~ oAIon hearth, he met his kindred, whom
ue god old Saxon names Of fafher and
y aad AHs5and, son and daughtsr. brother
iae EoTis relating to rural objects and
80 % purely Saxon, that we can easily
- Is Is to that language in describing them.
.x sAron's hOeks, still grazing in his fields
yNe him milk and butter, meat and
s'i,nan watched them in spring and
- sixon plowman drew his burrows,
a. a. arrows, and in the harvest the cart
ne reaper piled his scythe, piled up
.vi na1led his wheat, rye and oats 70
I.ery word Saxon At other times
taer ships, which were Anglo-Saxou
a -eek, and from stem to sfern- The
- NAMED seafaring people, while the
hegiected navigation from the time o
-" "a france. 1t is from the Saxon then,
isse vocabulary is chiefly drawn, with
So - ron the Dutch and Italian marine
\, y erns have been adopted by the French
r,,' teeir brevity. and the laconic energy
!, ~ ?. command The names of the greai
1re, sun, moon and stars, earth
N m, "n aud stream. rrood and glen, and
~ - ne nrms Of shore, as beach, headIand
60 <.,,.eassr, &C., are Saxon.
~ Tue number of Saxon and Of French
a, -, ahd at least six-tenths to be Saxon
S:,eneh or Latin, and ne-tenth remain
s,a among several languages. But thi
n, ~ - adequate idea Of the predominanc'
n.,. ne whole grammatical structure o
r. ne sae articles, pronouns, particles, al
49, which bind the larger together il
a.. a1on. To such an extent is thi
s.s y would be impossible to write an Eng
Non Ven . Of ten words only. without admit
IA. Sord, while on certain subjects who'll
Ser,.s = written in Saxon. without employing
sp,.;A aa or Latin word. E. g., The Lord
a..