New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-07-26
PHILOLOGY.
THE FEAST OF LANGUAGES.


ENGLISH AND OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
TONGUEs ON THE MEDITERRANEAN
IRON THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT VI INN .'
ppovrnrNcE. r. l.. July 24.-The Associa-
ton convened last evening In the Han OF the HOUSE Vi
Representatives. The members seemed 10 cohgresa'o
slowly and when they reached the chamber 10 DC more
intent upon renewing their old friendships and Guilt
waiting their social natures than upon proceeding to the
hus,pcss NJ the evening THIS natural rebellion
AGAINST that sayish attention to business which marks
some OF the members Of all public assemblies OF this
kind Some phologists think the consideration OF roots
preHxes and suxes, diOms and etymclogies to be the
chief end OF existence of these conventions and seem
TO forget entirely that the members have social natures
and need little unbendng. to make such assem-
bIes as these a OF oasis in the dull blank desert OF
phologo life to which they may revert with pleasure
in future years. And moderation OF effort Is merely
practical wisdom during the reign of the dos-star
PROF. HENDRICKS ADDRESS.
Prof A. c. Kendrick delivered the usual Presidential
address Though the result of short preparation the
address ryeted the attention Of the audience ana was
eloquent and impressive. began by considering the
influence of language upon the literature and character
Of individuals and nations. As the architect ana ''o
sculptor study the qualities and capabilities OF the ma
terias upon which they are employed, so phlooSiS''
contemplate the physical and metaphy steal laws Oh IAN
guage, it's formations and changes, its history iuho
tons and relations to individual and national character
and life.
Man is characcristicay a speaking animal b5 VIZ,
he il distinguished from the brute creation hauoh"I
speech is the distinctive attribute of man as cohpaIeu
with the lower orders of animals The speaker uioieu
the relation Of language at once the prpuuct anu ~
producer of intellectual hfethe reciprocal influence OF
thought in determining nations speech ana mus the
reeiurocay educating power of the national mind ana
the national language. Whether language DC tle meui
nm OF thought or not it certainly is the medium OF eaoo-
rate thinking. Thought gives birth to language
and this in turn develops, artculates AMI deter
mines thought They exert reciprocal influence in re-
fping and elevating each other While language Is SO
potent in developing Individual life, it is no less power
ful in forming that Of nation. No Homer
could rise by accidents he mast be the producto OF ages
Of cultivation An ignorant age could not produce Ho
mers OF genius fail TO impress themselves
upon their nation and age. The influence OF Pope upon
English versicatOn is a striking Illustration OF inc man
ner in which genius mpresses itself upon the literature
and social life of people perfect language educates
q people; While n cultivated people must necessarily
have cOpious and elevating language. The one I'M
plies the other Homer requires the copiOus and noble
language of Greece, in which his genius shall be dis
played while that perfect language and that cultivated
people will inevitably produce the HOmers Language
is the foundation of literature and cultivated progress
and hence is superior TO everything except the mind
itself The speaker closed his able address with some
pertinent thoughts to the important work to be ac
complished by phOlOgy in the field Of science and the
honOred position Of this Association as conseryator OF
what has been approved and mproyer of that which
needs regeneration
PROF.. STENCILS PAPER-THE LANGUAGES OF SPAIN.
Prof Frederick stenge of the Columbia College School
OF Mines read very interesting paper in which he re-
viewed length the history OF the language OF Span
gave graphic accounts Of tie changes TO which these
have been subjected and portrayed the state OF Spanish
literature and especially that of the Basque lbeI1an
language The verb is especially copious expressing in
az milo he
direct object, with all their nominal and pronominal
variations. Lanamende counts 2O6 coDugatlons WIN
% moods and SO952 infections. He has also verified
1850 Basque in 1856 Spanish stems The paper
was interesting and valuable and many hearers re-
GREETED the speakers necessity Of emitting por
lions because of the lack of time to present them.
Prof. Holmes of Cambridge recoected having read
years ago Naples Italian work in which the author
by anatomical observations arrived at the conclusion
that the ancient Lu and the Basques were the same
people, and that they neither Celts nor Aryans
The members gathered slowly at the morning session
today as II reluctant to upon the labors of the
busiest day OF the Association Prof kendIck TOOK me
chair. The first paper read tins morning was Dy W.
Wor,hiHgtOn Fowler OF Durham, Conn
TIE DERIVATION OF ENGLISH MONosYLLABIC PERSONAL
sURsAMEs.
The term personal is used in distinction from local
or place surnames There several thousand OF mono
syllable surnames the derivation of large number Of
which is doubtful, e. e., BOggs, Hack, Rugg, &c We
may perhaps explain them from the old Teutonic
personal names Of the AnglOSaxons, the Scandnayaus
ranks, Old High German, and other tribes who settled
vors of these ancient Tentonic personal names are
F0sE Tie local nomenclature OF England, es-
pecially the names of places containing the syl
liable ing indicating the Anglo.saxon patronynlc
eoGd I9S As Of 5 Iaea1d r5G The
DOmesday Book. FUh: The collection OF Old High Ger
man names made by Pott F0rstman, Grimm, &c. We
have a central fact from which we draw an hypothesis
the fact is this that these mOnOsyaUic surnames were
assumed at late period in the history OF surnamcs by
a
from tine Conquest 10, say, about the time oil Richard H.
during which lose sight generally OF these onesyla
bic names. We led then to form the hypothesis that
as classes Of English society preserved the
fokspeech in the county ana provincial dialects so IN
same they chung to the personal nomenclature
used by their AngoslXOn ioefathers until the period
when those one laDe haIes were auopleu az nereuI
tary surnames This hypothesis Is confirmed by few
known examples by the growth and changes Of English
society," by an examination OF the compound names, the
dimnutlyes the patrOnymics, ana the usual laws OF
phonetic change and decay. The speaker traced the
sound OF sic names as Stasg SioIrs ana Gl9Ds me
in the latter supposed 10 stand Tor son. ana Indicated
Gibert's son. these surnames are generally derived
from ncknanes used among the lower classes To desig
nate some popularity OF person The longer and more
highsOunung names were assumed by The aristocracy
Ham indicated Tie nome VI the FAMILY, as Chaplain, the
home of the Clap,, &c.
ANALOGY BETWEEN The ENGLISH AND CHINESE LAM
GUAGEs.
Prof Samson read paper upon the Chinese language,
prepared by the Rev. H. Graves missionary to China
now aboring among the Chinese in California. The
paper was learned and deeply interesting tracing the
analogy between the English and the Chinese, well
the diverse usages OF the Two ScnlecheTs division or
languages is hreeold: !. IsOlatng. Having unchang.
lug roots Incapable OI compounds and infections, tue
Chinese, Burmese, aud Samese. q Compromising. In
which, while the roots unchanged. they capable
OF being compounded and infected, the FINNISH Tar
tar American, and African languages, g. Injecting. In
which the roots change and capable OF infection,
the Semitic and IndO-Germanic. The paper traced
the method employed by the Chinese to indicate
the gender and number OF and the conugatOns
verbs This Is done by the addition OF other nouns pro-
and verbs. For instance the pOssessye case, by
adding the prOnOun his aud the moods and lenses OF
verbs by adyerDs OF time and auxiliares, as in English
The Chinese Is peculiarly rich III particles expressing
terrogdtiOn exclamation and emphasis with very nice
shades of meaning corresponding our punctuation
marks, accents, &c. Different degrees OF certainty,
doubt, admiration cuntcmDt eXUressed ifer-