Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-15
LATIN AND GREEK.
Their Importance as Elements of
the English Language.
By Prof. w. ID. Mclaughlin, Of Cum
bertrand University.

printed page while others form the basis
for the superstructure of other languages,
or are incorporated in them.
To this latter class belong pre-eminently
the Latin and Greek. The Latin has APP
propriately been compared TO great noun
tain wave which has been broken against
the promontOry jutling out to mark the
meeting of ancient and modern times, and
has riffied off into many modern languages.
1t is hardly possible to tell the great oh i
CATIONS which the moderns are under to
this stately and time-hOn0red language.
More than one hundred millions Of civil
lied men are repeating to-day, though
indistinctly, sounds that were heard twenty
centuries ago in heather Rome,
The Greek, though inferior in the extent
of lis diffusion, affords an example Of a
language whic has, probably, apprOXimated
rs near as possible 10 perfection COnSid-
ering the wants Of the times in which II
was spoken, ii was perfect. 1t was this
language to which the prophet doubtless ne
ferned when he said that he who was to
come, would speak with Stammering lips
and another tongue" There Is hardly a
| doubt but that the hand of Providence was
in the formation and perfection OF this
| language TO ct it TO diffuse, with more pre-
1
| STYLED emphatically the Word.
| The English may well be proud that il
! contains two such compOnents.
Again, language bears the same relation
| 10 thought that clothes do TO the wearer.
The natural Development of the child re-
quires an enlargement of apparel from time
I 10 time. The similarity between thought
| and language is attested by the long stand
\ ing expressions, ito clothe thoughts, TO
dress ones ideas, and the like. There
was a time in the history of the English
! language when the-Woris in use were in
| sufficient to clOthe the thoughts of great
minds. Bacon borrowed an old suit for
his NoUUn OrgGaOn. Many other writers,
| both before and after his time, were forced
| to the same. Here was a conflict between
| the AnglO-SaxOn on the one hand and the
| Latin on the other. 1t can but be said the
/ conflict was rather discreditable TO the
| former. The learned used the Latin and
and the unlearned the Saxon. The sub
| jects Of the same kingdom were using not
simply different dialects of the same Ian
guage, but different Languages.
Nov a reconciliation must be effected.
But how must this be done in order that
the future language may approach as near
as possible TO perfection? a perfect Ian
1
and wants of human speech. Ii may be
formed in two ways: by vital agencies with
in, and from accretiOns without. If the
| two ways could be united, Of curse the ex-
panding power of the language, other things
being equal, would be two-fold greater than
the one adopting either of the ways sepa-
rately. The German affords a good exam
pie Of a tongue formed by vital agencies
within, developing from within itself, with
few exceptions, the supplies for the wants
of that progressive people. The reconcile
alton referred TO above was effected on the
following conditions: LIST. That the type or
skeleton of the future language should
be Saxon. ID. That in ,reIueuts should
be made both from within and from with
out whenever necessity required. Upon
this simple basis, the English language has
become the most perfect instrument of
thought in the world. The epics of Mil
ton, the dramas of Shakespeare, the rhyme
of Pope, the orationS of Webster and other
| orators, the metaphysics of Hamilton, the
| letters Of Chesterfield, the writings of theo-
| lOgians-in fine, its extant literature al
| tests that il is fitted to every species and
| variety of composition, and that it can ex-
press, in the hsppiest manner, every shade
| Of thought. 1t might have been supposed
do not grow ON thorns," but such is the
genius of the English tongue, such is its
power Of appropriation and assimilation
that these foreign grOwths seem as indigo
nous to it as to the place Of their nativity.
To be convinced that all languages do no.
possess this affinity, note with what Tepug-
rance the Greek receives Hebrew words.
The English cOaleSceS much more readily
with the French than with the German.
Suppose the English had adopted the
German plan Of developing from within IL
self. The number Of original Saxon words
being comparatively small, the limit Of ex-
pansicn would soon have been reached, and
moreover, a page would have been redund-
AM with words from the same root, and
4 consequently harmony would have been
marred at every step. If the original stock
Of words had been greater, not so good an
| apology could be offered for the introduce
| ton of foreign words. But as the case
| stood no other alternative was left our an
| cesters, aud consequently our muititariOus
| language, as It exists now, is the result,
not simply Of choice, but of necessity. The
| Ofiense committed by some Of our classical
| writers, in using spOmpous Latin instead
/ of curt and expressive Saxon" IS some
| what palliated. when we consider, in many
| and Macauly have been condemned for
| crimes, the committing OF which, It was
out of their power 10 avoid.
Now, il the internal developing plan,
when carried even to the extreme limit,
| could not suffice TO supply the demands of
people making continued aggressiOns up
on ignorance, and rapidly advancing in
the arts and sciences, il is plain its growth
must come by accretiOns. The only ques-
ton was where can they be obtained. The
invasion of England by the NOmans,
who were SO to speak modern latins, forced
their language upon the English. IL Is
probable that undue means were resOrted
to to speak their language throughout the
kingdom. Still nO-yIOlenBimpOsitiOn could
be inflicted, since language and thought
like supply and demand in trade, are regu-
lated, the one by the other. As time passed
on. the advantages Of borrowing these for
eign words from the Latin and Greek were
plainly seen. otherwise, "usage that inperi-
Gus arbiteT of speech" would
have rejected them; besides, the
falling into disuse, from time TO time
Of Saxon wOTds-which some respectable
writers of the present day are trying to re-
suScitate-is 4 proof that the Latin and
Greek elements are steadily gaining ground.
! AllOlutI fIbbi "a Lilcil pupO4Llt9 ID HhCh
admirers of the English in It's purity" at
tempt to show the superiority of Saxon,
they will point TO the great preponderance
of Saxon words in King James translation
of the Bible, and 10 writc-s Of that day and
time They might as well put on exhlbi-
ton the clothes Of the child TO show the
size of the full-grown man. The intrinsic
merit Of these two languages, the circm-
stance that through them the learning of
the dark ages was transmitted 10 our Saxon
ancestors, their laws, politics, institutions,
etc. and the absence Of any other Ian
guages of equal merit, will, in pSrt, apol-
ogize for the introduction Of the Latin and
Greek under these circumstances, which
could not have been avoided, if desired;
they have become bone Of the English
bone and flesh of its flesh.
1t is not the object of this paper to enter
into details in regard to the advantages TO
which have resulted from this union, since
any thing less than book would be mere
epitome. We will state in general that
! III, 41.n1sonH words