New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-07-15
THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE.
MEETING OF THE AMERICAN PATHOLOGICAL
ASSOCIATION.

IN.
Thompson OF rhe Theological Seminary OF Hartford
and Mayor sprague addressed the Association in words
Of welcome, and Prot March replied. Dr. Charles H.
Brigham exhibited Ably sSnian manuscript picked mp
at railway station in Michigan. The following papers
were read Prof. 5. 5. Haldeman English Vowel
Mutilation Prof w. W. Fowler the Paradoxes OF
Language Prof Fisk p. Brewer on Latin manuscript
found inserted in an old volume OF Pny The attend
ance was larger usual the meetings OF the AS
ISOLATION. In evening Prof March delivered the an
nual Presidents address, Of which the following Is the
substance.
TIE PRESIDENTS ADDRESS
Tho last wear has been Que OF wide activity in original
work mon Language, though it has produced no BOOK
which is yet mark NV era. perhaps no Ia'ts
have occurred significant than These 'uree Iot
great Lexicon Of Roots has been completed; ah L"sSh
Dialect society been formed under the direction OF
Mr.. Ks. and the Inspiration o; Mr. Ellis; and gram
mar has been published Of the speech Of the primitive
population Baby lOua which rs claimed 10 nc repre-
sentative Of the parent speech of the So-caei Iulahan
the same pan reducing the languages 10 order 10
which IEc S1u>krt has done in the lnd0 EaOpean IAN,
iy These three facts may be taken as representative
OF great cangc that is taking place IN the current OF
hJguiSuc activity. The study OF the ancient literary
Of the nJU-Eiropran speeches has hereto
fore constituted hnguiscs or comparative ph;olosy
but 1t Is giving pare the study or living dialects
On the one OF the relies Of The ancestors of
barbarlc Tubes the other.
me more sober Western leaders of the generation
IL lug TO ground the laws Oi laeuages IA hysio
more who seek O. solve the wider problems
of Ulnoogy and the East for hight are leaving
the familiar he'd Of The IndO Europeans ana l"0klAS
strange and puzznS speeches to hnd worthy Sphe'es
They are interested IA England also in this country
In reforming school pronunciation OF Lam anu
%reek: but It's Promoters seem TO De III w
haste aud speak deSp nGnSF OF i1e iT M PIoEe9 d
the year toward TIE new standard. The advanced
studies OF connection with me university
examination sem 10 he Il dccdel success aud their
Nrrmaucnt establishment ana use ALREADY accePeu III
England.
A DECLARATION FOR PHONETIC SPELLING.
he % "A of knowledge Is that III
i fruitful. We ruth, says Bacon, for generation
and comfort. What then. can pholosy do Tor
the utuycl What forces she supply for improving
tie estate OF mani
Let Inc tax Tor while answer TO these questions
Ia the mrs. place, scientific knowledge OF language
Itself when there talk OF improylnr han suage the
hrst Thing tbat man who uses the En-ilsh iahsuds'
thinks OF is ne spelling, II i no use u 1 To
tcrize with fitting bets aud adequate terms OF Oh
1arsaon the mohN'rous speiline W tIo IIr inI
guaec Ii anew aIie words OF MtD,trr i f Io
Dictionary and all beside tina; Dr. FzrdWAId has louhu
made. 'ncy would hardly make suitable Impression
Spelling !. often thodGat OF as chi's work and Of lit
molnt The time
by is large part of the whole school time oil the
are said read and VINO can read II YOU give
them time, II u faial bar through hie TO
voter. every human oeng, ought to have at command
Count the hours WBI,h each man wastes III learning
read school, the n0urs that lie wastes lrougA me
hinderance oeasy reading the hours wasted at
school III learning to spell the hours spent through lc
IN keeping up dnd pericc'nE ths SnoNiedse o pe.nE'
in cOnsHliin: Dictionaries work That never cn"s
that 50 nd IN writing silent letters ana
multiply this BY the number OF persons WiO speak
English. and snail nave total OF millions Of years
wasted bY eacb generation Tue COS! ~ Pn,'Is tu I
silent letters OF the gsh language j. to DO counted
BY millions dollars Tor each SeIeritOn VINO mas not
heard the OF Germans or Flcuchmen trIIng :"
learn how words sound or read the petitions oi lhe
squntngs and h~pugs Their iavorite Old English
editions extend the Ot the fair White paper clear
aud graceful typ, UrOII margins, anu comedy, trusty
old form, of word, leave an aroma ike the old
leIfl of
They 10 defend Icn pleading thtlr advantage III
dc stroys the ma erla Tor chronological study, and
wrItCu records valuable 10 the ploiogst Just ~
oen tlon as wear , 10 yeaT II we come to SCIENTIFIC
gains the adoption OF uniform alphabet for all
languages, they are siil more STRIKING 10 many per
sons learning new alphabet Is more WORK h9n ieafh
syntax in new language. Large numbers OF boys at
our bIgb schools who study Greek blt do not 20 " COZ
lcse, spend on the Greek SlYhabet than III
f in larIu.s tie Hebraw cItra'ters than
III all other study OF the Hebrew language. Leave out
tour scholars, ana halt the time spent IN sans
krit III th> country haS been given 10 tnc alphabet
TIE PRESENT SPELLING HINDERANCE 10 INNES-
LEGATION.
And when We look at tho pioneers in linguistic re-
search We nud th.n more delayed by want OF uniform
and untrustwUrthy writing than by all other causes.
have in mind tue students of dialects Ia England and
Germany and comparative lnguists al work among
the speeches outside of the IndoEarOpedn family The
records of diaecc pronunciation made by used
10 our spelling and to the scholars who are collect
ing them completely unlutcEibe, IKE te accounts
OF IneteOrs astronomers which describe them az
being as large "A barrel, or hOGshedd, or Plate
Congresses OF phllUOgsts have been held LOT
thIs reform win little gam, bnt beyond an
by year the power of combined action 10 better UNI
derstOOd and more easily attained Perhaps TINS dSsO-
citation as great popular organization Of linguistic
scholarship may rapidly attain an Influence winch may
give it powers OF reform as yet unslspected nave
sometimes thought that special league among our
scholars might fo!ued fer TINS end, in which one
1niSf n. pedged 10 particular Efforts reform, aud
80 large a nun ,eT he brought together hldAN as 20
Oyerbcar popular inertia dHd prcudlce ana Introduce
reformed books III he schools. Then publishers would
be found 10 print all the books needed and more IL
would be snail gam from such "A movement .hdt IL
would cOnsign 70 scholars and D1OkW0rns idI5e mass
OF I'D books. and give the generation manage
able selection OF cnOce authors, and perhaps produce
material into new forms. SOMETHING good would DO
sure come IRON such struggle Tor NE
Another class of changes which may be made III
Language relates structure OF words. Speech
not made; IL grows, and Ike other thngs that elo"
~ needs making for mans The world is made for
man only far IL Is made b. man, aud indeed not
When II il, sand that language grows IL means that it
has not been put together direction OF reason
but Is the result OF sOcldi heces-
sities acting under the laws OF ASSOCIATION. sounds
nv becou,e the si-ls OF things aud turned uiO
words because they associated Win the tmng-,
nerbaps nv mere acci lent. Words together aud
form compounds upon the ground OF any striking ass
Citations which may have reason III them Oh uo,; "a,
yOrte combinations or words aIWdys run 10 HIoSlcdI
Men sneer al the senoollDaster maker who
applies common TO the expression aud condemns
~ Thcy say For p0Jaii cor del. God makes speech,
schouasters mar But THIS Is stupid sueelhg GOi
makes schoOlnasters, aud the makers Of school
grapmars as well as IuyCreDIate animals Ineir WOrk
Is his WORK. 1ae last, tie test work OF ne DIVINE
energy u wrought through the reason Of map No
genuine action OF reason Is wholly bind or VOID. Ana
Ignorant many " The grammar uen nave oeen ana
are there never was who wrote book tdt dld Lot
in some de gree improve the speech extend cordial
greeting thousandih or ten thOus6ndth new En-
ssh grammar is made BY aredl enthusiastic parser
and anal. zer who has something OF mis- 10 tell.
Loeke's famous man who put oat mis- eyes to use ele
scope had just much those close he
On tnc logic OF speech, ana Try 10 taA DJ IL