New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-23
The American Language.

Your presence no power to delight me,
Old love, | am weary-goOd night!
The American Language.
One of the most suggestive papers read
before the American Pathological AssOcia.
ton. at it's recent congress in Hartford, was
by Mr.. John SwintOn, OF New York. He en-
titled it Linguistic Perspective" but it was
more intelligibly described in the telegraph
ic report as a discourse on the elements,
forces and scope of the English language"
1t Is not easy to give an abstract OF 1t, but
we may indicate some of its leading points.
In the opening of the essay Mr.. Swinton
that if the English language spread
as rapidly during the next hundred years
as 1t has during the last hundred years, it
will, in a century from this time, be spoken
by nearly as many people as now inhabit
the globe. But he argued that while there
may be reasons for believing in, there are
others for doubling the continuance of the
extraordinary rapidity of it's growth. A
century ago it was. spoken by about ten
millions of mankind-seven in Great Brit
ain and three in the American colonies.
To-day it may be said to be spoken by
nearly a hundred millions-thirty-two in
Great Britain, forty in the United States,
three in the New Dominion, two in the
Australian colonies, n in the West
Indies, one in South Africa, four or five mil
lions in the East Indies and other parts Of
Asia Including the natives who have &C.
quired it), and several millions in other
colonial possessions, or in commercial ports
in various parts of the globe, which mum
bers, added to some others that were in
dictated, sum up the numerical volume to
somewhere near a 100, 900, 900. From these
facts cOne the conclusion that, if this an
guage we're to move with any such sweep
for another century, if in that period it
should multiply its speakers more than ten
times, it must then be spoken by a popula-
ton not far short of the 900, 900, 900 or
200, 900, 900 that now inhabit the globe. But
about this part of the subject the speaker
said he could offer no opinion, however
worthless.
Other points were alluded to in this con-
nectioE. First-The English is the only
language of the globe spoken by two great
civilized powers, being the language Of the
American republic and the British king
dom. Spanish is spoken By one second
class European power and in the Mexican
republic and in a dozen petty states in Cen.
trail and South America, but the former
consequence of the language, as of the
race, has passed away. ~Second-The Eng
lish language is now spoken by more peo-
pie than speak any Of the other languages
of Europe, by One-third more than
speak German, by nearly twice as many as
speak French or Spanish, including those
in the Spanisb-American States, by more
than speak Russian, though the Cars sub.
jects number over 80, 600, 900. We must go
to the Asiatic continent-to India and
Climate find another language spoken by
as many men as speak the English to-day,
though, a century ago, it was the language
of but a few million British Islanders and
British American colOnists-outranked bv
French, German, Italian and
Mr.. Swinton proceeded to philesophize
about the recent unprecedented growth of
a language, and to deal with many minor
questions related thereto.
He showed how one accepted dialect of
language is swallowing up all the 9TH
ers which but recently had a lively exist
ence; how the numerous local dialects are
in the metropolitan dialect,
and how even the most virlle and WORTHY of
all British dialects 1.-THE SCOTCH is giving
way before the dominating dialect. In the
United States, though we have a vast terri
tory and a cOmmixed population, the
dialectic differences between the States and
are but very slight, and are de-
creasing.
He spoke of the fact that the two chief
composite elements Of the language are
drawn, in proportions. from the two great
language series Of Western Europe, the
Latin series and the Germanic; and he re-
ferred to the influence of this fact as affect
its spread and prospects.
He dwelt on the a~ssimilating power of
the printing press, its books and papers.
He showed that the English is the language
Of the pervasive and dominating M
Of the globe, and that the two English
commercial nations carry it wher-
sver they go or wherever they plant them
selves-so that you may hear it from
Quebec to Bio, from Hong Kong to
Calcutta, from the Cape of Good Hope
10 Gibraltar, and find it more widely preva-
ent than any other European language. He
lilateG on the influence of the remarkable
spread of pigeon" English on the Asiatic
;ea-cOasts. He said that nearly all the
cables of the globe speak mainly the Eng
ish language. He observed that four or
millions of Germans have learned the
English language in this country within the
asst quarter OF q century, and that the chill
lren of these Germans speak it as their
native tongue. He touched on the inlu-
nee which, it would seem, the immense
md quick-growing Germanic population of
his country ought to exercise on the Eng
ish language OF the United States-giving
t new elements, features, and forces.
He thought it was a flight of fancy rather
han a result OF ~ratiocination, which was
visible in these words of President Grants
asst inaugural: 81 believe that our great
Maker is preparing the world in his "
rood time, to become one nation, speaking
ne language" Mr.. SwintOn said it was
certainly difficult to imagine that the Ian
.uage Of continental Europe. or ancient
fast-rO0ted languages of the impassiye
Asiatic myriads of China and the East In
lies, or the countless tongues of Africa and
# South America, could be tangibly af-
ected, much less undermined, by any
auses that are now apparent, or within
ny cOmputable time. Yet still, it must be
vident enough TO others, as it was to the
peaker, that the English language has now
basis, a range, a momentum that
eem to be full of significance, and to have
certain sort of prophetic Indication about
hem.
He next observed that he had no inten.
ion OF repeating any of the familiar ideas
bout the varied great powers of the
language-about its all.iuclusive
cope; its manly, free spirit; it's vital energy
nd moral elevation; its capacity of dra-
1atic, forensic and scientific expression:
bout the allembracing, world-cOmpelling
terature which appertains to it, and
7hich accompanies 1t wherever it goes,
ven to the ends of the earth; about the
implicitly OF its grammatical forms, I'M
qualed IN any other civilized speech; about
s defects, its incongruities, or its dificulties:
r about the probability that, stricken by
analysis or shattered by vice, it NAV fail
, accomplish what seems to be its mission, !
s the Latin language, after marvellous CON |
uests. at last ceased to conquer, or az the
panish and other languages have done.
We can not go over all this interesting |
nd comprehensive discourse, but we must
id 9 few minor though significant facts !
'hich were dilatedion such as these. That 4
II. James Brooks, after his recent voyage |
,und the world, declared he travelled on |