The New York herald., 1878-02-06
THE LECTURE SEASON.
MR. JOHN ALBEx ON LANGUAGE, ITS ORIGIN
AND NATURAL ADAPTATION TO TIE HUMAN


MR. JOHN ALBEx ON LANGUAGE, ITS ORIGIN
AND NATURAL ADAPTATION TO TIE HUMAN
TONGUE.
M John Albss. Of csmbrIdgs. lestursd In tue par
ior OF the Church OF the Messiah yesterday morning
Language, Present Methods Of Study and Results"
10 au audisnce that n.lsd the room. am not nov
speaking OF literature said the iectursr but words.
words as signs, Literature is record OF mankind; ;
words are symbols. vor Instance, the word book,
which the Northern nome Of that article. meant
beech tree, which to:esthsrs wrote their story
There history. The study Of language ts related 10
the study OF man In agenerai way. Ifyou nnd . ma
ion having great many names for sheep. We should
know that that was pastoral nation. Thus 10 illus
trated what We learn from the hidden page, and II is
through words that history has been developed. II
We trace all languages 10 one then the unity OF
the Of found. IL Is not tho bare fact OF
AiIy dialects sprnging from Que language. but II is
the use OF It. ! am dssirous OF showing the
connection Of language with the study ef. other SCI
encss Ia subsoqusnt lectures have long wanted 10
answer the question OF tnoso man who excaim, 'what
is the OF learning aianguage" As general thing
there little good. a. LANGUAGES learned very su
perncially Tne paths TO knowledge are like the
paths 10 neavsn There II no rivalry between science
aud language They are ust ~ closely connected as
ono science Language has as conclusively shown
the countless ages OF man AS has geology or tue study
OF ruins propose 10 show III what manner our
tongue belongs TO one family. Our langus age belongs
10 the family called the Indo.Europsap but better
term and more appropriate - Ar,an which meant the
ploughers distinction from the noinadc tribes Ths
race hac us abode on The great plains oi Asia.
The head oi this form 10 made up vi the Celt-ths
lust the slavonana the most essential OF This
language cCmm0n-as iather mother, brother,
&c. ne word 'uaughter,r common 10 all Europeans,
means q miker. The word "oystor" WAS derived
from this race; " means stony One 0i The great
MARKS " the Indo- European language Is Infection
A "A nf lana mr. "A IN hnA
mouosy ont Liable. & We and tHs Inject system tue most
Language shows that tDey all saw alike The oclts II
IL supposed, pushsd aside other lrioes-
MANS FIRST USE or WORDS. .1l
No knows as yet, wnere man lrst began TO
speuk or uso worda II the world as old rs Is sup
posed mauy languages must have been and passed
away Tnsro three theories accounting Tor speech N
such ss .spow.wown ana "cuckoo." The sec0nd
theory is that tho sound wo mako tu Tho excited
of mind the germ. The third IS that OF sound
pfoducsd on anything veing struck This utest theory
has called the ''dng.dong' tneorytno 6rst the
.Low.wow." the second tne "cuckoel", be-
sve that language began with the Infancy OF tho race
Such as, Tor illustrution, the chiids-a mother 10
teach ing . child 70 speak. Words are sympathetIc
aclion OF the mind with oxternal sounds Ths English
language sprang from mo Teutonic A. some
emigration, winch has been traced out
by study oi language. And the Colts were
pushed on through Europe Thus al were originally
speak many different dialects but there IL one ms in-
spring-chc Sanscrit Except what we know from
winch ws have the germ OF Huropean o,viiiza.ion.
The connection between SALscrit anguages has been
long sought lor aud tue questions involved now
swered. Tns likeness between languages proves
Common origin.
The lecturer than went on prove that the popular
tales oil all countries we're alike, and illustrated this
by 4 number OF anecdotes.
There arc l0ur more lectures IN this course