Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-25
ARTIFICIAL LANGUAGES.
Growth of voIspuk and Some o her jar
CONS Not SO Scientific.
Professor II. T. Peck In Home journal.


Professor II. T. Peck In Home journal.
The growing popularity OF Volapuk Is
to be considered as due to the actual
merits OF the language itself rather than
to the mere novelty that the project OF an
artificial lar gusge possesses. In fact, 1t
has been problem for more than 200
years whether philosophical, universal
lar guage is G possibility.
As far back rs the year 1856 one Of the
German princes offered reward of 800
crowns for universal language, and the
llpguist Becker endeavored to earn it by
publishing work on this subject in 1861,
which did not, however, receive any more
substantial acknowledgment than din
ner. In the same year similar work sp-
peared written by Dalgarno. But the
most celebrated attempt Of all was that
of Bishop Wilkins, whose famous "Essay
Toward Philosophical Language" was
published In 1858. Like Yolspuk. DR..
wilkins language was entirely regular,
but unlike it, was by no means simple,
for it YVES based on the antitheti.
cal principle, which is In one
sense help toward momoriziDg the
words, Dat is ct the same time complex
when applied to .ll kinds of nouns, for it
is not every noun that suggests a we'll
defined aItithesis. Yet Wilkins consist
entity endeavored to carry out the priaci-
pie. Thus, tadu meant "power," tadus,
"weakness," da, "God," ids, "devil,''
pida, "presence," pidas, "sbsence."
Apart, however, from .be complexitY OF
the principle of antithesis, many other
unnecessary varieties of detail were
added, SO that an enormous folio volume
was necessary to give even cursory ex-
PLANTATION; whereas Father Schleyer' q
Dictionary of Volspuk Is volume that
may be clipped into ones pocket, and the
entire grammar is contained IN sixteen
cosrsely printed pages. In fact, the sys-
TEN Of Wilkins was. on the face Of 1t,
cumbrous, impracGicaole and nothing
more than literary curiosity.
Other attempts equally unsuccessful
were those Of Leibniz, Faignet, LetellieI
and the Eoslishman, Babbsge. One in
ventor OF "philosophic lang tried
to call attention to his work by publish
ing it as genuine tongue, spoken By the
natives of the Island Of Formoss
Others, despsiring Of inventipg spoken
language that should ever come into
actual use, tried 20 elaborate a universal
written tongue oy which natives of diff
ferent countries might be able to com
municste with each other on paper ever
though they knew no word of eact
others Language. These attempts were
based on the aierogiyphic principle, ex'
pressing words bY signs. Thus rude
drawing Of c rain denoted ''necessity;'
circle meant 'etepity;" the face of .
clock "lime," ana SO on. Another sys-
tenn gave verbal meaning to numbers
but they all failed by reason OF their com
pick character.
1t may be Interesting to glance g
another subject, closely connected wit
that Of artificial iangusge-the attempt
that have been made 70 twist exisitin!
forms of speech into such new shapes 81
would form new tongue. These effort:
have been exhibited chiefly by person.
who were anxious to have the use OF .
language which only themselves and thei
chosen friends should be able TO speak o.
understand.
Most famous OF these distorted mode
of speech is that which is vsrjousiy known
in England as "Medical Creek" ass
Giles Greek" and "Marrowskying.'
This consists eff Transporting all the in
itial consonants IN sentence, and i
does, when spoken fast, give the effec
OF On unknown jsrgon. Thus, IN Meti'
cal Greek, q mutton chop is "chut
ton mop;" q bull dog is q "dut
bog" butterfly is q "fiutterbY" ant
80 on. Il is . very simple matter to &C.
quire great degree Of faciliti in speak,