The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-09-28
LION OF LANGUAGES.
ENGLISH DEFINED TO BE THE
WORLDS MEDIUM OF SPEECH.

ENGLISH DEFINED TO BE THE
WORLDS MEDIUM OF SPEECH.
rhe Progress of tho English Language
within the Last Hundred Ycars-Quali-
ties which Make It Conqueror Every !,
wherc-other Dialects.
OF all people, we who speak the English
have the best right to be proud of our Ian |,
guage. 1t is without question the lion of
languages and has proved itself con- l.
queror wherever 1t has gained foothold, 1
for it is peculiarly adapted to every race,
CLINE and condition. Its extensive adapt l.
ability is illimitabie, and IL is remarkably !
and aggressively voracious, for wherever 1t !
goes it sounds the deathknell of all its ri !
walls. Coeval with its entrance into Great
Britain it began its work of destruction. |
The real British, the Cymric or W elsh, Erse
or Irish, the Gaelic Of Scotland and the |
Manx of the Isle of Man all went down be |
fore 1t, it may he said, for the British Celt-
fc is absolutely gone from the earth, and
the Others must soon follow and become
like many languages of the past, for what
remain Of them at the present time are en-
tirely local. 1t is notable that, in addition
to those cited, it conquered and banished
the Morse, the Norman-French and several
other tongues which made an effort to trans
plant themselves on English soil, and is
still and will continue to he at work
throughout the world, planting itself and
at the same time displacing others,
! 1t is not long since French was the han
dicst language to traveller upon the con
tineut, but at this time we are proud TO say
that English is by far superior because tits
more frequently spoken. 1t has becomethe
commercial language 1t is being taught
in the schools of all nations, and no Eng
lish speaking man need fear that he may
not make himself understood in any part
of the world when employing thislanguage
as n means of communication.
Professor Grim Of Berlin saysof the Eng
lish language that it has thorough power
of expression such as no other language
ever possessed. 1t may truly be called a
world language, for no other may venture
+. to compare with it in richness, reasonable
ness and solidity of texture Provost Par
adol, a learned Frenchman, says that nci-
J ther Russia nor Germany, surprising that
I they should attain the highest fortune, can
!, pretend to impede the current of things nor
prevent that solution, relatively near at
, for the ultimate colonization and domino
ton of the universe. lie says further that
"the world will not be Russian nor Ger
man nor French, alas nor Spanish, but it
, will be Anglo-Saxon."
No clearer or truer description of the Ian,
r guages enumerated, with their rclativedif
b ferences, ever appeared in type than is con
4 veyed in the following poem
II Greeks u harp We love 10 hear.
y Latin Is n trumpet clear.
Spanish like an organ swclls.
> Italian rings its bridal bells.
u France, with many n frOlic Inien,
Tunes her sprightly violin.
Loud the German rolls his drum
~ When Russin's flashing cymbals come.
l. But Briton's sons may well rejoice,
For English is the human voice.
>. The English, Russian, German, French
ii Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Scandina
/. Wan are the most powerful '1nGuages With
" the bounds of Christian civilization, be
) cause they are the tongues of vigorous pee
le pie. With the exception of the English
y these are all indigenous and die il trans
= planted. The United States is the young
~, est of powerful countries, yet it is GENE
4, terry of many languages. For instanc,
French, one of the sweetest Of tongue!
threatened to become the national lar
IA guage. Louisiana was settled by people {
u the French nation, who brought their laI
gIage with them and planted it upon tina
q, soil in anticipation of its growth. Instead
= however OF its growing and spreadingove
i. the country, it began to weaken, aud it vii
r. soon disappear from the memories of tn
1e inhabitants OF that state
III 1t is only necessary to note the popult
Is tion according to these several languages
T. realize the Interchangeable future of I'll
~ English, now striding On and on over IL
,r. face Of the earth with wonderful impetl
,ts osity and vigor that will not be r
~, strained.
le English is spoken by 90,O0o0OO of pc
pie, Russian, 75,G00,000; German, Sc, 000, 90
5, French, 4O,0o0OG0; Spanish, Is, 1000 900; lta
10 ian, 90, OOO,G0O; Portuguese, 100000 an
m Scandinavian, 9,G00,000. Within the contr,
a of the government of these several In,
oil guages England rules over 255, 100000
n. people who do not as yet speak the Englis
n. language and the other seven have on
g., Is, Cox, 0OO outside of themselves-an asto
oe ishrg difference.
% 1t must he remembered, besides, that IL
English language is divided into two 20
ernments only, while the other six are 4
ra yided into rs, all of whom are filled Wi
bitter enmitics one for the other, viii
M they are and it appears ever will he usii
he coerce the other, but it is Just as nuticeat
re- that England and the United States Il
OF NOW and will av.,. continua at ,,e,,o :
AT n. = -. ~, 4 -! = i -
na udced minds considered the subject &c
ac can be no doubt that the Englilii will eve
Oh tually become thr VI. 'ersal language
isl the earth aiId when We observe the astC
ny ishiug strides il has made in the past
hle may aptly be remarked that the time is II
raj for iist,nt nn,,icTl,,,.l,, If IL advnnces Il,
Tho foreign countries and continues the rate
Isl. progress which it has attained for the ps
ate 80 years.
ON 1t was through the medium of the Dut
oil language that the japanese carried on tn
Dsl foreign correspondence until within 4
lily years Noyv they have CHANGED ,be NM
.his - - - 80. -. ~,
nn - =; -. -, =; ~ ~, - ~
;ult while the SONS of the most wealthy u
titled families are sent to our colleges
complete their education, where Englist
spoken and our manners predominant.
t Al 1t is estimated that since the building
i st that famous Tower of Babel there Ia
md been 800 distinct languages and $500 {
st 81 loquials, or 5000 different forms of spec
W. At the present time 600 Of the primary |
a. glages are dead, leaving only 800 spoken
era over the earth, with about ., $40 colloquit
with Philadelphia Times.
gble
Incompetent Workers.
Two cottaeers, the mistresses of hor
arm holds along the north shore of the sou
'alr. were overheard by prying man discuss
lille the merits of their servants.
me, Have you good cookf" asked l.
line NJ