The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-08-01
The English Language.

Is the English:languagc destined to
become the universal language? Three
centuries ago it was employed by less
than 5000, 900 of people; to-day it is
spoken by over 115, 900, 900 people in
all parts Of the globe, andis constant.
ly increasing, both as to population
and territory. Atpresent it is distrib-
uted as follows: United States, 65,-
600, ,0OOj British Islands, 38, 600, 900;
Canada, exclusive of French Cana
dians, 4,OOo,O0Oi West Indies, British
Guiana, etc., 1,5OO,O 600; Australia, A.
900, 900; South Africa, India, and
other colonies, 100000. This in
cludes only those whose mother tongue
is English, no account being taken Of
the vast number who speak English
but who have another tongue. The
increase of English speakers is calcu-
lated to be fully 100000 annually.
No other language Of modern times
has made such rapid progress. Three
hundred years ago the 8, 900, 900 people
who spoke English resided principally
on the British Isles. Now it is spoken
more or less in nearly every country
on the face Of the earth.
The principal languages which COM
pete with English, not considering
such as Chinese and Hindostanee, are
French, Spanish, Russian and German.
French is practically stationary as re-
CARDS the number Of it's adherents;
Spanish is largely spoken in South
America and the southern part Of
North America, but it owes its prom
inence to the colonizing genius of its
speakers; where German is introduced
it rapidly gives away to the native
tongue, generally English; Russia,
like the German, has little influence
upon the Western civilization. 1t is
remarkable fact that while the Eng
lish in their colonies and offshoots
have absorbed millions Of, aliens there
is no record Of any great body Of Eng,
lish speakers having become absorbed
by any other race. In the United
States there are millions Of Germans
and other foreigners who have become
merged with the English speakers in
single generation, they losing even
their family names; and the children
in many cases do not understand their
parents language. In Canada, how
ever, the French speaking population
is increasing faster than the English
speaking. This is not because the
French element absorbs the English,
but because it crowds it out. While
the French is seldom absorbed by any
other. tongue, it is most always alb
sorbed by the English.
The English has practically driven
the French out of Egypt, and it is
rapidly driving the Dutch out OF Afrl
| ca. This has been accomplished in
Egypt within dozen years. The
change ir Africa is being effected with
even greater rapidity. AS the Englif :
speaking settlers rush into the new
| country, the Dutch and other langua-
ges, which are rarely to be met with,
drop into the backwoods and are final
| ly lost. Africa is witnessing repeti-
tion of the fight Of the tongues in
America, three centuries ago, which
resulted in victory for the English.
The history of lingual development in
America alone is sufficient argument
for the prediction that no languages,
except possibly those Of the Orient,
will long remain formidable COMPETE
tors Of the English.-Troy (N "
| Press.