The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-10
OLDEST OF LYING TONGUES.
Some of tho Difficulties of Learning to
Speak Good Chinese.

From the Touh'S COMPANION.
The oldest spoken language now existent
upon the earth is the Chinese. 1t has an enor-
nous list of words-tho estimate of the num-
Der of characters ranges from 25OO0 to $780,
600. The language has no alphabet. Each
character represents complete idea. and
corresponds. practically to the English word.
II is written in columns from top to bottom of
the page and from right to left. Chinese
book ends where an English book begins.
Writing is done with fine camel's hair brush
and India ink.
The lack of an alphabet and the number OF
characters make learning to read Chinese
burdensome. Each character must be learned
by itself When the student has mastered
5000 characters the succeeding thousands
must be learned in tho same way. Those
which no has mastered furnish no assist
ance to learning the others. save as prac-
tee may have given hin certain G4ckness
g44ishes each character from its fellows:
The grammar OF the lanEuagG Is so simple as
to be almost non-eNiStent. The same word
serves indiferentIy as "A noun. verb. advcrb or
adjective. Moods. lenses, persons, gender and
cations, nor dcclcnSions. nor auxiliary verbs.
The few Chinese who have attempted to mas
CONSTRUCTION as clumsy and fu4l of pitfalls.
The Chinese characters give no clue to tho
Will enable foreigner 10 speak the Language.
That ability must h" acquired by months Of
drill a guick ear and great ti"xil'ility OF the
fails to enable many foreigners to speak Chi
nese correctly.
Chester Holcomb. for many years intcrprcter
to the United Statcsi Legation at Pckin. from
whose interesting book. The Real China
man" we have copied. relates several anec-
dote1 illustrative Of a foreigners almost in
eytIahLn hlunfrrs in spenkipg Chinese
MI HocGmbc once heard II venerable mis-
crowded Chinese audience. as - thou omni.
81 rod -t,.uI 4 ,H
CHI. Another missionary saw with ast!nlSh-
ment the audirnc" hurriedly leave his chapel.
ton from his lips to b" seated. An aspirated
It" had turned IN" supposed speech OF weI-
a mstak" in entering ~" chapel
In Chimes" the ton"I which aword - spoken
does For instance: In Chimes" man ceases
to he n man If yuu change III" ton" Of tn" voice
in uttcrimE the word ard may hrrom" "A dis;
ease. n Nightingale. ora "Arrot, On" ton", and
one only, Expresses man. Th"r" are hour OF
thee tones In standard or mandarin dinl"rt-a
high. curvinE Infection and a falling infection.
The sound "mnu," il uttered IN III" first
tone, m"anr i,raIGn; faced in thG s"gr%nd. 20
These four tones are tn" occasions OF absurd
4 missionary once informed h,s audience
eating chk"," He intended to say healing
the sick, hut an asprpt" wrongly. u.nceI
changed lilo healing into eating. while an error
in 'onr mad" cake out pf th., slrk
on on" occasion, when Mr., Hocomho was
Tho host 81 Iarg" dinner party, h" ordered his
that was not on the table The man seemed
FnHled then went aud returned with the
kitchen upon tray The host had placed an
asgra'" whrr". it ala not belong go,
NJ another time the cook wa- tod TO buy
hundred ladies fingers iuran evening party.
Two hours later lac entered the courtyard 81
III" American Legation riding up,u the shaft
OF Chinese cart. aud reported that he had
lc"u able To- buy IN lokIu only sixteen "lalIes'
fingers, why did YOU hire IA rnrtf" he was
asked To bring them home they weigh i've
or six hounds each "
Instead Of tiny strips Of sponge cake to be
served with icc-crcam he had bought sixty
four fresh OK tongues, A wrong tone OF biz
masters voice had done the mischief.