The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-02-25
THE DOMINANT" LANGUAGE.
of English Compared With
French and German.

Growth of English Compared With
French and German.
New York Times: The notion OF a uni
versal language. to be devised from the
elements most nearly common to the
chief languages, is revived in recent dis
cussions in Germany. 1t Is a fascinating
project, and one on which no end of in
genuity can be expended, though with no
immediate prospect of returns. Mean
while 1t is worth recalling that the ten
dency toward a common tongue is most
strongly marked in the steady and rela-
lively rapid extension Of the use OF Eng
lish.
The latest estimate OF the movement of
the different European languages which
has been received as approximately cor
rect Is that of Mulhall in 1891, embodying
the figures for the nine decades from the
opening Of the nineteenth century. .Ac-
cording to this calculation the various
languages of Europe were spoken in 1901
by 161, 100000 people, and in 1890 by 4O1, 7oO,-
GOO. an increase of about $50 per cent. at
the beginning of the century the four
chief languages were French, Russian,
German and Spanish. the French-speak-
Ing people forming 1874 per cent. and the
Spanish 1872 per cent. The English
speaking people amounted to only 1917 per
cent. BY 1891 the different languages
stood in the following order: English,
49, - 1880 NSSS-e< la SSli llCh .SdSlR
1S.7 per cent: French, 12.7 percent. Span
ish. 1O,7 per cent, and the remainder di-
Vided between italian and Portuguese.
The number Of English-speaking people
had grown from $3.50, 900 to Ill, 100000,
German and Russian-speaking people
from about 3o,G0, 900 to Is 100000 each. and
French-speaking people from S1,450,O COO to
51.3oo ,QU. 1t will be seen tina in these
ninety years the English language had
advanced from the fifth place to the first,
and at the close was spoken by at least
go per cent. more persons aim any other
European tongue.
The increase in the number OF English
speaking people was in round numbers
81, 900, 600. and of this increase 70,0O0,0 600 was
in the population of the United States.
Some allowance must be made for the i'm
migrants INTO thee States who do
not speak English. hut this is not rela-
lively important What the figures show,
and it is OF extreme Importance. is that
the increase in the numbers of English
speaking people is out OF proportion to
the natural increase and is largely due to
the lumber of emigrants who leave their
native countries and learn to use the Eng
fish language. 1t is clearly a process of
conversion that is gong on. While In the
statistics of language 1t appears as a
process OF Adjudication, In reality 1t is
most largely one Of A~mericanization.
Much has been written within the last
few years of the growth of the United
States as a world power, and this In great
measure has been due to d victory over a
-fourth-rate European power and the ac-
QUESTION of the thinly peopled and unde-
Veloped islands of the Philippine archi-
5pelago. But the real seat of the power
of the United States to influence the world
lies within It's continental borders. with
the vast and constantly growing popuia-s
zion Of varied origin gradually formed In