A philosophicall essay for the reunion of the languages : $b or, The art of knowing all by the mastery of one — John Shaqi
A philosophicall essay for the reunion of the languages : $b or, The art of knowing all by the mastery of oneBesnier, Pierre
Philosophy
A philosophicall essay for the reunion of the languages : $b or, The art of knowing all by the mastery of one
Besnier, Pierre
Language and languages -- Philosophy -- Early works to 1800
For this reason altho I consider every Language in its greatest perfection,
yet for clearing its originall in rendring this sequel of words more open
and palpable I have been oblidg'd to make numerous reflections upon the
older forms of speech as well as Orthographie, by which a better discovery
may be made of all the varieties that occure in pronunciation, as also of
the severall medlies and Gibrish of the Provinces of Each Empire that speak
the same Language, but most of them in a singular fashion.
So that it is most certain that that Language which is most quaint and
polite is very often the lesse pure and most debaucht, if we make an aequall
judgment from its originall which is the most unquestionable rule: Upon
which account the dialects of Province, Gascogne, Languedoc, and that which
is known by the name of the Antient Gauls is infinitely lesse alter'd and
distanc't from its original, then the Languages of the Court and Nobility,
who take a pleasure in receding from the Latin: Those of Lombardy and
Naples are for the most part lesse corrupt than these of Siena and
Florence; Altho the Spaniards have a saying among them, that the Catalonian
and that of Arragon is commonly more pure then the Castilian that is more
Pompous. And not to spare the French more then the Spaniard, if they have
reason to boast their Language to be the most refin'd and Polite of the
world, yet their Neighbours might justly returne upon them, that of all the
Dialects of the Latin, there is none more degenerate than theirs, forasmuch
as its quaintness ariseth from its sweetnesse, so that it is not attainable
without a strange descent from its principle. Thus _le Capo_ of the
Italians, _le Cabo_, of the Spaniards, _le Cap_, of the old French and _le
Kef_ of Picardy are all variously alterd from _Caput_ of the Latins, but
none so much as _le Chef_ of the French, which notwithstanding claims the
same Originall.
But this is not all; as the resemblance and connexion of the Languages is
not alwaies the same but depends more or lesse upon the communication of
the Nations that speak them, So it's not necessary that this method should
be invariable, it must admitt of alteration with its subjects, and
accomodate it selfe to the diversity of Tongues.
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