1. _The Number of Words._—(_a_) A language may have too many words. In English, multitudes of words have been taken from other tongues. Thus we have the numeral _one_, and also _unit_ (Latin) and _monad_ (Greek). Unless such words are necessary, there is a loss of simplicity, which is felt by a foreigner trying to learn the language; and which we could make apparent to ourselves by introducing from three other languages three additional words for _one_, with all their derivatives. So long as such new words indicate different shades of meaning, their presence shows fertility in thought; but where they do not each indicate a separate and necessary meaning, they encumber the language. As writing is the chief means of giving permanency to unnecessary words, we find that an unwritten language like Yao is not thus burdened, and seldom uses two or three words where one might do. There are, however, cases of apparent excess. We have a word for _his elder brother_, and quite a distinct word for _his younger brother_. Many such cases, however, arise really from deficiency—there is no word in the language for _brother_. Again, we have words for _my younger brother_, _your younger brother_, &c., but no word for _younger brother_. (_b_) A language may have too few words. I have never seen Africans of the same tribe trying to talk with each other and breaking down for want of vocables. They have always language enough to express their ideas. But they have often to use circumlocutions. Instead of saying a _pen_ they speak of a (thing) with which to write or mark. It would be unfair to expect the Yao to have a name for _ice_, any more than the English have a name for anything they don’t know of, but every language should have easy methods of forming new words where they are wanted.