Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human Race — John Shaqi
Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human RaceJohnes, Arthur James
History
Philological Proofs of the Original Unity and Recent Origin of the Human Race
Johnes, Arthur James
Ethnology; Human beings -- Origin; Language and languages; Monogenism and polygenism
The extensive researches of Dr. Prichard have satisfactorily shown that
the peculiarities of the Negroes and Hottentots are not permanent nor
abruptly marked, but local and evanescent, and that they melt away by nice
shades of gradation, corresponding with the minute progressive transitions
of climate that are traceable through the various regions of the African
continent. Hence the _possibility_ of the identity of the Negro and
Hottentot Tribes with the inhabitants of the other three great continents
may be clearly inferred. But no evidence has yet been produced calculated
to establish this conclusion as a positive truth. This desideratum the aid
of philology will be found satisfactorily to supply.
In the North of Africa the physiological difficulties which are
encountered in the Middle and South do not exist to the same extent in any
instance, and in most instances they can scarcely be said to exist at all.
The Berbers—the original population of Morocco and the adjoining
countries, the lineal descendants of the ancient Numidians—approach very
closely to the Spanish population of the opposite coasts of the
Mediterranean; and the Egyptians in the north-east of Africa are much more
alike to the contiguous Asiatic nations than they are to the Negro Tribes.
Hence it follows that the theory that the Negroes and Southern Africans
are distinct Races of men, may be as decisively tested by a comparison of
their languages with those of the Northern Africans, as by collating them
with the languages of the other continents of the globe.
The mode of comparison adopted in Appendix A, has been dictated by these
considerations. Accordingly, I have therein separated the languages of
Africa into three divisions, those of: 1, North Africa; 2, Negro-land; 3,
South Africa; allotting a separate column to each division; while on the
opposite page a separate column is devoted to each of the continents of
Asia, Europe, and America. This comparison will serve at once to show the
general connexion of the African languages with those of Asia, Europe, and
America, and at the same time to demonstrate another proposition of nearly
equal interest, viz. the close mutual affinity of the languages of
Northern, Tropical, and Southern Africa.
With respect to the particular words selected for comparison, I have
chosen the names for the following objects: “Fire, Sun, Day, Eye,(22)
Moon, Heaven, a Human Being, Man and Woman.” (Homo, Vir, Fœmina, _Latin_.)
The most important parts of the Human Frame, (viz. “The Hand, Arm, Foot,
Leg, Ear, Tongue, Head.”) “Water.”
These terms comprise nearly all the specimens of the languages of Africa,
which have been collected in “the Mithridates,” of Adelung and Vater. The
objects to which these terms have been applied are comparatively few. But
for reasons about to be explained, the evidence which may be deduced from
the terms themselves is neither scanty nor imperfect, but, on the
contrary, very extensive and complete.
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