Memoir of Dr. Thomas Young. 327 



Men have conceived two completely distinct methods of 

 writing. The one employed by the Chinese is the hierogly- 

 phic system, the second, in actual use among all other 

 nations, bears the name of the alphabetic or Phonetic 

 system. 



The Chinese have no (properly so called) letters. The 

 characters which they employ in writing are true hiero- 

 glyphics ; they represent not sounds nor articulations, but 

 ideas. Thus house is expressed by means of a special 

 character which did not change even when all the Chinese 

 denominated a house, in the language spoken, by a word 

 totally different from that now employed. If this statement 

 should excite surprise, it is only necessary to refer to our 

 cyphers which are also hieroglyphics. The idea of unity 

 added seven times to itself is expressed everywhere in 

 France, England, Spain, &c. by means of two round figures 

 placed one above the other vertically and touching at a 

 single point. But on seeing this ideographic sign the 

 French call it huit, the English eight, the Spanish ocho. 

 Every one knows that it is the same with compound num- 

 bers. Hence, it may be observed, if the Chinese ideogra- 

 phic signs were generally adopted, as the Arabic figures 

 are, each would read in his own language the works pre- 

 sented to him, without requiring to know a single word of 

 the language spoken by the authors who wrote them. Thus, 

 there would be no alphabets. 



" Celui cle qui nous vient cet art ingenieux 

 De peindre la parole et de parler aux yeux," 



having made the capital remark, that all the words of the 

 richest spoken language are composed of a very limited 

 number of sounds or elementary articulations, invented 

 signs or letters, to the number of 24 or 30 in order 

 to represent them. With the assistance of these signs 

 combined in different ways, every word which strikes the 

 ear may be written even without being aware of the 

 signification. 



The Chinese or hieroglyphic writing appears to have 

 been the infancy of the art. It does not require, however, 

 as was said in former times, in order to learn to read, even 

 in China, the long life of a studious mandarin. 



