22 Mr. Dii Ponceau on some Points connected 



language, the Chinese logographic character is exckisively 

 used; but it does by no means follow that a Cochinchinese 

 book would be understood in China, or vice versa. For al- 

 though in both languages, each character represents a single 

 word, yet the words so represented are not always the same 

 in sound or in sense. Thus the character which in Chinese 

 represents the word tan (a plain), in Cochinchina signifies ddt 

 (the earth). The character kin (metal), in Cochinchinese is 

 read kim (a needle) ; Chinese y (kettle), Cochinchinese chi 

 (lead); Chinese ;>o (to land), Cochinchinese iac (silver)*. It 

 is evident that the same book or manuscript could not be read 

 or understood alike by a Chinese and a Cochinchinese. 



I cannot omit here an observation which appears to me to 

 be peculiarly striking. If the Chinese writing be really ideo- 

 graphic ; if it represents ideas and not sounds, — how does it 

 happen that the same character is used in different languages 

 to signify things that have no kind of connection with each 

 other; as for instance, the verb to land, and the substantive 

 silver? It is difficult to think even of a distant metaphor that 

 will apply to both these objects. 



In Japan there are two languages in general use. The 

 Koye, which is no other than the Chinese, with some variation 

 m the pronunciation of the words, arising probably from the 

 difference of the vocal organs of the two nations ; and the Yomi, 

 which is the most popular language, the former being devoted 

 to religion and science. The Yomi is polysyllabic, and has 

 declensions, conjugations, and other complex grammatical 

 forms, which the Chinese has not. Therefore it cannot be 

 written with the Chinese character logographically, any more 

 than the Greek or Latin could : yet the Chinese character is 

 used in writing that idiom. From a selection of those cha- 

 racters a syllabic alphabet has been made, which is in com- 

 mon usef. From a similar selection, says M. Remusat, the 

 Coreans have made a monophonic alphabet of nine vowels and 

 fifteen consonants :|:, with which they write their language. At 

 the same time they can read and understand the Chinese, in 

 which their sacred and scientific books are written. 



We know very little of the language of the Loo Choo Islands. 

 Father Gaubil (the French missionary) says, that they have 

 three different idioms ; others say that they speak a language 

 compounded of the Chinese and Japanese. But little reliance 

 is to be placed in these reports. It is probable that the Chi- 



* White's Voyage to the China Sea. Boston: Ed. 1823. 



•f Gramviaire Japonaise dc Rodriguez. 



% Recherches $ur Ics Langues Tartares, p. 81. 



nese 



