THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



[FOURTH SERIES.] 



No. 66. JUNE 1873. 



XLV. — On the Advantage of a Dominant Language for Science. 

 By Alphonse de Candolle, Corresponding Member of the 

 Acad^mie des Sciences, Foreign Member of the Royal and 

 Linnean Societies, &c.* 



At the period of the Renaissance Latin was the language 

 employed by all the learned men of Em'ope. It had been 

 carefully preserved by the Romish Church ; and not one of the 

 modern languages presented, at that time, a sufficiently rich 

 literatm-e to become its rival. But at a later period the Refor- 

 mation disturbed the unity of the Romish influence. Italian, 

 Spanish, French, and English gained successively regular 

 idioms, and became rich in literary productions of every kind ; 

 and at last, 80 or 100 years ago at most, the progress of science 

 caused the inconvenience of the use of Latin to be felt. It 

 was a dead language, and, in addition to that, was wanting in 

 clearness, owing to its inversions, to its abbreviated words, and 

 to the absence of articles. There existed at that time a general 

 desire to describe the numerous discoveries that were being 

 made, and to explain and discuss them without the necessity 

 of seeking for words. The almost universal pressure of these 

 causes was the reason for the adoption of modern languages in 

 most sciences, natural history being the only exception : for 

 this Latin is still employed, but only in descriptions — a special 

 and technical part, where the number of words is limited and 



• The fifth chapter of the ' Ilistoire des Sciences et des Savants depuis 

 deux siecles,' 8vo, Geneve, 187.S: London, Dulau. Translated by Miss 

 Miers, by permission of the author. 



Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 4. Vol. xi. 2li 



