﻿i-owell.] 
  CONCLUDING 
  REMARKS. 
  141 
  

  

  not 
  accord 
  with 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  investigation 
  began, 
  

   namely, 
  that 
  common 
  elements 
  would 
  be 
  discovered 
  in 
  all 
  these 
  

   languages, 
  for 
  the 
  longer 
  the 
  study 
  has 
  proceeded 
  the 
  more 
  clear 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  appear 
  that 
  the 
  grand 
  process 
  of 
  linguistic 
  devel- 
  

   opment 
  among 
  the 
  tribes 
  of 
  North 
  America 
  has 
  been 
  toward 
  unifi- 
  

   cation 
  rather 
  than 
  toward 
  multiplication, 
  that 
  is, 
  that 
  the 
  multiplied 
  

   languages 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  stock 
  owe 
  their 
  origin 
  very 
  largely 
  to 
  absorbed 
  

   languages 
  that 
  are 
  lost. 
  The 
  data 
  upon 
  which 
  this 
  conclusion 
  has 
  

   been 
  reached 
  can 
  not 
  here 
  be 
  set 
  forth, 
  but 
  the 
  hope 
  is 
  entertained 
  

   that 
  the 
  facts 
  already 
  collected 
  may 
  ultimately 
  be 
  marshaled 
  in 
  such 
  

   a 
  manner 
  that 
  philologists 
  will 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  weigh 
  the 
  evidence 
  and 
  

   estimate 
  it 
  for 
  what 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  worth. 
  

  

  The 
  opinion 
  that 
  the 
  differentiation 
  of 
  languages 
  within 
  a 
  single 
  

   stock 
  is 
  mainly 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  absorption 
  of 
  materials 
  from 
  other 
  stocks, 
  

   often 
  to 
  the 
  extinguishment 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  has 
  grown 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  

   year 
  as 
  the 
  investigation 
  has 
  proceeded. 
  Wherever 
  the 
  material 
  has 
  

   been 
  sufficient 
  to 
  warrant 
  a 
  conclusion 
  on 
  this 
  subject, 
  no 
  language 
  

   has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  simple 
  in 
  its 
  origin, 
  but 
  every 
  language 
  has 
  

   been 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  composed 
  of 
  diverse 
  elements. 
  The 
  processes 
  of 
  

   borrowing 
  known 
  in 
  historic 
  times 
  are 
  those 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  at 
  work 
  

   in 
  prehistoric 
  times, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  probable 
  that 
  any 
  simple 
  language 
  

   derived 
  from 
  some 
  single 
  pristine 
  group 
  of 
  roots 
  can 
  be 
  discovered. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  an 
  opinion 
  current 
  that 
  the 
  lower 
  languages 
  change 
  with 
  

   great 
  rapidity, 
  and 
  that, 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  this, 
  dialects 
  and 
  languages 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  stock 
  are 
  speedily 
  differentiated. 
  This 
  widely 
  spread 
  

   opinion 
  does 
  not 
  find 
  warrant 
  in 
  the 
  facts 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  

   of 
  this 
  research. 
  The 
  author 
  has 
  everywhere 
  been 
  impressed 
  with 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  savage 
  tongues 
  are 
  singularly 
  persistent, 
  and 
  that 
  a 
  

   language 
  which 
  is 
  dependent, 
  for 
  its 
  existence 
  upon 
  oral 
  tradition 
  is 
  

   not 
  easily 
  modified. 
  The 
  same 
  words 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  form 
  are 
  repeated 
  

   from 
  generation 
  to 
  generation, 
  so 
  that 
  lexic 
  and 
  grammatic 
  elements 
  

   have 
  a 
  life 
  that 
  changes 
  very 
  slowly. 
  This 
  is 
  especially 
  true 
  where 
  

   the 
  habitat 
  of 
  the 
  tribe 
  is 
  unchanged. 
  Migration 
  introduces 
  a 
  potent 
  

   agency 
  of 
  mutation, 
  but 
  a 
  new 
  environment 
  impresses 
  its 
  character- 
  

   istics 
  upon 
  a 
  language 
  more 
  by 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  sematic 
  content 
  or 
  

   meaning 
  of 
  words 
  than 
  by 
  change 
  in 
  their 
  forms. 
  There 
  is 
  another 
  

   agency 
  of 
  change 
  of 
  profound 
  influence, 
  namely, 
  association 
  with 
  

   other 
  tongues. 
  When 
  peoples 
  are 
  absorbed 
  by 
  peaceful 
  or 
  militant 
  

   agencies 
  new 
  materials 
  are 
  brought 
  into 
  their 
  language, 
  and 
  the 
  

   affiliation 
  of 
  such 
  matter 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  chief 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  differ- 
  

   entiation 
  of 
  languages 
  within 
  the 
  same 
  stock. 
  In 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   opinions 
  that 
  have 
  slowly 
  grown 
  in 
  this 
  direction, 
  the 
  author 
  is 
  

   inclined 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  groups 
  herein 
  recognized 
  as 
  fam- 
  

   ilies 
  will 
  ultimately 
  be 
  divided, 
  as 
  the 
  common 
  materials 
  of 
  such 
  

   languages, 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  thoroughly 
  studied, 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  borrowed. 
  

  

  