-^5^ Observutions on Language. 



mtipy, expressive of the various modes, and circumstan- 

 ces, of polite intercourse. Were we absolutely destitute 

 of any history of these nations, and yet possessed of 

 vocabularies, containing such words, as have been here 

 alluded to ; and were we assured, that the several class- 

 es of words had been i)i customary use among them, re- 

 spectively ; we should know with indubitable certaint}^, 

 that the Romans were a military ; tlie Greeks, a learned, 

 and philosophical ; the Ilebrexus, a religious ;, and the 

 French, a polished people. 



Equally evidential are the words, found in any lan-^ 

 guage,. of the pursuits, and other circumstances, of the 

 people, by which it was used. After what has been 

 said, little needs to be added on this part of the subject. 

 If we know, that a man is a seaman, because he cus- 

 tomarily uses nautical phraseology ; we as certainly 

 know, that a nation, whose language contains many com- 

 mercial terms, is a commercial nation. The English 

 language abounds in words, expressive of the rights, 

 privileges, and duties, of freemen. This fact is a com- 

 plete proof, independently of all history, that they have 

 been much occupied in enjoying, and maintaining, these 

 rights and privileges ; and in performing these duties :. 

 in other words, that they have been a nation of freemen. 



It follows, irresistibly, from this principle, that in all 

 cases, where nations no longer wish to communicate 

 certain ideas, v/hich they have been accustomed to make, 

 in some degree, subjects of their conversation, the words, 

 vv^hich denote such ideas, will be dropped out of their 

 speech. This is one of the great sources of what is 

 called the fiux of languages. The reason, why a mul- 

 titude of words, formerly belonging to the English 

 tongue, are not now lost, except so far as they are pre-, 

 served in ancient books, is, that they have prolonged 

 their existence in glossaries. 



Nor is it less evident, that, whenever nations imbibe 

 new ideas, which they wish to communicate, they will 

 regularly originate such words, as are necessary to ex- 

 press them. A multitude of such words are continual- 

 ly introduced into the English language, at the present 

 time. The flux of languages is extensively derived, al- 



