Observations on Language. 



' ' All ideas, of this class, are prompted by the exigencies 

 of human life ; by the demaiids of necessity , comfort, con^ 

 venience, and pleasure. To a savage few demands of 

 this nature occur. His comforts, conveniences, and 

 pleasures, lie within a very narrow circle. By necessi- 

 ty, almost alone, is he, therefore, led to form such ideas : 

 and the demands of necessity are always few. 



Among civilized nations, (where necessaries afe easi- 

 ly furnished,) comfort, convenience, and pleasure, mul- 

 tiply their calls without number. Hence the mind, ever 

 intent upon answering them, is perpetually busied in 

 forming those ideas, to which they conduct us. Hence 

 men compound, abstract, and compare, endlessly : and 

 the ideas, thus created, are increased ad libitum. In a 

 general proportion, the words, which denote them, are 

 increased, for the reason given above. 



Savages, as truly as civilized men, have all the words, 

 which express such ideas, as they have occasion to com- 

 municate : and a nation, or colony, falling back towards 

 a state of savageness, although it will lose a great part 

 of its former language, will still retain every such word. 



From these observations it will be seen, that the intel- 

 ligence of any nation may be exactly estimated from its 

 Vocabulary ; or from a dictionary, containing all its 

 words. If the words, contained in such a book, are nu- 

 merous; and yet denote, severally, different ideas ; such 

 a nation has, at some time, been extensively enlighten- 

 ed. If they are few ; it is, and has been, proportionally 

 imenlightened. The English language contains more 

 rsuch words than any other ; and this fact proves with 

 absolute certainty, that the nation, speaking it, possesses 

 more ideas, which are communicated, than any other 

 nation. The language of Arabia is said to be very co- 

 pious. There are two ways, in which a language may 

 become copious. One is that, already specified ; in 

 which words, denoting different ideas, are numerous. 

 The other is the multiplication of synonimous terms. 

 In the latter sense, tiie Arabic language may be copious. 

 In the former sense, this is morally impossible ; because 

 the Arabians are, comparatively, an ignorant and uncivil- 

 ized people. There was a period, when they were more 



