THE SCIENCE OF LANGUAGE. 17 



say, how the development of human speech 

 has ah-eady been unconsciously illustrative 

 of the same, such a labour cannot fail to 

 captivate you, the energetic champion of 

 Darwinism. Moreover, I am inclined to 

 believe that for others likewise my com- 

 munication will not be altogether devoid 

 of interest. Whilst, therefore, in the first 

 place, I am addressing you, allowing my- 

 self the harmless pleasure of surprising 

 you with an " open letter," I am, above 

 all, appealing to the naturalists, whom I 

 should wish to take more notice of lan- 

 guage than they have hitherto done. I do 

 not here exclusively refer to a physiological 

 investigatiou of the various sounds of 

 speech, a study which has made considerable 

 progress of late, but also to the observation 

 and application of linguistic varieties in their 

 significance for the natural history of man. 

 What if those linguistic varieties were 



B 



