1888. ] 5 [Volapiik. 
only, in addition of course to that which its members learn in infancy, 
a tongue facile to acquire, and adaptable to their peculiar wants. The 
time is not far off when one system of weights, measures and coinage, 
one division of time, one code of international law, one mode of quar- 
antine and sanitation, one costume, will prevail throughout the civi- 
lized world, and along with this unification of action must and will 
come a unification of speech. It is not only desirable, it is certain to 
arrive, and as beings of intelligent self-consciousness, looking before 
as well as after, it becomes us to employ our faculties to direct the - 
course of events so that this one universal language be not left to blind 
chance, but be framed and adopted of deliberate choice and with the 
wisest consideration. 
Lie 
Yonvinced, therefore, that the time is ripe for the promulgation of a 
general form of speech for the civilized members of the race, we 
will now inquire what should be the requirements of such a tongue to 
merit the recommendation of this Society. 
We begin by the observation that the Aryan stock is now and has 
been for two thousand years the standard-bearer of the civilization of 
the world; hence, a universal language should be based upon the gen- 
eral linguistic principles of that stock. In the Aryan stock the six 
principal living tongues in the order of their importance and extent 
may be ranged as follows: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, 
Russian. It should be the aim of the proposed general tongue to ally 
itself to these somewhat in the order noted; as thus being more readily 
acquired by the greater number of active workers in the world at the 
present time. 
The elements of all languages arrange themselves to the linguist 
under three headings—phoneties, grammar and lexicography ; in other 
words, the vocal, the formal and the material characteristics of the 
tongue; and under these three headings we will sketch the traits which 
should make the projected universal language. 
I. Phonetics.—We believe all will assent to the following proposi- 
tions: 
The orthography of the universal language should be absolutely pho- 
netic. 
Every letter in it should always have the same sound. 
This sound should be one common to all the leading Aryan languages, 
and hence present no difficulty to a person speaking any one of them. 
Diphthongs, digraphs and double consonants should all be omitted as 
misleading. 
The meaning should never depend on tone, accent, quantity of vow- 
els, nor rising and falling inflections of the voice. All these are inade- 
quate and unnecessary expedients of the linguistic faculty. 
The yowels should be limited to the five pure vowels: a, @, 2, 
