5 



stantly follow the steps of civilization; nor can it be 

 easily conceived how a nation that has never emerg- 

 ed from a savage state, that has neither been po- 

 lished by laws, by commerce, nor by arts, can pos- 

 sess an elegant, expressjve and copious dialect. 

 The number of words in a language presupposes a 

 correspondent number of ideas iii the persons who 

 speak it, and these among a rude people are, and, of 

 necessity, must be very limited. 



So copious is the Chilian language, that, in the 

 opinion of those well acquainted with it, a complete 

 dictionary thereof would require more than one 

 large volume ; for, besides the radical words, which 

 are very numerous, so great is the use of com- 

 pounds, that, it may almost be said, in this con- 

 sists the very genius of the language. Each 

 verb, either derivatively or conjunctively, becomes 

 the root of numerous other verbs and nouns, as well 

 adjectives as substantives, which in their turn re- 

 produce others that are secondary, modifying them- 

 selves in a hundred different ways. 



Nor is there any part of speech, from which an 

 appropriate verb cannot be formed by the addition 

 df a final n. Even from the most simple particles 

 various verbs are derived, that give great precision 

 and strength to conversation. But what is truly 

 surprising in this language is that it contains no 

 irregular verb or noun. Every thing in it may be 

 said to be regulated with a geometrical precision, 

 and displays much art with great simplicity, and a 

 connection so well ordered and unvarying in its 



V 



