n o it 
OsdO 
Akkadian signifies 44 clear,” 44 sunrise,” the subtle element of 
light which passes quickly and noiselessly. 
A expresses smoothness, as the tongue slips in its liquid 
movement. 
v, being sounded from within, has a notion of inwardness, 
e.g., evdov . 
o was the sign (not sound) of roundness. 
p appears to be the general instrument of expressing motion, 
because the tongue is most agitated in its pronunciation. 
These are his specimen letters, and he profoundly observes : — 
44 1 believe that if we could always, or almost always, use 
likenesses which are perfectly appropriate, that would be the 
most perfect state of language, as the opposite of this is the 
most imperfect.” These are very valuable hints, and, in leaving 
Plato, we must also remember that the Kratylos does not 
pretend to be a formal treatise on language, but a semi- 
humorous argumentative conversation about language. Plato, 
being 44 necessarily more ignorant than any schoolboy of Greek 
grammar,” could not make bricks without straw ; but his pro- 
found and penetrating genius, — by which term I mean the 
power of appreciating and disclosing to an unusual extent the 
latent potencies of truth and beauty, and the capabilities of 
things, — did almost all that was possible in the way of useful 
d priori speculation. 
7. The Divisions of Language. 
Reverting to the definition of language and its divisions,* we 
observe that it naturally divides into : — 
I. Touch-language. — A good instance of this is afforded by 
the special books for the use of the blind, but pressing the 
hand is equally a word in it. I do not propose to refer 
further to it. 
II. Eye-language. — This consists of: — 
1. Gesture. Which is, — 
(1.) Directly imitative . 
(2.) Occultly imitative. 
2. Delineation. Which is, — 
(1.) Directly imitative. I.e ., ordinary drawing. 
(2.) Occultly imitative . I.e ., — 
(a.) Symbolic drawing. 
(6.) Writing. Originally purely pictorial 
or ideographic. 
VOL XV. 
* Sup. Sec. 2. 
2 B 
