LANGUAGE, 
the application of names. Some ingenious 
writers on this subject have observed cer- 
tain letters applied to denote a certain 
class of ideas, which have some common 
features of resemblance, and have inferred 
that those letters were significant of that 
conimon feature ; e. g. that e denotes hollow- 
ness. This particular coincidence arises 
probably from the circumstance, that the 
original word denoting hollowness, which 
has entered variously modified into the 
words in question, was c witli some vocal 
sound. This appears to be the extent of 
the inferrence which may be justly drawn j 
that it was so applied, but not that the 
sound was significant of the idea. We are 
accustomed to use sounds in particular 
connections with such regularity and con- 
stancy, that they appear to have a significa- 
tion of themselves considered ; but this in- 
ference arises from inattention to the mat- 
ter of fact. Frequently from our acquaint- 
ance with the sense, we read a combination 
of words as the sense dictates, and suppose 
the imitation in the words, which really 
exists only in our mode of enunciation ; but 
these instances, however just, aiford no 
ground for argument in the present dis- 
cussion, which refers only to single words : 
and with respect to them we cannot but 
confine the resehiblance of their sound to 
their sense, to cases in which they denote 
sound or motion usually accompanied with 
sound. 
13. The chief importance of the inquiry 
whether the original words of language 
were long, is principally confined to that 
language in which the transition took place 
from hieroglyphics to letters. This is usually 
supposed to have been the Egyptian ; but 
as of this language only a few words are 
preserved in tlie Coptic, (of which however 
a large proportion are monosyllables) we 
may make the inquiry more general. Lord 
Monboddo supposes, that the first articulate 
sounds were imitations of the cries of ani- 
mals, and that consequently they were of 
great length, “ for such cries of almost all 
animals have a certain tract or extension : 
and that we may not think man an excep- 
tion to this rule, we need only attend to 
the dumb persons among us, who utter in- 
articulate cries, sometimes very loud, but 
always of considerable lengtli.” Leaving 
the latter argument, which surely is nothing 
to the purpose, we may observe, that if the 
cries of animals were imitated to denote 
those animals, great length of words was 
uunecessaiy and improbable ; umiecessaiy. 
because one or two distinct articulations 
would usually answer every purpose ; im- 
probable,- because articulation is difficult. 
If we extend the principle of imitation 
farther, and suppose the cries of animals 
imitated by man in order to express feeling 
merely, his cries would surely be undeserv- 
ing the name of Vvords, and at any rate 
would throw no light on our inquiries. The 
theory of long words appears to derive 
confirmation from the vocabularies of the 
North American Indians. For instance, of 
three which are given by Mackenzie, two 
appear to be composed of words of from 
two to seven syllables, with scarcely any 
words of one syllable. The third, however, 
is composed principally of words of one or 
two syllables. With respect to the former, 
even where the words actually denote sen- 
sible objects, our inference that they are 
uncompounded should be cautiously drawn. 
The moon is expressed by two words, tibisca- 
pesim, night-sun; and several others ap- 
pear to be circumlocutions. The catliolic 
savages on the river St. Lawrence call the 
priest, the master of life’s man ; and it is 
very probable that, in uncultivated nations, 
names of new objects would, where possi- 
ble, be formed rather by significant com- 
binations of words in use, than by the for- 
mation of new words. Thus we learn from 
Mr. Parke, that the Mandingo nation use 
the following (among many) circumlocu- 
tions : fruit is eree-diug, child of the tree ; 
finger, boullakon ding, child of the hand or 
arm ; noon teeleekoniata, the sun over head ; 
brother, ba ding kea, mother's male child; 
proud, telingabalid, straight-bodied ; angry 
jusu bota, the heart cones out : we think it 
almost unnecessary to remark, how much 
the last two instances countenance the posi- 
tions before laid down, respecting the 
transference of names from external to in- 
ternal things. 
14. The words which Lord Blouboddo 
adduces in proof of his opinion are, wonna- 
weucktuckluit, much, and niikkenawkrook, 
little, from the Esquimaux ; and poellar- 
rarorincourac, three, among some South 
American Indians. The above examples 
lead us to class the two former among the 
descriptive circumlocutions with which all 
languages are filled. With respect to the 
last, we may observe that the names of 
numbers were probably originally signifi- 
cant in all languages ; and that the length 
of those names would depend upon the 
length of the original words, and the man- 
ner of combining them : thus, six is among 
