LANGUAGE, 
171 
Chinefe. ■ 
Tibetan. 
Tonquinefe. 
Birmanic. 
Pegouan. 
Siamefe. 
Face. 
Mien ; la. 
Tong. 
Mat. 
Mien. 
Eyes. 
Yen. 
Tfchien. 
Corn-mat. 
Miezz-i. 
Mech-loun. 
Earth.. 
Tou. 
Sa. 
Dat; dia. 
Mie. 
- - 
Din. 
Fire. 
Ke-koua. 
Me. 
Loua. 
Mi. 
Fifh. 
You. 
Gnia. 
Ca. 
Nga. 
Foot. 
Ca; foil. 
Canh. 
Chan. 
Kie. 
Kell 
Hand. 
Tfcho. 
Tfchia; la. 
Tai. 
Lek. 
Leh. 
Heart. 
Seng ; fin. 
Sem. 
Lao. 
Zeit. 
- - 
Ffchai. 
Heaven. 
Tien ; li. 
Nam; kai. 
Thien; bloi. 
Mo. 
Kaoun-gen. 
Sa-vang. 
Head. 
Chin. 
Kam ; go. 
Daou. 
Gaoun. 
Gaou. 
Man. 
Po; loung. 
Po. 
Nam. 
Bou. 
- - 
Pou 5 kon. 
Mother. 
Mou. 
Ma; youm. 
Mou. 
A me. 
Nofe. 
Ni ; pi. 
- - - - 
Moui. 
Nahh-aoun. 
Nag-aou. 
-Star. 
King-feng. 
- «• 
Ngoi-fao. 
Chie. 
Tara. 
Street; Way. 
Lou-tou. 
Lam. 
Darrg. 
Lan. 
Day. 
Je; chil. 
Tzhe ; kji. 
Ngai. 
Ne. 
- 
Van. 
Father. 
Pe ; fou ; chou. 
Pa ; jap. 
Cha; tfcha. 
Apa. 
Bird. 
Miao. 
Pzia. 
Tfchim. 
Ngek. 
Water. 
Tfcho; chiou. 
Tfchiou. 
Nou-di. 
Re. 
Wind. 
Hong. 
*- 
Chio. 
Le. 
Teeth. 
Ki-ya. 
- - 
Rang. 
Sao. 
Zhona. 
Tongue. 
Che. 
Nga; na. 
Louoi- 
Hlia. 
Scha. 
We fhall fay a few words on the manner in which Eu¬ 
ropeans ought to write and translate monofyllabic lan¬ 
guages, becaufe it is eafy to miltake. Thus oftentimes 
we meet with a word of many fyllables, efpecially when 
intended to reprefent an objeft which we conceive as a 
fingle idea. This is altering the whole fyftem of the lan¬ 
guage. For inftance, the Chinefe words ngo tan (I ano¬ 
ther) would be exprelfed in Englilh by one word, we-, 
but we mult not forget that in the Chinefe every word has 
a found peculiar to itfelf, and which is loft by uniting 
many words into one. We nruft therefore avoid uniting 
monofyllables. It is ftill worfe to unite words which 
ought to be feparated even in a language not monofylla¬ 
bic. For example; in a verfion of the Lord’s Prayer into 
the Pegouan tongue, we find makoan for ma koan (arched 
heaven;) thus confounding in a fingle word the fubltan- 
tive and the adjective. There is however no impropriety 
in uniting by a hyphen as many words as form but one 
in our European languages ; for thus we reconcile clear- 
nefs of the diction with the genius of the monofyllabical 
languages. 
In thefe tongues all the words are radical, infulated, and 
indeterminate, without declenfion, conjugation, or deri¬ 
vation ; we muft therefore avoid joining them when we 
would write or tranflate literally. The firft words of 
the Lord’s Prayer in Tonquinefe, literally tranflated, 
are thefe : “ I much honour heaven, earth, true matter.” 
To give the meaning, an European mult affift the literal 
fenfe, and enlighten the obfcurity of the monofyllables by 
more perfect language. Even with thefe precautions we 
fhall find ourfelves much embarraffed if we are ignorant 
of the fenfe of certain fmall words defigned to connect the 
different parts of difcourfe, and if we are not familiar 
with certain very Angular idioms. 
Though we may doubt or abfolutely contradict the 
great antiquity of the Chinefe nation and the high degree 
of thejr ancient civilization, it is not fo with regard to 
the antiquity of their language. However late we may 
prefume their origin as a nation, their country was cer¬ 
tainly one of the firft inhabited on the earth, and their 
language bids defiance to analogy or derivation, Not- 
wj til (landing their revolutions, and in fpite of the change 
©t their dynalties caufed by barbarian conquerors, the 
Chinefe have continued to preferve their language and 
their manners. 
It is defirable to know whether the Mongol form be 
general throughout China, or confined to certain northern 
tribes; whether we behold now the Chinefe form of anci- 
times,, cr. whether this form proceeds from intermix-? 
ture of races from 1210 to 1568. In the firlt cafe, the Chi¬ 
nefe are original Mongols ; but their language offers no 
veftige of .this defcent. The fecond hypothefis is there¬ 
fore the moft probable. According to the Arabian tra¬ 
vellers, the Chinefe in the ninth century were handfomer 
than the Hindoos; they a flu re us, that they refembled the- 
Arabs in their hair, their drefs, and their moral habits. 
This could not be* if the Chinefe had'always had this 1 
Mongol uglinefs ; they are then of a more recent date. 
The laws of Menou appear to fpeak the language of 
truth,.when they affert, that the Chinefe were originally 
emigrants from Hindoqftan, efpecially if they extend this 
name to Thibet, as is often done. The Chinefe are now, 
it is true, the moft eaftern people- who life a monofyllabi¬ 
cal language, and confequently the fartheft removed from 
the foil which was the beginning of the human race. But, 
if vve furmife (and, from the want of monuments, what can 
we do more?) that, from the increase and progrefs of hu¬ 
man kind, new races repelled one after another the anci¬ 
ent ones, even till the ftrong natural barriers (as here the 
ocean) arrefted their courfe, then the Chinefe will appear 
as the immediate defcendants of the primitive race of men. 
Thefe conjectures are ftrengthened, as Mr. Adelung' 
thinks, by an examination of the Chinefe language, the 
moft fimple of the monofyllabical tongues; and hence the 
leaft removed from the primitive idiom. It is no longer 
indeed a language compofed merely of vowel founds ; 
there remains of thefe firft lhapelefs effays of language only 
fome words preferved in particular phrafes ; but, upon the 
whole, the Chinefe tongue is chara&erifed by the higheft 
polfible degree of fimplicity ; and it is that which-urges 
us to affign it the firft rank. See Webb’s Hiftorical Ellay 
on the Probability that the Chinefe is the original Lan¬ 
guage; Lond. 1669. Many of the remarks of M. Adelung 
are borrowed from this work, which is now very fcarce. 
The Chinefe monofyllables confilt, in general, but of 
two letters, a fingle vowel preceded by a fingle confonant. 
The two or three vowels which Europeans life to exprefs 
many Chinefe words, does not prevent our confidering 
thefe words as pure monofyllables; and the fame may- be 
faid of the addition n or ng, to be met with in other 
words. Thefe accumulated vowels are brought on only 
as helps to exprefs the founds of pure Chinefe monofyila- 
bles of two letters:- The words we write liao, and Jiao, 
are foftened and fimplified in the Chinefe pronunciation, 
nearly as if written lo and je. As to.the nalal found, it - 
is. the true complement of the fyllable, an accident of the 
vocai inftrument: for kjoun y kjang t ijsung, nge, ugo ^,-are 
monofyllables only,. 
a, Tim* 
