ORIGIN

O F

LANGUAGE.

MAN

AN is distinguished in a peculiar manner from the brute creation by his voice, and the various modulations of which it is capable. His organs of articulation difplay an admirable variety of powers, which no other species of animal appears to poffefs. These powers were bestowed on him to answer the purposes of his nature. By their means he communicates thoughts, intelligence of which can be conveyed with precision neither by features, countenance, nor gesture.

THE first language, or vocal expreffion, would confist of fimple founds, the fignificancy of which would

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would be determined by a particular tone of voice, modulated by the paffion or feeling of the mind which excited vocal utterance.

IT is found from experience, that different paffions produce different tones and modulations. of voice. Thefe, whether confifting of fimple or articulate founds, conftituted the elementary parts of language, and laid the foundation of that artificial superstructure, which mankind in all fituations have formed for the purposes of communicating to one another a knowledge of the feelings and operations of their minds..

If there is now existing an original language uncorrupted by foreign admixture, it will be found, upon examination of its roots and combinations, to contain an authentic record of the original manners of primeval fociety, of their customs, notions of right and wrong, and their mode of focial life.

Ir is not the intention of this Effay, to enter into any elaborate difquifition on the origin of language. A fubject which has occupied the attention of men of the greatest philosophical ingenuity and abilities, could derive little additional elucidation from our best endeavours. We shall therefore content ourselves with taking notice of fome roots, combinations, and derivations of words in a primitive and still living language, which tend to throw fome light upon the original condition of Man, and to mark the train of his ideas in his primeval state of exist

ence.

THE Galic language, fpoken by the Caledonians, or, as they are now called, the Highlanders of Scotland, and by the defcendants of the antient inhabitants of Ireland, it is well known, is a dialect of the Celtic language, which was at a remote period fpoken by the inhabitants of a confiderable part of this globe. That

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this dialect of the Celtic ftill preferves its original purity, may reasonably be presumed from the circumstance, that the Caledonians have remained to modern times an unmixed people. The subjection of their country, though it might serve to gratify the minds of vain and ambitious conquerors, could furnish no strong allurements for the establishment of fettlements. The barrennefs of the foil presented no flattering temptations for fixing a permanent refidence. The difficulties of encountering a warlike people inhabiting a country which every where presented lakes, rivers, rocks, woods, and mountains, were fufficient to cool the ardour of even Roman conquerors; who, dreading the hazard, or feeing the unprofitablenefs, of accomplishing the defign of conqueft, held it more expedient to build fortified walls, as well for the prefervation of the provinces which they had fubdued, as for repelling the incurfions of the natives, whofe fpirit they could not reduce to obedience.

Ir is true, that the Danes and Norwegians made fettlements in the western and northern iflands of Scotland; but the language of the Caledonians could not have been affected by the incurfions of the northern nations, who never had made any settlements in Caledonia properly fo called.

THAT the Galic is an original language, can be proved by the most fati. factory and demonftrable evidence. It is not derived from any other language, being obviously reducible to its Its combinations are formed of fimple words of known fignification; and those words are refolvable into the fimplest combinations of vowels and confonants, and even into fimple founds.

own roots. )

IN fuch a language, fome traces, it may be expected, will be found, of the ideas and notions of mankind living in a state of primeval fimpli city; and if fo, a monument is still preserved of

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