THE LANGUAGE OF THE FUTURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 1884, 17 March 1874, Page 3

THE LANGUAGE OF THE FUTURE.

;. (New York Times.) The distinguished French savant, M. Alph,onse de Candolle, in his recent " Histoire des Sciences," has ventured some predictions in ; regard to the English language which may interest our readers. A Swiss scholar ought at least to be an impartial judge. M. de Candolle believes that the English language is to be the language of the f utui^ei He grounds his expectations, first of all, on the structure of the English tongue. He grounds his expectations, first of all, on the sfcruetui'e of the English tongue. " Its forms," he says, " are adapted to modern tendencies. If you have to hail a vessel, cry stop to a train, demonstrate a machine, make a physical experiment, speak in a few words to people busy and pract.cal," you must use the English language. This is the tongue that we employ when we are in a hurry, or when we wish to say anything clearly and briefly. "In the conflict of two languages," he"add 3, "all things being equal, it is the briefest and most simple which carries the day." He states that he has repeatedly seen in Switzerland families where the French and German were equally understood ; but that the French always drives out the German through its superior ; flexibility and convenience. In like manner, where English and French are employed in a Swiss family, and aye equally known, the English drives out the French. It even passes from one generation to another in a foreign country, on account of its superior practical convenience. In this way he accounts for- the fact that French and German families in England or America so quickly lose their native tongues, whilo English-speak-ing families in France -or Germany transmit theirs from generation to generation. The English tongue, he says, dispenses with long phrases and many words ; it uses readily foreign words, but shortens them ; it has only indispensable and natural moods ; it has no arbitrary distinction of gender ; the main idea is so much the objeot of each sentence that in conversation one is not obliged to finish the phrase. Ho admits its capital defect — " an orthography so irregular that it needs a year for most children to learn to read." Its pronunciation, too, he considers wanting in distinctness. Besides its structure, IE. de Candolle holds that its great advantage in the future is the adaptation of its literature for families and domestic life. It is a literature which above all suits the women. They find in it a vast number of works, written with perfect purity and propriety, upon subjects which most interest the female sex — such as religion, poetry, education and tho like. The futuro victory, however, of tho English language the French savant rests on more scientific grounds. At the present moment the English language is spoken, he estimates, by seventy-seven millions of people in England, Australia, and America. The German includes sixty-two millions ; tho French, in France, Belgium, and the colonies, forty and one-half millions. In England the population doubles once in fifty years ; so that in a century, or 1970, it will reach tho sum of one hundred and twenty-four millions. In the United States, Canada, and Australia population doubles once in twenty-five years, so that their numbers in 1970 will be seven hundred and thirty-six millions. The total number, then, of the English-speaking people in 1970 will be eight hundred and sixty millions. In Germany, on the other hand, the population in the north doubles in from fiftysix to sixty years ; that of the south in one hundred and eixty seven years. Taking one hundred years as the average, the number of the German-speaking people in 19?0 will be one hundred and twenty-four millions. In France the population doubles in about 140 years, so that in a century the Frenchspeaking peoples would amount to sixty-nine aud a-half millions. According to this estimate, the German-speaking individuals would only form the seventh part, and the French speaking only the twelfth or thirteenth part of those speaking English in 1970, and both together would only amount to a quarter of the English-speaking races. The future victory of the English language seems to this Swiss scholar assured. His wise conclusion from this prediction is that a heavy responsibility rests on tho English-spoaking races to preserve tho purity and unity of their tongue. The danger which ho fears is that English may break into three languages related to one another like Italian, Spanish, and Portugese. It should be our noble ambition to preserve one great and pure tongue — the tongue of Milton and Shakespeare — as the future universal language of the thought and business of the world. Americans, he thinks, will have tho most influence in this work, for their country will lead those of the English speaking races. Thus far, we believe, the language has suffered no perceptible strain or corruption upon this continent.

MaiiHiage in Maori High Liva.— Un (lit (says the Thames Advertiser) that a marriage in Maori high life is shortly to take place between Kikorima Poutotari, a wellknown resident chief at Parawai, who is heir to a lurgo portion of this goldfield, and Miss Kitty, an adopted child of Lady Martin. The young lady is highly accomplished, and has been educated under the best masters procurable, and speaks several languages fluently. Miss Kitty is the daughter of a chief of considerable distinction, who, during his life time, expressed a wish that his daughter should be well educated, so as to be able to teach her relatives and friends when she grew up. The wish of the aged chief has been faithfully carried out by Lady Martin. She made her debut in fashionable life at the time the Duke of Edinburgh visited Auckland, at one of the private theatrical parties in Government house, and was honoured by being invited to take the first dance with the Prince. Nikorima is the owner of a considerable property, on which he resides in a handsome houso at Parawai, and he is one of the churchwardens and a trustee of the native church.