Outlines of Comparative Philology: With a Sketch of the Languages of Europe, Arranged Upon Philologic Principles, and a Brief History of the Art of Writing |
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accent added already ancient Anglo-Saxon appears authors bear become belong branch called cause century CHAPTER character Chinese common comparatively connection considered consonants contains course dialects distinct early effect elements England English especially established Europe existence express fact final follow foreign former French frequently German give grammar Greek guage hand idea idioms important inflection influence instance Italian Italy known language Latin laws learned least less letters literature lost manner mark material means mind nature Norman once original period Persian poet possesses present preserved principle probably produced proper pure race relation remained remarkable represented resemblance result Roman root rule Saxon says shows signs Slavic so-called soon sound speak spoken success thought tion tongue trace various verb vowels whilst whole words writing written
Popular passages
Page 182 - The unlearned or • foolish fantastical, that smells but of learning (such fellows as have seen learned men in their days), will so Latin their tongues, that the simple cannot but wonder at their talk, and think surely they speak by some revelation. I know them, that think rhetoric to stand wholly upon dark words ; and he that can catch an inkhorn term by the tail, him they count to be a fine Englishman and a good rhetorician.
Page 189 - Ours is a noble language, a beautiful language. I can tolerate a Germanism for family sake ; but he who uses a Latin or a French phrase where a pure old English word does as well, ought to be hung, drawn and quartered for high treason against his mother-tongue.
Page 139 - ... and known, and better understood, in the tongue used in the said realm, and by so much every man of the said realm may the better govern himself without offending of the law, and the better keep, save, and defend his heritage and possessions; and in divers regions and countries, where the king, the nobles, and...
Page 167 - Scotch poets of this period, who have adorned the English language, by a strain of versification, expression, and poetical imagery, far superior to their age ; and who consequently deserve to be mentioned in a general review of the progress of our national poetry.
Page 182 - English, that they forget altogether their mother's language. And I dare swear this, if some of their mothers were alive, they were not able to tell what they say : and yet these fine English clerks will say, they speak in their mother tongue, if a man should charge them for counterfeiting the King's English.
Page 181 - Some seek so far for outlandish English, that they forget altogether their mother's language. And I dare swear this, if some of their mothers were alive, they were not able to tell what they say...
Page 143 - It is still more to the honour of Caxton, that when he was informed of the imperfections of his edition, he very readily undertook a second, ' for to satisfy the author,' (as he says himself,) ' whereas tofore by ignorance he had erred in hurting and diffaming his book.
Page 121 - The Normans had conquered the land and the race, but they struggled in vain against the language that conquered them in its turn, and, by its spirit, converted them into Englishmen. In vain did they haughtily refuse to learn a word of that despised tongue, and asked, in the words of the minister of Henry III., indignantly : " Am I an Englishman, that I should know these (Saxon) charters and these laws...
Page 118 - For a time the two idioms lived side by side, though in very different conditions ; the one, the language of the master at court and in the castles of the soldiers who had become noble lords and powerful barons ; the other, the language of the conquered, spoken only in the lowly hut of the subjugated people.
Page 170 - And, for there is so great diversite" " In English, and in writing of our tongue, " So pray I to God that none mis-write thee...
Bibliographic information
| Title | Outlines of Comparative Philology: With a Sketch of the Languages of Europe, Arranged Upon Philologic Principles, and a Brief History of the Art of Writing |
| Author | Maximilian Schele de Vere |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam & Company, 1853 |
| Original from | Oxford University |
| Digitized | 8 Aug 2006 |
| Length | 434 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |