UNIVERSAL CHARACTERS

UNIVERSAL CHARACTERS, could they be introduced, would contribute so much to the diffusion of useful knowledge, that every attempt to make such a scheme simple and practicable is at least entitled to notice. Accordingly, in the Encyclopædia Britannica, under the word CHARACTER, a short account is given of the principal plans of universal characters which had then fallen under our observation; but since that article was published, a new method of writing, by which the various nations of the earth may communicate their sentiments to each other, has been proposed by Thomas Northmore, Esq. of Queen-street, Mayfair. It bears some resemblance to that which we have given from the Journal Literaire, 1720, but it is not the same; and of the two, Mr Northmore's is perhaps the most ingenious. The ground-work of the superstructure differs not indeed from that of the journalist, being this in both, "That if the same numerical figure be made to represent the same word in the various languages upon earth, an universal character is immediately obtained." The only objection which our author or his friends saw to such a plan, originates in the diversity of idioms; but, as he truly observes, every schoolboy has this difficulty to encounter as often as he constructs Terence.

Such then was Mr Northmore's original plan: but he soon perceived that it was capable of considerable improvement; for, instead of using a figure for every word, it will be necessary to apply one only to every useful word; and we all know how few words are absolutely necessary to the communication of our thoughts. Even these may be much abbreviated by the adoption of certain uniform fixed signs (not amounting to above 20), for the various cases, numbers, genders, degrees of comparison, of nouns, tenses, and moods, of verbs, &c. All words of negation, too, may be expressed by a prefixed sign. A few instances will best explain the author's meaning.

Suppose the number 5 to represent the word fee,

"I

Characters. "I would then (says he) express the tenses, genders, cases, &c. in all languages, in some such uniform manner as following:

"From the above specimen, I should find no difficulty in comprehending the following sentence, though it were written in the language of the Hottentots:

9, 8, .5, —7, ^{^}6. I never saw a more unhappy woman.

"Those languages which do not use the pronoun prefixed to the verb, as the Greek and Roman, &c. may apply it, in a small character, simply to denominate the person; thus, instead of 9, 8, .5, I never saw; they may write, 8, .5, which will signify that the verb is in the first person, and will still have the same meaning."

Our author seems confident that, according to this scheme of an universal character, about 20 signs, and less than 10,000 chosen words (synonyms being set aside), would answer all the ends proposed; and that foreigners, by referring to their numerical dictionary, would easily comprehend each other. He proceeds next to show how appropriate sounds may be given to his signs, and an universal living language formed from the universal characters.

To attain this end, he proposes to distinguish the ten numerals by ten monosyllabic names of easy pronunciation, and such as may run without difficulty into one another. To illustrate his scheme, however, he calls them, for the present, by their common English names; but would pronounce each number made use of by uttering separately its component parts, after the manner of accountants. Thus let the number 6943 represent the word horse, he would not, in the universal language, call a horse six thousand nine hundred and forty-three, but six, nine, four, three, and so on for all the words of a sentence, making the proper stop at the end of each. In the same manner, a distinct appellation must be appropriated to each of the prefixed signs, to be pronounced immediately after the numeral to which it is an ap-

pendage. Thus if plu be the appellation or the sign of the plural number, fix, nine, four, three, plu will be horses.

"Thus (says our author), I hope, it is evident that about 30 or 40 distinct syllables are sufficient for the above purpose; but I am much mistaken if eleven only will not answer the same end. This is to be done by substituting the first 20 or 30 numerals for the signs, and saying, as in algebra, that a term is in the power of such a number, which may be expressed by the simple word under. Ex. gr. Let 6943 represent the word horse; and suppose 4 to be the sign of the plural number. I would write the word thus, $\backslash overline\{6943\}$; and pronounce it, fix, nine, four, three, in the power of or under four. By these means eleven distinct appellations would be sufficient, and time and use would much abbreviate the pronunciation."

To refuse the praise of ingenuity to this contrivance for an universal language would be very unjust; but elocution in this manner would be so very tedious, that surely the author himself, when he thinks more coolly on the subject, will perceive, that in the living speech its defects would more than balance its advantages. A pangraph, as he calls his universal character, would indeed be useful, and is certainly practicable; a panley (if we may form such a word) would not be very useful, unless it were much more perfect than it could be made according to the plan before us.