guage, as our Author informs us, is of two kinds; the one is that of the common People, the other, very different from the former, is fpoke only by the Men of Letters, and is commonly called by the Natives, Quon boa; and by the Europeans, the Language of the Mandarins. The firft Elements of the Chinese Language are 350 Monofyllables, which we have no Letters to exprefs; fo very different is their Pronunciation from ours. Of thefe Monofyllables are formed various Words, according to the various Accents and Tones with which we pronounce them. For one and the fame Monofyllable, according to the different rifing and falling of the Voice, fignifies quite different things. For inftance, the Monofyllable po fignifies eleven quite different things, it being capable of eleven different Accents. Nay, fome Words, with the fame Accent or Tone, import various things. Hence it often happens, that one Chinese, however well verfed in the Language, does not underftand what another reads, unless he looks on the Book: for fuch Words as are the fame in found, and with the fame found fignify different things, are expreffed by different Characters, according to their various fignifications. In common Speech they are often obliged to exprefs the Characters with their Fingers, or in fome other manner, without which it is plain they could not understand each other. As the fame Word receives various fignifications from the different Accents, or Tones, with which it is pronounced; such as are not well verfed in the Language, are. apt to commit very great blunders. To this purpose, our Author tells us, that a European having faid, in a familiar Entertainment with a a Chinefe, that there were Ships in Europe as tall s the highest Houses of China; the Chinese anfwered, if the Bricks are of fuch an immense fize in Europe, how large muft the Brick-kilns be? What occafioned this mistake was, that the fame Word with one Accent fignifies a Ship, and with another (which the European had given it) a Brick. From what we have faid, it is plain, that the Pronunciation of the Chinese Language cannot poffibly be taught or learnt by way of Grammar. We may, however, with the affiftance of a good Grammar, and the help of Lexicons, attain to the understanding of their Books. THE Chinese pronounce the Words of other Languages according to their own Elements, and change our Letters B DR XZ, which they have not, into PTLSS. Thus inftead of Maria, they fay, Mali ya; instead of Crux cu lu fu; inftead of Spiritus, fu pi li tu fu in like manner, Cardinalis, Eva, Chriftus are with them, Kia vl fi na li fu, Nge va, Ki li fu tu fu, &c. A Chinese Prieft pronounces in the Mass the Words of the Confecration, Hoc eft corpus meum, thus, bo ke, (hoc) nge fu tu (eft) co vl pu fu (corpus) me vum (meum). The words, Hoc eft corpus, and Hocus-Pocus are not near fo unlike, as the Chinese Latin and ours. Neither is the fignification of Hocus-Pocus, and Hoc eft corpus more different, than the fignification of the Latin words, when pronounced by a Chinese, and when uttered by an European. For the fignification of thefe words, as pronounced by a Chinefe, is, in one tone, this; a River to be able the back part of the Head to attain, whoever thou not a Servant beaten a Lord: with another No XIV. 1731. Accent, VOL. III. I Accent, they import, fire gueft (or Landlord, for our Author ufes the word Hofpes, which fignifies them both) Labour wrath brother ear to repair to die to meditate mafter; their meaning when uttered with a third Accent, is this, how how to get the better fore-head to rife again James two cloth to gratify three Peter. THE fame word in the Chinese Language may be a Subftantive, an Adjective, a Verb, or any other Part of Speech; for instance, the word ca, fignifies to mix, mixt, mixture, mixtly. They have no Genders, Numbers, nor Cafes; but this defect is fupplied by certain Particles. The difference between the active Verb, and the paffive, confifts in this, that the Active is placed before the Noun it governs, and the Paffive after it, with the Participle pi or guei (which fignify to receive) after what we call the Nominative. Thus ngo ngai ta fignifies, I love him, and ngo guei ta ngai, I am loved by him, or, I receive his love. The different Tenfes of Verbs are expreffed, without the leaft variation in the Verb it felf, by certain Particles peculiar to each Tenfe, except the Prefent, which admits of no Particles; the Particles peculiar to the Preter Imperfect are na xi kien, to the Preter Tenfe quo leao, and to the Future ciam, &c. Thus ngo ngai ta, is, I love him, ngo na xi kien ngai ta, I loved him, &c. In like manner their Moods are diftinguished by Particles, but they have no Imperative Mood, wherefore inftead of faying, do fuch a thing, they ufe this Expreffion, I pray, or command you to do fuch a thing, &c. OUR Author, after having explained the firft Rudiments of the Chinese Tongue, comes to defcribe their manner of Writing, the Paper, Pens, Pens, or rather Pencils, Ink, &c. which they make use of. He tells us, that they deem it a most dishonourable and ignominious thing to write ill; that no one is raifed to any Dignity whatsoever, without being examined before-hand whether or not he can write well; and that one fingle Character ill formed, in the Book of a learned Writer, is fufficient to discredit him for. ever, and exclude him from all Preferments. The Art of Printing, if we believe them, was ufed in China nine hundred and thirty Years before the Dionyfian Epoch. The Chinese Characters are in all above 80000; but one, that knows only seven thousand, may read an easy Book, tho' he cannot understand the Works · of the Philofophers, Poets, and Phyficians, without being well acquainted with fifteen thoufand. As to the other Characters, the Chinese themselves are often obliged to look for their meaning in their Lexicons. IN the remaining part of this first Volume our Author explains the Nature and Analogy of the Chinese Characters; fhews after what Me-, thod they write their Lexicons, teaches how to use them, and enumerates all the best Chinese Lexicons which have been hitherto published. He adds a fuccin&t Account of the Chinese Poetry, and produces fome of their Verfes, which it will not perhaps be amifs to infert here. The following Verfes are taken from a Book, entitled, Chi-kine, that is, A Collection of Verfes. This Collection was made by Confucius, contains fome Verfes of their ancient Poets, and is one of their Claffics. The Verfes are as follow: Tchi. tfoo. i. chingh. Tebiou. Haï. tfine. kiene. That is, no difference appears between a Dragon and a Serpent while they are both filent, but at their first opening their Mouths, we well diftinguish the one from the other. These Verfes were wrote by King Voëne Vanli one of their ancient Poets. Each Verfe is made up of four Words or Syl-, lables, for each Word is pronounced by the Chinefe as a Monofyllable. The firft Verfe of each Stanza, (whether it be of four, fix, eight, ten or twelve Verfes) muft rhime with the laft, according to the Rules of the Chinese Profody; and moreover in the Stanza's of four Verfes, the fecond and the third muft rhime together; which we fee obferved in the Verfes we have quoted. We may judge from hence, of the Antiquity of rhime, fince that manner of writing was used before Confucius's Time, who was born in the Year 551 before Chrift. Our Author gives us another Specimen of the Chinese Poetry, taken from a Chinese Tale, which Hoangbe,a Native of China, has partly tranflated into French. The Verfes run thus. Lon li bhoang y te ku chii Fao ine fiou cha iao thao bhoa The Poet in these Verfes celebrates the Chinese Willow. Our Author, keeping as close to the literal |