The following memorial has been drawn up with the object of enlisting the sympathy of the Chinese Gover ment for the preservation of the Chinese Innguage from injury by the irresponaddition of foreign terms in keeping with no recognized system of logy or orthography The language of any people is a gift of Heaven. Men did not make it, bat like other gifts of Heaven, it may be improved—or it may be ruined.
The Chinese language belongs to a general class which is elsewhere extinct, consisting in part of pictorial symbols which have been gradually extended until they are very numerous and highly complex. These symbols are fixed in number and in form, and ones can not readily be introduced.
Within the last half century in particular the advent of Westerners in large numbers, bringing with them Western inventions and Western learning, has necessitated the introduction into the Chinese language of a vast number of new terms. could not have been avoided, because the material objects thus represented came into common use and had in some way to be designated. This is the case, e.g., with steamships, railways, the numerous appliances of electricity, and a great range of mechanical terms. All these involve many hundreds or even thousands of new terms, both nouns and verbs.
It has often happened that duplicate terms came into use both through lack of skill in adapting them, and through the absence of any authority to fix them, Great numbers of foreign words are transferred into Chinese by their sounds alone, as for example Te-li-feng" (for telephone) which might as well have been expressed in characters having " meaning. This evil is certain to increase with the multiplication of foreign, and especially of scientific appliances, particularly in the line of mechanics andthe arts, engineering, natural science, etc.
Goenaiitee of ibe 'Seidiol Asmnce' tion of Chioa (all foreigners) are at present jost completing a Medical Dictionary of considerable size, and the terms there agreed upon wust of necessity be adopted by all Chinese medical students, because there are no others agreed upon.
Special difficulty is found in philosophical, metaphysical and other terms of an abstract natare, which owing to the differences between Chinese and Western modes of thought and expression are not easily transferred into the Chinese language. But with the extension of intercourse between China and other nations such terms will inevitably increase.
Every European Language has a rear variety of such words from other languages. This can in no way be prevented in Chins, At present when-fever anyone hax occasion to use these germs he either transfers the sound (x (for ultimatum) or jon of his own, to the great perplexity of readers and hearers and to the injury of the Chinese language.
The growing circulation of Chinese risen, the first British missionary, down tothe present time. They are large and small, covering the whole language, or separate dialects, of which there are great numbers. Of these dictionaries some have been made by British, some by French, by Germans, by Americans, by Russians, and by Japanese, but with the exception of the admirable work {just inseed by the Commercial Press in Shanghai, hardly one is due to Chinese labours, and ever this is made by all of whom have been educated under foreigners, either in China or in Hongkong.
This circumstance of the authorship of dictionaries of the Chinese having been for more than s century almost exclusively conducted by foreigners we believe to be without parallel in any other country in the world. Does it not show that while we are trying to protect material interests we are altogether neglecting the far more precious intellectual interests of China? It is to be recollected that the position of Japan ie peculiar. She received ages ago. thi Chinese Literature, Language and Civilization as a gift. Now the fanese are our teachers, using our Chinese characters, making them into new phrases, giving them strange meanings, mandating (hina with their books, while no Chinese scholars protest. It newspapers of ull grades greatly adds is beyond our power to stay this tide of to the confusion, which has become a novelties, many of which are of great very serious matter. value; but ought we not to exert oar-We desire to point out that the selves to direct and control the process process of change and development which we cannot prevent? Is it not here mentioned are not by any means the function of the Board of Education confined to China, but are found in to take the lead in this urgent matter? every land.
But other countries make We ask, therefore, for the appointment provision for them, as, for example, in of a Commission of Inquiry, to be com-France, the French Academy passes posed of say three or five able upon all new terms, just as government with orders to report mints new coins of a fixed standard and by keeping up with the natural conditions as sained above; (2) to fixed time: (1) On the cid development of language new be followed on the receipt of their words come to definite authority. report by an Imperial Edict appointing New words are introduced into Wes-la permanent Commission on the tern languages in great numbers all changes required in the Chinese the tim There is reason to ti Ea Language by the needs of the New that within the past two generations China. (3) This Commission should more net words have been added to be invested with authority to invite the the English language, than all the ce-operation of competent scholars of 44,000 characters in Kang. Hei Western nations and of Japan in dictionary.
In the West new dic-deciding upon the requisite terms, and tionaries of great size, thoroughly in general upon whatever cognate made, frequently revised and' of matters may come before them. We scholarly accuracy, are constantly would point out that no time is to be appearing. There are many first lost, for language is not like material class dictionaries of English objects which are subject to physical language, and they are always being control. It would have been well had enlarge and improved. In China, on this Commission been appointed ten the other hand, since the great years ago. The beginnings of the Ts Dictionary of K'ang Hei, now about Ching Dyoasty were illustrious by reason two hundred years ago, nothing of the of the immense literary activity of their kind has been done. But China has Majesties K'ang Hei and Ch'ien Lung now come to self-consciousness, desiring in many literary lines, just as were the to control her own soil and her own early reigns: of the Ming Dynasty, productions—to manage her own rail-especially that of Yung Lé. It would ways and mines, and polish the redound to the reputation and the anomaly of extraterritoriality, as Japan excellence of the present Dynasty" if did before her. Yet while there is a great this matter were taken in hand and deal said and written about "China were brought toa successful issue. It for the Chinese", we thiok it strange would probably be well to have such and indeed inexplicable that almost all Commission made s permanent body. that is done for the Chinese language If, however, nothing is done, we shall is done by foreigners. During the past all live to regret it, when perhaps it century scores of dictionaries of Chinese may be too late. In that case how can have been made, from that of Dr. Mor-posterity bold us free from blame
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.