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CHAPTER VII.

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE.

ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE—HIEROGLYPHICS—PHONETIC CHARACTERS—CHINESE MODE OF RECORDING EVENTS—SIX CLASSES OF CHARACTERS—NUMBER OF SYMBOLS—REDUCIBLE TO FEW ELEMENTS—MODES OF WRITING—QUESTION ABOUT EGYPTIAN ORIGIN—PORCELAIN BOTTLE—INSCRIPTION EXPLAINED—DATE ASCERTAINED—CHINESE CLASSICS—AUTHORIZED COMMENTARIES—ESTEEMED WORKS—HETERODOX PRODUCTIONS—ORAL LANGUAGE—MONOSYLLABIC MODE OF SPELLING—INITIALS AND FINALS—VARIETY OF TONES—COLLOCATION OF PHRASES—CHINESE GRAMMAR—FIGURES OF SPEECH—POETRY—LITERARY EXAMINATIONS—HONORARY DEGREES—VILLAGE INSPECTION—FIRST—SECOND—THIRD—AND FOURTH EXAMINATIONS—EFFORT NECESSARY—ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE SYSTEM.

In the Chinese language, both the oral and written mediums are of the most primitive order. Their words are all monosyllabic, and their characters symbolic; while both continue as they most probably existed in the earliest ages of antiquity. The first invention of the written character was such an effort of genius, that the Chinese have hardly ventured to advance on the original discovery, and have contented themselves with imitating the ancients. Before, however, we discuss the nature of their figures, it will be necessary to trace the progress of the human mind, in the art of communicating and recording thoughts: and point out how the Chinese were led to the adoption of their present mode of writing.