Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/414

WV9««Vi«  384 THE COREAK LANGUAGE. This table^ because of the uniyersal and constant use of its wordsy may be regarded as affording as fair an idea as is needful as to the mutual relations of the four Turanian languages. iTet we find in it no resemblance whatever between Corean and Manchu words ; though, in a few instances, as in thirty, forty, thousand, I, walk, food, &c,, we can trace a mutual acquaintance between Manchu and Mongol, a relationship whose existence can be shown in other instances. Corean shows traces of kinship with none of them, but gives proofs of having borrowed largely from the Chinese, from which, curious to say, all the numbers above ninety are taken. But an acquaintance with the old books of Corean literature will probably show that Corean, like Japanese, anciently had names for all numbers; for Japanese now borrow Chinese numbers for everything above ten, and often for units. The Japanese numbers given in the table are the ancient names, the better to compare with the kindred language. The Mongol for come, says ira; come quickly, ootooi ira; you sit here, chi ata sao, you here sit; eat hot food, kaloon booda ida, hot food eat ; drink lukewarm tea, bookan chai ida, luke- warm tea drink ; whither going ? kana uchina ; whither do you go ? cM kana yUiba, you whither go ? I know, hi maduko ; you dont know, chi woolu madvko. Manchu is sa I know, sarkoo I dont know ; Corean adi niotha/m/me, I dont know. A few phrases from the Manchu verb to go, with a sentence or two, will show considerable difference from Corean : — ^go'is gunu; if (I) go, gv/nuchi; gone, gunvM; about to go, gwnutalu; all who go, gunuhvZu; all who have not gone, gunvJiukoolu ; will you go? gunv/mow; let him go, gunikini; if he wants to go let him go, gv/n/iichi gwnvJdni; going, gunuranggi; has he gone, gun/ahisv/mow ; will you not go, gunv/rakoon; you will " Mandarin Flrimer." For as every language has its 6, p, &c., whfle no two nationa pronounce them all with exactly the same breathing, — ^and as Manchu, Mongol, Corean, and Japanese, have their 6, d, and g letters, I think it most illogical to reject the use of those letters in transliterating Chinese, for the only reason that they happen to be pronounced with a stronger breathing than is common in English ; especially as such use gets orer serious difficulties, arising from the system hitherto employed.