ABSTRACT
ARYAN HYPOTHESIS AND CONTROVERSY—THE RACES OF MANKIND CHANGE MORE SLOWLY THAN THEIR LANGUAGES—THEORY OF THE GRADUAL ORIGIN OF LANGUAGES—DIFFICULTY OF DEFINING WHAT IS MEANT BY A LANGUAGE AS DISTINCT FROM A DIALECT—GREAT NUMBER OF EXTINCT AND LIVING TONGUES—NO EUROPEAN LANGUAGE A THOUSAND YEARS OLD—GAPS BETWEEN LANGUAGES, HOW CAUSED—IMPERFECTION OF THE RECORD— CHANGES ALWAYS IN PROGRESS—STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE BETWEEN RIVAL TERMS AND DIALECTS—CAUSES OF SELECTION—EACH LANGUAGE FORMED SLOWLY IN A SINGLE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA—MAY DIE OUT GRADUALLY OR SUDDENLY—ONCE LOST CAN NEVER BE REVIVED—MODE OF ORIGIN OF LANGUAGES AND SPECIES A MYSTERY— SPECULATIONS AS TO THE NUMBER OF ORIGINAL LANGUAGES OR SPECIES UNPROFITABLE.
