ABSTRACT
With reference to the remarks in the preceding Chapters, I now proceed to state how I propose to deal with the subject. Following the sixfold Classification, each Language-Division, whether Family or Group, will be dealt with separately, and each Language will pass under review, reference being made to the Language-map and Bibliographical Appendix. Of all the Languages not sufficiently notorious, a brief description will be given, notice of habitat, number of population, if any data exist, Religion, form of Written Character, degree of Civilization, and Literature, should there be anything worth recording. As will be gathered from previous remarks, no secondhand information will be quoted, unless the first-hand Authority has disappeared. Care is taken to distinguish Ethnology from Language, as being quite distinct phenomena of the Human Race : in some cases the Race and Language coincide, in most cases they do not : of the great Bántu Race the tribes speak scores of different Languages and Dialects. The great Arabic Language is spoken by many distinct Races. An attempt has been made to account for all the Languages entered in the Slave-Vocabularies. Every Language described is represented by an entry in the Language-map. Every entry of a Language in the Map is represented in the narrative by some proof, which, in my opinion, guarantees its existence.
