Newberry Library - Rapport sur la nécessité & les moyens d'anéantir le patois, & d'universaliser l'usage de la langue française

Rapport sur la nécessité & les moyens d'anéantir le patois, & d'universaliser l'usage de la langue française

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Open book Rapport sur la nécessité & les moyens d'anéantir le patois, & d'universaliser l'usage de la langue française

Title Rapport sur la nécessité & les moyens d'anéantir le patois, & d'universaliser l'usage de la langue française

Creator Grégoire, Henri, 1750-1831

Publisher De l'Imprimerie nationale

Date 1794

Place France

Language French

Subjects Language policy, French language

Extent 19 p. ; 20 cm

Format Early works, Pamphlets

User-Contributed Translation spirit of a virtuous or a corrupt people, merchants, navigators, or farmers. The relationship of terms leads to that of ideas; by comparing root words, usages, philosophical sayings or proverbs, which are the fruits of experience, we go back to the origin of nations.

The etymological history of languages, says the famous Sulzer23, would be the best history of the progress of the human mind. The research of Pelloutier, Bochart, Gebelin, Bochat, Le Brigand24, etc., has already revealed some astonishing facts that stimulate curiosity & promise great results. The similarity of German to Persian, of Swedish to Hebrew, of the Basque language to that of Malabar, of the latter to that of the wandering Bohemians, of that in the Vaud canton to Irish, of Irish -- which uses the alphabet of Cadmus, composed of seventeen letters -- to the nearly identical Punic, the resemblance of Punic to ancient Celtic, which, traditionally preserved in northern Scotland, has passed on to us Ossian’s25 masterpieces. The similarities between the languages of the Old & the New World, by establishing the similarity of nations by that of their languages, will prove irrefutably the basic oneness of the human family & its language. By combining a small number of known elements, it will bring languages closer together, facilitate their study, & reduce their number.

Thus philosophy, which carries its torch through the entire sphere of human knowledge, will not consider itself unworthy to deign to study patois, & at this moment so propitious to revolutionizing our language, it may uncover some fiery expressions & native turns of phrase that we lack. It will draw especially from the Provençal which is still filled with Hellenisms, & which even the English & especially the Italians have so often drawn upon. Almost all regional languages have works that enjoy a certain reputation. In its directive the commission on the arts has already recommended that these masterpieces, whether printed or handwritten, be collected; it is necessary to look for pearls even in the dung of Ennius.26

A seemingly more serious objection against the destruction of the regional dialects is the fear that customs might change in the countryside. The Haut-Pont just outside St. Omer27 is home to a hardworking colony of three thousand individuals, distinguished by their short tunics in the Gallic style, by their customs, their language & above all by a paternal integrity & that innocence of a simpler time.

As nothing can compensate for the loss of customs, there is no need to weigh the choice between enlightened vice & virtuous ignorance. This objection would have been insoluble under the reign of tyranny. Under a

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Call Number Case FRC 19416

BibID 994127568805867

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

IIIF Resource Type Canvas

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File Created 8/6/2025 9:02:00 PM

Filename 994127568805867_case_frc_19146_0009.jp2

Unique Identifier NL12WKZ2

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