________________
164
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(June, 1899.
by means of references merely to the pages of the however, no vernacular index, a want that every Journal of the Anthropological Institute. This student thereof will at once feel. will certainly serve only to puzzle, the reader, as,
The object of the work is "to give a general unfortunately, subscribers to the Institute are not
idea of the languages and mental attitude, of the very numerous, as possibly they might be with
people," and with the help of a comparacive advantage to themselves. We also find trotted
vocabulary and its analysis to show how the words out repeatedly Mr. Portman's favourite theory, as
are constructed and how the different languages an established fact, of the probable disappearance
compare with each other." To assist him in in the early future of the Andamanese as a people,
achieving this, Mr. Portman has utilized' a small a theory which naturally may or may not be true.
privately printed pamphlet of my own, which was Let us all hope it is not, as I most certainly do.
"A Brief Exposition of a Theory of Universal With this notice of blemishes, which are after Grammar," specially designed. some sixteen all not of much ina portance, let me turn to a very years ago, to meet the very difficulties with which brief examination of the contents of this most he had found himself face to face, when he comlaborious and valuable publication.
menced the work under review. That pamphlet Like all trne teachers, Mr. Portman begins with
arose out of the practical impossibility of nsing
the usual inflexional system of grammar taught an admirable map, taken from the Marine
in Europe for the accurate description of a group. Survey of the Andamans. The only fault that could be found with this is that it does not
of languages constructed after the fashion of the
Andamanese. The book under notice is conse. embody the latest fruits of that Department's splendid work. But for this Mr. Portman is not
quently of exceptional interest to myself, as a to blame, as it was not possible for him to have
means of watehing how my theory has stood the included them. For the purposes of his book the
first protical test which has been applied to it.
Mr. Portman has hardly used the Theory as I map is complete, clear, and quite trustworthy.
should myself have used it, still his use of it is We are also favoured with a short chapter on such as to give an idea of its working in a the five tribes of the Southern Andamanese, stranger's bands. with their septs and divisions, replete with new and
The Theory I propounded had its immediate minute knowledge of the subject. These tribes
origin in the criticisms of the late Mr. A. J. Ellis, are the Aka-Beada, Akar-Bale, Puchikwar,
public and private, on my former work on the Aukau-Juwoi, and Kol. Aka Beada is a more
Andamanese speech, in which he pointed out that, • correct 'form of the Bojiy-nyijida of former
in order to adequately represent, for scientitie works. In addition, all Andamanese are divided
readers, such a form of speech, "we require new into long-shore men and forest men- Aryauto
terms and an entirely new set of grammatical con. and Eremtaga in the Aka-Beada language,
ceptions, which shall not bend an agglutinative which is that spoken about the great Penal Settle
language to our inflexional translation." and le ment at Port Blair. Each tribe speaks its own
asked me accordingly if it were not possible "tu langnage, or rather variety, not dialect, of the
throw over the inflexional treatment of an unii. eneral South Andaman language, of which Mr.
Hected language." This and the further conPurtman thinks the Puchikwar to be probably
sideration that, since every human being speaks nearest the parent tongue, whatever that was. He
with but the object of communicating his own notices, too, botlı generally and specifically, that
intelligence to other human beings, the several the Andamanese freely use gestures to eke out
possible ways of doing this must be based on the sense of their speech, and remarks on the richness of the languages in concrete terms and
some general laws applicable to them all, if on their poverty in abstract expressions. All this is
could only find thein out, led me to make the
attentpt to construct a general theory on logical Hitturul in a group of savage tongues.
principles, which should abandon the inflexionn! The bulk of Mr. Portman's book is taken up treatment, its conceptions, and its terms. Now, with well closen and well-presented specimens my efforts led me not only to abandon the accept. of the languages as actually used, and most od grammatical terms, but also to reverse the careful analyses of typical sentences and words, a accepted order of teaching them, to alter many fuil explanation of the manner in wbich, and the accepted definitions, and while admitting much plan on which, the words are buiit up, an attempt that is usually taught, both to add and omit many to translate a portion of the Bible into one of details. Taken all round, the Theory was a wido them, a comparative vocabulary, and an excellen departure from orthodox teaching. But it is analysis of the words therein. The book hus, always difficult for human beings to take quite a
