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NOVEMBER, 1908.]
BOOK-NOTICE.
339
BOOK-NOTICE. ÜBER SONDURSPRACHEN UND IHR) ENTSTEHUNG. This is not a very perfect classification. In
VON DE. RIOKARD LASCE. (Beparat abdruck aus Band point of fact it takes for its class (II) the motive XXXVII (der dritton Folge Band VII) der Mitteilungen underlying the special jargon as its principle of der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien.) Wien, division, but for its class (III) it takes the socialim Selbstverlage der Anthropologischen Gesellschaft,
environment in which the jargon has developed 1907.
and is used: thus shifting the point of view from In the above-mentioned paper Dr. Lasch deals the subjective to the objective side, as it were. with an interesting linguistic phenomenon. It is This would logically lead to cross-divisions : pracwell known that language often exhibits in
tically it severa the "high chief" jargons or court A marked degree a tendency towards specializa
languages of Indonesia and Polynesia, which both tion with reference to some particular sphere of in their origin and in the motive actually undersubjects or circumstances. One is familiar, to
lying their use to this day, are essentially Taboo some extent, with the technical jargons of dif
Languages (i.e., based on a sentiment of religious ferent trades, professions, forms of sport and the
awe), from the other Taboo Languages which like ; and such deviations from ordinary speech
Dr. Lasch has grouped under his class (II). hardly strike us as strange. But in some stages
However, no one is likely to remain in doubt as of culture the differentiation is even more marked to their character, which is quite correctly dethan it is amongst ourselves. Then, too, with us scribed by him; and perhaps the classification, the use of a special terminology, when it is not
though not strictly scientific, may be justified on imposed by the actual necessity of employing
the ground of convenience. technical terms for which ordinary language
The truth is that it is by no means easy to find possesses no precise equivalents, is generally either a mere matter of habit or an affectation of
& principle of classification for this subject. special knowledge. But in many cases, where &
Dr. Lasch remarks on the singular uniformity of specialised jargon is used by races in other
the methods employed in the construction of stages of culture than our own, other motives
these artificial jargons, no matter in what part
of the world we find them. He enumerates these come into play. Dr. Lasch has gone very thoroughly into the
methods under the following heads :- (1) De
scriptive Periphrasis and Metaphor; (2) Loan. bibliography of his subject, and bis article con.
words from foreign languages; (3) Archaisms; tains an astonishingly large number of references
and (4) Artificial Modification of the form of to the most various and diverse authorities. He has gathered his facts from almost every part of
common or everyday words. This is almost
identical with the analysis that I had arrived at the inhabited world and has thrown them into
from the consideration of some of the peculiar A more or less systematic order, for which his
jargons of the Malay Peninsula and Eastern readers may be grateful to him. Nevertheless,
Archipelago (particularly the one that is used by so multifarious are his sources that in the narrow space (of 36 pp., 4to) to which his paper is re
the Jakuns of Johor while searching for camphor. stricted, it has not been possible for him to go
trees in the jungle). As my account did not
appear till the autumn of 1906 (in Pagan Races very much into detail. Whoever wishes to inves
of the Malay Peninsula), whereas Dr. Lasch's tigate the minutiæ of the subject must still refer
article is an amplified version of a paper read to the original authorities on whom he relies for
by him in the spring of 1905, of which, however, his information; but in such researches, the refer
I had not heard till now, it seems that the ences he has collected will be of the greatest service.
results of our independent enquiries corroborate Dr. Lasch classifies the peculiar jargons which
each other; a fact on which (while not form the subject of his article under the following
presuming to congratulate Dr. Lasch) I am main-heads and sub-divisions, vir.:-1.-Women's talk. JI.-Magic and spirit jargons, including
glad to felicitate myself. (a) jargons of fishermen and sailors, based on
A purely linguistic basis being, therefore, insuperstitiona ideas; (b) the taboo jargon of cam. | adequate for purposes of classification, some other phor collectors; (c) that of eaglewood collectors; principle had to be sought for, with the results (a) harvest jargons; (e) jargons of gold and tin- stated. Dr. Lasch also endeavours to explain miners; (f) war jargon; (g) jargons specially the origin and underlying causes on which these appropriated by priests and sorcerers; and (h) l special jargons are based. He sees in them the jargons peculiar to secret associations and the resultant of several distinct factors, social, ecolike. III.-Jargons of social origin, including nomic, and religious, as well as the mere spirit (a) court language; (b) the jargon of thieves and caprice and childlike play. On the whole, while other criminals: (c) jargons of traders and not losing sight of the cther motives, he appears markets; (d) jargons of artizans, students, to attach a considerable importance to the elesoldiers, and the like. IV.-Sportive jargons, ment of caprice. For my part, I think the relimade up by children or adults in a spirit of mere gious (or what we should call superstitious ) caprice, without any ulterior objects.
element is by far the most prevailing one, and
