point, or the departing from a point; of position in a place, toward
a place, or near a place. The same poverty is observable in the
conjunctions: copulative particles being employed frequently to
render the idea of possession and of relationship; those which express
the idea of connexion being often replaced by pronouns or by
definite particles.
Per contra, African languages, as well as the Semitic, are extremely
rich in respect to the changes (voies) of the verb, that is to say,
in forms indicating the manner in which a verb may be employed.
These changes—which are so numerous, notably in Arabic—are not the
less so in the majority of African languages ; beyond all, in the principal
group that extends from the Mozambique coast to Cafiraria on one
side, and to Congo on the other. Although these changes are composed,
in the major portion of such tongues, by the addition of prefixes,
they form themselves in others through the aid of suffixes.
The number of these changes varies singularly according to the
tongues. Thus, in the Sechuana language, and in the Temneh, there
exist six changes; in the SooahSeli seven, in the Oaffr eight, and in
the Mpongwee eleven.
To give an idea of the opulence of these changes in a single verb,
we borrow an illustration from the language of Congo. Sala, to
labor; salila, to facilitate labor; salisia, to labor with somebody;
salanga, to be in the habit of laboring; sal isionia, to labor the one
for another; salanyana, to be skilful at laboring.
All verbal roots are susceptible of similar modifications through
the help of certain particles that may be added to them. In this
method, by the sole use of the verb, an expression is attained indicating
whether the action be rare, frequent, difficult, easy, excessive, &c. And
this richness of changes does not prevent the language from being,
as regards its verbs, and viewed in respect to their number, of great
poorness. For instance,—the idiom of Congo, from which we have
just borrowed the proof of such a great richness of changes, does not
possess any word to express the idea of “ living,” but is obliged to
say in place, to conduct one’s soul, or being in one’s heart.
Another very characteristic trait of the majority of African
tongues is, that they do not recognize the distinction of genders,
after the manner of the Semitic idioms or the Indo-European. They
distinguish, on the contrary, as two genders, the animate and the inanimate
; and in the class of animate beings, the gender man or intelligent,
and the gender brute or animal. Others of these languages,
in lieu of distinguishing numbers after the fashion of Indo-European
and Semitic idioms, recognize only a collective form which takes no
heed of genders, and a plural form that applies itself to beings of the
same genders. This is a particularity that we shall again encounter
in the clicking languages, or the Hottentot.
We do not possess sufficient elements as yet to give a complete
classification of the languages of Africa. It is only since the recent
publication of the Polyglotta Africana of M r . S. W. K o e l l e that we
have acquired an idea of the reciprocal affinities which link together
the tongues of Western Africa.
The classification proposed, however, b y K o e l l e is freely introduced
into the following schedule.
L—ATLANTIC languages, or of the north-west of Africa.
These tongues have, with those of southern Africa, for a
c'ommon characteristic, the mutation of prefixes. They
comprise the following groups, viz :
1st.—The Fouloup group, which embraces the F o u lo u p or
F lo u p e , properly so called, spoken in the country of the
same name, — the F i lh a m , or F i l h 6 l , spoken in the canton
which surrounds the city of Buntoun; this town is situate
upon the river Koya, at about three weeks’ march from the
Gambia.
2d.— The Bola group, which comprises the B o l a talked in the
land of G-ole and that of Bourama,—the S a r a r , idiom of the
country of this name stretching along the sea to the west of
Balanta and to the north of the district where the Bola is
spoken,.-^ the P e p i l spoken in the isle of Bischlao or Bisao.
3d.—The Biafada group, or Dchola, spoken at the west of
JSFkabou and north of Nalou,—the P a d s c h a d e , which is an
idiom met with at the west of Koniadschi and east of
Kabou.
4th.—The Bulom group, comprehending the B a o a , a tongue
spoken by one of the popoulations of this name which
inhabits the borders of the Kalum-Baga, eastward to the
islands of Los?1 — the T im n e talked at the east of
Sierra-Leone,—the B u lom spoken in the country of this
name that bounds on Timne,—the M am p u a , or M a n p a
B u lom , called also S c h e r b o , idiom of the region extending
westward of the Ocean, between Sierra-Leone and the land
of Bourn,—the Kisi, spoken west and north of Crbandi, and
east of MendL
II.—MANDINGO family —spread over the north-west of Upper
Sood&n.
It is unknown to what family of tongues belong the idioms of the other populations
termed Baga, who dwell upon the banks of the Rio-Nunez and Rio-Pongas.