the coming race(一个即临种族)-第14章
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immeasurably deeper beneath the surface； and in which one might have
thought only salamanders could exist； were inhabited by innumerable
races organised like ourselves； I cannot pretend in any way to account
for a fact which is so at variance with the recognised laws of science； nor
could Zee much help me towards a solution of it。 She did but
conjecture that sufficient allowance had not been made by our
philosophers for the extreme porousness of the interior earth… the
vastness of its cavities and irregularities； which served to create free
currents of air and frequent winds… and for the various modes in which
heat is evaporated and thrown off。 She allowed； however； that there
was a depth at which the heat was deemed to be intolerable to such
organised life as was known to the experience of the Vril…ya； though
their philosophers believed that even in such places life of some kind；
life sentient； life intellectual； would be found abundant and thriving；
could the philosophers penetrate to it。 〃Wherever the All…Good
builds；〃 said she； 〃there； be sure； He places inhabitants。 He loves not
empty dwellings。〃 She added； however； that many changes in
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temperature and climate had been effected by the skill of the Vril…ya； and
that the agency of vril had been successfully employed in such changes。
She described a subtle and life…giving medium called Lai； which I
suspect to be identical with the ethereal oxygen of Dr。 Lewins； wherein
work all the correlative forces united under the name of vril； and
contended that wherever this medium could be expanded； as it were；
sufficiently for the various agencies of vril to 47have ample play； a
temperature congenial to the highest forms of life could be secured。
She said also； that it was the belief of their naturalists that flowers and
vegetation had been produced originally （whether developed from seeds
borne from the surface of the earth in the earlier convulsions of nature；
or imported by the tribes that first sought refuge in cavernous hollows）
through the operations of the light constantly brought to bear on them；
and the gradual improvement in culture。 She said also； that since the
vril light had superseded all other light…giving bodies； the colours of
flower and foliage had become more brilliant； and vegetation had
acquired larger growth。
Leaving these matters to the consideration of those better competent to
deal with them； I must now devote a few pages to the very interesting
questions connected with the language of the Vril…ya。
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CHAPTER XII。
The language of the Vril…ya is peculiarly interesting； because it seems
to me to exhibit with great clearness the traces of the three main
transitions through which language passes in attaining to perfection of
form。
One of the most illustrious of recent philologists； Max Muller； in
arguing for the analogy between the strata of language and the strata of the
earth； lays down this absolute dogma： 〃No language can； by any
possibility； be inflectional without having passed through the agglutinative
and isolating stratum。 No language can be agglutinative without clinging
with its roots to the underlying stratum of isolation。〃… 'On the Stratification
of Language；' p。 20。
Taking then the Chinese language as the best existing type of the
original isolating stratum； 〃as the faithful photograph of man in his
leading…strings trying the muscles of his mind； groping his way； and so
delighted with his first successful 48grasps that he repeats them again and
again；〃 （Max Muller； p。 13）… we have； in the language of the Vril…ya； still
〃clinging with its roots to the underlying stratum；〃 the evidences of the
original isolation。 It abounds in monosyllables； which are the
foundations of the language。 The transition into the agglutinative form
marks an epoch that must have gradually extended through ages； the
written literature of which has only survived in a few fragments of
symbolical mythology and certain pithy sentences which have passed
into popular proverbs。 With the extant literature of the Vril…ya the
inflectional stratum commences。 No doubt at that time there must have
operated concurrent causes； in the fusion of races by some dominant
people； and the rise of some great literary phenomena by which the form
of language became arrested and fixed。 As the inflectional stage
prevailed over the agglutinative； it is surprising to see how much more
boldly the original roots of the language project from the surface that
conceals them。 In the old fragments and proverbs of the preceding
stage the monosyllables which compose those roots vanish amidst words
of enormous length； comprehending whole sentences from which no one
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part can be disentangled from the other and employed separately。 But
when the inflectional form of language became so far advanced as to
have its scholars and grammarians； they seem to have united in
extirpating all such polysynthetical or polysyllabic monsters； as
devouring invaders of the aboriginal forms。 Words beyond three
syllables became proscribed as barbarous and in proportion as the
language grew thus simplified it increased in strength； in dignity； and in
sweetness。 Though now very compressed in sound； it gains in
clearness by that compression。 By a single letter； according to its
position； they contrive to express all that with civilised nations in our
49upper world it takes the waste； sometimes of syllables； sometimes of
sentences； to express。 Let me here cite one or two instances： An （which I
will translate man）； Ana （men）； the letter 's' is with them a letter
implying multitude； according to where it is placed； Sana means
mankind； Ansa； a multitude of men。 The prefix of certain letters in
their alphabet invariably denotes compound significations。 For
instance； Gl （which with them is a single letter； as 'th' is a single lette
