An essay towards a real character, and a philosophical language by John Wilkins ...

Title

An essay towards a real character, and a philosophical language by John Wilkins ...

Author

Wilkins, John, 1614-1672.

Publication

London :: Printed for Sa. Gellibrand, and for John Martyn ...,

1668.

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Subject terms

Language and languages -- Early works to 1800.

Philosophy -- Miscellanea -- Early works to 1800.

Grammar, Comparative and general.

Language and languages -- Philosophy -- Early works to 1800.

Link to this Item

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/a66045.0001.001 content_copy

Cite this Item

"An essay towards a real character, and a philosophical language by John Wilkins ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A66045.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 30, 2024. content_copy

Contents

• Monday 13th. of April 1668. At a Meeting of the Council of the ROYAL SOCIETY:
• title page
• To the Right Honourable WILLIAM LORD VISCOUNT BROUNCKER, PRESIDENT; Together with the rest of the COVNCIL and FELLOWS of the ROYAL SOCIETY.
• TO THE READER.
• THE CONTENTS.
• ERRATA.
  • In the MARGIN.
• part - 1
  • CHAP. I. I. The Introduction. II. The Original of Languages. III. The first Mother-tongues. IV. Their several Off-springs.
  • CHAP. II. I. Concerning the various changes and corruptions to which all vulgar Languages are obnoxious. II. Particularly concerning the changes of the English tongue. III. Whether any Language, formerly in use, be now wholly lost. IV. Concerning the first rise and occasion of new Languages.
  • CHAP. III. I. The Original of Letters and Writing. II. That all Letters were de∣rived from the Hebrew. III. The use of Letters is less ancient, and the kinds of them less numerous, then of the Languages themselves. IV. Of Notes for Secrecy or Brevity. V. Of real Characters. VI. Of Alphabets in general.
  • CHAP. IV. I. The Defects in the common Alphabets, as to their true Order. II. Iust Number. III. Determinate Powers. IV. Fitting Names. V. Pro∣per Figures of the Letters. VI. The Imperfections belonging to the Words of Language, as to their Equivocalness, variety of Synonymous words, uncertain Phraseologies, improper way of Writing.
  • CHAP. V. I. That neither Letters nor Languages have been regularly established by the rules of Art. II. The natural Ground or Principle of the several ways of Communication amongst men. III. The first thing to be pro∣vided for in the establishing of a Philosophical Character or Language, is a just enumeration of all such things and notions to which names are to be assigned.
• The Second Part, Conteining a regular enumeration and description of all those things and notions to which names are to be assigned.
  • CHAP. I. I. The Scheme of Genus's. II. Concerning the more general notions of things, the difficulty of establishing these aright. III. Of Transcenden∣tals general. IV. Of Transcendental relations mixed. V. Of Tran∣scendental relations of Action. VI. Of the several notions belonging to Grammar or Logic.
    • Of DISCOURSE, Or the several notions belonging to Grammar or Logick.
  • CHAP. II. I. Concerning GOD. II. Of the several things and notions reducible under that collective Genus of WORLD.
  • CHAP. III. I. Of Elements and Meteors. II. Of Stones. III. Of Metals.
    • section - 1
    • OF STONES.
    • OF METALS.
  • CHAP. IV. I. Of Plants, The difficulty of enumerating and describing these. II. The more general distribution of them. III. Of Herbs considered accor∣ding to their Leaves. IV. Of Herbs considered according to their Flowers. V. Of Herbs considered according to their Seed-vessels. VI. Of Shrubs. VII. Of Trees.
    • section - 1
    • Of Herbs considered according to their Flowers.
    • Of Herbs considered according to their Seed-vessel.
    • Of Shrubs.
    • Of Trees.
  • CHAP. V. I. Concerning Animals, the general distribution of them. II. Of exan∣guious Animals. III. Of Fish. IV. Of Birds. V. Of Beasts. VI. A Digression concerning Noah's Ark.
    • section - 1
    • Of Exanguious Animals.
    • Of Fish.
    • Of Birds.
    • Of Beasts.
  • CHAP. VI. The Parts of Animate Bodies; whether I. More Peculiar, or II. Mor General.
    • section - 1
    • Of GENERAL PARTS.
  • CHAP. VII. Concerning the Predicament of Quantity, viz. I. Magnitude. II. Space; and III. Measure.
    • Of MAGNITUDE.
    • Of SPACE.
    • Of MEASURE.
  • CHAP. VIII. Concerning the Predicament of Quality; the several Genus's belonging to it, namely, I. Natural Power. II. Habit. III. Manners. IV. Sensible quality. V. Disease; with the various Differences and Species under each of these.
    • Of NATURAL POWER.
    • Of HABIT.
    • Of MANNERS.
    • Of SENSIBLE QUALITY.
    • Of SICKNESS.
  • CHAP. IX. Concerning the Predicament of Action; the several kinds of it. I. Spiritual. II. Corporeal. III. Motion. IV. Operation.
    • SPIRITUAL ACTION.
    • CORPOREAL ACTION.
    • MOTION.
    • OPERATION.
  • CHAP. X. Concerning Relation more private, namely, I. Oeconomical or Family Relation, together with the several kinds of things relating to those in that capacity, either as, II. Possessions; or, III. Provisions.
    • OECONOMICAL RELATION.
    • OECONOMICAL POSSESSIONS.
    • PROVISIONS.
  • CHAP. XI. Concerning Relation more public, whether I. Civil. II. Judiciary. III. Military. IV. Naval. V. Ecclesiastical.
    • CIVIL RELATION.
    • JUDICIAL RELATION.
    • MILITARY RELATION.
    • NAVAL RELATION.
    • ECCLESIASTICAL RELATION.
  • CHAP. XII. I. A general Explication of the design of the foregoing Tables. II. Par∣ticular Instances in the six principal heads of it. III. Some things to be noted concerning Opposites and Synonyma. IV. An enume∣ration of what kinds of things are not to be particularly provided for in such tables.
• PART. III. Concerning Natural Grammar.
  • CHAP. I. 1. Concerning the several kinds and Parts of Grammar. 2. Of Etymo∣logy, the general Scheme of Integralls and Particles. 3. Of Nouns in general. 4. Of Substantives Common, denoting either Things, Acti∣ons, or Persons. 5. Rules concerning Nouns of Action. 6. Of Sub∣stantive abstracts. 7. Of Adjectives according to the true Philosophi∣cal notion of them. 8. The true notion of a Verb. 9. Of derived Adverbs. 10. A general Scheme of the fore-mentioned Derivations.
  • CHAP. II. 1. Of Particles in general. 2. Of the Copula. 3. Of Pronouns more generally. 4. More Particularly. 5. Of Interjections more gene∣rally. 6. More Particularly.
  • CHAP. III. § I. Of Prepositions in General. § II. The particular kinds of them. § III. Explication of the four last Combinations of them, relating to Place, or Time.
  • CHAP. IV. I. Of Adverbs in General. II. The Particular kinds of them. III. Of Conjunctions.
  • CHAP. V. I. Of Articles. II. Of Modes. III. Of Tenses. IV. The most distinct way of expressing the differences of Time.
  • CHAP. VI. I. Of Transcendental Particles, The end and use of them. II. The usual ways for enlarging the sense of words in In∣stituted Languages. III. The General Heads of Transcen∣dental Particles.
  • CHAP. VII. Instances of the great usefulness of these Transcendental Parti∣cles, with directions how they are to be applyed.
  • CHAP. VIII. Of the Accidental Difference of words. I. Inflexion. II. De∣rivation. III. Composition.
  • CHAP. IX. Of the second part of Grammar called Syntax.
  • CHAP. X. Of Orthography. I. Concerning the doctrine of Letters: the Authors who have treated of this Subject. II. A brief Table of such simple sounds as can be framed by men. III. A fur∣ther explication of this Table, as to the Organs of Speech, and as to the letters framed by these Organs.
  • CHAP. XI. Of Vowels.
  • CHAP. XII. Of Consonants.
  • CHAP. XIII. Of Compound Letters, whether Vowels, Consonants,
    • The Lords Prayer.
    • The Creed.
  • CHAP. XIV. Of the Accidents of Letters. 1. Their Names. 2. Their Or∣der. 3. Their Affinities and Opposition. 4. Their Fi∣gure, with a twofold Instance of a more regular Character for the Letters, the latter of which may be stiled Natural. 5. Of Pronunciation. 6. Of the several letters disused by several Nations.
• PART IV. Concerning a Real Character, and a Philosophi∣cal Language.
  • CHAP. I. The Proposal of one kind of Real Character (amongst many others which might be offered) both for the Integrals, whether Genus's, Differences or Species, together with the Derivati∣os and Inflexions belonging to them, as likewise for all the several kinds of Particles.
  • CHAP. II. Instances of this Real Character in the Lords Prayer and the Creed.
    • The Lords Prayer.
    • The Creed.
  • CHAP. III. How this Real Character may be made effable in a distinct Lan∣guage, and what kind of Letters or Syllables may be conveni∣ently assigned to each Character.
  • CHAP. IV. An Instance of the Philosophical Language, both in the Lords Prayer and the Creed. A Comparison of the Language here proposed, with fifty others, as to the Facility and Euphoni∣calness of it.
    • The Lords Prayer.
    • The Creed.
  • CHAP. V. Directions for the more easie Learning of this Character and Language, together with a brief Table containing the Ra∣dicals, both Integrals and Particles; together with the Character and Language by which each of these is to be exprest.
  • TRANS. G. PREDIC.
  • TRANS. REL MIX.
  • TRANS. REL. of ACT.
  • DISCOURS. LANG.
  • BIRD
  • BEAST
  • PARTS PECUL.
  • PARTS GEN.
  • GOD IDOL
  • WORLD
  • ELEMENT METEOR
  • STONE CONCRET.
  • METTAL
  • HERB accord to the LEAF
  • HERB accor. to the Flow.
  • HERB acc to the SEEDV.
  • MAGNIT. EXTENS;
  • SPACE
  • MEASURE PROPOR.
  • N. POWER IMPOT.
  • SHRUB
  • TREE
  • EXANG. INSECT.
  • FISH
  • HABIT DISPOS.
  • MANNERS CONVERS.
  • SENS. QUALITY
  • SICKNESS HEALTH
  • CHAP. VI. The Appendix, containing a comparison betwixt this Natural Philosophical Grammar, and that of other instituted Lan∣guages, particularly the Latin, in respect of the multitude of unnecessary Rules, and of Anomalisms. Concerning the China Character. The several Attempts and Proposals made by others towards a new kind of Character, and Language. The advantage in respect of Facility, which this Philosophi∣cal Language hath above the Latin.
    • Vnnecessary Rules in the Latin Syntax.
• title page
• AN ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER.
• The Alphabetical DICTIONARY.
  • part - A
  • part - B
  • part - C
  • part - D
  • part - E
  • part - F
  • part - G
  • part - H
  • part - I
  • part - K
  • part - L
  • part - M
  • part - N
  • part - O
  • part - P
  • part - Q
  • part - R
  • part - S
  • part - T
  • part - V
  • part - W
  • part - Y
  • part - Z