June3] PROCEEDINGS. [1890.
as the legendary historyof Rome suggests, these quarters were
heldby distinct tribes,andlightis thrown on this by the existence
of distinct languages in the same town. The practiceexistsnow,
and we have anthropologicalevidence of it. In the towns of the
Nagasin India thereis a common town,a common defence,and
a common hall ; but each quarter hasits own defence, its own
hall,its own tribe,andits own language.
Theexplanationof this stateof society has become wellenough
knownof late : it is due to the institution of exogamy (or matri
archy),stillexistingin many partsof the world, underwhich no
mancanmarryin his own tribe,that constitutinga capital crime
punishable with death, and he must therefore marry out of his
tribeintoanother. Thusa town or community is formed of several
separatetribesfor convenience of marriage.
Applying thisto Cyprus, we have the various languages of
Turanian classes, and it was within the compass of the speaker
to have read the Cypriote syllabary or the mass of characters
eachin his own tongue. Thiswe can well understandfromChinese,
the writtencharacterbeing readablenot only into Mandarin, but
into the several provincial languages, each with its own varying
words.
Whythe languages of the ancient and pre-hellenicworldadmit
of explanation fromthose of Africa is illustrated by the example
of the Altaic languages. Theselatterhavebeen foundmostvalu
able for the interpretation of the Akkadian. Babylonia is now
remotefrom the Altaic area, because the whole region has been
denudedlongsinceof Altaic languages. Africalikewiseis remote
from Babylonia and the archaic world, for it has beenpreserved
fromAssyrian,Persian,Greek, Roman, Semitic,Celtic, Germanic,
Slav,invasion. It is only of late centuriesthat Arabs,Portuguese,
andEnglishhavepenetratedthis continent.
In Africa, whichhas not shared in the vicissitudes of the- ancient
world,we find the languages preserved,and manyotherevidences
as yet little explored or turned to account. The philologisthas
for some time known that there are African languages having
the characteristic of vocalic euphonylike the Altaic, with many
points of resemblance, as was shown by Edwin Norris. Their
wordstoo sometimes correspond. TheAfricanlanguages in some
caseswill be found morevaluablethanthe Altaic for the interpreta
tionof ancient languages.
465 3 k 2