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

THE CONTENTS.

The First Part Containing the Prolegomena.

• CHAPTER, I. I. THE Introduction. II. The Original of Languages. III. The First Mother Tongues. IV. Their several Offsprings. Page, 1
• CHAP. II. I. Concerning the various Changes and Corruptions, to which all vul∣gar Languages are obnoxious. II. Particularly concerning the Change of the English Tongue. III. Whether any Language for∣merly in use, be now wholly lost. IV. Concerning the first rise and occasion of New Languages. pag. 6
• CHAP. III. I. The Original of Letters and Writing. II. That all Letters were derived from the Hebrew. III. The use of Letters is less Antient, and the Kinds of them less numerous, than of Languages themselves. IV. Of Notes for secrecy or brevity. V. Of a Real Character. VI. Of Alphabets in General. pag. 10
• CHAP. IV. I. Of the defects in Common-Alphabets, as to the true Order of the Letters, II. Their just Number, III. Determinate Powers, V. Fitting Names, V. Proper Figures. VI. Of the Imperfections belonging to the Words of Languages, as to their Equivocalness, Variety of Synonymous Words, Uncertain Phraseologies, Improper way of Writing. pag. 14
• 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 se∣veral ways of Communication amongst Men. III. The first thing to be provided 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. pag. 19

The Second Part Containing Universal Philosophy.

• CHAPTER. I. I. THE Scheme of Genus's. II. Concerning the more General No∣tions of Things, The difficulty of Establishing these aright. III. Of Transcendentals General. IV. Of Transcendentals Mixed.

• V. Of Transcendental Relations of Action. VI. Of the several No∣tions belonging to Grammar, or Logic. Page, 22
• CHAP. II. I. Concerning God. II. Of the several Things and Notions reducible under that Collective Genus of the World. pag 51
• CHAP. III. I. Of Elements and Meteors. II. Of Stones. III. Of Metals. pag. 56
• CHAP. IV. I. Of Plants, The difficulty of enumerating and describing these. II. The more general distribution of them. III. Of Herbs considered ac∣cording 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. pag. 67
• CHAP. V. I. Concerning Animals, The General distribution of them. II. Of Exan∣guious Animals. III. Of Fishes. IV. Of Birds. V. Of Beasts. VI. A Digression concerning the capacity of Noah's Ark. pag. 121
• CHAP. VI. I. Of Parts of Animate Bodies, whether I. Peculiar, or II. General. p. 168
• CHAP. VII. I. Concerning the Predicament of Quantitie. I. Of Magnitude. II. Of Space. III. Of Measure. pag. 181
• CHAP. VIII. Concerning the Predicament of Quality, and the several Genus's belong∣ing to it. I. Of Natural Power. II. Of Habit. III. Of Manners. IV. Of Sensible Quality. V. Of Disease; with the various differences and spe∣cies under each of these. pag. 194
• CHAP. IX. Of the Predicament of Action; The several Genus's under it. viz. I. Spi∣ritual Action. II. Corporeal Action. III. Motion. IV. Operation. p. 225
• CHAP. X. Concerning Relation more private, namely I. Oeconomical, or Family Re∣lation; together with the several kinds of things belonging to those in that capacity, either as II. Possessions, or III. Provisions. pag. 249
• CHAP. XI. Concerning Relation more Publike, whether I. Civil. II. Iudiciary. III. Naval. IV. Military. V. Ecclesiastical. pag. 263
• CHAP. XII. I. A General Explication of the design of the fore-going Tables. II. Par∣ticular Instances in the six principal Genus's of it. III. Something to be noted concerning Opposites and Synonyma's. IV. An Account of what kind of things ought not to be provided for in such Tables. p. 289

The Third Part Containing Philosophical Grammar.

• CHAPTER. I. I. COncerning the several Kinds and Parts of Grammar. II. Of Etymologie, The more general Scheme of Integrals and Parti∣cles. III. Of Nouns in General. IV. Of Substantives common, denoting either Things, Actions, or Persons. V. Rules concerning Nouns of Action. VI. Of Substantives Abstracts. VII. Of Adjectives according to the true Philosophical notion of them. VIII. The true notion of a Verb. IX. Of derived Adverbs. X. A general Scheme of the forementioned Derivations. page, 297
• CHAP. II. I. Of Particles in General. II. Of the Copula. III. Of Pronouns more generally. IV. More particularly. V. Of Interjections more gene∣rally. VI. More particularly. p. 304
• CHAP. III. I. Of Prepositions in general. II. The particular kinds of them enu∣merated. III. An Explication of the four last Combinations of them, relating to Place or Time. p. 309
• CHAP. IV. I. Of Adverbs in general. II. The particular kinds of them. III. Of Conjunctions. p. 312
• CHAP. V. I. Of Articles. II. Of Modes. III. Of Tenses. IV. The most distinct way of expressing the differences of Time. p. 315
• CHAP. VI. I. Of Transcendental particles, The end and use of them. II. The usual ways for inlarging the sense of Words in instituted Languages. III. The general Heads of Transcendental Particles. p. 318
• CHAP. VII. Instances of the great usefulness of these Transcendental Particles, with directions how they are to be applyed. p. 323
• CHAP. VIII. Of the Accidental differences of Words. I. Inflexion. II. Derivation. III. Composition. p. 352
• CHAP. IX. Of the second part of Grammar called Syntax. p. 354
• CHAP. X. Of Orthography. I. Concerning Letters. The Authors who have treat∣ed of this Subject. II. A brief Table of all such kinds of Simple sound, which can be framed by the mouths of Men. III. A fur∣ther Explication of this Table, as to the Organs of Speech, and as to the Letters framed by these Organs. p. 357

• CHAP. XI. Of Vowels. p. 363
• CHAP. XII. Of Consonants. p. 366
• CHAP. XIII. Of Compound Vowels, and Consonants. p. 370
• CHAP. XIV. I. Of the Accidents of Letters, I. Their Names. II. Their Order. III. Affinities and Oppositions. IV. Their Figures, with a twofold Instance of a more regular Character for the Letters, The later of which may be styled Natural. V. Of Pronunciation. VI. The several Letters dis-used by several Nations. p. ••••••

The Fourth Part Containing a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language.

• CHAPTER I. The proposal of one kind of Real Character (amongst many other which might be offered) both for all Integrals, whether Genus's, Dif∣ferences or Species; together with the derivations and Inflexions be∣longing to them, as likewise for all the several kinds of Particles. page, 385
• CHAP. II. An Instance of this Real Character, in the Lord's Prayer and the Creed. p. 395
• CHAP. III. How this Real Character may be made effable in a distinct Language, and what kind of Letters or Syllables may be conveniently assigned to each Character. p. 414
• CAHP. IV. Instance of this Philosohical Language, both in the Lord's Prayer and the Creed: A comparison of the Language here proposed, with fifty others, as to the facility and Euphonicalness of it. p. 421
• CHAP. V. Directions for the more easy learning of this Character and Language, with a brief Table containing the Radicals, both Integrals and Particles; together with the Character and Language, by which each of them are to be expressed. p. 439
• CHAP. VI. The Appendix containing a Comparison betwixt this Natural Philoso∣phical Grammar and that of other Instituted Languages, particu∣larly the Latin, in respect of the multitude of unncecessary Rules and of Anomalisms, concerning the China Character: The several Attemps and Proposals made by others, towards a new kind of Character and Language. The advantage in respect of facility, which this Philosophical Language hath above the Latin. p. 441