12 Aug. 1814 M

Logic

Ch. Language

Qualities desirable

'.3.2 Simplicity

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2. Simplicity. This quality is /In this quality may be seen/, as it were, the antagonist of copiousness: a language is copious, in so far as it is provided, furnished, replete, with useful matter: it is simple, in so far as it is unencumbered with matter which being useless is at best superfluous.

To this purpose the words of which language is composed may be considered either singly but entire; 2. aggregately as put together in the composition of a sentence: 3. fractionally, i.e. each of them in respect of its component parts. By useless combinations, by words altogether useless; or, lastly, by useless modifications of words, may the simplicity of a language be destroyed.

But allowing to the quality opposite to the one here in question the character of an imperfection, in what way, it may be asked, is it attended with any practical inconvenience, in a word, with positive uneasiness, or with loss of positive enjoyment ?

I answer in this way - Whether it be his own native language, or a language which, with reference to him, is a foreign one, of no part of any language can the use be obtained by a man without labour; and in so far as it is consumed either in the learning or the employing of words or phrases that are without use, in so far is a man's labour devoid of use.

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