File:Ridpath's Universal history - an account of the origin, primitive condition and ethnic development of the great races of mankind, and of the principal events in the evolution and progress of the (14583983178).jpg

Identifier: ridpathsuniversa08ridp (find matches)
Title: Ridpath's Universal history : an account of the origin, primitive condition and ethnic development of the great races of mankind, and of the principal events in the evolution and progress of the civilized life among men and nations, from recent and authentic sources with a preliminary inquiry on the time, place and manner of the beginning
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Ridpath, John Clark, 1840-1900
Subjects: World history
Publisher: Cincinnati : Jones
Contributing Library: University of Pittsburgh Library System
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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ses and dialects. ^SST^ltThus far the character of rican tongues.the native tongues has not been welldetermined. The strong divergenceof Papuan, however, from the typicallanguages of the Brown Polynesianshas been dwelt upon as sufficient tomark the origin of the Papuan race asseparate from the other. PA PUA AS. —A P TS. 729 Europeans have thus far confinedtheir observations mostly to the coasttribes. It has been found that the dia-lects of these differ much from the lan-guage of the Malays on the north, andthat the affinity is with the Africantongues. Enough has been ascertainedto show that the natives have the begin-nings of grammar and of rude literarv for the rest the language is wanting inthe power of abstraction and general-ization. Generic terms are unknown. The rude arts of this people are, onthe whole, superior to those of the Aus-tralians and the Hottentots. Building skin ofAs builders the Papuans £££3have made more progress houses,than the peoples just referred to. Pap-
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INTERIOR OF TUNNEL HOUSE AND FAMILY—TYPES.—Drawn by E. Mesples, from a photograph. forms. The verb has three tenses, andthe noun and pronoun three numbers.There is a system of vocalic prefixes andaffixes by which the force of the lead-ing vowels in the words is changed inpronunciation and a new sense devel-oped. The vocabulary is sufficientlyabundant so far as individual objects andobjects of the senses are concerned, but uan houses are small and insignificant,but they show a measure of barbarianskill. The builders proceed by settingpiles in the earth, and on these theylay a platform. A rude lodge is builton the foundation thus constructed, andfor roof a thatch of palm leaves. The peculiar feature of such structuresis that they are carried along to a con- 730 GREAT RACES OF MANKIND. siderable distance. That which amongother savages would be a village, orkraal, is here a single house. The pilesand platform are extended for thirty or so constructed has a relation to the tribalorgani

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