缘起:语言亲缘关系假说 百 William jones(1786) The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the greek, more copious than the latin and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident; So strong indeed, that no philologer could examine them all three, without believing them to have sprung from some common source, which, perhaps, no longer exists there is a similar reason, though not quite so forcible, for supposing that both the Gothick and Celtick, though blended with a very different idiom, had the same origin with the Sanskrit, and the old Persian might be added to the same family4 缘起：语言亲缘关系假说 † William Jones (1786) „ The Sanskrit language, whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs and in the forms of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident; so strong indeed, that no philologer could examine them all three, without believing them to have sprung from some common source, which, perhaps, no longer exists: there is a similar reason, though not quite so forcible, for supposing that both the Gothick and Celtick, though blended with a very different idiom, had the same origin with the Sanskrit, and the old Persian might be added to the same family…