Thomas Jefferson to John Pickering, 26 February 1823
To John Pickering
Monticello Feb. 26. 23.
I thank you, Sir, for your treatise on the Indian languages, and rejoice to see them thought worthy of your attention. a collation of them with one another is the only means we can ever have of tracing the1 filiation of those numerous tribes, and of remounting thro’ the gloom of ages towards their origin. nor is it without curiosity that the analyses of their languages unfold to us structures of speech2 so radically different from those of the whole European families.3
I was pleased to learn from mr Everett’s preface to his translation of Buttmann’s4 grammar, that you were engaged in preparing a Greek & English Dictionary. it will be a most valuable present to the Amateurs and students of that first of human languages. Planche in his Greek and French Dictionary5 has done this for his country, and done it well. his work is truly valuable; and altho’ an 8vo of 1000. pages, yet, printed on thin paper, it is entirely handy, and not too weighty6 even for the nerveless hand of old age. I should have liked it better however on the plan of Scapula or Stephens, who have given us the roots only in alphabetical order, & have arranged all the branches7 in family together under them. this is more instructive, more8 satisfactory, and saves much repetition, which the sparse location of the words renders9 necessary.
Th: Jefferson
RC (John Pickering, Salem, Mass., 1951). Dft (ViW: TC-JP); on portion of reused address cover; endorsed by TJ as a letter to “Pickering John.”
stephens: Henri Estienne (Stepani; Stephani).
1. Preceding two words interlined in Dft in place of “the origin and.”
2. Preceding two words interlined in Dft.
3. Preceding four words interlined in Dft in place of “Europe.”
4. RC: “Buttman’s.” Dft: “Buttmann’s.”
5. Preceding six words interlined in Dft.
6. Word interlined in Dft in place of “much.”
7. Reworked in Dft from “arranged the whole family of branches.”
8. Word interlined in Dft in place of “and.”
9. Reworked in Dft from “which a sparse location renders.”
Index Entries
- Buttman, Philip; Greek Grammar, translated from the German of Philip Buttmann (trans. E. Everett) search
- Dictionnaire Grec-Français, composé sur l’ouvrage intitulé Thesaurus Linguæ Græcæ, de Henri Étienne (J. Planche) search
- Edwards, Jonathan (1745–1801); Observations on the Language of the Muhhekaneew Indians. A New Edition: With Notes, by John Pickering search
- Estienne, Henri (Stepani; Stephani); as grammarian search
- Everett, Edward; Greek Grammar, translated from the German of Philip Buttmann (P. Buttman) search
- Greek Grammar, translated from the German of Philip Buttmann (Buttman; trans. E. Everett) search
- Greek language; dictionaries search
- Greek language; grammars search
- Greek language; lexicons search
- Greek language; TJ on search
- Indians, American; languages search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; preferred physical characteristics search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Books & Library; receives works search
- Jefferson, Thomas; Opinions on; Indians search
- Observations on the Language of the Muhhekaneew Indians. A New Edition: With Notes, by John Pickering (J. Edwards, J. Pickering) search
- Pickering, John (1777–1846); and American Indian languages search
- Pickering, John (1777–1846); letter to search
- Pickering, John (1777–1846); Observations on the Language of the Muhhekaneew Indians. A New Edition: With Notes, by John Pickering search
- Pickering, John (1777–1846); proposed Greek lexicon by search
- Planche, Joseph; Dictionnaire Grec-Français, composé sur l’ouvrage intitulé Thesaurus Linguæ Græcæ, de Henri Étienne search
- Scapula, Johann; as grammarian search