Synopsis
A Discourse Concerning The Confusion Of Languages At Babel: Proving It To Have Been Miraculous, From The Essential Difference Between Them, Contrary To The Opinion Of Mons. Le Clerc, And Others. With An Enquiry Into The Primitive Language, Before That Wonderful Event by William Wotton. This work argues that the confusion of tongues at Babel was miraculous and produced immediate language-diversity, rather than a gradual drift from a single language. Wotton engages with the view of Le Clerc and others who deny a miracle, and he offers a detailed linguistic theory to support a miraculous formation of multiple languages. He surveys Eastern tongues (Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic) and Western languages (Greek, Latin, and their descendants), highlighting fundamental grammatical differences such as noun declensions, verb conjugations, pronoun use, and the handling of prepositions. The author contends that these structural markers reveal several original tongues created by divine action, while later languages diverged through time. He cites biblical texts (Genesis 11), historic examples (Galileo), and critical scholars (Reland, Stiernhielmius) to defend his position, arguing for the compatibility of miracle with religious faith and advocating further linguistic inquiry. The work reflects early modern debates on language origins, scriptural interpretation, and the relationship between science, philosophy, and theology.
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