Favours of the Gracious God — Page 13
13 HADRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD AS time. Besides, temporal and spatial difference is not the only cause of a diversity of languages. Rather, another potent cause for this is that depending on the proximity or remoteness to the equator, and on account of the influence of a particular constellation of stars and other unknown causes, each person’s land would have inclined the nature of its inhabitants towards a specific functioning of their throats, accent, and pronunciation. Such impetus gradually leads them to a specific form of articulation. For this reason it is observed that the inhabitants of some countries are incapable of uttering the letter ض � [ za ], while others cannot manage the letter ر [ ra ]. Just as, among humans from different lands, there necessarily exist differences in colour, lifespan, morals, and ailments, similarly this difference [between languages] exists as well, for it is under these influences that such differences among languages arise. Thus, it is a deceptive thought to wonder why this linguistic difference evolved only up to a certain degree then remained there for thousands of years and did not further change. For a difference developed only up to the degree that the influencing factors determined; how could it have proceeded any further? This objection is akin to saying that due to a difference of locations while there arose a difference in complexions,