The theory of evolution also implies another attitude on the part of searchers — the language, being considered as an organic [61] entity, must proceed in its evolution according to a certain definite way in which the increase of vocabulary is correlated with the «progress» in the phonetic and morphological systems. The «progress» is naturally understood according to the prevailing conceptions of «progress» in the given ethnographical milieu. It may be here noted that the analogy of the language with the organism and the analogy of the variation of the language with the evolution of living organisms are not referred to as the modern scientific conceptions of organism and the evolution of organism, but to these conceptions as they are understood amongst the laymen, as they are now reflected in the European ethnographical complex, i. e., in an extremely simplified manner. In fact, the treatment of the evolution of linguistical phenomena by analogy with the modern conception of evolution of living organisms might give a very distinct picture of the «development» of languages. But what is characteristic of the prevailing ideas is their correlation with the existing ethnographical complexes, whence the theory of «progress.»
61. Although the old theory is not recognized by linguists as their official credo, yet the idea is still living in the mind, for there is no other comprehensive conception of language, and as shown the idea of evolution is one which belongs to the ethnographical complex of European ethnical units.