The ten Kates engaged in the business of trading in corns, but it was not a preference for the younger man.

He eventually left the family business, giving his attention to linguistics, especially, historical-comparative work, etymology, methodology and the standard language.

An early phonetician,[3] he wrote linguistic and theological treatises on Dutch and other Germanic languages.

In his Aenleiding tot de kennisse van het verhevene deel der Nederduitsche sprake (1723), he made scientific comparisons of older language stages.

Thirteen years later, his magnum opus was a two-volume Aenleiding tot de kennisse van het verhevene deel der Nederduitsche sprake ('Introduction to the Knowledge of the Most Important Part of the Dutch Language').