Page:Language and the Study of Language.djvu/371

IX.] for the phrase or sentence, with its distinct and balanced members. Thus, the Mexican says "I-flesh-eat," as a single word, compounded of three elements; or if, for emphasis, the object is left to stand separate, it is at least first represented by a pronoun in the verbal compound: as, "I-it-eat, the flesh;" or "I-it-him-give, the bread, my son," for "I give my son the bread."

The incorporative type is not wholly peculiar to the languages of our continent. A trace of it (in the insertion, among the verbal forms, of an objective as well as a subjective pronominal ending) is found even in one of the Ugrian dialects of the Scythian family, the Hungarian; and the Basque, of which we shall presently speak more particularly, exhibits it in a very notable measure. It is found, too, in considerably varying degree and style of development in the different branches of the American family. But its general effect is still such that the linguist is able to claim that the languages to which it belongs are, in virtue of their structure, akin with one another, and distinguished from all other known tongues.

Not only do the subjective and objective pronouns thus enter into the substance of the verb, but also a great variety of modifiers of the verbal action, adverbs, in the form of particles and fragments of words; thus, almost everything which helps to make expression forms a part of verbal conjugation, and the verbal paradigm becomes well-nigh interminable. An extreme instance of excessive synthesis is afforded in the Cherokee word-phrase wi-ni-taw-ti-ge-gi-na-skaw-lung-ta-naw-ne-li-ti-se-sti, 'they will by that time have nearly finished granting [favours] from a distance to thee and me.'

Other common traits, which help to strengthen our conclusion that these languages are ultimately related, are not wanting. Such are, for example, the habit of combining words by fragments, by one or two representative syllables; the direct conversion of nouns, substantive and adjective, into verbs, and their conjugation as such; peculiarities of