226 Mr. Sankey on the Analysis and Structure 



verbs commencing with e. An attention to this we shall find 

 of the greatest use in reducing many apparent anomalies in 

 the Greek tongue, which are even still considered as such by 

 the grammarians, into their proper place, as being altogether 

 agreeable to the analogy of the language, although now dis- 

 guised by an interchange of the literal characters. In this 

 way, what at first view seems to be an irregularity, may be 

 found most conformable to rule. 



Having made these few remarks upon the analysis of lan- 

 guages in general, exemplifying them by a reference more 

 especially to the Greek tongue, I have thought it might be 

 interesting to notice some points with respect to that language, 

 in which, it appears to me, correcter views might be taken than 

 are usually to be met with in the writings of the grammarians. 

 The observations I have to offer on this head will, I trust, be 

 found no less valuable in an analytical than in a practical 

 point of view, as tending to facilitate the acquisition of the 

 language. 



The first practical error, then, which I shall notice, is with 

 regard to what is called the theme, or foundation, whether of 

 the noun or verb. This, in nouns, is usually, I might say 

 universally, considered by grammarians to be the nominative 

 case singular, and, in verbs, to be the first person singular, 

 present tense active. Now, this is altogether a mistake, these 

 parts being no less inflected parts of their appropriate noun 

 or verb than the other parts, and by no means the simplest 

 parts of the same. It is, in fact, to the vocative of nouns, 

 and the imperative, second person singular present active, we 

 are to look as the simplest parts of their corresponding nouns 

 and verbs, they being the very root itself, or else the root with 

 an additional breathing e suffixed, as in Xoy-s, Xey-e, the same 

 being the natural effect, as it were, of impassioned utterance 

 in personally addressing any one as present, such as is the 

 force of the vocative case and imperative mood, ^priori 

 reasoning itself would, without much difficulty, lead us to this 

 conclusion, inasmuch as the simplicity of a direct address, or 

 of a positive command given to an individual, will introduce 

 few or no modifying ideas, and consequently will give rise to 

 scarcely any inflection. Now, applying this to the vocative, 



