.S6 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



Generalizing on the offered illustration, I note two central 

 facts in the history of functional inflection: (1) function-signs 

 or inflections have lost original ideal value; (2)_ function-signs 

 have generally lost original isolation. In the light of these facts 

 it is worthy of note that (3) some function-signs retain their 

 isolation. 



XV. ISOLATED INFLECTIONS. 



To illustrate these, observe in the first place that in "He urged 

 me to eaf ' the word "to'' may be taken with ordinary preposi- 

 tional value. I may indeed, without change of value, substi- 

 tute "He urged me toward eating," building ideas together by 

 the same plan as in "He pushed me toward the table." When 

 now, in a large number of similar cases, the preposition has thus 

 been employed with a verbal idea in substantive usage, the prep- 

 osition comes to create an expectation of such usage ; that is, it 

 becomes a sign that a verbal idea enters structure as a noun. 

 At the same time its prepositional meaning may disappear, as 

 happens in "He ceased to eat ;" for a statement retaining such 

 meaning, say "He ceased toward eating" is hardly tenable. 

 That is, the meaning of the preposition forms no part of my 

 thought. "To," in short, like "zu," "a," "de," etc., has become 

 an "empty word;" it stands for no thought-element; it is the 

 mere sign of the substantive function of a word commonly ver- 

 bal onlv — a function clumsilv called infinitive. "To," in other 

 words, is, broadly speaking, an inflection. Yet it maintains 

 its isolation. 



Further illustrations of isolated inflection abound ; and much 

 more might be said of the field, the aims, the nature and the 

 methods of function-indication. I have hovrever noted what 

 seems indispensable to the immediate purpose of guiding the 

 student of relatives. I therefore pass at once to the special oc- 

 casion for relative usage, which may be sought in 



XVI. THE INDICATION OF DOUBLE FUNCTION. 



In section XII. it was observed that function, even when sin- 

 gle, may be difiicult of apprehension. '\Mien now the function of 

 an idea is double — when, that is, it is at the same time member 



