Brinton.] *^^^ [March 20, 



subtle something not expressed in words, which even more than 

 the formal parts of speech, reveals the linguistic genius of a na- 

 tion. It may be defined as the impression which the language 

 bears of the clearness of the conceptions of those speaking it, 

 and of their native gift of speech. He illustrates it by instanc- 

 ing the absence of a developed mode in Sanscrit, and maintains 

 that in the creators of that tongue the conception of modality 

 was never truly felt and distinguished from tense. In this re- 

 spect its inner form was greatly inferior to the Greek, in the 

 mind of which nation the ideally perfect construction of the verb 

 unfolded itself with far more clearness. 



The study of this inner form of a language belongs to the 

 highest realm of linguistic investigation, and is that which throws 

 the most light on the national character and capacities.* 



§ 10. Criteria of Hank in Languages. 



Humboldt's one criterion of a language was its tendency to 

 quicken and sfimidate mental action. He maintained that this is 

 secured just in proportion as the grammatical structure favors 

 clear definition of the individual idea apart from its relations, in 

 other words, as it separates the material from the inflectional 

 elements of speech. Clear thinking, he argued, means progres- 

 sive thinking. Therefore he assigned a lower position both to 

 those tongues which inseparably connect the idea with its rela- 

 tions, as the American languages, and to those which, like the 

 Chinese and in a less degree the modern English, have scarcely 

 any formal elements at all, but depend upon the position of 

 words (placement) to signify their relations. 



But he greatly modified this unfavorable judgment ])y several 

 extenuating cojisiderations. 



Thus he warns us that it is of importance to recognize fully 

 "that grammatical principles dwell rather in the mind of the 

 speaker than in the material and mechanism of his language." f 



This led him to establish a distinction between exjilicit gram- 

 mar, where the relations are fully expressed in speech, and im- 



* On this subtle point, which has been by no means the least difficult to his 

 commentators, see Humboldt's Introduction Ueber die Verschicdenheit, etc., 

 Oes. Werke, Bd. vi, ss. 45-6, 92-5, 25t-5, by a careful comparison of which pas- 

 sages his real intent will become apparent. 



t Lettre & M. Abel-Re.rnusat, Ges. Werke, Bd. vii, s. 396. 



