Brinton] O^O [March 20, 



thought presented in one word is more vivid and stimulating to 

 the imagination, more individual and picturesque, than when 

 narrated in a number of words.* 



But the mistake must not be made of supposing that Incor- 

 poration is a creative act of the language-sense, or that its pro- 

 ducts, the compounds that it builds, are real words. Humboldt 

 was careful to impress this distinction, and calls such incorpo- 

 rated compounds examples of collocation (Zusammensetzung), 

 not of synthesis (Zusammenfassung). On this ground, he 

 doubted, and with justice, the assertion of Duponceau, that the 

 long words of the Lenape (Delaware) dialect are formed by an 

 arbitrary selection of the phonetic parts of a number of words, 

 without reference to the radical syllables. f He insisted, as is 

 really the case, that in all instances the significant syllable or 

 syllables are retained. 



§ 14. Effect of Incorporation on Compound Sentences. 



As has been seen, the theory of Incorporation is to express the 

 whole proposition, as nearly as possible, in one word ; and what 

 part of it cannot be thus expressed, is left without any syntax 

 whatever. Not only does this apply to individual words in a 

 sentence, but it extends to the various clauses of a compound 

 sentence, such as in Arj'an languages show their relation to the 

 leading clauses by means of prepositions, conjunctions and rela- 

 tive pronouns. 



When the methods are analyzed by which the major and 

 minor clauses are assigned their respective values in these 

 tongues, it is very plain what difficulties of expression the sys- 

 tem of Incorporation involves. Few of them have 'any true 

 connecting word of either of the three classes above mentioned. 

 They depend on scarcely veiled material words, simply placed 

 in juxtaposition. 



It is probable that the prepositions and conjunctions of all 



* " Daher ist das Einschliessen in Ein Wort mehr Sache der Einbildungs- 

 kraft, die Trennung melir die des Verstandes." Ueber die Vcrschiedpnheit, etc., 

 s. 327. Compare also, s. 326 and 16G. Steinthal points out the disadvantages of 

 the incorporalive plan and puts it lower than the isolating system of the 

 Chinese; but fails to recognize its many and striking advantages. See his re- 

 marks, "Ueber das Wesen und Wertli der Einverleibungsmethode," in his 

 Charaklerisiik der haupl. Typen des Sprachbaues, s. 214. 



t Ueber die Verschiedenhell , etc., in Werke, Bd. vi, ss. 323 sqq. 



