Brinton.] 664: [March 20, 



same, yet in many languages this difference leads to a corresponding 

 variety in grammatical notation. 



In accordance with these ideas culled from universal grammar, the 

 forms of the conjugations in the various languages will now be con- 

 sidered. 



I have taken as a basis for this investigation as many American lan- 

 guages as I thought sufficient for the purpose, and as would not make 

 the survey oppressive by their number ; but as I do not name all of 

 them, and pay still less attention to pointing oat in what other groups 

 of languages the peculiarities named occur, it must be understood that 

 what is here said is not intended as a characterization of American 

 languages. This is reserved for another study. 



In order to judge how closely these languages approach grammatical 

 perfection in tliis point, we must take as our criterion that condition of 

 speech where there is a class of words, which possess verbal power, and 

 are at the same time separated by a definite form from all other parts 

 of speech. With reference to this condition as the highest, we must 

 arrange in various grades all other structural forms or paraphrases of 

 the verb. 



The notion of Being, which constitutes the basis and the essence of 

 the verb, can be indicated either, 



1. As expressed independently. 



2. As incorporated in the verbal form as an auxiliary verb. 



3. As included in the verbal form merely as an idea. 



The differences of the languages under comparison can be appre- 

 ciated most correctly by means of these three headings ; but it must 

 not be forgotten that any language may use the first and one of the last 

 two methods, and that in languages which have a substantive verb 

 conjugated with and without auxiliary verbs, all three may be em- 

 ployed. 



I. 



AVhen the notiox of Beixg is expressed independently. 



I must except from this class all instances where the substantive 

 verb is formed from a radical, inasmuch as this root, like any other, 

 must assume the verbal form, and thus come under one of the two 

 other divisions. In such case it expresses the notion of Being, either by 

 an auxiliary, as in the German Ich bin gewesen, or simply in the form, as, 

 lam. When it is remembered that the substantive verbs of all lan- 

 guages are derived from concrete conceptions and impart to these 

 merely the general notion of Being, the above becomes still more 

 obvious. 



Now if there is no root-form for the substantive verb, and yet it is 

 expressed independently, and not by another verbal form, this can only 

 be done either by the position of the governing and governed words, or 

 by linguistic elements which are not properly verbs, but only become 



