Brinton.] Q^Q 



[March 20, 



perfect and future signs are altogether different from those of the pres- 

 ent, and materially alter the verbal stem. 



The Beto language prefixes the personal signs and also the possessive 

 pronouns to the nouns. As the latter are not fully known, we cannot 

 judge of their identity with the verbal pronouns. The latter do not 

 seem to differ much from the personal pronouns. The tense signs are 

 easily recognized suffixes. 



Another conjugation of the same language, by the suffixed pronoun 

 without tense signs, and with the verb omitted, has been mentioned 

 above (1, 1), as forming a substantive verb. 



A second substantive verb arises from the conjugation above ex- 

 plained, with the tense signs. 



These two forms may also be combined, and this illustrates with 

 what superfluous fullness grammatical forms spring up even among 

 rude nations. The conjugation with the tense sign is changed by a par- 

 ticipial suffix into a verbal, and then the pronoun is suffixed, as in the 

 conjugation without the tense sign. The latter, therefore, stands twice 

 in the form. The pronoun used in the conjugation with tense signs 

 may also be prefixed to a simple adjective, and the pronoun used in the 

 conjugation without tense sign is suffixed to this, and the participial 

 ending is then added. This is treated as a verb with the substantive 

 verb understood. But sometimes the verb " to be" in the form with- 

 out tense signs is added, and then the whole form contains the pronoun 

 three times, without gaining thereby any additional meaning. 



The Carib conjugation seems to have arisen from the forms of many 

 dialects or epochs, and is therefore more complicated and formal, and 

 less easy to analyze. 



The personal signs are prefixed. In the substantive verb there are 

 two classes, of which only one is also common to attributive verbs. 

 The other indicates in the verb ''to be" also the connection of persons 

 with the infinitive and gerund, and is therefore of the nature of a pos- 

 sessive. It may also be that when it is combined with other tenses, the 

 notion among these nations is altogether a substantial one, as we have 

 akeady seen with the subjunctive. 



Tlie stem often receives the addition r or ri, the meaning of which is 

 not known. 



The structure of the Tamanaca conjugation also reveals a combina- 

 tion of at least two separate structures. Some tenses use as their per- 

 sonal signs entire pronouns, almost identical with the personals. Other 

 tenses merely change the initial letter of the verb, while there is little 

 similarity between these affixes and the pronouns. In the plural some 

 of the persons insert a syllable between the verb xnd the tense sign. 



The tense signs are suffixed, and consist merely of terminal letters 

 or syllables, except two tri;e particles, which distinguish the continued 

 present from the present aorist. 



There are an initial y and a t occasionally appearing in all persons, of 

 which we can only say that they are not radicals. 



