Brinton.] "^" [March 20, 



Thus the Mexican conjugation consists of true verbal forms, not of 

 separate parts of speech of independent significance ; but the elements 

 of these forms are easily recognizable, and can be reached without diffi- 

 culty. 



The most difficult to analyze, and hence the most nearly approaching 

 our conjugations, is that of the Totonaca language. 



The personal signs differ from the pronouns. That of the 2d pers, 

 smg. is not easily recognized, and several forms of it must be assumed. 

 Its position as a prefix or suffix differs, and it is variously located with 

 reference to the other verbal signs. Still more difficult is it to distin- 

 guish the tense signs. There are three different systems of prefixes and 

 suffixes in the conjugation, and the plan on which these are combined 

 with each other serves to distinguislr the tense. But only a few of these 

 affixes really appear to designate tense ; of the others this may be sus- 

 pected at best, and of others again it is improbable. 



Thus there are verbal affixes which cannot be considered to designate 

 either persons, modes or tenses. 



The stem undergoes little change, but the attaching of the affixes 

 to it renders it impossible to apply the same scheme to all verbs, and 

 hence leads to a division of them into three conjugations. 



Some tenses have two different forms, without any change in signifi- 

 cation. 



2. Divisibility of Verbal Forms to allow the insertion of governed 

 parts of speech. 



Of the Mixteca tongue it cannot exactly be said that it divides the 

 essential parts of the verbal form to allow the insertion of the governed 

 object. As a rule, the object is merely appended, and where it appears 

 in the form itself, it is inserted between the stem and the suffixed pro- 

 noun. The latter is, however, no necessary part of the form, as it is 

 dropped when the verb is governed by a noun, and can always be 

 replaced by prefixing the indefinite pronoun. 



Kor is it mentioned that the Beto language includes the object in the 

 verb. 



The Carib tongue unites the governed pronoun with the verbal form, 

 and in some cases the personal sign is thus displaced. But here the 

 object is not inserted in the middle, but is' prefixed or suffixed. 



Our information about the Tamanaca language discloses nothing on 

 this point. 



In the Huasteca,the governed pronoun separates sometimes the last, 

 sonaetimes the first syllable of the infiectional form from tlie stem. 



The Othomi merely attaches the governed words closely to the ver- 

 bal form, in this resembling the Mixteca. 



The Mexican language is that which has developed this peculiarity 

 to the greatest degree. The governed noun is placed in the middle of 

 the verb ; or, if this is not done, a pronoun representing it is inserted. 



