Brinton.] t>4 [Oct. 2, 



onictemacac, 



I have given something to somebody ; 

 which is analyzed as follows : 



o, augment of the preterit, a tense sign. 



m, pronoun, subject, 1st person. 



c, " semi-pronoun," object, 3d person. 



te, "inanimate semi-pronoun," object, 3d person. 



maca, theme of the verb, " to give." 



c, suffix of the preterit, a tense sign. 



Here it will be observed that between the tense-signs, which 

 are logically the essential limitations of the action, are included 

 both the agent and the near and remote objects of the action. 



Or we may take the Cakchiquel 

 xbina camizah, 

 Thou wilt not kill me. 



Composed of 



x, sign of the future tense. 



6, for ba, negative. 



in, for quin, pronoun, 1st person, object. 



a, pronoun, 2d person, subject. 



camizah, verbal theme, " to kill." 



Here t*he object does not come between verb and subject, but 

 precedes the latter ; but it is a true specimen of incorporation, 

 as is proved by the prefixed tense sign. 



In the modifications of meaning they undergo, American ver- 

 bal themes may be divided into two great classes, either as they 

 express these modifications (1) by suffixes to an unchanging 

 radical, or (2) by internal changes of their radical. 



The last mentioned are most characteristic of synthetic tongues. 

 In all pure dialects of the Algonkin the vowel of the verbal 

 root undergoes a peculiar change called " flattening " when the 

 proposition passes from the " positive " to the " suppositive " 



