1895.] 40y [Brinton. 



Translation (of Mendoza). 

 In this beautiful field, 

 "Where the little birds sing. 

 There lives a young girl, 

 For whom I am dying. 



Verbs. 



According to the examples given, the general formula of the 

 verb is : 



Separable pronoun + verbal theme + temporal index -|- inseparable pro 

 nominal suffix -j- numerical index. 



The last mentioned is required in the plural only. 

 The uniform personal inseparables are : 



Singular. Plural. 



1. — i, im. 1. — dca. 



2. — am. 2. — dmbira. 



3. — a. 3. — dguali. 



These are derived from the separable personals by the processes 

 of sufifixation and elision ; and the latter has been carried to such an 

 extent that the original meaning of the suffix has been lost, and the 

 separable personals are now prefixed. This is precisely the process 

 of which we have so many examples in the Romance languages, and 

 is one common to inflectional speech everywhere, if, indeed, it is 

 not the origin of it. 



The temporal indices are : 



Present. — t. 



First past. — teal (or, ted). 



Second past. — I. 



Future. — jal (jam, ja, or j). 



These are subject to various euphonic changes, and are to be ex- 

 plained as infixes denoting time suffixed to the verbal theme and 

 worn down to their lowest phonetic expression. 



