126 KANSAS UNIVERSITY QUARTERLY. 



The first curtailment is given to the idea of motion in the expres- 

 sion of its character or kind. Thus, f^dWuD, ttI^ttm, iriirTuy. <f>ip<x), 

 la-Trjfxi., TtOrjfXL, exo)', and TrAe'o), Oew, Tpi(^w, Sic. Still further curtail- 

 ment, and more important in this connection, is seen in verbs 

 which express with greater or less definiteness, the direction of their 

 motion. Thus, t^'kw, o'I^o/j'-m, StwKoj, dKoXovOia}, &c. Verbs in which 

 the idea of motion is obscured or even lost in the color of the 

 action, form another group, by far the largest, owing to the almost 

 endless varieties of activity. . As soon as a new activit}' is intro- 

 duced into life, a new verb is created in language. Thus the 

 histor}' of the verb becomes the liistor}' of civilization. It is 

 evident that verbs like Tctxi^M, (SorjOtw, fxaxofxat, &c. , have more color 

 or are more picturesque than et/xt, Tre/xTrw or tj'ko); while verbs like 

 apxoi, KAeTTTO), oXXvfjiL, KCLLw, &c., po sscss s tl 11 Icss uiotionif not indeed 

 also still more color. Thus, the idea of motion may be almost 

 wholly supplanted as in verbs like ev'Sw and dvrja-KO). Thus we see 

 that the idea of motion in a verb is modified internally in color, 

 kind or direction. 



External Modification. 



In external modification the problem is simpler. It is not 

 germane to our subject to discuss here the external limitations of 

 motion effected by adverbial or adnominal means. Such influences 

 do not effect any change in the character of the motion expressed 

 by the verb. I have already defined what I mean by the term 

 modification. External modification is limited to direction and 

 hence to the prepositions. We have to do here with prepositions 

 in composition only. Our subject might be stated thus: The 

 limits set to external modification by internal modification. It is 

 evident that certain kinds of motion are inconsistent with certain 

 varieties of direction. Such limitations are natural. Again certain 

 other kinds of motion may be so characteristic of certain depart- 

 ments of literature as to be confined more or less strictly to these 

 departments. On the other hand, the department may be of such 

 a nature as to exclude certain varieties of direction or of modifica- 

 tion. Again, the affiliation of a certain kind of motion for a certain 

 direction may be so strong as by that very fact to refuse affiliation 

 with other directions in no way hostile in themselves, thus bringing 

 about iisiirpatio)! from the point of view of the direction, and 

 exclusion from the point of view of the motion. Such limitations 

 are empirical and artificial. 



Having thus seen that the principal elements at the basis of verb 

 and preposition are motion, place, direction, let us see how these 



