300 Dr R. G. Latham on the 



flexions being called Declensions or Conjugations, as the case 

 may be. 



3. The stage wherein inflexions become lost, and are re- 

 placed by separate words. Here case-endings, like the i in 

 patr-i, are I'eplaced by prepositions (in some cases by post- 

 positions), like the to in to father ; and personal endings, like 

 the in voc-o, are replaced by pronouns, like the / in / call. 



Of the first of these stages, the Chinese is the language 

 which affords the most typical specimen that can be found in 

 the present late date of languages — late, considering that we 

 are looking for a sample of its earliest forms. 



Of the last 0^ these stages the English of the year 1849 

 affords the most typical specimen that can be found in the 

 present earli/ date of language — early, considering that we 

 are looking for a sample of its latest forms. 



Of the second of these stages we must take two languages 

 as the samples. 



1. The Greek. — Here we have the inflexional character in 

 its most perfect form ; i. e., the existence, as separate words, 

 of those sounds and syllables that form inflexions, is at its 

 maximum of concealment ; i. e., their amalgamation with the 

 primary word (the essence of inflexion) is most perfect. 



2. The Circassian, Coptic, or Turkish. — In one of these (it 

 is difficult to say which) the existence as separate words of 

 those sounds and syllables which form inflexions, is at its 

 minimum of concealment ; i. e., their amalgamation with the 

 primary word (the essence of inflexion) being most imperfect. 



This classification is, necessarily, liable to an element of 

 confusion common to all classifications where the evidence is 

 not exactly of the sort required by the nature of the question. 

 The nature of the question here dealt with requires the evi- 

 dence of the historical kind, ^. e., direct testimony. The only 

 evidence, however, we can get at is indirect and inferential. 

 This engenders the following difiiculty. The newest lan- 

 guage of (say) the languages of the secondary formation may 

 be nearer in chronology, to the oldest language of the third, 

 than to the first formed lanfi-uao-e of its own class. In- 

 deed, unless we assume the suspension of all change for 

 long epochs, and that those correspond with the epochs 



