386 GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 
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and to ascertain, for instance, how the nominative and 
subjunctive words in a sentence are placed with respect 
to the verb ; how the adjective with regard to the sub- 
stantive; how plurals and degrees of comparison are 
formed ; whether there is any kind of inflexion or varia- 
tion of syllables of the same word according to its posi- 
tion in the sentence and connection with other words; 
whether the pronouns personal vary according to the 
rank or sex of the person addressing or person addressed ; 
and whether they are incorporated with the verb ; and to 
observe any other peculiarities of idiom, that the lan- 
guage may present; noting the degree of softness, harsh- 
ness, indistinctness, intonation, guttural sounds, and the 
prevalence or deficiency of any particular letters of the 
alphabet, as we should term them, such as R and F. 
The extent of country, over which a language is under- 
stood to prevail, should also be a subject of investigation ; 
and, by what others it is bounded at every side. Also, 
whether there may not be a correct language of com- 
munication between nations, whose proper languages are 
distinct. 
‘«« T observe that the name of Congo belongs to the coun- 
try on the southern side of the Zaire; and that Loango, 
Kokongo, N’Goio, Tomba, and N’Teka, are the names 
of kingdoms or districts on the northern side. The spe- 
cimens I have of the language of Loango (apparently the 
most considerable of these) shews it to be radically the 
same with that of Congo, although, as dialects, they vary 
a great deal. It will probably be found, that this is the 
