288 Onan Universal written Character. 
the constituent part of language, which may be cal- 
led prepositional, is probably the same in all lan- 
guages, and that it would be easily represented in 
characteristic writing.—I shall now beg leave to 
cal] your attention to those signs of oral language, 
which I term permanently terminational. Here, I 
think, we see the same simplicity of contrivance, 
and efficacy of operation, which is conspicuous in 
the prepositions. 
A small change in the ending of any of the first 
class of signs, is made to denote an idea perfectly 
distinct from that intimated by the original sign, and 
yet inseparably connected with it. As many ter- 
minationals have been contrived, as there have been 
perceived kinds of these distinct yet inseparable ideas. 
The number and efficacy of this sort of signs 
seem to be the same in all languages. It is need- 
less to exemplify the whole here ; their number is 
not great, but their operation is extensive. 
Terminationals modify the meaning both of verbs 
and nouns: they transform nouns into verbs, and 
verbs into nouns. A very few examples will ex- 
plain their use ; and at the same time, point out 
how easily this part of the structure of language can 
be imitated in characteristic writing. 
One sect of them change a substantive noun into 
an adjective, expressive of the quality of the noun 
from which it is formed, thus;— 
In Greek, gina, aiwatadus:s cwWue, THUATWOdUC, 
