COMPARATIVE PHILOLOGY. 243 



Supposing we take such a word as " uncostliness." 

 Obviously here the " un " the " li " and the " ness " are 

 derivative appendages, demonstrative elements, suffixes and 

 affixes, or whatever else we care to call modifying constants 

 which the speakers of a language are in the habit of adding to 

 their root-words, for the sake of ringing upon those words 

 whatever changes of meaning occasion may require. These 

 modifying constants, of course, have all had a history, which 

 often admits of being traced. Thus, for instance, in the 

 above illustration, we know that the " li " is an abbreviation 

 of what used to be pronounced as " like ; " the " ness," however, 

 being older than the English language ; while the " un " dates 

 back still further. The word " cost," then, is here the root, as 

 far as English is concerned — though it can be followed 

 (through the Latin con-sta) to an Aryan root, signifying 

 " stand." 



These modifying constants, moreover, are not restricted 

 to suffixes, infixes, and affixes attached to roots, so as to 

 constitute single (or compound) words : they also occur as 

 themselves separate words, which admit of being built into 

 the structure of sentences as pronouns, adverbs, prepositions, 

 &c. And they may occur likewise as so-called "auxiliary 

 verbs," in the case of some languages, while in the case of 

 others their functions are served by grammatical " inflection " 

 of the words themselves. Thus, according to the " genius " 

 of a language, its roots are made to lend themselves 

 to significant treatment in different ways, or according to 

 different methods. But in all cases the roots are present, 

 and serve as what may be termed the back-bone of a 

 language : the demonstrative elements, in whatever form 

 they appear, are merely what I have termed modifying 

 constants. 



From this general fact we may be prepared to expect, on 

 the theory of evolution, that in all languages the roots should 

 be the oldest elements ; those elements which serve only the 

 function of "demonstrating" the particular meaning which is 

 to be assigned to the roots on particular occasions, wc should 



