26 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 40 



THE ground; another one, qana, falling snow; a third one, piq- 

 sirpoq, drifting snow; and a fourth one, qimuqsuq, a snowdrift. 



In the same language the seal in different con(Utions is expressed 

 by a variety of terms. One word is the general term for seal; 

 another one signifies the seal basking in the sun ; a third one, a 

 seal floating on a piece of ice ; not to mention the many names 

 for the seals of different ages and for male and female. 



As an example of the manner in which terms that we express by 

 independent words are grouped together under one concept, the 

 Dakota language may be selected. The terms naxta'Tca to kick, 

 paxta'lca to bind in bundles, yaxta'Tca to bite, ic'a'xtaka to be 

 NEAR TO, hoxta'Jca TO pound, are all derived from the common ele- 

 ment xtaJca TO grip, which holds them together, while we use distinct 

 words for expressing the various ideas. 



It seems fairly evident that the selection of such simple terms must 

 to a certain extent depend upon the chief interests of a people; and 

 where it is necessary to distinguish a certain phenomenon in many 

 aspects, which in the life of the people play each an entirely inde- 

 pendent role, many independent words may develop, while in other 

 cases modifications of a single term may suffice. 



Thus it happens that each language, from the point of view of 

 another language, may be arbitrary in its classifications ; that what 

 appears as a single simple idea in one language may be characterized 

 by a series of distinct phonetic groups in another. 



The tendency of a language to express a complex idea by a single 

 term has been styled ''holophrasis," and it appears therefore that every 

 language may be holophrastic from the point of view of another 

 language. Holophrasis can hardly be taken as a fundamental char- 

 acteristic of primitive languages. 



We have seen before that some kind of classification of expression 

 must be found in every language. This classification of ideas into 

 groups, each of which is expressed by an independent phonetic group, 

 makes it necessary that concepts which are not readily rendered by a 

 single one among the available sound - complexes should be ex- 

 pressed by combinations or by modifications of what might be called 

 the elementary phonetic groups, in accordance with the elementary 

 ideas to which the particular idea is reduced. 



This classification, and the necessity of expressing certain experi- 

 ences by means of other related ones, which by limiting one another 



