THE VERB Gl. 575 



signs only, and therefore binary and ternary noun-inflection is unknown 

 among them. 



From all that has been stated heretofore, the conclusion is fully justi- 

 fiable that the Klamath verb is not a true verb, but a noun-verb, on account 

 of its imperfect differentiation between noun and verb. The lack of inti- 

 mate connection between the subject-pronoun and the identity of the active 

 and passive form also show its true nature. It expresses the verbal act or 

 state in its abstract, impersonal, and indefinite form, and, with the particle of 

 actuality -a appended, comes nearest to our infinitive. Thus i yt^kua anku 

 thou breakcst a stick could be transcribed in the most literal manner by 

 "thou-to break-stick", or in German, "du-brechen-Stock." Whether transi- 

 tive verbs are used actively or passively must be ascertained from the con- 

 text,* for the verbal term in this instance contains nothing but the abstract 

 idea of "break." 



THE SUBSTANTIVE VERB Gt. 



The inquiry whether a language possesses a substantive verb to be or 

 not, is closely related to the one treated in the previous chapter. Languages 

 lacking the verb to be employ, instead of it, other verbs of a more material 

 signification, use more auxiliary verbs or even particles, overloading the 

 grammar with forms; or use attributive verbs — a clumsy expedient, whicli is 

 attained only by, verbifying the substantive, adjective, pronoun, and even 

 particles. By all this, nothing more is attained than what we reach by using 

 our short verb to be. The existence of this verb testifies, not only to a con- 

 siderable power of abstraction and reflection on matters of language, but is 

 generally associated with a tendency of the language to become analytic, 

 and to divest itself of the embarrassing wealth of synthetic forms. 



* The nearest approach to a verb in this condition, which I was able to find, is contained in Fr. 

 Mi'Ll.ER, Nofani-Rcisc, lingiiixtischer Tlicil, 1867, page y47 aqq., where the author speaks of languages of 

 Siuilhern Australia. I subjoin au extract in the words as used by Professor MCller: "In australischcn 

 Spracben wird diesclbe Form activ uiid passiv gebrancht, die letztere jedoch mit Objectivpronomen: 

 ]>uutau pitu, ich sclilofie, doch nicht ' schlagend ich '; puntan tia, ich ircrde gescMagen, wdrtlich, : schlagen 

 inich.' Das dortige Verb ist demnach ein abstractes Noiuen, uupersoiilich zu fassen und erst dann iius- 

 serlicli auf das Nomen bezogen. Die Handluug tritt abstract, unpersoulich ein und wird erst da mit 

 einem Subject oder Object in Verbindung gesetzt: 'das Schlagen trat ein und ich vollfiihrte es.' Sub- 

 ject und Priidicat sind nur .■iusserlich auf einauder bezogen ; das Prouomeu, das das Verbum begleitet, 

 ist indess stets ein rein subjectives." 



