THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 1 83 



parts of speech, roun, adjective and verb. And as these form the 

 three essential parts of speech — the others being but conveniences 

 of language, — we may suppose that they will show the earliest forms 

 of grammatical development. 



It was seen that attention, fixing itself on the vague and primary 

 elements of knowledge, soon enabled the mind to classify them into 

 the three above classes. But this attention, now bringing these 

 classes into relation with one another, would lead to a further dis- 

 covery of new relations, and a consequent desire of their represen- 

 tation. By what means was this to be effected ? Existing languages 

 show two methods for effecting this, ist, by varying the form of 

 the word whose idea is modified ; 2nd, by position and symbolic 

 relational words. The second of these methods would evidently 

 be impossible at this stage ; since all words would contain the sen- 

 suous element to such a degree that the mind would not be capable 

 of that freedom of thought necessary to the use of symbolic words. 

 Granting then that inflection is the primitive method of noting modi- 

 fications, from what source did it take its rise? 



We have seen that the general character of our primitive word 

 was length of sound and vague intellectual reference. In this super- 

 fluous sound attached to the word would be found a ready means 

 for the representation of these new relations. Any familiar word 

 being often used in a certain relation, and having its final superflu- 

 ous sound used for such a purpose, would soon by analogy set a type 

 for all kindred words when used in a like relation. A strong proof 

 in support of this theory is to be found in the fact that inflections 

 always contain a musical element. For a marked characteristic of 

 all inarticulate cries is that they generally end with a somewhat 

 musical tone. 



But at this point another result must be considered. We have 

 noticed that the first words were long and intellectually vague, but 

 that the elaborative faculties being exercised on these vague ele- 

 ments, would bring about an enlargement of their intellectual im- 

 port, and an increased definiteness in the idea itself. But it is evi- 

 dent that the mind, fixing itself on the intellectual import of the 

 sound, would, on the principle of undivided attention, decrease the 

 flow of energy in the direction of the physical sound. This fact 

 would at once produce a tendency to shorten these long sounds. 

 In other words they would tend to become monosyllabic. Thus in 



