440 



ETHNOLOe^Y. 



rSect XIIL 



III. It would be useful, Iii the third place, to observe 

 some of the grammatical rules of the language, if oppor- 



tunity exists of becoming acquainted with tliem ; though 

 if anv composition of some length shall have been obtained, 

 the grammatical analysis may be furnished afterwards. 



It will not, however, be amiss to make the following 



observations 



5 



One great feature in the gramni 



ferent lansruages, which distinguishes several classes of 



lansruasres from each other, is the peculiar position given 



'^ 



auxiliarv 



auxil 



iDeant such w^ords as have no proper meaning of their 

 own. but tend to explain the relation of nouns and verbs. 

 Such are prepositions in our language, — upon, in, through, 

 &c. It should be observed what position such words hold 

 witli relation to nouns. It is a character of one great 

 class of languages— viz., the Tartar dialect, or the lan- 

 guages of High Asia — to place ail such particles at the 

 end of nouns : thus prepositions become postpositions. In 



as yet known, particles are placed 

 at the beginnings of words ; and that is the case not only 

 with prepC'sition.s, but with particles of all kinds, such as 



srular into tl 



o 



plural number, 

 BB Anakosah becomes the plural of Kosah. Again, in the 



American language, particles are as it were swallowed up by 



the principal words, or are inserted in the middle of them. 



It may be right to observe also whether languages 



admit the composition of words making compound epithets 



by amalgam.ating two or more simple words 



Observe also whether the words, such as names of objects, 

 are monosyllables, or consist of several syllables. 



L 



V 



J 



/ 



-^-^k 



