1849.] valley of As am and its mountain confines. 193 



are, in general, exceedingly difficult for a European practically to dis- 

 tinguish. On a careful examination, however it will be found that these 

 tones do not in reality exceed four, and that they are the same as those 

 described by Chinese philologists. 



The first of these, may be said to be pronounced naturally, as a mid- 

 dle tone, even and moderate, neither raised nor deepened by any pecu- 

 liar effort. 



The second, is a strong, rough, and vehement sound, produced by 

 strongly exciting the action of the glottis in emitting it. 



The third tone, is formed by raising the action of the glottis as in 

 forming the second tone, and then somewhat relaxing it, which, while 

 it lengthens the sound makes it end rather feebly. 



The fourth tone may be characterized as a short, thick, hasty sound, 

 which seems to re-enter the throat, so as at length to be stopped in it. 

 To distinguish this peculiarity, so very common to these languages, it 

 is proposed to place a dot under the final letter. 



The prevalence of these intonations, in all the languages spoken by 

 the tribes bordering on the valley of Asam, leaves us at no loss to trace 

 the source from which they have sprung. They evidently bear affinity 

 to the Chinese, however much they may have subsequently been affect- 

 ed by any foreign mixture. 



In languages, where those terminations and inflections which render 

 so copious the grammars of the Greek and Sanskrit are almost unknown, 

 there can be little room for grammatical disquisition. Of the two parts 

 which form the basis of philology, it is evident that the inflections and 

 terminations of any particular language furnish the materials for its 

 peculiar grammar ; hence, where these are wanting there can be left us 

 little beside a few ideas that relate to general grammar. 



Principles of grammar must necessarily be inherent in every language. 

 But the various rules to which words are subject in order to describe 

 various actions and circumstances, as they constitute the peculiar gram- 

 mar of any language, can seldom be transferred from the grammar of 

 one nation~to that of another. Hence if a language have no inflection 

 to express case, gender or number in its nouns, or mood, tense, and 

 person in its verbs, the language would only be distorted by an attempt 

 to throw its grammar precisely into the form of Latin or Greek gram- 

 mars for instance, which have inflections for all the more important 



2 c 2 



