66 



ON THE CLASSIFICATION 



" The American Indians invariably express their ideas of 

 objects and actions precisely as they are presented to their eyes 

 and ears, that is, in their compound associations. A person and 

 an act are ever associated, in their forms of syntax, with the 

 object of the action. To love and to hate are, therefore, never 

 heard in their analytical forms. This combination of the action 

 of the speaker with the object is universal." 102 



" The concrete tendency of the American dialects shows 

 itself unmistakably in these strange conceptions and idio- 

 matic expressions, but it appears not less clearly in other 

 languages. 103 



Great difficulties arise in concrete tongues when abstract 

 ideas, especially those referring to time, have to be dealt with. 

 In some dialects the amount of circumlocution which is 

 required to express simple terms like " then" (at that time), 

 " during" (while), or " afterwards" is really astonishing. A 

 native of Sudan says instead of " Zau was then ill," they were 

 left there and Zau (was) ill ; a instead of " fever was then round 

 "Woyewere," and they remained there and round Woyewere 

 was. fever ; b instead of " Darkness began while they went," 

 they were left going, darkness fell f or for " he went during the 

 feast," they made this feast it not finished and he went ; d for " the 

 town was set on fire after they dispersed," the same was com* 

 pleted, after it was, and the town was set on fire. 6 In a Vei 

 manuscript first published by Mr. Koelle the sentence M on the 

 last night of the haze moon f (December)" is paraphrased as 

 follows : (Taru Qura she him bore) the night in which, then we 

 slept, morning it dawned, we spent the day quite, evening arrived 

 then ive the haze moon great saw f). m 



(102) See Schoolcraft, Vol. II, page 341. 



(103) See page 58. 



(104) Compare the " Outlines of a Grammar of the Vei Language," by S, 

 W. Koelle, page 242 and elsewhere; and " Die Mande Neger Sprachen.. 

 von Dr. H. Steinthal, Berlin, 1867, pages 212 — 215 ; (a) anu to-a nu-wa, 

 am' Zau kira ; (b) ame a toaro, am' Woyewere mani gbandia ; (<?) anu to-a 

 taye-na-wa, am' din bera ; (d) anda da-mo-wa ma, a ma ban, amo a ta ; 

 (e) anu nyenya.ni a biri-e banda-ni a gbaro mu amu sandza binda ; and 

 (/) Taru Gura, ara wuru difi-muro mu ke kia sama gbea mu tere gben, 

 dserema kea amu moa Duru karo kerema dze," 



