70 



ON THE CLASSIFICATION 



the power of expressing, where possible, gender and number, 109 

 they differ in so far, that the noun moves in and is subject to 

 space, whereas the verb lives and acts in time* This constitu- 

 tional diversity, founded on the distinction between space and 

 time, is expressed respectively by declension and conjugation. 

 Owing to the near relationship, or rather to the approximate 

 identity between space and time, the declension of a noun and 

 the conjugation of a verb are guided in every language by 

 one and the same linguistic principle. This principle, revealed 

 by its manner of expressing or ignoring gender, number, 

 space and time, assigns to a language the position it occupies 

 among the groups of the families of speech. 



Our attention must then be directed to observe how a 

 language deals with gender, how it expresses number, denotes 

 space and time, and all the other modalities connected with 

 the ever changing variations of mind and matter. 



The most striking feature which is impressed on our mind, 

 when we look about and regard the various objects around 

 us, is no doubt the fact, of which we soon become aware, that 

 they are either endowed with life or not. This difference is 

 so evident that it is even observed by children. Though we 

 may be quite ignorant of the real nature of what constitutes 

 life, nevertheless the distinction is so plain, that as a rule 

 no mistakes can be made in distinguishing animate crea- 

 tures from inanimate objects. We all know that imperfect 

 knowledge may falsely ascribe life to inanimate matter, 

 or ignore life in animate creation ; but these mistakes 

 only prove ignorance, while they manifest the inclination 

 to constitute vitality as the principal criterion. It affects 

 our senses with all the strength of a concrete substance ; 

 for as such appears life. If the existence of life is once 

 admitted as the characteristic mark of distinction, a 

 further subdivision is attempted by separating animate 

 beings, who are credited with possessing the faculty of 



(109) E.g., in the Semitic languages. 



