236 
SOUTHERN AFRICA, 
means of compressing the tongue and side teeth 
together. 
The fluent use of these sounds, is most diffi- 
cult of acquisition by Europeans, and at the 
best, they always give their speaking the im- 
pression of stammering. 
In the orthographical construction, the for- 
mation of the words is worthy of note. They 
generally consist of a root, which contains the 
leading or fundamental idea, and of a prefix 
which is indicative of a specific relation to the 
general principle of the euphonic concord, and 
includes some accessory idea, more or less dis- 
tinct, this modifying the radical one, according 
to the perfect idea intended to be represented. 
The use of the prefix is a singular peculiarity 
in this language, influencing its whole gram- 
matical construction. For while, in all Euro- 
pean and Asiatic languages, a harmony of gen- 
der and number, and, in some, a harmony also of 
case is essential to the agreements of many of 
the parts of speech ; in the Kaffir tongue, the 
whole construction is regulated by a totally 
different principle. This has been named by 
Mr. Boyce, the euphonic concord; the chief 
characteristic of which, is, u that all the gram- 
matical variations of form, are effected by means 
of prefixes, which evolve a regular and uniform 
system of alliteration. " 
