Owen—Hybrid Parts of Speech. 
129 
melodies, it can be assumed that they are of equal length or 
merit. But of thoughts and melodies it is plain that, however 
closely they come together—even to the point of overlapping— 
each maintains its individuality, and, what is more important 
to the purpose of the moment, neither is a part of the other. I 
hold, accordingly, that when, of two thoughts, each is central 
only (not lateral), neither is part of the other. 
Case (3). The elements of lateral thought being three in 
number, it is conceivable that either one or two of these, in¬ 
stead of the trio, might have also membership in central thought. 
Thus the second illustration examined under (1), “I wrote my 
daughter (who) is in Yew York,” exhibits a member of lateral 
thought—the member named by “daughter,” which is not re¬ 
peated, but only continued by “who”—as member also of the 
central thought expressed by “I wrote my daughter.” 
The successive central and lateral aspects of “daughter” are 
examined on pp. 140-141. Meantime it should be noted that 
the number of central terms has not been augmented. Total 
thought indeed is augmented by the addition of an element ex¬ 
pressed by “in Yew York” (which in its essential attributive 
unity may rank with “ill”). The relation necessary to such 
augmentation is expressed by “is.” But what is expressed by 
“daughter” is the original last term of central thought—a term 
which merely holds its ground while terms of a second (lateral) 
thought assemble about it. 
The thinkable central membership of two lateral thought- 
members (examined in “Pronouns,” pages 83-84)is, in actual 
linguistic practice, unrealized. Compare “I wrote my wife, 
who whiched (i. e. wrote) my daughter,” and “A stone struck 
Brown, which hurt vdiom.” 
Case (5), which is rare in linguistic practice, may be illus¬ 
trated by the following sentence: “I want the book (which) 
is on the newel post.” In this I intend the “is” to be taken 
with full assertive power. Accordingly the location of the book 
is announced as a proposition of self-sufficient informational 
value, precisely as if I had said “I want the book. The book 
is on the newel post.” That is, not only the volitional thought, 
but also the locative thought is distinctly central. 
