Owen—Hybrid Parts of Speech. 
131 
carefully inflected languages the “is” would have at once the 
unmistakable assertive value, which must, accordingly, be 
reckoned with. 
To solve the difficulty, I turn as usual from form of word 
to the mental process which the word cooperates in symbolizing. 
This process I believe to be made up of several activities. In 
the first place, the receiving mind (whose operations the con¬ 
veying mind must essentially duplicate), under stimulus of 
successive words, develops in turn the ideas or elements of 
thought-to-be-constructed. Also, largely by the aid of instruc¬ 
tional elements, especially inflections, that mind employs each 
particular idea in a particular membership (e. g., as subject or 
as object) of that thought. 
So long as word arrangement tallies with that of ideas in 
thought, each idea takes its place in thought as soon as sug¬ 
gested by the appropriate word. But if an idea is, so to speak, 
delivered to the mind before the time arrives to use it in con¬ 
structing thought, the mind, unable to make use of it at once, 
must carefully preserve it—for it usually will not be repeated— 
until such time arrives, and meantime use those offered ele¬ 
ments, the time to use wffiich has arrived. 
To illustrate: “Tityre tu patulae recubans sub tegmine fa- 
gi,.meditaris.” 
Of this expression, “Tityre,” the mere address of him for 
whom the thought to be constructed is intended, may be over¬ 
looked, because, although de facto in the sentence, it is not de 
jure of it. 
“Tu,” as calling up the idea of the junior partner in a col¬ 
loquial act—an idea to be used as first term (subject) in thought- 
to-be-developed (as suggested by the nominative ending)—of¬ 
fers no embarrassment, reception of this idea being immedi¬ 
ately followed by its recognition as part of the structure now 
begun. 
When, however, “patulae” is reached, the plot begins to 
thicken. From it I obtain the idea expressed by “broad”—an 
idea assuredly to figure as a part of thought to be constructed. 
As what part it will figure, I am, however, by no means certain, 
being embarrassed by the multiplicity of possibilities. 
