Owen—Interrogative Thought—Means of Its Expression. 467 
but rather “I believe-or-disbelieve to be. .. .”—that is, “I some¬ 
thing to be. . . ..” If now I can by usual means transform this 
indefinite verb into an interrogative verb, my immediate purpose 
will be accomplished. 
How languages very often have, among their stock of ele¬ 
ments for word-construction, one which makes an interrogative 
out of the indefinite word to which it is applied. Thus, abso¬ 
lutely slighting historical origin, I may say that, when the mean¬ 
ing of the Latin “id” (— it or that) is not sufficiently definite, 
becoming that of which I wish you to give me information, by 
the simple addition of “qu” I turn it into “quid,” which I 
should define as meaning “I wish you to tell me that (which).” 
Sb, too, in English, so soon as an idea of place, suggested by 
“here,” is too indefinite for toleration, becoming that of which 
I wish you to give me information, by the simple addition of 
“wh” I turn it into “where ?,” which I might define as meaning 
“I wish you to tell me the place in which.” That is, by means 
of a prefix, I change an indefinite into' an interrogative. 
Given now “Blrown is honest,” and extending the meaning of 
the “is” to cover for the moment not merely belief, but indefi¬ 
nite belief-or-disbelief (in the truth of.to be ....,..), 
by the addition of the “wh” I could change this indefinite “is* 
into “Whis,” a word which should by analogy be not only indefi¬ 
nite, but also interrogative, meaning “I wish you to tell me 
your belief-or-disbelief (in the truth of .... to be ....,). Ac¬ 
cordingly I develop “Whis Brown honest?”—an expression 
which I offer, not because I greatly hope that it may prove a 
successful neologism, but because it formally exhibits the IS! of 
the question “IS Brown honest?” in that analogy with other 
question words, to which it seems to me to have a rational claim. 
Its meaning. 
Betracing now the steps of argument—and in the inverse 
order—starting with the interrogative sentence, e. g. “IS' Brown 
honest ?,” I have found its meaning to be 
“I wish you to tell me is Brown honest” (is being indefinite) 
or, in a diagramatic exhibition, 
Brown 
I wish you to tell me is 
honest 
or more fully, 
