115 
one essential point is to use each character for one sound, and 
one only, defining the pronunciation of each by examples from 
well-known languages. 
1. What sounds are used in the language ? and which differ 
from those of European languages? and what sounds are 
they unable to pronounce? 2. What expressive interjections 
are in common use? and how are they like or unlike our 
own? 3. Does the meaning of words and sentences depend 
much or little on tone, accent, or emphasis ? 4. Does musical 
pitch or accent affect the meaning of words ? 5. Can a sentence, 
such as an interrogative or affirmative, be roughly written with 
musical notes to show rise and fall of tone ? 6. Are there 
words which are direct imitations of noises, cries of animals, 
&c., like puff, mew , rat-tat , &c. ? and does such imitation of 
sound prevail largely in the language ? 7. What is the gram¬ 
matical structure of the language ? are roots or crude forms, &c. 
clearly discernible in it ? and by what arrangement of particles, 
inflexions, &c. are these built up into words ? 8. Are particles, 
such as prepositions, pronouns, adverbs, &c., combined in the 
words, or do they stand separately ? 9. Are prefixes or suffixes 
used? 10. Are changes of vowel or consonant usual in in¬ 
flexion, &c. ? 11. Are compound words usual, and how formed ? 
is there a tendency to contract compound words into shorter 
forms in which the original words are mutilated? 12. Are 
there diminutive or augmentative ivords ? and do changes of 
sound cause such changes of meaning ? 13. How are genders 
indicated ? and do they relate to difference of sex or to the dif¬ 
ference between animate and inanimate ? 14. Are there forms 
of number and case in nouns and adjectives ? 15. What are the 
numerals ? and do they show any traces of derivation from reckon¬ 
ing by fingers and toes, such as the words hand, foot, man, 
to indicate 5, 10,20, &c., or their compounds ? (See No. XXII. 
Arithmetic.) 16. How are the moods and tenses of verbs 
indicated ? 17. What are the rules of syntax ? are the relations 
of subject, object, predicate, indicated by grammatical inflexions 
or by their place in the sentence, or both ? 18. Is the language 
a dialect of some well-known family ? and if so, where does it 
differ from well-known languages of that family ? 19. Are 
there neighbouring dialects of the same stock ? and if so, are 
they mutually intelligible, or at least recognized as allied, by 
the tribes speaking them ? 20. What traces are there of words 
having changed within the memory of man ? 21. Are words 
to be noticed as borrowed from other languages ? 
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