172 
words which are direct imitations of noises, cries of animals,, 
&c., like ftuff, 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 ? 9 a. How are plurals formed ? by 
suffixes ? and if so, has this suffix an independent meaning ? 
10. Are changes of vowel or consonant usual in inflexion,, 
&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 words? 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 difference between animate and inanimate ? 
14. Are there forms of number and case in nouns and adjec¬ 
tives ? 15. What are the numerals ? and do they show any 
traces of derivation from reckoning by fingers and toes, such 
as the words hand, foot, man, to indicate 5, 10, 2.0, &c., or 
their compounds ? (See No. LX. Arithmetic.) 16. How 
are the moods and tenses of verbs indicated ? 17. What are 
the rules of syntax? are the relations of subject, object, predi¬ 
cate, 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 principally 
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 
22. Are there any unusual sounds in the language such as 
the Kafir click, strong gutturals, &c. ? 
E. B. T. 
