S3 Mr. W. S. L. Szjrma on the Eelation of the 
II. The relation of Slavonic to the Classical Languages is a 
most important inquiry, throwing light on the question of Antiquity. 
In construction it is most like Latin. Adjectives follow nouns. 
Adverbs precede or follow verbs. Slavonic has no articles, a pecu- 
liarity common to it with the Latin. 
As to Accidence, where Greek and Latin agree with each other. 
Slavonic usually agrees with both. If they differ, Slavonic com- 
monly differs from both. Thus : (I) All direct cases in the neuter 
are the same, and in the neuter plural they always end in *' In 
indirect cases the neuter is on the masculine model, except in the 
dative, where masculine " owi " is contracted into "it." This is 
the rule common to both Latin and Greek. (2) The nominative 
feminine is (3) The datives and ablatives plural are always the 
same in all declensions. This also holds good in both the Classical 
Tongues. 
The only exceptional case is the Genitive, which sometimes forms 
the root of the Slavonic noun, instead of the nominative. This is 
no proof of distinct origin, for no case varies so much as the genitive 
in all European tongues. Even the French, Latin, and Greek, in 
spite of their arising out of the same branch of the Ancient Aryan, 
employ generally quite distinct forms of genitive. The same care is 
used in Slavonic as in English to distinguish living from not-living 
substantives, which is one of the few grammatical grounds of similarity 
between the two languages. 
The Slavonic numerals nre almost the same as the Greek, and 
Augmentatives and Diminutives are very frequent. Verbal con- 
structions are simpler than in the Classic Languages, but not so 
express subtle distinctions. The termination for the Persons nearly 
well fitted to the same as in Latin. In the singular sometimes 
identical, in the plural very similar : — e. g. 
In Slavonic First Person Plural ** my" 
Second " tie " 
Third "ng""a," 
Lat. *' mus" 
Lat. *• tis " 
Lat. "nt" 
