a or an e or en i'

.

n

or in

6 or on

.

.

ii

in class a .

.

or iin

6. Radices. The Algonquin language is founded on roots or primary elements having a meaning by themselves. As waub, to see ; paup, to laugh ; wa, to move in space ; bwa^

The theory of its orthography is to employ these sounds in combination, and not as disjunctive elements, primary

a voice.

which has originated a plan of thought and concords quite pe culiar. It is evident that such particles as ak, be, ge, were in vested with generic meanings before they assumed their concrete

forms of ak-e,

earth ;

ne-be,

water ; ge-zis^

sky.

Without attention to this theory of radices, and to the wordto this constant capacity building principle of the language, of incremental extension, and to the mode of doubling, triplicat ing, and quadruplicating ideas, it is impossible to analyze it

to trace its compounds to their embryotic roots, and to seize upon those principles of thought and utterance, by attention to

which, there has been created in the forests of America, one of the most polysyllabic and completely transpositive modes of

communicating thought that exists. Humboldt applies the term " agglutinated" structure of the language. tion,

in defining the If by agglutination be meant accre

and the adhesive principle be

certainly appropriate.

its

syntax, the

term

is

Whatever is agglutinated in the material

world requires gluten to attach piece to piece, and