________________
SEPTEMBER, 1899.]
ecce
(?) (?)
(?)
by
in
with
to
at
was
-ing
did
ot
oko
⠀⠀⠀
i
-lik
-len
-ka
-nga
-re
-la, -ola
A THEORY OF UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR.
atak
ཊྛིཏི
-te
»
:::
Prefixes, radical.
oto
oko
ab
0
-kate, ia
-nga -t, -te
-le
⠀⠀⠀
Suffixes, functional.
-ke -in, -an,
-en
-len
•}
Suffixes, qualitative.
-nga -ye, -an
atak
aukau-, }
auko
⠀⠀⠀⠀
on
܃
-in
-lo
-lin
-chike
-t -la
229
otam-, ote
ིསློ་ཨིRttut『ན
ir-, irim
-ke
-an, -chine
-la
(honorific)
The reader will by this time have perceived that the development of the fundamental meanings of the roots and stems of Andamanese words is effected by means of radical prefixes; a consideration that brings us in contact with the most difficult and most interesting feature of the Andamanese languages.
To the Andamanese mind roots present themselves as being divided off roughly into classes as under, to use Mr. Portman's classification, which is, of course, an impossible one, according to the general system of grammar he purports to follow. But, as his classification is sufficient for the purpose of illustrating my points, I shall not now disturb it.
Mr. Portman's classification is stated by him thus:
The Andamanese roots appear to be divided into five groups, which are as follows:
(1) Names of parts of the body, with special reference to the human body. Roots referring to the human race generally.
(2) Names of other natural animate and inanimate objects.
(3) Roots which are capable of being converted into either Explicators or Predicators, as well as being Indicators.
(4) Pronouns.
(5) Postpositions, Adverbs, Conjunctions, Exclamations, Proper Names of Andamanese men and women, the Flower Names given to Andamanese girls, Honorific Names etc., Particles.
Now, with reference to the above statement, the main function of the radical prefixes is to indicate the group to which a root belongs, either primarily or secondarily by
