________________
232
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(SEPTEMBER, 1899.
Terminology is a matter of convenience, and I have in the exposition of the Theory, changed the familiar terminology of the Grammars of the orthodox sort merely as a convenience. The question presents itself to me as one of choosing between the devising of new terms and the giving of new definitions to well-known old ones, used habitually in other senses. To my own mind it is easier to apprehend and retain in the memory the meaning of a new word than to keep before the mind a new definition of an old and familiar one. Hence my choice. But this is so much a personal matter, that it is a question of indifference to myself wbich method is adopted.
The familiar terminology has accordingly been changed in this wise. The old noun, adjective, verb, adverb, preposition, and conjunction become indicator, explicator, predicator, illustrator, connector, and referent conjunctor, while interjections and pronouns become integers and referent substitutes. Certain classes also of the adverbs are converted into introducers. Gender, number, person, tense, conjugation, and declension all disappear in the general description of kinds of inflexion - the object becomes the complement of the predicate, and concord becomes correlated variation. Also for obvious reasons subjects, necessarily occupying an important place in Grammars which aim at explaining all that there is to say about a language — such as its phonology, orthography, and elocution - are not now considered in the exposition of the Theory.
THE SKELETON OF A THEORY OF UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR. SPEECH is a mode of cominunication between man and man by expression. Speech may be comniunicated orally through the ear by talking, optically through the eye by signs, tangibly through the skin by the touch. LANGUAGES are varieties of speech.
The units of languages are SENTENCES. A sentence is the expression of a complete meaning. .
A sentence may consist of a single expression of a meaning. A single expression of a meaning is a WORD. A sentence may also consist of many words. When it consists of more than one word, it has two parts. These parts are the subJECT and the PREDICATE. The subject of a sentence is the inatter communicated or discussed in the sentence. The predicate of a sentence is the communication or discussion of that matter in the sentence.
The subject may consist of one word. It may also consist of many words. When it consists of more than one word, there is a principal word and additional words. The predicate may consist of one word. It may also consist of many words. When it consists of more than one word, there is a . principal word and additional words. Therefore the components of a sentence are words placed either in the subjective or prodicative part of it, having a relation to each other in that part. This relation is that of principal and subordinate.
Since the words composing the parts of a sentence are placed in a position of relation to each other, they fulfil functions. The function of the principul world of the subject is to indicate the matter communicated or discussed by expressing it. The function of the subordinate words of the subject may be to explain that indication, or to illustrate the explanation of it. The function of the principal word of the predicate is to indicate the communication or diction of the subject by expressing it. The function of the subordinate words of the predicato muy bu to illustrate that indication, or to complete it. The predicate may be completed by a word explanatory of the webjoet or indicative of the COMPLEMENT. Therefore, primarily, the words composing a sentencu are either
(1) INDICATORS, or indicative of the subject. (2) EXPLICATORS, or explanatory of the subject. I (3) PREDICATORS, or indicative of the predicate. (4) ILLUSTRATORS, or illustrative of the predicate, or of the explanation of the subject.
(5) COMPLEMENTS, or complementary of the predicato. And complements are either indicators or explicators. Therefore also complementary indicators may be explained by explicators, and this explanation may be illustrated by illustrators. And complementary explicators may be illustrated by illustrators,
