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194
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JULY, 1907
An individual word may fulfil all the functions of words, or it may fulfil only one function, or it may full many functions. When a word can fulfl more than one function, the function it fulfils in A particular sentence is indicated by its position in the sentence, either without variation of form, or with variation of form or by its tone. There are, therefore, olasses of words.
Since a word may fulfil only one fanction, there are as many classes as there are functions. Also since a word may fulfil more than one function, it may belong to as many classes as there are functions which it can full. A word may, therefore, be transferable from one class to another; and this transfer may be effected by its position in the sentence without variation of form, or with variation of form or by its tone. The class to which a word belonge may, therefore, be indicated by its form or tone.
When a word is transferable from one class to another, it belongs primarily to a certain class and secondarily to other classes. But, since by transfer to another class from the class to which it primarily belongs (with or without variation of form) the word falls a new function, it becomes
new word connected with the original word. The relation between connected words is that of parent and offshoot. Since the form of a word may indicate its class, both parent and offshoot may assume the forms of the classes to which they respectively belong.
When connected words differ in form, they consist of a principal part or stem, and an additional part or fanctional affix. The function of the stem is to indicate the meaning of the word. The function of the fanctional affix is to modify that meaning with reference to the function of the word. This modification may be effected by indicating the class to which the word belongs, or by indicating its relation or correlation to the other words in the sentence.
A stem may be an original meaning or simple stem, or it may be a modification of an original meaning or compound stem. A compound stem consists of a principal part or root, and additional parte or radioal affixes. The function of the root is to indicate the original meaning of the stem. The function of the radical affixes is to indicate the modification by which the meaning of the root had been changed into the meaning of the stem.
Since words full functions and belong to classes, they possess inherent qualities. The inherent.qualities of words may be indicated by qualitative affixos or by tonos,
Affixes are, therefore, funotional, or indicative of the fanction of the word to which they are affixed, or of its relation or correlation to the other words in the sentence ; radical, or indicative of the modifications of meaning which its root has undergone; qualitativo, or indicative of its inherent qualities.
Affixes may be
(1) Prefixos, or prefixed to the root, stem, or word; (2) Infixes, or fixed into the root, stem, or word; (3) Suxes, or suffixed to the root, stem, or word,
Affixes may be attached to roots, "stems, or words in their full form, or in a varied form. When there is variation of form, there is inflexion or inseparability of the affix from the root, stem, or word. All the functions of affixes can, therefore, be fulfilled by inflexion; and inflected words may conform to particular kinds of inflexion.
Since a sentence is composed of words placed in a particular order, with or without variation of form, the meaning of a sentence is rendered complete by the combination of the meaning of its components with their position, with their tones, or with their forms, or partly with their position and partly with their forms or tones.
