Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - The origin of the Eskimo as traced by their language - Various Notes
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has been proofread at least once.
(diff)
(history)
Denna sida har korrekturlästs minst en gång.
(skillnad)
(historik)
with either of these groups, but constitutes a peculiar kind.
His chief objection to its American character is his maintaining,
that the Eskimo, contrary to the latter, is not at all polysynthetic.
He asserts that polysynthetism requires that words can be formed
by juxtaposition of other words or independent stems, and that
this is a predominating rule in all the other North American
tongues, whereas in the Uralo-altaic languages the same
composition is executed by adding dependent stems or imperfect words
to one principal word. Besides this he states about 4
grammatical properties, by which the Eskimo differs partly from the
Uralo-altaic and partly from the North American languages. As
I am no linguist I am not able fully to judge these assertions.
But I have always entertained the opinion, that polysynthetism
refers simply to the multitude of ideas that can be comprised
in one word, and I can also hardly believe that the contrast
alleged by L. A. is so complete as he describes. As to the
former criterion I believe that still the majority of linguists
never can hesitate in granting the Eskimo in connection with
the other North American languages the most decided
superiority to those of the old world. As to the latter I expecially
consider the supposed absence or scarcity of true affixes in
Indian languages more than doubtful. I could adduce many
examples occasionally met with, of similarities in the construction
of words of the Eskimo with the American, and on the other
hand I know quite well the striking similarity with the Siberian
languages as to the mode of appending the affixes and the
dual and plural forms. But fragmentary remarks made on such
questions in favour of some theory can hardly be of any use.
A proper solution of these problems can only be expected from
thorough-going systematical investigation such as that now
instituted in the United States by eminent linguists and
comprising the immense material collected from the numerous
aboriginal idioms of North America.
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
