208 THE GROUNDWORK OF SCIENCE

pointing to his own body, with a look of indignation at

the idea of anyone else pretending to have done it.

A few further examples of what have been deemed forms

of predication so low as to border on mere sensuous and

animal language, must here suffice.

We have been told by Mr. Romanes* that if a Dyak

wants to say " thy father is, or looks, old," he has, for

want of words, to put together such expressions as " father-

of-thee," "age of him." Also he says that if such a man

wants to say of another " he is wearing a white jacket," the

form of the statement would be " he-with-white with-jacket,"

or more tersely, "he jackety whitey." But this does not in

the least tell against the presence of distinct intellectual

meaning in the utterance of such phrases. They may strike

the imagination of some persons so as to call up a smile,

but in sober truth, as regards meaning (which is the only

important thing), the expression, "he jackety whitey," is

essentially as good as the expression, " the external upper

garment of that man is of the colour of the driven snow."

If in Fiji the response " I will " is expressed by the form

" will-of-me," that surely is sufficient. It would be easy

enough to parallel such rendering by means of examples

from English slang.

No doubt the parts of speech of English grammarians may

be, in their external form, inapplicable to the Polynesian

languages. But the fact, however interesting, has no signifi-

cance as regards the essentially abstract nature of the ideas

conveyed. Our expression, " I will eat rice," may require to

be rendered, " The eating of me the rice ; my eating will be

of the rice." But such expressions are quite reasonable and

logical.

If it can be pointed out of any object that it is here, or

there, or thus, or sitting, or standing, or waiting, there can

* Op. dt., p. 317.

pointing to his own body, with a look of indignation at

the idea of anyone else pretending to have done it.

A few further examples of what have been deemed forms

of predication so low as to border on mere sensuous and

animal language, must here suffice.

We have been told by Mr. Romanes* that if a Dyak

wants to say " thy father is, or looks, old," he has, for

want of words, to put together such expressions as " father-

of-thee," "age of him." Also he says that if such a man

wants to say of another " he is wearing a white jacket," the

form of the statement would be " he-with-white with-jacket,"

or more tersely, "he jackety whitey." But this does not in

the least tell against the presence of distinct intellectual

meaning in the utterance of such phrases. They may strike

the imagination of some persons so as to call up a smile,

but in sober truth, as regards meaning (which is the only

important thing), the expression, "he jackety whitey," is

essentially as good as the expression, " the external upper

garment of that man is of the colour of the driven snow."

If in Fiji the response " I will " is expressed by the form

" will-of-me," that surely is sufficient. It would be easy

enough to parallel such rendering by means of examples

from English slang.

No doubt the parts of speech of English grammarians may

be, in their external form, inapplicable to the Polynesian

languages. But the fact, however interesting, has no signifi-

cance as regards the essentially abstract nature of the ideas

conveyed. Our expression, " I will eat rice," may require to

be rendered, " The eating of me the rice ; my eating will be

of the rice." But such expressions are quite reasonable and

logical.

If it can be pointed out of any object that it is here, or

there, or thus, or sitting, or standing, or waiting, there can

* Op. dt., p. 317.