SECTION IV: THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
THE WORD-BASE.
Preliminary Observations.
98. This Section deals in [the first place with the structure of the word-base ; but as that follows from the account already given above of the manner in which the word-base is formed from the root, there will be no scope here for more than a brief recapitulation. The second point is the homophony of the word-base; the third, the function in a continuous context of the simple word-base, uncompounded with any further formatives; the fourth subsection deals with the reduplication of the word-base; the fifth, with the extension of the word-base for the formation of derivative words and for inflexion.
Structure.
99. It has been shown in Section III that the IN word-base is either identical with the root; or with the reduplicated root; or that it consists of two or more roots welded together; or that in it the root is indissolubly combined with one or more formatives, which are mostly prefixed, more rarely infixed or sufiixed; or, lastly, that a pĕpĕt is prefixed to the bare root. The commonest of these several modes of formation is the fourth, and within this mode the commonest case is that of the root combining with one prefix, so that the word-base appears as a disyllabic
Several IN languages have an objection to final consonants, and therefore either discard them or else add on a vowel to them. The latter occurs in Mlg. and Mak. Thus Original IN and Old Jav., etc., anak, Mai. anaq[1] “child”, appears in Mlg. as anaka. Accordingly, the dictionaries of such languages contain many trisyllabic word-bases.
- ↑ [See Essay IV, § 150, L]
