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the verb in its intermediate condition as in Japanese, Tartar or Tamul, we can trace much of the process by which the European verb was formed.
In the European or Sanscrit verb there is no more interesting point than the formation of the past tense indicative from the participle. One of the ways in which this is done is easily seen in colloquial Japanese. In Mr. Aston’s “Colloquial Grammar,” he says “the ta of the past tense is a shortened form of taru, which is itself contracted from te aru te being the termination of the participle and aru the verb to be.” The crucial point here to be noticed is that the past tense indicative is formed from the participle. So in English the past indicative “loved” is formed from the participle “loved,” by the instinctive effort of language, which is always striving after the attainment of greater precision and variety of idea.
But the question is asked, how does the participle receive an indicative sense? It may be by dropping the last word. Thus in Mongol “yaboju boi”, he is having gone, becomes in colloquial use “yabaji”, he is gone, and sometimes, he went. In this easy way a participle or gerund becomes indicative. Sometimes we cannot trace stich a loss or a last word. Thus in Greek “elegon,” he said from “legōn, legon,” saying. We may then invite attention to a law described in Mr. Aston’s Grammar of written Japanese, by which verbs assume two forms according as they are complete in action or not. The form of completed action occurs in the last place and has a peculiar suffix. The form of incomplete action wants this suffix, and its place is earlier than the last. The law appears in Mongol with greater distinctness. A special suffix, ksan, belongs to the category and expresses completed action.
In the Mongol expression “bi martaju boi” I have forgotten, we have a pronoun “bi,” I, and two verbs, one meaning to forget and the other to be. The verb, to be, is in its primitive radical shape and corresponds in sense and use nearly to the Japanese aru and mas. Etymologically it is more closely connected with mas, than with “aru”, b
