INDO-GERMANIC LANGUAGES. 591 INDOOR BASEBALL. rather than in Asia. Various theories have been iulvaneed, especially a generation ago, to account for the present distribution of these languages. The genetic arrangement of the tongues in a genealogical tree by JSchlcicher and other schol- ars, or views as to migratory movements or dissemination, like .Johannes .Schmidt's "wave theory,' will be found referred to in most books relating to linguistics and comparative philolog}'. The kinship of these laniruagcs has been scien- tifically proved by the family features and gen- eral likeness in their structure. In ])oint of age they go back as far as the literary monuments of the Vedas. The division of the Indo-Germanic peoples as represented by the various branches of speech is generally considered to be eightfold, as follows : (1) Indo-Iranian or .Aryan proper, the ancient and modern languages of India and Persia; (2) Armenian, forming a sort of bridge between Asia and Euro[)e ; (3) Grecian or Hellenic, with its modern representatives in the tongues of North- ern Greece and the Pelo]X)nnesus ; (i) Albanian, a more modern representative of the ancient lUyrian; (5) Italic, the Latin, with its modem descendants in the Romance tongues; (0) Celtic or Keltic, originally occupying the west of Eu- rope, but now confined chietly to the British Isles, and of particular interest to the historical student of English and French philology: (7) Germanic, the important group to which the Anglo-Saxon, English, the German, and other Teutonic tongues belong; and lasth- (S), the Balto-Slavic group, the chief representative of which is the modem Russian. The various subdivisions of these lan- guage divisions, together with their branches or dialects, will be found under the respective titles. Besides these there are some sporadic traces or representatives of other Indo-Gerraanie idioms which arc not included in the list because the frag- ments are too scanty or too scattered to allow a de- termination in detail of the real character of the speech. Such are the Phrygian, which lias alllni- ties with the Armenian, or again the Messapian. ■which may be connected with the Albanian, or still further, the Macedonian, Gallic, Burgundian, or the like. With reference to the general features, the Indo-Germanie languages are an inflectional group of tongues, sprung from a common ancestor no longer in existence. They have certain marked or distinctive features or variations of sound and accentuation that are more or less common to all, and they show a. general similarity in struc- ture as to roots, aflixes, composite forms, with kindred variations of nouns, adjectives, pro- nouns, and verbs through eight cases, three num- bers, including a dual, and a variety of moods and tenses, together with certain common phe- nomena in syntax and word-iu-cler. For a full bib- liography, reference may be made to the standard work on the subject, Bnigmann. Comparntire Ornmmnr nf the Iiido-Germnnic Lnntinniics (.5 vols., London. 1888-05). translated from the German without the three volumes on syntax by Delbriick. A Fccond and revised edition of the original German work began to appear at Strass- burg in 1807. Gonsvilt also the authorities re- ferred to under .ry
- INFLECTION; Lanci'voe;
PinLoioGY: PuoNETic Law.s; and also the ar- ticles on Albanian T.ANnrAnE; .Arjienian Lan- GTAOE ANn T.TTERATTTRE ; CELTIC LANGUAGES ; Greek Language; Indo-Iranian Languages; Italic Languages; Latin La2;guage; Ro- mance Languages. INDO-IRANIAN LANGUAGES. A branch or group of tlie lado-Germauic family of lan- guii^s. It comprises the Indo-Geruianic lan- guages of ancient and modern India, Ceylon, Persia, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Kurdistan, and the Ossctic portion of the Caucasus. Although, the vowel-system is meagie, the consonants, gen- erally s[K'akiug, best represent the pre-lndo-Gcr- uianic conditions. In inflection this group is the nuist primitive and highly developed of all the Indo-(icrmanic language divisions, while the most ancient literature in Indo-Germanic is preserved in Indo-Iranian. See Afgii.
; Avesta; Bali -
cm; Bengali Language and Litebatlre; Ceylon, section Language .and Literati he; Gu.jarati Language and Literature; Hindu- stani La.vguage and Literature; Indian Lan- guages : Indo-Germanic Languages ; Kash- miri; Kurdish: IIaldive Language; Mar.^tiii Lang ctaoe AND Literature; Kaipali; Old Per- sian Language; Ossetic Language; Pali Lan- guage AND Literature; Pahlavi Language and LiTER.vriRE; Panjabi Language and Litera- ture; Persian Language; Prakrit Language AND Literature; Sanskrit Language; Urita Language and Liter.'iture. INDO-MAXAYAN SUBREGION. See Ma- LAY'AN SUBREGION ; INDIAN SUBREGION. INDONESIAN, in'do-ne'zhon (from Gk.'Ii-Jis. Indos. Indian-!- j^o-os, nesos, island). A term, coined in analogy with PohTiesian, Slelanesian, Jlicroncsian, etc., used by certain ethnologists to denote certain peoples of the East Indies and Polynesia who are neither Malays nor Papuans, but Caucasian in type. Such authorities would include under this head the 'Eastern Polynesians,' certain tribes of Sumatra, >Tava. Borneo, the Philippines, etc. The ditl'ercnces between the so- called 'Indonesians' and the Malayan stock are, however, neither so important nor so significant as these writers claim, and there is good reason for looking upon the former as only a more primi- tive Malayan type, or proto-Malays. The 'In- donesians' and Malays are probably closely relat- ed, the former being really primitive jlalays. The term 'Indonesian' was introduced by Logan, wlio attributed a Caucasian (Indian) origin to the lighter-colored natives of some parts of the Kast Indies, and extended in meaning by Ham}' and others, who enlarged ujion this theory. The term 'Indonesia' is used by some authorities to designate the Malay Archipelago, or island-group of the ]'"ast Indies. INDOOR BASEBALL. This sport varies hut little from the regular game of baseball (q.v.). It originated at Chicago in 1SS7. and is credited to George W. Hancock and fellow-members of the Earragut Club of that citv. It can be played in any hall of size which will jjcrmil of sufficient light and room for the diamond and fielding. the minimum playing floor measuring 40 X ."iO feet. The rules are designed to equalize the difference of size and surroundings from out- door ba.seball. as are also the implements of the game. The ball is of compact substance. 17 inches in circumference, weighs 81 ounces, and has a whiti" cover: the bat being 2^i feet long and 11{. inches in diameter. The bases are half- filled with sand, or other hea'y substance suffi- cient to anchor them in place, and the rules of
