The difference between the present indicative active personal endings in the athematic and thematic conjugations is self-evident, as in Greek (Doric) in contrast with . It is also recognised that the Old Irish verb shows the same phenomenon in its ‘absolute’ and ‘conjunct’ forms (without and with preverbs respectively), as berim < ∗bheremi and -biur < ∗bherō.

The concept of time in relation to action finds expression in the verbal forms of a great many, although not all, languages. ‘In English we have made up our minds that all action must be conceived of in reference to three standard times’,—the present, the past, and the future. Of these three, the devices for the expression of the future—their origin, development, and present use—receive from our grammarians the least satisfactory treatment.

Professor G. P. Krapp makes an attractive case for his derivation of darn, darned in the brief essay on this word in his recent The English Language in America. He discards the usual explanation that darn is a variant or minced form of damn, and believes that, although it now stands in intimate relation to damn, it had an independent origin. He takes as his starting point the Old English adjective dierne, ‘secret,‘ Middle English derne, Elizabethan dern, and assumes a transition from a descriptive adjective or adverb to an imprecation. The adjective took on, he thinks, the form of a participial adjective, and thence developed verbal usage. Our occasional mild dern would then represent a more basic form than the commoner darn.

Justifying his statement that Jean Renart, the author of Le Lai de l'Ombre, also wrote L'Escoufle and Guillaume de Dole, Bédier says: ‘Voici, à l'appui de notre opinion, une liste de quinze remarques’. One of the fifteen points discussed is as follows: ‘Il se sot mout bien avoir. Expression qui signifie “savoir bien tenir son rang”. Elle reparaît par deux fois dans Guillaume de Dole (v. 570 et v. 2143). Il faut qu'elle soit peu usuelle, puisque l'éditeur de ce roman a voulu corriger l'un des deux passages où il la rencontrait.'

The magistrates described as degetasiús (n. pl. masc.) at Nola (Conway ID 93, cf. 94 = von Planta 124, 125) and as deketasiúí (dat. sg. masc.) at Abella (Conway 95 a 5 = von Planta 127) have generally been dismissed with a non liquet as to their precise functions. It is unfortunate that the etymology of their title is equally uncertain; for if that were precisely known it would, presumably, illuminate the nature of their office. But, the case being reversed, is it not reasonable to suppose that new light concerning the duties of a meddix degetasis would serve to establish, at least as being definitely preferable, one of the alternative etymologies? In etymology meaning is, after all, no less important than sound-change and word-formation. Buck (Gram. 229), after pointing out that a connection with either Lat. decem or decens is phonologically and morphologically possible, went on to add that there is a reference in the title ‘to some organisation of the city's territory or population of which we have no precise knowledge’; and, similarly, Brugmann (IF 11.110), criticising the proposed connection with decem, objected to it, declaring its originator Bronisch ‘eine derartige Bezeichnung der meddices nicht rechtfertigen zu können’. It is exactly this point which the present note is meant to elucidate.

The relationship of Hittite and Indo-European has been recognized chiefly on the basis of certain correspondences in inflectional terminations, suffixes, and pronouns. Indo-European etymologies have, to be sure, been suggested for a considerable number of Hittite words, but a large proportion of these etymologies are clearly unsound and even those which are most plausible have never been worked into the sort of consistent system which could bring conviction to those who understand sound etymological method.

The material of Linguistic Science is human utterance, and for its work the ideal medium is viva voce communication. Rather, this would be the case, did not factors of time and space greatly restrict its applicability. Human utterance is so fleeting that even the field-worker placed most fortunately as he is in the immediate presence of his material, must seek to hold this transitory phenomenon—to make an artificial record of it for re-examination.