_Inflexion of Nouns._—A child sees no need of inflexions, and forms his first sentences accordingly. He says _more man_ for _more men_, _see more camel_ for _see more camels_. After he feels the need of a plural, his first impulse is to express it by old materials, and then _see more camel_ is used where the meaning undoubtedly is _see the camels_ or _see camels_. The possessive case is similarly dispensed with: for _John’s book_ we get _John boop_. This has a strong relevancy in the explanation of African tongues, where _Kumlomba brother_ is used for _Kumlomba’s brother_. _Adjectives_ are at first used exactly like nouns. We tell a child _it is hot in there_, and he says _hot in ’ere_, and immediately adds _fire in ’ere_, thus showing that he considers _hot_ as a substitute for the corresponding noun. Moreover adjectives, on their first appearance, are often used to make compound nouns in which the adjective meaning is lost. The child says, _Dem dood-doy_ for _James is a good boy_. _Dood-doy_ is really one word, and is rather a noun than an adjective. This explains why it is that in African tongues simple adjectives are very few. In the Yao language, adjectives being so unimportant, have no inflexion for comparison. _Articles_ are entirely dispensed with by children. _Look at the man_, _look at a man_, are both rendered _ook man_. _Pronouns_ are not easily understood at first. A child hears the words, _Come, and I will bathe you_: by and by he asks for his _bathe yow_, _bathe-you_ being understood as a single word, which he construes as a noun. It is long before he says _I did it_; he says _James did it_ instead. Also for _my boot_ he says _Dem toot_ (James’ boot). Indeed, the interrogative pronoun _who_ seems to be understood before the personal pronouns. _Relative pronouns_ come very much later. Hence in African tongues they are poorly represented. They resemble conjunctions, and are introduced into the vocabulary of childhood, we believe, even later than they. _Verbs._—Children are fond of viewing a complex phenomenon as an action. When we tell a child to look at the men tying on a sail, we call forth the expression _tat tying on_ for _that is a tying on_. The subject and object are thus ignored in comparison with the action itself. So in African tongues the verb is of overwhelming importance. Besides the imperative, one part of the verb frequently used in childhood is the participle: as _James eating food_ for _James is eating his food_. The _eating_ is used as a noun or an infinitive. The infinitive is largely used in Yao to express action in general, and the indicative mood is formed from it. _Adverbs_ are by children often used as imperatives, as _quick!_ (Adverbs of place as well as demonstrative adjectives are soon used in company with vocal gestures.) Negation is early expressed by putting _no_ before verbs or nouns, as, _Doto no go_, for _the doctor did not go_, _no home_, for _we will not go home_.