thunderbolt may have been, smashing, grinding, hurling; and with the addition of the suffix, smashing here, now, there, then. We have seen that the attribute which was the peculiar characteristic of an object supplied its name, but as most objects possessed more than one attribute, more than one designation were given to it; thus several names were used for river besides _sarit_, each representing one of its aspects; when flowing in a straight line it was called _sîrâ_, arrow, plough, plougher; if it seemed to nourish the fields it was _mâtar_, mother; if it separated or protected one country from another, it became _sindhu_, the defender, from _sidh_ or _sedhati_, to keep off; if it became a torrent it received the name of _nadi_, noisy. In all these forms the river is considered as acting, and is named by roots expressing action; it nourishes, it traces a furrow, it guards, it roars as a wild beast roars. The sun has many attributes; he is brilliant, the warmer, the generator, the scorcher, he is vivifying, overpowering, his many qualities giving him fifty different names, all synonyms of the sun. The earth also had many, it was known by twenty-one names, amongst others it was _urvî_, wide; _jurithvî_, broad; _mahî_, great; but each characteristic trait of the earth could also be found in other objects, thus _urivî_ also meant a river; sky and dawn were called _prithvî_; and _mahî_ (great, strong) is used for cow and speech. Hence earth, river, sky, dawn, cow, and speech would become homonyms. These names are of clearly defined objects, all recognisable by the senses; this fact entitles us to apply the following definition to this primitive stage of language; the conscious expression of impressions perceived by the senses.