In the teaching of Indian languages much confusion is caused by the invention of names for ideas which either have well known names already, or do not require any name. This makes otherwise useful grammatical notes very obscure, and causes actual unfairness in examinations because candidates are often unfamiliar with the terms employed. We should avoid attaching labels to the words, constructions, and phrases of the language we are teaching, and when a name is necessary it should be one already known from English or Latin.

I take a few illustrations at random from Platts's Grammar. Under verbs we find acquisitives, potentials, inceptives, permissives, completives, desideratives, continuatives, frequentatives, staticals, and reiteratives. It will hardly be believed that most of these names have been coined to indicate one or, at the most, two words. Thus acquisitives means pānā alone; potential means saknā; inceptive, lagnā; permissive, denā; completive, cuknā; desiderative, cāhnā (and magna !); continuative, jānā and rahnā; so far we have had seven unnecesary and, for the most part, uncouth names to indicate eight or nine words, nearly one special name per word.