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diff --git a/28436-0.txt b/28436-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..82f13db --- /dev/null +++ b/28436-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,14325 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Handbook of the English Language, by +Robert Gordon Latham + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: A Handbook of the English Language + +Author: Robert Gordon Latham + +Release Date: March 29, 2009 [EBook #28436] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HANDBOOK OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE *** + + + + +Produced by Colin Bell, Keith Edkins and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + + + + +Transcriber's note: A few typographical errors have been corrected: they +are listed at the end of the text. + +This file is best viewed in an environment supporting the Greek-extended +range of characters. + + * * * * * + + +A HAND-BOOK + + + +OF + + + +THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, + + + +FOR THE USE OF + + + +STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITIES AND +HIGHER CLASSES OF SCHOOLS. + + + + + +BY + +R. G. LATHAM, M.D., F.R.S., + +LATE PROFESSOR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE, +UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON. + + + + + + + +NEW-YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY. M.DCCC.LXIV. + + * * * * * + + +CONTENTS. + + * * * * * + + PART I. + + GENERAL ETHNOLOGICAL RELATIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + + CHAPTER I. + + GERMANIC ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.--DATE. + + SECTION PAGE + + 1. English language not British 1 + 2. Real origin German 1 + 3. Accredited immigrations and settlements 2 + 4, 5. Criticism 4, 5 + + CHAPTER II. + + GERMANIC ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.--THE GERMANIC AREA OF THE + PARTICULAR GERMANS WHO INTRODUCED IT.--EXTRACT FROM BEDA. + + 6, 7. Jutes, Angles, and Saxons 6 + 8, 9. Extract from Beda 6, 7 + 10-13. Criticism 8-11 + 14, 15. Angles 11, 12 + 16. Saxons of Beda 12, 13 + 17. Anglo-Saxon area 13 + 18, 19. The Frisians 13, 14 + 20. Anglo-Saxon area 14 + + CHAPTER III. + + OF THE DIALECTS OF THE SAXON AREA, AND OF THE SO-CALLED OLD SAXON. + + 21-29. Old Saxon and Anglo-Saxon 16, 17 + + CHAPTER IV. + + AFFINITIES OF THE ENGLISH WITH THE LANGUAGES OF GERMANY AND SCANDINAVIA. + + 30, 31. Gothic languages 18 + 32-34. Divisions of the Gothic stock 18 + 35. Mœso-Gothic 19 + 36. Old High German 19 + 37. Low German 19 + 38. Frisian and Dutch 19 + 39. Platt-Deutsch 20 + 40, 41. Comparison 21-23 + + CHAPTER V. + + ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.--GERMANIC ELEMENTS.--THE ANGLES. + + 42. Analysis 24 + 43-54. Angles--their relations 24-28 + 55, 56. The Frisians 29, 30 + + CHAPTER VI. + + THE CELTIC STOCK OF LANGUAGES AND THEIR RELATIONS TO THE ENGLISH. + + 57. Branches of the Celtic stock 31 + 58-60. Structure of Celtic tongues 31-33 + 61-63. The Picts 33-35 + + CHAPTER VII. + + THE ANGLO-NORMAN, AND THE LANGUAGE OF THE CLASSICAL STOCK. + + 64. The classical languages 36 + 65-67. Latin branch 36-40 + 68, 69. Norman French 40, 41 + + PART II. + + HISTORY AND ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + + CHAPTER I. + + HISTORICAL AND LOGICAL ELEMENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + + 70. Celtic elements 45 + 71. Latin of first period 46 + 72. Anglo-Saxon 47 + 73. Danish or Norse 47 + 74. Roman of second period 49 + 75. Anglo-Norman element 49 + 76. Indirect Scandinavian elements 50 + 77. Latin of third period 51 + 78. Latin of fourth period 51 + 79. Greek 52 + 80-82. Tables 53-55 + 83-90. Miscellaneous elements 55-60 + 91-94. Hybridism and new words 60-62 + 95. Historical and logical analysis 63 + + CHAPTER II. + + THE RELATION OF THE ENGLISH TO THE ANGLO-SAXON, AND THE STAGES OF THE + ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + + 96. Ancient and modern tongues 64 + 97. Details 65-68 + 98. Stages of the English language 68 + 99. Semi-Saxon 69 + 100-103. _Old_ English, &c. 70-72 + 104. Present tendencies 73 + + PART III. + + SOUNDS, LETTERS, PRONUNCIATION, SPELLING. + + CHAPTER I. + + GENERAL NATURE AND CERTAIN PROPERTIES OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS. + + 105. Spelling and speaking 77 + 106. Sounds and syllables 79 + 107. Vowels 79 + 108. Divisions 80 + 109. Sharp and flat sounds 80 + 110. Continuous and explosive 80 + 111. General statements 81 + 112. The sound of h 81 + + CHAPTER II. + + SYSTEM OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS. + + 113. Certain foreign sounds 82 + 114. System of mutes 82 + 115. Lenes and aspirates 83 + 116. Fourfold character of mutes 84 + 117. Y and w 84 + 118, 119. Diphthongs 84 + 120. Compound sounds 85 + 121. Ng 85 + 122, 123. Broad, slender; long, short; + dependent, independent vowels 85, 86 + 124-126. System of sounds 86, 87 + + CHAPTER III. + + OF CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS. + + 127. Sharp and flat mutes 88 + 128. Unstable combinations 89 + 129. Effect of y 89 + 130, 131. Double consonants rare 89 + 132. True aspirates rare 90 + + CHAPTER IV. + + EUPHONY AND THE PERMUTATION OF LETTERS. + + 133. Euphony 92 + 134. Permutation 93 + + CHAPTER V. + + ON THE FORMATION OF SYLLABLES. + + 135. Syllabification 95-97 + + CHAPTER VI. + + ON QUANTITY. + + 136. Long and short sounds 98 + 137. Quantity of vowels--of syllables 98 + 138. Classical and English measurements 99 + + CHAPTER VII. + + ON ACCENT. + + 139. Place of accents 101 + 140. Distinctive accents 101 + 141. Emphasis 102 + + CHAPTER VIII. + + ORTHOGRAPHY. + + 142. Orthoepy 103 + 143-146. Principle of an alphabet 103-105 + 147. Violations of it 105 + 148. Rules 107 + 149-151. Details of English 107-109 + 152. Insufficiency 109 + 153. Inconsistency 109 + 154. Erroneousness 110 + 155. Redundancy 110 + 156. Unsteadiness 110 + 157. Other defects 111 + 158. Historical propriety 113 + 159. Conventional spelling 113 + + CHAPTER IX. + + HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE ENGLISH ALPHABET. + + 160-166. Phœnician, Greek, Roman stages 116-124 + 166-172. Anglo-Saxon alphabet 124-126 + 173. Anglo-Norman alphabet 126 + 174. Extract from _Ormulum_ 127 + 175. Order of alphabet 128 + + PART IV. + + ETYMOLOGY. + + CHAPTER I. + + ON THE PROVINCE OF ETYMOLOGY. + + 176-179. Meaning of term 131-133 + + CHAPTER II. + + ON GENDER. + + 180. _Boy_ and _girl_ 134 + 181. _Man-servant_ and _maid-servant_ 134 + 182, 183. Forms like _genitrix_ 135 + 184. Forms like _domina_ 136 + 185-189. Genders in English 136, 137 + 190-192. _The sun in _his_ glory; the moon + in _her_ wane_ 138 + 193. Miscellaneous forms 139-142 + + CHAPTER III. + + THE NUMBERS. + + 194-197. Numbers in English 143, 144 + 198. Rule 145 + 199. Remarks 145 + 200. Addition of -es 146 + _Pence_, _alms_, &c. 147 + _Mathematics_ 147 + 201. _Children_ 149 + 202. Form in -en 150 + 203. _Men_, _feet_, &c. 150 + 204. _Brethren_, &c. 150 + 205. _Houses_ 152 + 206. _Wives_, &c. 152 + + CHAPTER IV. + + ON THE CASES. + + 207-211. Nature of cases 154-156 + 212. Accusatives 156 + 213. Datives 157 + 214. Genitives 157 + 215. Instrumental 158 + _All the better_ 158, 159 + 216. Determination of cases 159 + 217. Analysis of cases 160 + 218. Form in -s 160 + + CHAPTER V. + + THE PERSONAL PRONOUNS. + + 219, 220. _I_, _we_, _us_, &c. 162 + 221. _You_ 162 + 222. _Me_ 163 + 223-225. Cautions 163, 164 + + CHAPTER VI. + + ON THE TRUE REFLECTIVE PRONOUN IN THE GOTHIC LANGUAGES, AND ON ITS + ABSENCE IN ENGLISH. + + 226. How far found in English 165 + + CHAPTER VII. + + THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS, ETC. + + 227. _He_, _she_, _it_ 166 + 228. _She_ 166 + 229. _Her_, _him_, _his_, _its_, &c. 167 + 230. _Theirs_ 167 + 231. Table 168 + 232. _These_ 169 + 233. _Those_ 171 + + CHAPTER VIII. + + THE RELATIVE, INTERROGATIVE, AND CERTAIN OTHER PRONOUNS. + + 234. _Who_, _what_, &c. 173 + 235. _Same_, &c. 173 + 236. _Other_, _whether_ 177 + + CHAPTER IX. + + ON CERTAIN FORMS IN -ER. + + 237-239. Idea expressed by -er 179-181 + + CHAPTER X. + + THE COMPARATIVE DEGREE. + + 240. Form in -s 182 + 241. _Elder_, &c. 183 + 242. _Rather_ 183 + 243, 244. Excess of expression 183 + 245-247. _Better_ 183-185 + 248. _Worse_ 185 + 249. _More_ 185 + 250. _Less_ 185 + 251-253. _Near_, &c. 186 + 254. Origin of superlative 186 + + CHAPTER XI. + + THE SUPERLATIVE DEGREE. + + 255, 256. _Former_ 188 + 257. _Nearest_ 188 + 258. _Next_ 188 + 259, 260. _Upmost_, &c. 189, 190 + + CHAPTER XII. + + THE CARDINAL NUMBERS. + + 261. How far undeclined 191 + + CHAPTER XIII. + + THE ORDINAL NUMBERS. + + 262-264. _Seven_, _nine_, _ten_ 192 + 265, 266. _Thirteen_, _thirty_ 193 + + CHAPTER XIV. + + THE ARTICLES. + + 267. _A_, _an_, _the_ 194 + + CHAPTER XV. + + DIMINUTIVES, AUGMENTATIVES, AND PATRONYMICS. + + 268-270. Diminutives 197-199 + 271. Augmentatives 200 + 272. Patronymics 200, 201 + + CHAPTER XVI. + + GENTILE FORMS. + + 273. _Wales_ 202 + + CHAPTER XVII. + + ON THE CONNEXION BETWEEN THE NOUN AND VERB, AND ON THE INFLECTION OF THE + INFINITIVE MOOD. + + 274-281. The verb, how far a noun 203-206 + + CHAPTER XVIII. + + ON DERIVED VERBS. + + 282. Divisions of verbs 207 + 282. Derivation 208, 209 + + CHAPTER XIX. + + ON THE PERSONS. + + 283. Persons in English 210 + 284, 285. Historical view 211 + 286. Form in -t 212 + 287. _Thou spakest_, &c. 212 + 288. _We loves_ 213 + + CHAPTER XX. + + ON THE NUMBERS OF VERBS. + + 289. Numbers in English 214 + 290. _Ran_, _run_, &c. 215 + + CHAPTER XXI. + + ON MOODS. + + 291-292. Moods in English 216 + + CHAPTER XXII. + + ON TENSES IN GENERAL. + + 293. _Strike_, _struck_ 217 + 294-296. Ἔτυπτον, &c. 217, 218 + 297. Reduplication 219 + 298. _Weak_ or _strong_ 220 + + CHAPTER XXIII. + + THE STRONG TENSES. + + 299. _Sing_, _sang_, _sung_ 221 + 300-303. Tables 222-225 + + CHAPTER XXIV. + + THE WEAK TENSES. + + 304. _Stabbed_, &c. 226 + 305-307. Divisions 227, 228 + 309. _Bought_, _sought_ 228 + 309. Forms in -te and -ode 229 + 310-312. _Bred_, _beat_, &c. 230 + 313. _Leave_, _left_ 231 + 314. _Made_, _had_ 231 + 314. _Would_, _should_, _could_ 231 + 315. _Aught_ 231 + 316. _Durst_, _must_, &c. 232 + 317. _This will do_ 233 + 318. _Mind_ 234 + 319. _Yode_ 234 + 320. _Did_ 234 + + CHAPTER XXV. + + ON CONJUGATION. + + 321, 322. Weak and strong conjugations natural + 235-237 + + CHAPTER XXVI. + + DEFECTIVENESS AND IRREGULARITY. + + 323-325. Irregularity 238 + 326. Vital and obsolete processes 240 + 327. Processes of necessity, &c. 241 + 328. Ordinary processes 241 + 329. Positive 242 + 330. Normal 242 + 331. _Could_ 243 + 332. _Quoth_ 244 + 333. Real irregular verbs few 244 + + CHAPTER XXVII. + + THE IMPERSONAL VERBS. + + 334, 335. _Me-seems_, _me-listeth_ 246 + + CHAPTER XXVIII. + + THE VERB SUBSTANTIVE. + + 336. Not irregular 247 + 337. _Was_ 247 + 338-341. _Be_ 248, 249 + 342. _An_ 249 + 343. _Worth_ 250 + + CHAPTER XXIX. + + THE PRESENT PARTICIPLE. + + 344. Forms in -ing 251 + 345. Forms in -ung 252 + + CHAPTER XXX. + + THE PAST PARTICIPLE. + + 346. Forms in -en 254 + 347, 348. _Drunken_ 254 + 349. _Forlorn_ 255 + 350. Forms in -ed 255 + 351. The prefix Y 256 + + CHAPTER XXXI. + + COMPOSITION. + + 352-357. Nature of compounds 258-261 + 358-361. Accent 261-266 + 362. Obscure compounds 266 + 363-365. Exceptions 266, 267, 268 + 366. _Peacock_, _peahen_ 269 + 367. _Nightingale_ 269 + 368. Improper compounds 270 + 369. Decomposites 270 + 370. Combinations 270, 271 + + CHAPTER XXXII. + + ON DERIVATION AND INFLECTION. + + 371-373. Their nature 272-275 + + CHAPTER XXXIII. + + ADVERBS. + + 374, 375. Their division 276 + 376-379. Adverbs of deflection 277 + 380. _Darkling_ 278 + + CHAPTER XXXIV. + + ON CERTAIN ADVERBS OF PLACE. + + 381-384. _Hither_, _thither_, &c 279 + 385. _Hence_, &c. 280 + 386. _Yonder_ 280 + 387. _Anon_ 281 + + CHAPTER XXXV. + + ON WHEN, THEN, AND THAN. + + 388, 389. Their origin 282 + + CHAPTER XXXVI. + + PREPOSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS. + + 390. Prepositions 283 + 391. Conjunctions 283 + 392. _Yes_, _No_ 283 + 393. Particles 283 + + CHAPTER XXXVII. + + ON THE GRAMMATICAL POSITION OF THE WORDS _mine_ AND _thine_. + + 394-407. Equivalent to _meus_ and _tuus_, rather than possessive + cases 284-290 + + CHAPTER XXXVIII. + + ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE WEAK PRÆTERITE. + + 408. Grimm's view 291 + 409, 410. Remarks of Dr. Trithen 291-293 + + PART V. + + SYNTAX. + + CHAPTER I. + + ON SYNTAX IN GENERAL. + + 411, 412. Syntax 294 + 413. Personification 294 + 414. Ellipsis 295 + 415. Pleonasm 295 + 416. Zeugma 295 + 417. _Pros to semainomenon_ 296 + 418. Apposition 296 + 419. Collectiveness 297 + 420. Reduction 297 + 421. Determination of part of speech 298 + 422-424. Convertibility 298, 299 + 425. _The Blacks of Africa_ 299 + 426. _None of your ifs_ 300 + 427. Convertible words numerous in English 300 + + CHAPTER II. + + SYNTAX OF SUBSTANTIVES. + + 428. _Rundell and Bridge's_ 301 + 429. _Right and left_ 301 + + CHAPTER III. + + SYNTAX OF ADJECTIVES. + + 430. Pleonasm 302 + 431. Collocation 302 + 432. Government 302 + 433. _More wise_, _wiser_ 303 + 434. _The _better_ of the two_ 304 + 435. Syntax of adjectives simple 304 + + CHAPTER IV. + + SYNTAX OF PRONOUNS. + + 436. Pleonasm 305 + 437. _Father's_, not _father his_ 305 + 438. Pleonasm and ellipses allied 306 + + CHAPTER V. + + THE TRUE PERSONAL PRONOUNS. + + 439. _Pronomen reverentiæ_ 307 + 440. _Dativus ethicus_ 307 + 441. Reflected pronoun 307 + 442. Reflected neuters 308 + 443. Equivocal reflective 308 + + CHAPTER VI. + + ON THE SYNTAX OF THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS, AND THE PRONOUNS OF THE + THIRD PERSON. + + 444, 445. _His_ and _its_ 310, 311 + + CHAPTER VII. + + ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WORD _self_. + + 446, 447. _Myself_, _himself_, &c. 312, 313 + + CHAPTER VIII. + + ON THE POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS. + + 448-451. _My_ and _mine_ 314-316 + + CHAPTER IX. + + THE RELATIVE PRONOUNS. + + 452-456. Their concord 317, 318 + 457. Ellipsis 318 + 458. Equivocal antecedent 319 + + CHAPTER X. + + ON THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN. + + 459, 460. Direct and oblique questions 320 + + CHAPTER XI. + + THE RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS. + + 461, 462. Their construction 322, 323 + + CHAPTER XII. + + THE INDETERMINATE PRONOUNS. + + 463-466. Use of _it_ 324, 325 + 467, 468. Use of _them_ 325 + + CHAPTER XX. + + ON THE TENSES. + + 486. Present 342 + 486, 487. Preterite 342 + + CHAPTER XXI. + + SYNTAX OF THE PERSONS OF VERBS. + + 488, 489. Their concord 344 + + CHAPTER XXII. + + ON THE VOICES OF VERBS. + + 490. _Hight_ 345 + + CHAPTER XXIII. + + ON THE AUXILIARY VERBS. + + 491. Their classification 346-348 + 492. _I have ridden_ 348 + 493. _I am to speak_ 351 + 494. _I am to blame_ 351 + 495. _I am beaten_ 351 + + CHAPTER XXIV. + + OF ADVERBS. + + 496, 497. Their syntax simple 353 + 498. Termination -ly 354 + 499. _To walk and ride_ 354 + 500. _From whence_, &c. 354, 355 + + CHAPTER XXV. + + ON PREPOSITIONS. + + 501. _Climb up a tree_ 356 + 502. _Part of the body_ 356 + + CHAPTER XXVI. + + ON CONJUNCTIONS. + + 503, 504. Their nature 357-359 + 505. Their government 359 + 506-511. The subjunctive mood 359-364 + 512. Use of _that_ 364 + 513. Succession of tenses 364 + 514. Disjunctives 365 + + CHAPTER XXVII. + + THE SYNTAX OF THE NEGATIVE. + + 515. Its place 366 + 516. Its distribution 366 + 517. Two negatives 367 + 518. Questions of appeal 367 + + CHAPTER XXVIII. + + ON THE CASE ABSOLUTE. + + 519. Its participial character 369 + + PART VI. + + PROSODY. + + 520. Derivation of the word 371 + 521, 522. Importance of accent 371 + 523-526. Measures 372, 373 + 527. Metrical notation 374 + 528-535. Rhyme 374-377 + 536. Blank verse 377 + 537, 538. Last syllable indifferent 378 + 539, 540. Names of common English metres 379-384 + + PART VII. + + DIALECTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + + 541. Saxons and Angles 385 + 542-544. Dialects not coincident 385, 386 + 545, 546. Traces of the Danes 386, 387 + 547 Mercian origin of the written English 387 + + NOTES 393 + + * * * * * + + +AN INTRODUCTION + +TO THE STUDY OF + +THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + + * * * * * + +PART I. + +GENERAL ETHNOLOGICAL RELATIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + + * * * * * + +CHAPTER I. + +GERMANIC ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.--DATE. + +§ 1. The first point to be remembered in the history of the English +language, is that it was not the primitive and original tongue of any of +the British Islands, nor yet of any portion of them. Indeed, of the _whole_ +of Great Britain it is not the language at the present moment. Welsh is +spoken in Wales, Manks in the Isle of Man, and Scotch Gaelic in the +Highlands of Scotland; besides which there is the Irish Gaelic in Ireland. + +§ 2. The next point to be considered is the real origin and the real +affinities of the English language. + +Its _real_ origin is on the continent of Europe, and its _real_ affinities +are with certain languages there spoken. To speak more specifically, the +native country of the English language is _Germany_; and the _Germanic_ +languages are those that are the most closely connected with our own. In +Germany, languages and dialects allied to each other and allied to the +mother-tongue of the English have been spoken from times anterior to +history; and these, for most purposes of philology, may be considered as +the aboriginal languages and dialects of that country. + +§ 3. _Accredited details of the different immigrations from Germany into +Britain._--Until lately the details of the different Germanic invasions of +England, both in respect to the particular tribes by which they were made, +and the order in which they succeeded each other, were received with but +little doubt, and as little criticism. + +Respecting the tribes by which they were made, the current opinion was, +that they were chiefly, if not exclusively, those of the Jutes, the Saxons, +and the Angles. + +The particular chieftains that headed each descent were also supposed to be +known, as well as the different localities upon which they descended.[1] +These were as follows:-- + +_First settlement of invaders from Germany._--The account of this gives us +A.D. 449 for the first permanent Germanic tribes settled in Britain. +Ebbsfleet, in the Isle of Thanet, was the spot where they landed; and the +particular name that these tribes gave themselves was that of _Jutes_. +Their leaders were Hengist and Horsa. Six years after their landing they +had established the kingdom of Kent; so that the county of Kent was the +first district where the original British was superseded by the +mother-tongue of the present English, introduced from Germany. + +_Second settlement of invaders from Germany._--A.D. 477 invaders from +Northern Germany made the second permanent settlement in Britain. The coast +of Sussex was the spot whereon they landed. The particular name that these +tribes gave themselves was that of _Saxons_. Their leader was Ella. They +established the kingdom of the South Saxons (Sussex or Suð-Seaxe); so that +the county of Sussex was the second district where the original British was +superseded by the mother-tongue of the present English, introduced from +Germany. + +_Third settlement of invaders from Germany._--A.D. 495 invaders from +Northern Germany made the third permanent settlement in Britain. The coast +of Hampshire was the spot whereon they landed. Like the invaders last +mentioned, these tribes were Saxons. Their leader was Cerdic. They +established the kingdom of the West Saxons (Wessex or West-Seaxe); so that +the county of Hants was the third district where the original British was +superseded by the mother-tongue of the present English, introduced from +Germany. + +_Fourth settlement of invaders from Germany._--A.D. 530, certain Saxons +landed in Essex, so that the county of Essex [East-Seaxe] was the fourth +district where the original British was superseded by the mother-tongue of +the present English, introduced from Northern Germany. + +_Fifth settlement of invaders from Germany._--These were _Angles_ in +Norfolk and Suffolk. The precise date of this settlement is not known. The +fifth district where the original British was superseded by the +mother-tongue of the present English was the counties of Norfolk and +Suffolk; the particular dialect introduced being that of the _Angles_. + +_Sixth settlement of invaders from Germany._--A.D. 547 invaders from +Northern Germany made the sixth permanent settlement in Britain. The +southeastern counties of Scotland, between the rivers Tweed and Forth, were +the districts where they landed. They were of the tribe of the Angles, and +their leader was Ida. The south-eastern parts of Scotland constituted the +sixth district where the original British was superseded by the +mother-tongue of the present English, introduced from Northern Germany, + +§ 4. It would be satisfactory if these details rested upon contemporary +evidence. This, however, is far from being the case. + +1. _The evidence to the details just given, is not historical, but +traditional._--a. Beda,[2] from whom it is chiefly taken, wrote nearly 300 +years after the supposed event, i.e., the landing of Hengist and Horsa, in +A.D. 449. + +b. The nearest approach to a contemporary author is Gildas,[3] and _he_ +wrote full 100 years after it. + +2. _The account of Hengist's and Horsa's landing, has elements which are +fictional rather than historical_--a. Thus "when we find Hengist and Horsa +approaching the coasts of Kent in three keels, and Ælli effecting a landing +in Sussex with the same number, we are reminded of the Gothic tradition +which carries a migration of Ostrogoths,[4] Visigoths, and Gepidæ, also in +three vessels, to the mouth of the Vistula."--Kemble, "Saxons in England." + +b. The murder of the British chieftains by Hengist is told _totidem +verbis_, by Widukind[5] and others, of the Old Saxons in Thuringia. + +c. Geoffry of Monmouth[6] relates also, how "Hengist obtained from the +Britons as much land as could be enclosed by an ox-hide; then, cutting the +hide into thongs, enclosed a much larger space than the granters intended, +on which he erected Thong Castle--a tale too familiar to need illustration, +and which runs throughout the mythus of many nations. Among the Old Saxons, +the tradition is in reality the same, though recorded with a slight variety +of detail. In their story, a lapfull of earth is purchased at a dear rate +from a Thuringian; the companions of the Saxon jeer him for his imprudent +bargain; but he sows the purchased earth upon a large space of ground, +which he claims, and, by the aid of his comrades, ultimately wrests it from +the Thuringians."--Kemble, "Saxons in England." + +3. _There is direct evidence in favour of their having been German tribes +in England anterior to_ A.D. 447.--a. At the close of the Marcomannic +war,[7] Marcus Antoninus transplanted a number of Germans into Britain. + +b. Alemannic auxiliaries served along with Roman legions under +Valentinian.[8] + +c. _The Notitia utriusque Imperii_,[9] of which the latest date is half a +century earlier than the epoch of Hengist, mentions, as an officer of +state, the _Comes littoris Saxonici per Britannias_; his government +extending along the coast from Portsmouth to the Wash. + +§ 5. _Inference._--As it is nearly certain, that 449 A.D. is _not_ the date +of the first introduction of German tribes into Britain, we must consider +that the displacement of the original British began at an _earlier_ period +than the one usually admitted, and, consequently, that it was more +_gradual_ than is usually supposed. + +Perhaps, if we substitute the middle of the _fourth_, instead of the middle +of the _fifth_ century, as the epoch of the Germanic immigrations into +Britain, we shall not be far from the truth. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER II. + +GERMANIC ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.--THE GERMANIC AREA OF THE +PARTICULAR GERMANS WHO INTRODUCED IT.--EXTRACT FROM BEDA. + +§ 6. Out of the numerous tribes and nations of Germany, _three_ have been +more especially mentioned as the chief, if not the exclusive, sources of +the present English population of Great Britain. These are the _Jutes_, the +_Saxons_, and the _Angles_. + +§ 7. Now, it is by no means certain that this was the case. On the +contrary, good reasons can be given for believing that the Angles and +Saxons were the same people, and that no such nation as the _Jutes_ ever +left Germany to settle in Great Britain. + +§ 8. The chief authority for the division of the German invaders into the +three nations just mentioned is Beda; and the chief text is the following +extract from his "Ecclesiastical History." It requires particular +attention, and will form the basis of much criticism, and frequently be +referred to. + +"Advenerunt autem de tribus Germaniæ populis fortioribus, id est Saxonibus, +Anglis, Jutis. De Jutarum origine sunt Cantuarii, et Victuarii, hoc est ea +gens quæ Vectam tenet insulam et ea quæ usque hodie in provincia +Occidentalium Saxonum Jutarum natio nominatur, posita contra ipsam insulam +Vectam. De Saxonibus, id est, ea regione quæ nunc Antiquorum Saxonum +cognominatur, venere Orientales Saxones, Meridiani Saxones, Occidui +Saxones. Porro de Anglis hoc est de illa patria quæ Angulus dicitur, et ab +illo tempore usque hodie manere desertus inter provincias Jutarum et +Saxonum perhibetur, Orientales Angli, Mediterranei Angli, Merci, tota +Northanhymbrorum progenies, id est illarum gentium quæ ad Boream Humbri +fluminis inhabitant, cæterique Anglorum populi sunt orti"--"Historia +Ecclesiastica," i. 15. + +§ 9. This was written about A.D. 731, 131 years after the introduction of +Christianity, and nearly 300 after the supposed landing of Hengist and +Horsa in A.D. 449. + +It is the first passage which contains the names of either the _Angles_ or +the _Jutes_. Gildas, who wrote more than 150 years earlier, mentions only +the _Saxons_--"ferocissimi illi nefandi nominis _Saxones_." + +It is, also, the passage which all subsequent writers have either +translated or adopted. Thus it re-appears in Alfred, and again in the Saxon +Chronicle.[10] + + "Of Jotum comon Cantware and Wihtware, þæt is seo mæiað þe nú eardaþ on + Wiht, and þæt cynn on West-Sexum ðe man gyt hæt Iútnacyun. Of + Eald-Seaxum comon Eást-Seaxan, and Suð-Seaxan and West-Seaxan. Of Angle + comon (se á siððan stód westig betwix Iútum and Seaxum) Eást-Engle, + Middel-Angle, Mearce, and ealle Norðymbra." + + From the Jutes came the inhabitants of Kent and of Wight, that is, the + race that now dwells in Wight, and that tribe amongst the West-Saxons + which is yet called the Jute tribe. From the Old-Saxons came the + East-Saxons, and South-Saxons, and West-Saxons. From the Angles, land + (which has since always stood waste betwixt the Jutes and Saxons) came + the East-Angles, Middle-Angles, Mercians, and all the Northumbrians. + +§ 10. A portion of these extracts will now be submitted to criticism; that +portion being the statement concerning the _Jutes_. + +The words _usque hodie--Jutarum natio nominatur_ constitute contemporary +and unexceptionable evidence to the existence of a people with a name like +that of the _Jutes_ in the time of Beda--or A.D. 731. + +The exact name is not so certain. The term _Jutnacyn_ from the Anglo-Saxon +Chronicle is in favour of the notion that it began with the sounds of j and +u, in other words that it was _Jut_. + +But the term _Geatum_, which we find in Alfred, favours the form in g +followed by ea. + +Thirdly, the forms _Wihtware_, and _Wihttan_, suggest the likelihood of the +name being _Wiht_. + +Lastly, there is a passage in Asserius[11] which gives us the form +_Gwith_--"Mater" (of Alfred the Great) "quoque ejusdem Osburgh nominabatur, +religiosa nimium fœmina, nobilis ingenio, nobilis et genere; quæ erat filia +Oslac famosi pincernæ Æthelwulf regis; qui Oslac Gothus erat natione, ortus +enim erat de Gothis et Jutis; de semine scilicet Stuf et Wihtgur, duorum +fratrum et etiam comitum, qui acceptâ potestate Vectis insulæ ab avunculo +suo Cerdic rege et Cynric filio suo, consobrino eorum, paucos Britones +ejusdem insulæ accolas, quos in eâ invenire potuerant, in loco qui dicitur, +_Gwithgaraburgh_ occiderunt, cæteri enim accolæ ejusdem insulæ ante sunt +occisi aut exules aufugerant."--Asserius, "De Gestis Alfredi Regis." + +Now, _Gwith-gara-burgh_ means the _burg_ or _town of_ the _With-ware_;[12] +these being, undoubtedly, no Germans at all, but the native Britons of the +Isle of Wight (Vectis), whose designation in Latin would be _Vecticolæ_ or +_Vectienses_. + +This being the case, how can they be descended from German or Danish +_Jutes_? and how can we reconcile the statement of Beda with that of Asser? + +§ 11. The answer to this will be given after another fact has been +considered. + +Precisely the same confusion between the sounds of w, j, g, io, eæ, u, and +i, which occurs with the so-called _Jutes_ of the Isle of Wight, occurs +with the Jutlanders of the peninsula of Jutland. The common forms are +_Jutland_, _Jute_, _Jutones_, and _Jutenses_, but they are not the only +ones. In A.D. 952, we find "Dania cismarina quam _Vitland_ incolæ +appellant."--"Annales Saxonici."[13] + +§ 12. Putting these facts together I adopt the evidence of Asser as to the +_Gwithware_ being British, and consider them as simple _Vecti-colæ_, or +inhabitants of the Isle of _Wight_. They are also the _Vectuarii_ of Beda, +the _Wihtware_ of the Saxon Chronicle, and the _Wihtsætan_ of Alfred. + +The Jutes of Hampshire--i.e., the "Jutarum natio--posita contra ipsam +insulam Vectam," and the _Jutnacyn_, I consider to have been the same; +except that they had left the Isle of Wight to settle on the opposite +coast; probably flying before their German conquerors, in which case they +would be the _exules_ of Asser. + +The statement of Beda, so opposed to that of Asser, I explain by supposing +that it arose out of an inaccurate inference drawn from the similarity of +the names of the Isle of Wight and the peninsula of Jutland, since we have +seen that in both cases, there was a similar confusion between the +syllables Jut- and Vit-. This is an error into which even a careful writer +might fall. That Beda had no authentic historical accounts of the conquest +of Britain, we know from his own statements in the Preface to his +Ecclesiastical History,[14] and that he partially tried to make up for the +want of them by inference is exceedingly likely. If so, what would be more +natural than for him to conclude that Jutes as well as Angles helped to +subdue the country. The fact itself was probable; besides which he saw at +one and the same time, in England _Vitæ_ (called also _Jutæ_), in immediate +contact with _Saxons_,[26] and on the continent _Jutæ_ (called also _Vitæ_) +in the neighborhood of Angles[27] and Saxons. Is it surprising that he +should connect them? + +§ 13. If the inhabitants of the Isle of Wight were really _Jutes_ from +_Jutland_, it is strange that there should be no traces of the difference +which existed, then as now, between them and the proper Anglo-Saxons--a +difference which was neither inconsiderable nor of a fleeting nature. + +The present Jutlanders are not Germans but Danes, and the Jutes of the time +of Beda were most probably the same. Those of the 11th century were +_certainly_ so, "Primi ad ostium Baltici Sinus in australi ripa versus nos +_Dani, quos Juthas appellant_, usque ad Sliam lacum habitant." Adamus +Bremensis,[15] "De Situ Daniæ" c. 221. Also, "Et prima pars Daniæ, quæ +Jutland dicitur, ad Egdoram[28] in Boream longitudine pretenditur ... in +eum angulum qui Windila dicitur, ubi Jutland finem habet," c. 208. + +At the time of Beda they must, according to the received traditions, have +been nearly 300 years in possession of the Isle of Wight, a locality as +favourable for the preservation of their peculiar manners and customs as +any in Great Britain, and a locality wherein we have no evidence of their +ever having been disturbed. Nevertheless, neither trace nor shadow of a +trace, either in early or modern times, has ever been discovered of their +separate nationality and language; a fact which stands in remarkable +contrast with the very numerous traces which the Danes of the 9th and 10th +century left behind them as evidence of their occupancy. + +§ 14. The words _England_ and _English_ are derived from the _Angles_ of +Beda. The words _Sussex_, _Essex_, _Middlesex_ and _Wessex_, from his +_Saxons_. No objection lies against this; indeed to deny that populations +called _Angle_ and _Saxon_ occupied _England_ and spoke the _Anglo-Saxon_ +language would display an unnecessary and unhealthy scepticism. The real +question concerning these two words consists in the relation which the +populations to which they were applied bore to each other. And this +question is a difficult one. Did the Angles speak one language, whilst the +Saxons spoke another? or did they both speak dialects of the same tongue? +Were these dialects slightly or widely different? Can we find traces of the +difference in any of the present provincial dialects? Are the idioms of one +country of Angle, whilst those of another are of Saxon origin? Was the +Angle more like the Danish language, whilst the Saxon approached the Dutch? +None of these questions can be answered at present. They have, however, +been asked for the sake of exhibiting the nature of the subject. + +§ 15. The extract from Beda requires further remarks. + +_The Angles of Beda._--The statement of Beda respecting the Angles, like +his statement concerning the Jutes, reappears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, +and in Alfred. + +Ethelweard[16] also adopts it:--"_Anglia vetus_ sita est inter Saxones et +Giotos, habens oppidum capitale quod sermone Saxonico _Sleswic_ nuncupatur, +secundum vero Danos _Hathaby_." + +Nevertheless, it is exceptionable and unsatisfactory; and like the previous +one, in all probability, an incorrect inference founded upon the +misinterpretation of a name. + +In the eighth century there _was_, and at the present moment there _is_, a +portion of the duchy of Sleswick called _Anglen_ or _the corner_. It is +really what its name denotes, a triangle of irregular shape, formed by the +Slie, the firth of Flensborg, and a line drawn from Flensborg to Sleswick. +It is just as Danish as the rest of the peninsula, and cannot be shown to +have been occupied by a Germanic population at all. Its area is less than +that of the county of Rutland, and by no means likely to have supplied such +a population as that of the Angles of England. The fact of its being a +desert at the time of Beda is credible; since it formed a sort of _March_ +or _Debatable Ground_ between the Saxons and Slavonians of Holstein, and +the Danes of Jutland. + +Now if we suppose that the real Angles of Germany were either so reduced in +numbers as to have become an obscure tribe, or so incorporated with other +populations as to have lost their independent existence, we can easily see +how the similarity of name, combined with the geographical contiguity of +Anglen to the Saxon frontier, might mislead even so good a writer as Beda, +into the notion that he had found the country of the _Angles_ in the +_Angulus_ (Anglen) of Sleswick. + +The true _Angles_ were the descendants of the _Angli_ of Tacitus. Who these +were will be investigated in §§ 47-54. + +§ 16. _The Saxons of Beda._--The Saxons of Beda reached from the country of +the Old Saxons[29] on the Lippe, in Westphalia, to that of the +Nordalbingian[30] Saxons between the Elbe and Eyder; and nearly, but not +quite, coincided with the present countries of Hanover, Oldenburg, +Westphalia, and part of Holstein. This we may call the _Saxon_, or (as +reasons will be given for considering that it nearly coincided with the +country of the Angles) the _Anglo-Saxon_ area. + +§ 17. _River-system and sea-board of the Anglo-Saxon area._--As the +invasion of England took place by sea, we must expect to find in the +invaders a maritime population. This leads to the consideration of the +physical character of that part of Germany which they occupied. And here +comes a remarkable and unexpected fact. The line of coast between the Rhine +and Elbe, the line which in reasoning _a priori_, we should fix upon as the +most likely tract for the bold seamen who wrested so large an island as +Great Britain from its original occupants (changing it from _Britain_ to +_England_), to have proceeded from, is _not_ the country of the +Anglo-Saxons. On the contrary, it is the country of a similar but different +section of the Germanic population, a section which has not received the +attention from the English historian which it deserves. The country in +question is the area of-- + +§ 18. _The Frisians._--At the present moment the language of the Dutch +province of Friesland is materially different from that of the other parts +of the kingdom of Holland. In other words it is not Dutch. Neither is it +German--although, of course, it resembles both languages. On the other +hand, it is more like the English than any other language or dialect in +Germany is. + +It is a language of considerable antiquity, and although at present it is +spoken by the country-people only, it possesses a considerable literature. +There is the _Middle_ Frisian of Gysbert Japicx,[17] and the _Old_ Frisian +of the Frisian Laws.[18] The older the specimen of the Frisian language +the more closely does it show its affinity to the English; hence the +earliest Frisian and the Anglo-Saxon are exceedingly alike. Nevertheless +they differ. + +§ 19. The Frisian was once spoken over a far greater area than at present. +It was the original language of almost all Holland. It was the language of +East Friesland to a late period. It was, probably, the language of the +ancient Chauci. At the present time (besides Friesland) it survives in +Heligoland, in the islands between the Ems and Weser, in part of Sleswick, +and in a few localities in Oldenburg and Westphalia. + +Hence it is probable that the original Frisian, extending to an uncertain +and irregular distance inland, lay between the Saxons and the sea, and +stretched from the Zuyder Zee to the Elbe; a fact which would leave to the +latter nation the lower Elbe and the Weser as their water-system: the +extent to which they were in direct contact with the ocean being less than +we are prepared to expect from their subsequent history. + +On the other hand the _a priori_ probabilities of there being Frisians as +well as Anglo-Saxons amongst the conquerors of Great Britain are +considerable.--See §§ 55, 56. + +§ 20. The Anglo-Saxon area coincided-- + +1. _Politically._--With the kingdom of Hanover, the duchy of Oldenburg, and +parts of Westphalia and Holstein. + +2. _Physically._--With the basin of the Weser. + +It was _certainly_ from the Anglo-Saxon, and _probably_ from a part of the +Frisian area that Great Britain was first invaded. + +This is as much as it is safe to say at present. The preceding chapter +investigated the _date_ of the Germanic migration into Britain; the present +has determined the _area_ from which it went forth. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER III. + +OF THE DIALECTS OF THE SAXON AREA, AND OF THE SO-CALLED OLD SAXON. + +§ 21. The area occupied by the Saxons of Germany has been investigated; and +it now remains to ask, how far the language of the occupants was absolutely +identical throughout, or how far it fell into dialects or sub-dialects. + +There were at least _two_ divisions of the Saxon; (1st) the Saxon of which +the extant specimens are of English origin, and (2nd), the Saxon of which +the extant specimens are of Continental origin. We will call these at +present the Saxon of England, and the Saxon of the Continent. + +§ 22. Respecting the Saxon of England and the Saxon of the Continent, there +is good reason for believing that the _first_ was spoken in the _northern_, +the _second_ in the _southern_ portion of the Saxon area, i.e., the one in +Hanover and the other in Westphalia, the probable boundaries between them +being the line of highlands between Osnaburg and Paderborn. + +§ 23. Respecting the Saxon of England and the Saxon of the Continent, there +is good reason for believing that, whilst the _former_ was the +mother-tongue of the Angles and the conquerors of England, the _latter_ was +that of the Cherusci of Arminius, the conquerors and the annihilators of +the legions of Varus.[19] + +§ 24. Respecting the Saxon of England and the Saxon of the Continent, it is +a fact that, whilst we have a full literature in the former, we have but +fragmentary specimens of the latter--these being chiefly the following: (1) +the Heliand,[20] (2) Hildubrand and Hathubrant,[21] (3) the Carolinian +Psalms.[22] + +§ 25. The preceding points have been predicated respecting the difference +between the two ascertained Saxon dialects, for the sake of preparing the +reader for the names by which they are known. + + THE SAXON OF THE CONTINENT THE SAXON OF ENGLAND + MAY BE CALLED MAY BE CALLED + + 1. Continental Saxon. Insular Saxon. + 2. German Saxon. English Saxon. + 3. Westphalian Saxon. Hanoverian Saxon. + 4. South Saxon. North Saxon. + 5. Cheruscan Saxon. Angle Saxon. + 6. Saxon of the Heliand. Saxon of Beowulf.[23] + +§ 26. The Saxon of England _is_ called Anglo-Saxon; a term against which no +exception can be raised. + +§ 27. The Saxon of the Continent _used_ to be called _Dano_-Saxon, and _is_ +called _Old_ Saxon. + +§ 28. _Why called Dano-Saxon._--When the poem called _Heliand_ was first +discovered in an English library, the difference in language between it and +the common Anglo-Saxon composition was accounted for by the assumption of a +_Danish_ intermixture. + +§ 29. _Why called _Old_ Saxon._ When the Continental origin of the +_Heliand_ was recognised, the language was called _Old_ Saxon, because it +represented the Saxon of the mother-country, the natives of which were +called _Old_ Saxons by the _Anglo_-Saxons themselves. Still the term is +exceptionable; as the Saxon of the Heliand is probably a _sister_-dialect +of the _Anglo_-Saxon, rather than the _Anglo_-Saxon itself in a Continental +locality. Exceptionable, however, as it is, it will be employed. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER IV. + +AFFINITIES OF THE ENGLISH WITH THE LANGUAGES OF GERMANY AND SCANDINAVIA. + +§ 30. Over and above those languages of Germany and Holland which were akin +to the dialects of the Anglo-Saxons, cognate languages were spoken in +Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and the Feroe isles, i.e., in +Scandinavia. + +§ 31. The general collective designation for the Germanic tongues of +Germany and Holland, and for the Scandinavian languages of Denmark, Sweden, +Norway, Iceland, and the Feroe Isles, is taken from the name of those +German tribes who, during the decline of the Roman Empire, were best known +to the Romans as the _Goths_; the term _Gothic_ for the Scandinavian and +Germanic languages, collectively, being both current and convenient. + +§ 32. Of this great _stock_ of languages the Scandinavian is one _branch_; +the Germanic, called also Teutonic, another. + +§ 33. The Scandinavian branch of the Gothic stock comprehends, 1. The +dialects of Scandinavia Proper, i.e., of Norway and Sweden; 2. of the +Danish isles and Jutland; 3. of Iceland; 4. of the Feroe Isles. + +§ 34. The Teutonic branch falls into three divisions:-- + + 1. The Mœso-Gothic. + 2. The High Germanic. + 3. The Low Germanic. + +§ 35. It is in the Mœso-Gothic that the most ancient specimen of any Gothic +tongue has been preserved. It is also the Mœso-Gothic that was spoken by +the conquerors of ancient Rome; by the subjects of Hermanric, Alaric, +Theodoric, Euric, Athanaric, and Totila. + +In the reign of Valens, when pressed by intestine wars, and by the +movements of the Huns, the Goths were assisted by that emperor, and settled +in the Roman province of Mœsia. + +Furthermore, they were converted to Christianity; and the Bible was +translated into their language by their Bishop Ulphilas. + +Fragments of this translation, chiefly from the Gospels, have come down to +the present time; and the Bible translation of the Arian Bishop Ulphilas, +in the language of the Goths of Mœsia, during the reign of Valens, exhibits +the earliest sample of any Gothic tongue. + +§ 36. The Old High German, called also Francic[24] and Alemannic,[25] was +spoken in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries, in Suabia, Bavaria, and +Franconia. + +The Middle High German ranges from the thirteenth century to the +Reformation. + +§ 37. The low Germanic division, to which the Anglo-Saxon belongs, is +currently said to comprise six languages, or rather four languages in +different stages. + + I. II.--The Anglo-Saxon and Modern English. + III. The Old Saxon. + IV. V.--The Old Frisian and Modern Dutch. + VI.--The Platt-Deutsch, or Low German. + +§ 38. _The Frisian and Dutch._--It is a current statement that the Old +Frisian bears the same relation to the Modern Dutch of Holland that the +Anglo-Saxon does to the English. + +The truer view of the question is as follows:-- + +1. That a single language, spoken in two dialects, was originally common to +both Holland and Friesland. + +2. That from the northern of these dialects we have the Modern Frisian of +Friesland. + +3. From the southern, the Modern Dutch of Holland. + +The reason of this refinement is as follows:-- + +The Modern Dutch has certain grammatical forms _older_ than those of the +old Frisian; e.g., the Dutch infinitives and the Dutch weak substantives, +in their oblique cases, end in -en; those of the Old Frisian in -a: the +form in -en being the older. + +The true Frisian is spoken in few and isolated localities. There is-- + +1. The Frisian of the Dutch state called Friesland. + +2. The Frisian of the parish of Saterland, in Westphalia. + +3. The Frisian of Heligoland. + +4. The North Frisian, spoken in a few villages of Sleswick. One of the +characters of the North Frisian is the possession of a dual number. + +In respect to its stages, we have the Old Frisian of the Asega-bog, the +Middle Frisian of Gysbert Japicx,[31] and the Modern Frisian of the present +Frieslanders, Westphalians, and Heligolanders. + +§ 39. _The Low German and Platt-Deutsch._--The words _Low-German_ are not +only lax in their application, but they are _equivocal_; since the term has +two meanings, a _general_ meaning when it signifies a division of the +Germanic languages, comprising English, Dutch, Anglo-Saxon, Old Saxon, and +Frisian, and a limited one when it means the particular dialects of the +Ems, the Weser, and the Elbe. To avoid this the dialects in question are +conveniently called by their continental name of _Platt-Deutsch_, just as +in England we say _Broad_ Scotch. + +§ 40. The most characteristic difference between the Saxon and Icelandic +(indeed between the Teutonic and Scandinavian tongues) lies in the peculiar +position of the definite article in the latter. In Saxon, the article +corresponding with the modern word _the_, is _þæt_, _se_, _seó_, for the +neuter, masculine, and feminine genders respectively; and these words, +regularly declined, are _prefixed_ to the words with which they agree, just +as is the case with the English and with the majority of languages. In +Icelandic, however, the article instead of preceding, _follows_ its noun, +_with which it coalesces_, having previously suffered a change in form. The +Icelandic article corresponding to _þæt_, _se_, _seó_, is _hitt_, _hinn_, +_hin_: from this the h is ejected, so that, instead of the regular +inflection (a), we have the forms (b). + + a. + + _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ + + _Sing. Nom._ Hitt Hinn Hin. + _Acc._ Hitt Hinn Hina. + _Dat._ Hinu Hinum Hinni. + _Gen._ Hins Hins Hinnar. + _Plur. Nom._ Hin Hinir Hinar. + _Acc._ Hin Hina Hinar. + _Dat._ Hinum Hinum Hinum. + _Gen._ Hinna Hinna Hinna. + + b. + + _Sing. Nom._ -it -inn -in. + _Acc._ -it -inn -ina (-na). + _Dat._ -nu -num -inni (-nni). + _Gen._ -ins -ins -innar (-nnar). + _Plur. Nom._ -in -nir -nar. + _Acc._ -in -na -nar. + _Dat._ -num -num -num. + _Gen._ -nna -nna -nna. + +Whence, as an affix, in composition, + + _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ + + _Sing. Nom._ Augat Boginn Túngan. + _Acc._ Augat Boginn Túnguna. + _Dat._ Auganu Boganum Túngunni. + _Gen._ Augans Bogans Túngunnar. + _Plur. Nom._ Augun Bogarnir Túngurnar. + _Acc._ Augun Bogana Túngurnar. + _Dat._ Augunum Bogunum Túngunum. + _Gen._ Augnanna Boganna Túngnanna. + +In the Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish this peculiarity in the position of +the definite article is preserved. Its origin, however, is concealed; and +an accidental identity with the indefinite article has led to false notions +respecting its nature. In the languages in point the i is changed into e, +so that what in Icelandic is it and in, is in Danish et and en. _En_, +however, as a separate word, is the numeral _one_, and also the indefinite +article _a_; whilst in the neuter gender it is _et_--en sol, _a sun_; et +bord, _a table_: solon, _the sun_; bordet, _the table_. From modern forms +like those just quoted, it has been imagined that the definite is merely +the indefinite article transposed. This it is not. + +To apply an expression of Mr. Cobbet's, _en_ = _a_, and -en = _the_, are +_the same combination of letters, but not the same word_. + +§ 41. Another characteristic of the Scandinavian language is the possession +of a _passive_ form, or a _passive_ voice, ending in -st:--_ek_, _þu_, +_hann brennist_ = _I am_, _thou art_, _he is burnt_; _ver brennumst_ = _we +are burnt_; _þér brennizt_ = _ye are burnt_; _þeir brennast_ = _they are +burnt_. Past tense, _ek_, _þu_, _hann brendist_; _ver brendumst_, _þér +brenduzt_, _þeir brendust_. Imperat.: _brenstu_ = _be thou burnt_. +Infinit.: _brennast_ = _to be burnt_. + +In the modern Danish and Swedish, the passive is still preserved, but +without the final t. In the _older_ stages of Icelandic, on the other hand, +the termination was not -st but -sc; which -sc grew out of the reflective +pronoun _sik_. With these phenomena the Scandinavian languages give us the +evolution and development of a passive voice; wherein we have the following +series of changes:--1. the reflective pronoun coalesces with the verb, +whilst the sense changes from that of a reflective to that of a middle +verb; 2. the c changes to t, whilst the middle sense passes into a passive +one; 3. t is dropped from the end of the word, and the expression that was +once reflective then becomes strictly passive. + +Now the Saxons have no passive voice at all. That they should have one +_originating_ like that of the Scandinavians was impossible, inasmuch as +they had no reflective pronoun, and, consequently, nothing to evolve it +from. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER V. + +ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.--GERMANIC ELEMENTS.--THE ANGLES. + +§ 42. The language of England has been formed out of three elements. + +a. Elements referable to the original British population, and derived from +times anterior to the Anglo-Saxon invasion. + +b. Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, or imported elements. + +c. Elements introduced since the Anglo-Saxon conquest. + +§ 43. Each of these requires a special analysis, but that of the second +will be taken first, and form the contents of the present chapter. + +All that we have at present learned concerning the Germanic invaders of +England, is the geographical area which they originally occupied. How far, +however, it was simple Saxons who conquered England single-handed, or how +far the particular Saxon Germans were portions of a complex population, +requires further investigation. Were the Saxons one division of the German +population, whilst the Angles were another? or were the Angles a section of +the Saxons, so that the latter was a generic term including the former? +Again, although the Saxon invasion may be the one which has had the +greatest influence, and drawn the most attention, why may there not have +been separate and independent migrations, the effects and record of which +have, in the lapse of time, become fused with those of the more important +divisions? + +§ 44. _The Angles; who were they? and what was their relation to the +Saxons?_--The first answer to this question embodies a great fact in the +way of internal evidence, viz., that they were the people from whom +_England_ derives the name it bears = _Angle land_, i.e., _land of the +Angles_. Our language too is _English_, i.e., _Angle_. Whatever, then, they +may have been on the Continent, they were a leading section of the invaders +here. Why then has their position in our inquiries been hitherto so +subordinate to that of the Saxons? It is because their importance and +preponderance are not so manifest in Germany as we infer them to have been +in Britain. Nay more, their historical place amongst the nations of +Germany, is both insignificant and uncertain; indeed, it will be seen from +the sequel, that _in and of themselves_ we know next to nothing about them, +knowing them only in their _relations_, i.e., to ourselves and to the +Saxons. + +§ 45. Although they are the section of the immigration which gave the name +to England, and, as such, the preponderating element in the eyes of the +present _English_, they were not so in the eyes of the original British; +who neither knew at the time of the Conquest, nor know now, of any other +name for their German enemies but _Saxon_. And _Saxon_ is the name by which +the present English are known to the Welsh, Armorican, and Gaelic Celts. + + Welsh _Saxon_. + Armorican _Soson_. + Gaelic _Sassenach_. + +§ 46. Although they are the section of the immigration which gave the name +to _England_, &c., they were quite as little Angles as Saxons in the eyes +of foreign cotemporary writers; since the expression _Saxoniæ transmarinæ_, +occurs as applied to England. + +§ 47. _Who were the Angles?_--Although they are the section of the +immigration which gave the name to _England_, &c., the notices of them as +Germans in Germany, are extremely limited. + +_Extract from Tacitus._--This merely connects them with certain other +tribes, and affirms the existence of certain religious ordinances common to +them:-- + +"Contra Langobardos paucitas nobilitat: plurimis ac valentissimis +nationibus cincti, non per obsequium sed prœliis et periclitando tuti sunt. +Reudigni deinde, et Aviones, et _Angli_, et Varini, et Eudoses, et +Suardones, et Nuithones, fluminibus aut silvis muniuntur: nec quidquam +notabile in singulis, nisi quod in commune Herthum, id est, Terram matrem +colunt, eamque intervenire rebus hominum, invehi populis, arbitrantur. Est +in insula Oceani Castum nemus, dicatumque in eo vehiculum, veste contectum, +attingere uni sacerdoti concessum. Is adesse penetrali deam intelligit, +vectamque bobus feminis multâ cum veneratione prosequitur. Læti tunc dies, +festa loca, quæcumque adventu hospitioque dignatur. Non bella ineunt, non +arma sumunt, clausum omne ferrum; pax et quies tunc tantùm nota, tunc +tantùm amata, donec idem sacerdos satiatam conversatione mortalium deam +templo reddat; mox vehiculum et vestes, et, si credere velis, numen ipsum +secreto lacu abluitur. Servi ministrant, quos statim idem lacus haurit. +Arcanus hinc terror, sanctaque ignorantia, quid sit id, quod tantùm +perituri vident."[32] + +_Extract from Ptolemy._--This connects the Angles with the _Suevi_, and +_Langobardi_, and places them on the Middle Elbe.--Ἐντὸς καὶ μεσογείων +ἐθνῶν μέγιστα μέν ἐστι τό τε τῶν Σουήβων τῶν Ἀγγειλῶν, οἵ εἰσιν +ἀνατολικώτεροι τῶν Λαγγοβάρδων, ἀνατείνοντες πρὸς τὰς ἄρκτους μέχρι τῶν +μέσων τοῦ Ἄλβιος ποταμοῦ. + +_Extract from Procopius._--For this see § 55. + +_Heading of a law referred to the age of Charlemagne._--This connects them +with the Werini (Varni) and the Thuringians--"Incipit lex _Angliorum_ et +_Werinorum_ hoc est _Thuringorum_." + +§ 48. These notices agree in giving the Angles a _German_ locality, and in +connecting them ethnologically, and philologically with the _Germans_ of +Germany. And such was, undoubtedly, the case. Nevertheless, it may be seen +from § 15 that a _Danish_ origin has been assigned to them. + +The exact Germanic affinities of the Angles are, how ever, difficult to +ascertain, since the tribes with which they are classed are differently +classed. This we shall see by asking the following questions:-- + +§ 49. What were the _Langobardi_, with whom the Angles were connected by +Tacitus? The most important fact to be known concerning them is, that the +general opinion is in favour of their having belonged to either the +_High_-German, or Mœso-Gothic division, rather than to the _Low_. + +§ 50. What were the _Suevi_, with whom the Angles were connected by +Tacitus? The most important fact to be known concerning them is, that the +general opinion is in favour of their having belonged to either the +_High_-German or Mœso-Gothic division rather than to the _Low_. + +§ 51. What were the _Werini_, with whom the Angles were connected in the +_Leges Anglorum et Werinorum_? Without having any particular _data_ for +connecting the Werini (Varni, Οὐάρνοι) with either the High-German, or the +Mœso-Gothic divisions, there are certain facts in favour of their being +_Slavonic_. + +§ 52. What were the _Thuringians_, with whom the Angles are connected in +the _Leges Anglorum_? Germanic in locality, and most probably allied to the +Goths of Mœsia in language. If not, High-Germans. + +§ 53. Of the Reudigni, Eudoses, Nuithones, Suardones, and Aviones, too +little is known in detail to make the details an inquiry of importance. + +§ 54. The reader has now got a general view of the extent to which the +position of the Angles, as a German tribe, is complicated by conflicting +statements; statements which connect them with (probably) _High_-German +Thuringians, Suevi, and Langobardi, and with (probably) _Slavonic_ Werini, +or Varni; whereas in England, they are scarcely distinguishable from the +_Low_-German Saxons. In the present state of our knowledge, the only safe +fact seems to be, that of the common relation of both _Angles_ and Saxons +to the present _English_ of England. + +This brings the two sections within a very close degree of affinity, and +makes it probable, that, just as at present, descendants of the Saxons are +English (_Angle_) in Britain, so, in the third and fourth centuries, +ancestors of the Angles were Saxons in Germany. Why, however, the one name +preponderated on the Continent, and the other in England is difficult to +ascertain. + +§ 55. The Frisians have been mentioned as a Germanic population _likely_ to +have joined in the invasion of Britain; the _presumption_ in favor of their +having done so arising from their geographical position. + +There is, however, something more than mere presumption upon this point. + +Archbishop Usher, amongst the earlier historians, and Mr. Kemble amongst +those of the present day, as well as other intermediate investigators, have +drawn attention to certain important notices of them. + +The main facts bearing upon this question are the following:-- + +1. Hengist, according to some traditions, was a Frisian hero. + +2. Procopius wrote as follows:--Βριττίαν δὲ τὴν νῆσον ἔθνη τρία +πολυανθρωπότατα ἔχουσι, βασιλεύς τε εἶς αὐτῶν ἑκάστῳ ἐφέστηκεν, ὀνόματα δὲ +κεῖται τοῖς ἔθνεσι τούτοις Ἀγγίλοι τε καὶ Φρίσσονες καὶ οἱ τῂ νήσῳ ὁμώνυμοι +Βρίττωνες. Τοσαύτη δὲ ἡ τῶνδε τῶν ἐθνῶν πολυανθρωπία φαίνεται οὖσα ὥστε ἀνὰ +πᾶν ἔτος κατὰ πολλοὺς ἐνθένδε μετανιστάμενοι ξὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ παισὶν ἐς +Φράγγους χώρουσιν.--Procop. B. G. iv. 20. + +3. In the Saxon Chronicle we find the following passage:--"That same year, +the armies from among the East-Anglians, and from among the +North-Humbrians, harassed the land of the West-Saxons chiefly, most of all +by their 'æscs,' which they had built many years before. Then king Alfred +commanded long ships to be built to oppose the æscs; they were full-nigh +twice as long as the others; some had sixty oars, and some had more; they +were both swifter and steadier, and also higher than the others. They were +shapen neither like the _Frisian_ nor the Danish, but so as it seemed to +him that they would be most efficient. Then some time in the same year, +there came six ships to Wight, and there did much harm, as well as in +Devon, and elsewhere along the sea coast. Then the king commanded nine of +the new ships to go thither, and they obstructed their passage from the +port towards the outer sea. Then went they with three of their ships out +against them; and three lay in the upper part of the port in the dry; the +men were gone from them ashore. Then took they two of the three ships at +the outer part of the port, and killed the men, and the other ship escaped; +in that also the men were killed except five; they got away because the +other ships were aground. They also were aground very disadvantageously, +three lay aground on that side of the deep on which the Danish ships were +aground, and all the rest upon the other side, so that no one of them could +get to the others. But when, the water had ebbed many furlongs from the +ships, then the Danish men went from their three ships to the other three +which were left by the tide on their side, and then they there fought +against them. There was slain Lucumon the king's reeve, and Wulfheard the +_Frisian_, and Æbbe the _Frisian_, and Æthelhere the _Frisian_, and +Æthelferth the king's 'geneat,' and of all the men, _Frisians_ and English, +seventy-two; and of the Danish men one hundred and twenty." + +§ 56. I believe then, that, so far from the current accounts being +absolutely correct, in respect to the Germanic elements of the English +population, the _Jutes_, as mentioned by Beda, formed _no_ part of it, +whilst the _Frisians_, _not_ so mentioned, _were a real constituent +therein_; besides which, there may, very easily, have been other Germanic +tribes, though in smaller proportions. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VI. + +THE CELTIC STOCK OF LANGUAGES, AND THEIR RELATIONS TO THE ENGLISH. + +§ 57. The languages of Great Britain at the invasion of Julius Cæsar were +of the Celtic stock. + +Of the Celtic stock there are two branches. + +1. The British or Cambrian branch, represented by the present Welsh, and +containing, besides, the Cornish of Cornwall (lately extinct), and the +Armorican of the French province of Brittany. It is almost certain that the +old British, the ancient language of Gaul, and the Pictish were of this +branch. + +2. The Gaelic or Erse branch, represented by the present Irish Gaelic, and +containing, besides, the Gaelic of the Highlands of Scotland and the Manks +of the Isle of Man. + +§ 58. Taken altogether the Celtic tongues form a very remarkable class. As +compared with those of the Gothic stock they are marked by the following +characteristics:-- + +_The scantiness of the declension of Celtic nouns._--In Irish there is a +peculiar form for the dative plural, as _cos_ = _foot_, _cos-aibh_ = _to +feet_ (ped-ibus); and beyond this there is nothing else whatever in the way +of _case_, as found in the German, Latin, Greek, and other tongues. Even +the isolated form in question is not found in the Welsh and Breton. Hence +the Celtic tongues are pre-eminently uninflected in the way of +_declension_. + +§ 59. The _agglutinate character of their verbal inflections_.--In Welsh +the pronouns for _we_, _ye_, and _they_, are _ni_, _chwyi_, and _hwynt_ +_respectively_. In Welsh also the root = _love_ is _car_. As conjugated in +the plural number this is-- + + car-wn = am-amus. + car-ych = am-atis. + car-ant = am-ant. + +Now the -wn, -ych, and -ant, of the persons of the verbs are the personal +pronouns, so that the inflection is really a verb and a pronoun in a state +of _agglutination_; i.e., in a state where the original separate existence +of the two sorts of words is still manifest. This is probably the case with +languages in general. The Celtic, however, has the peculiarity of +exhibiting it in an unmistakable manner; showing, as it were, an inflection +in the process of formation, and (as such) exhibiting an early stage of +language. + +§ 60. _The system of initial mutations._--The Celtic, as has been seen, is +deficient in the ordinary means of expressing case. How does it make up for +this? Even thus. The noun changes its initial letter according to its +relation to the other words of the sentence. Of course this is subject to +rule. As, however, I am only writing for the sake of illustrating in a +general way the peculiarities of the Celtic tongues, the following table, +from Prichard's "Eastern Origin of the Celtic Nations," is sufficient. + + Câr, _a kinsman_. + + 1. _form_, Câr agos, _a near kinsman_. + 2. Ei gâr, _his kinsman_. + 3. Ei châr, _her kinsman_. + 4. Vy nghâr, _my kinsman_. + + Tâd, _a father_. + + 1. _form_, Tâd y plentyn, _the child's father_. + 2. Ei dâd, _his father_. + 3. Ei thâd, _her father_. + 4. Vy nhâd, _my father_. + + Pen, _a head_. + + 1. _form_, Pen gwr, _the head of a man_. + 2. Ei ben, _his head_. + 3. Ei phen, _her head_. + 4. Vy mhen, _my head_. + + Gwas, _a servant_. + + 1. _form_, Gwâs fydhlon, _a faithful servant_. + 2. Ei wâs, _his servant_. + 3. Vy ngwas, _my servant_. + + Duw, _a god_. + + 1. _form_, Duw trugarog, _a merciful god_. + 2. Ei dhuw, _his god_. + 3. Vy nuw, _my god_. + + Bara, _bread_. + + 1. _form_, Bara cann, _white bread_. + 2. Ei vara, _his bread_. + 3. Vy mara, _my bread_. + + Lhaw, _a hand_. + + 1. _form_, Lhaw wenn, _a white hand_. + 2. Ei law, _his hand_. + + Mam, _a mother_. + + 1. _form_, Mam dirion, _a tender mother_. + 2. Ei vam, _his mother_. + + Rhwyd, _a net_. + + 1. _form_, Rhwyd lawn, _a full net_. + 2. Ei rwyd, _his net_. + + From the Erse. + + Súil, _an eye_. + + 1. _form_, Súil. + 2. A húil, his eye. + + Sláinte, _health_. + + 2. _form_, Do hláinte, _your health_. + +§ 61. The Celtic tongues have lately received especial illustration from +the researches of Mr. Garnett. Amongst others, the two following points are +particularly investigated by him:-- + +1. The affinities of the ancient language of Gaul. + +2. The affinities of the Pictish language or dialect. + +§ 62. _The ancient language of Gaul Cambrian._--The evidence in favour of +the ancient language of Gaul being Cambrian rather than Gaelic, lies in the +following facts:-- + +The old Gallic glosses are more Welsh than Gaelic. + +a. _Petorritum_ = _a four-wheeled carriage_, from the Welsh, _peder_ = +_four_, and _rhod_ = _a wheel_. The Gaelic for _four_ is _ceathair_, and +the Gaelic compound would have been different. + +b. _Pempedula_, the _cinque-foil_, from the Welsh _pump_ = _five_, and +_dalen_ = _a leaf_. The Gaelic for _five_ is _cuig_, and the Gaelic +compound would have been different. + +c. _Candetum_ = a measure of 100 feet, from the Welsh _cant_ = 100. The +Gaelic for _a hundred_ is _cead_, and the Gaelic compound would have been +different. + +d. _Epona_ = _the goddess of horses._ In the old Armorican the root _ep_ = +_horse_. The Gaelic for a horse is _each_. + +e. The evidence from the names of geographical localities in Gaul, both +ancient and modern, goes the same way: _Nantuates_, _Nantouin_, _Nanteuil_, +are derived from the Welsh _nant_ = _a valley_, a word unknown in Gaelic. + +f. The evidence of certain French provincial words, which are Welsh and +Armorican rather than Erse or Gaelic. + +§ 63. _The Pictish most probably Cambrian._--The evidence in favour of the +Pictish being Cambrian rather than Gaelic lies in the following facts: + +a. When St. Columbanus preached, whose mother-tongue was Irish Gaelic, he +used an interpreter. This shows the _difference_ between the Pict and +Gaelic. What follows shows the affinity between the Pict and Welsh. + +b. A manuscript in the Colbertine library contains a list of Pictish kings +from the fifth century downwards. These names are more Welsh than Gaelic. +_Taran_ = _thunder_ in Welsh. _Uven_ is the Welsh _Owen_. The first +syllable in _Talorg_ ( = _forehead_) is the _tal_ in _Talhaiarn_ = _iron +forehead_, _Taliessin_ = _splendid forehead_, Welsh names. _Wrgust_ is +nearer to the Welsh _Gwrgust_ than to the Irish _Fergus_. Finally, _Drust_, +_Drostan_, _Wrad_, _Necton_, closely resemble the Welsh _Trwst_, _Trwstan_, +_Gwriad_, _Nwython_. _Cineod_ and _Domhnall_ (_Kenneth_ and _Donnell_) are +the only true Erse forms in the list. + +c. The only Pictish common name extant is the well-known compound _pen +val_, which is, in the oldest MS. of Beda, _peann fahel_. This means _caput +valli_, and is the name for the eastern termination of the Vallum of +Antoninus. Herein _pen_ is unequivocally Welsh, meaning _head_. It is an +impossible form in Gaelic. _Fal_, on the other hand, is apparently Gaelic, +the Welsh for a _rampart_ being _gwall_. _Fal_, however, occurs in Welsh +also, and means _inclosure_. + +The evidence just indicated is rendered nearly conclusive by an +interpolation, apparently of the twelfth century, of the Durham MS. of +Nennius, whereby it is stated that the spot in question was called in +Gaelic _Cenail_. Now Cenail is the modern name _Kinneil_, and it is also a +Gaelic translation of the Pict _pen val_, since _cean_ is the Gaelic for +_head_, and _fhail_ for _rampart_ or _wall_. If the older form were Gaelic, +the substitution, or translation, would have been superfluous. + +d. The name of the _Ochil Hills_ in Perthshire is better explained from the +Pict _uchel_ = _high_, than from the Gaelic _uasal_. + +e. Bryneich, the British form of the province Bernicia, is better explained +by the Welsh _bryn_ = _ridge_ (_hilly country_), than by any word in +Gaelic.--Garnett, in "Transactions of Philological Society." + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VII. + +THE ANGLO-NORMAN, AND THE LANGUAGES OF THE CLASSICAL STOCK. + +§ 64. The languages of Greece and Rome belong to one and the same stock. + +The Greek and its dialects, both ancient and modern, constitute the Greek +of the Classical stock. + +The Latin in all its dialects, the old Italian languages allied to it, and +the modern tongues derived from the Roman, constitute the Latin branch of +the Classical stock. + +Now, although the Greek dialects are of only secondary importance in the +illustration of the history of the English language, the Latin elements +require a special consideration. + +This is because the Norman French, introduced into England by the battle of +Hastings, is a language derived from the Roman, and consequently a language +of the Latin branch of the Classical stock. + +§ 65. The Latin language overspread the greater part of the Roman empire. +It supplanted a multiplicity of aboriginal languages; just as the English +of North America _has_ supplanted the aboriginal tongues of the native +Indians, and just as the Russian _is_ supplanting those of Siberia and +Kamskatka. + +Sometimes the war that the Romans carried on against the old inhabitants +was a war of extermination. In this case the original language was +superseded _at once_. In other cases their influence was introduced +gradually. In this case the influence of the original language was greater +and more permanent. + +Just as in the United States the English came in contact with an American, +whilst in New Holland it comes in contact with an Australian language, so +was the Latin language of Rome engrafted, sometimes on a Celtic, sometimes +on a Gothic, and sometimes on some other stock. The nature of the original +language must always be borne in mind. + +From Italy, its original seat, the Latin was extended in the following +chronological order:-- + +1. To the Spanish Peninsula; where it overlaid or was engrafted on +languages allied to the present Biscayan. + +2. To Gaul, or France, where it overlaid or was engrafted on languages of +the Celtic stock. + +3. To Dacia and Pannonia where it overlaid or was engrafted on a language +the stock whereof is undetermined, but which was, probably, Sarmatian. The +introduction of the Latin into Dacia and Pannonia took place in the time of +Trajan. + +§ 66. From these different introductions of the Latin into different +countries we have the following modern languages--1st Italian, 2nd Spanish +and Portuguese, 3rd French, 4th Wallachian; to which must be added a 5th, +the Romanese of part of Switzerland. + +_Specimen of the Romanese._ + + _Luke_ xv. 11. + + 11. Ün Hum veva dus Filgs: + + 12. Ad ilg juveu da quels schet alg Bab, "Bab mi dai la Part de la + Rauba c' aud' à mi:" ad el parchè or ad els la Rauba. + + 13. A bucca bears Gis suenter, cur ilg Filg juven vet tut mess ansemel, + scha tilà 'l navent en ünna Terra dalunsch: a lou sfiget el tut sia + Rauba cun viver senza spargn. + + 14. A cur el vet tut sfaig, scha vangit ei en quella Terra ün grond + Fumaz: ad el antschavet a ver basengs. + + 15. Ad el mà, à: sa plidè enn ün Burgeis da quella Terra; a quel ilg + tarmatet or sin sês Beins a parchirar ils Porcs. + + 16. Ad el grigiava dad amplanir sieu Venter cun las Criscas ch' ils + Porcs malgiavan; mo nagin lgi deva. + + 17. Mo el mà en sasez a schet: "Quonts Fumelgs da mieu Bab han budonza + da Pann, a jou miei d' fom!" + + 18. "Jou vi lavar si, ad ir tier mieu Bab, e vi gir a lgi: 'Bab, jou + hai faig puccau ancunter ilg Tschiel ad avont tei; + + 19. "'A sunt bucca pli vangonts da vangir numnaus tieu Filg; fai mei + esser sco ün da tes Fumelgs.'" + +_Specimen of the Wallachian._ + + _Luke_ xv. 11. + + 11. Un om evea doĭ fec orĭ. + + 12. Shi a zis c'el maĭ tinr din eĭ tatluĭ su: tat, dmĭ partea c'e mi se + kade de avucie: shi de a imprcit lor avuciea. + + 13. Shi nu dup multe zile, adunint toate fec orul c el maĭ tinr, s'a + dus intr 'o car departe, shi akolo a rsipit toat avuciea ca, viecuind + intr dezmĭerdrĭ. + + 14. Shi keltuind el toate, c'a fkut foamete mare intr' ac'ea car: shi + el a inc'eput a se lipsi. + + 15. Shi mergina c'a lipit de unul din lkuitoriĭ criĭ ac'eia: si 'l a + trimis pre el la earinide sale c pask porc'iĭ. + + 16. Shi doria c 'shĭ sature pinctec'ele sŭ de roshkobele c'e minka + porc'iĭ! shi niminĭ nu ĭ da luĭ. + + 17. Iar viind intru sine, a zis; kicĭ argacĭ aĭ tatluĭ mieŭ sint + indestulacĭ de piĭne, iar eŭ pĭeiŭ de foame. + + 18. Skula-m-vioŭ, shi m' voiŭ duc'e la tata mieŭ, shi vioŭ zic'e lui: + + 19. Tat, greshit-am la c'er shi inaintea ta, shi nu mai sint vrednik a + m kema fiul tŭ; fm ka pre unul din argaciĭ ti. + +§ 67. Such is the _general_ view of the languages derived from the Latin, +i.e., of the languages of the Latin branch of the Classical stock. + +The French requires to be more minutely exhibited. + +Between the provincial French of the north and the provincial French of the +south, there is a difference, at the present day, at least of dialect, and +perhaps of language. This is shown by the following specimens: the first +from the canton of Arras, on the confines of Flanders; the second from the +department of Var, in Provence. The date of each is A.D. 1807. + + I. + + _Luke_ xv. 11. + + 11. Ain homme avoüait deeux garchéons. + + 12. L'pus jone dit a sain père, "Main père, baillé m'cheu quî doüo me + 'r v'nir ed vous bien," et lue père leu partit sain bien. + + 13. Ain n'sais yur, tro, quate, chéon jours après l'pus tiò d'cnés + déeux éféans ôyant r'cuéllé tout s'n' héritt'main, s'ot' ainvoye dains + nâin pahis gramain loüon, dú qu'il échilla tout s'n' argint ain fageant + l'braingand dains chés cabarets. + + 14. Abord qu'il o eu tout bu, tout mié et tout drélé, il o v'nu adonc + dains ch' pahis lo ainn' famaine cruüelle, et i c'mainchonait d'avoir + fon-ye d' pon-ye (i.e. faim de pain). + + II. + + THE SAME. + + 11. Un homé avié dous enfans. + + 12. Lou plus pichoun diguét a son päiré, "Moun päiré, dounas mi ce què + mi reven de vouastré ben;" lou pairé faguet lou partagé de tout ce que + poussédavo. + + 13. Paou do jours après, lou pichoun vendét tout se què soun päiré li + avié desamparat, et s'en anét díns un päis fourco luench, ounté + dissipét tout soun ben en debaucho. + + 14. Quand aguét tou arcaba, uno grosso famino arribet dins aqueou päis + et, leou, si veguét reduech à la derniero misèro. + +Practically speaking, although in the central parts of France the northern +and southern dialects melt into each other, the Loire may be considered as +a line of demarcation between two languages; the term language being +employed because, in the Middle Ages, whatever may be their real +difference, their northern tongue and the southern tongue were dealt with +not as separate dialects, but as distinct languages--the southern being +called Provençal, the northern Norman-French. + +Of these two languages (for so they will in the following pages be called, +for the sake of convenience) the southern, or Provençal, approaches the +dialects of Spain; the Valencian of Spain and the Catalonian of Spain being +Provençal rather than standard Spanish or Castilian. + +The southern French is sometimes called the Langue d'Oc, and sometimes the +Limousin. + +§ 68. The Norman-French, spoken from the Loire to the confines of Flanders, +and called also the Langue d'Oyl, differed from the Provençal in (amongst +others) the following circumstances. + +1. It was of later origin; the southern parts of Gaul having been colonized +at an early period by the Romans. + +2. It was in geographical contact, not with the allied languages of Spain, +but with the Gothic tongues of Germany and Holland. + +§ 69. It is the Norman-French that most especially bears upon the history +of the English language. + +_Specimen from the Anglo-Norman poem of Charlemagne._ + + Un jur fu Karléun al Seint-Denis muster, + Reout prise sa corune, en croiz seignat sun chef; + E ad ceinte sa espée: li pons fud d'or mer. + Dux i out e dermeines e baruns e chevalers. + Li emperères reguardet la reine sa muillers. + Ele fut ben corunée al plus bel e as meuz. + Il la prist par le poin desuz un oliver, + De sa pleine parole la prist à reisuner: + "Dame, véistes unkes hume nul de desuz ceil + Tant ben séist espée no la corone el chef! + Uncore cunquerrei-jo citez ot mun espeez." + Cele ne fud pas sage, folement respondeit: + "Emperere," dist-ele, trop vus poez preiser. + "Uncore en sa-jo un ki plus se fait léger, + Quant il porte corune entre ses chevalers; + Kaunt il met sur sa teste, plus belement lui set" + +In the northern French we must recognise not only a Celtic and a Classical, +but also a Gothic element: since Clovis and Charlemagne were no Frenchmen, +but Germans. The Germanic element in French has still to be determined. + +In the northern French of _Normandy_ there is a second Gothic element, +viz., a Scandinavian element. See § 76. + + * * * * * + + +QUESTIONS. + +1. What are the _present_ languages of Wales, the Isle of Man, the Scotch +Highlands, and Ireland? + +2. What are the _present_ languages of Germany and Holland? How are they +related to the _present_ language of England? How to the original language +of England? + +3. Enumerate the chief _supposed_ migrations from Germany to England, +giving (when possible) the _date_ of each, the particular German tribe by +which each was undertaken, and the parts of Great Britain where the +different landings were made. Why do I say _supposed_ migrations? +Criticise, in detail, the evidence by which they are supported, and state +the extent to which it is exceptionable. Who was Beda? What were the +sources of his information? + +4. Give reasons for believing the existence of Germans in England anterior +to A.D. 447. + +5. Who are the present Jutlanders of Jutland? Who the inhabitants of the +district called Anglen in Sleswick? What are the reasons for connecting +these with the Jutes and Angles of Beda? What those for denying such a +connection? + +6. What is the meaning of the termination -uarii in _Cant-uarii_ and +_Vect-uarii_? What was the Anglo-Saxon translation of _Antiqui Saxones_, +_Occidentales Saxones_, _Orientates Saxones_, _Meridionales Saxones_? What +are the known variations in the form of the word _Vectis_, meaning the +_Isle of Wight_? What those of the root Jut- as the name of the inhabitants +of the peninsula of Jutland? + +7. Translate _Cantware_, _Wihtware_, into Latin. How does Alfred translate +_Jutæ_? How does the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle? What is the derivation of the +name _Carisbrook_, a town in the Isle of Wight? + +8. Take exception to the opinions that _Jutes_, from _Jutland_, formed part +of the Germanic invasion of England; or, rather, take exceptions to the +evidence upon which that opinion is based. + +9. From what part of Germany were the _Angles_ derived? What is Beda's? +what Ethelweard's statement concerning them? Who were the _Angli_ of +Tacitus? + +10. What is the derivation of the word Mercia? + +11. Give the localities of the Old Saxons, and the Northalbingians. +Investigate the area occupied by the Anglo-Saxons. + +12. What is the present population of the Dutch province of Friesland? What +its language? What the dialects and stages of that language? + +13. What was the language of the Asega-bog, the Heliand, Beowulf, +Hildubrand and Hathubrant, the Carolinian Psalms, the Gospels of Ulphilas, +and the poems of Gysbert Japicx? + +14. Make a map of Ancient Germany and Scandinavia according to languages +and dialects of those two areas. Exhibit, in a tabular form, the languages +of the Gothic stock. Explain the meaning of the words _Gothic_, and +_Mœso-Gothic_, and _Platt-Deutsch_. + +15. Analyze the Scandinavian forms _Solen_, _Bordet_, and _brennast_. + +16. Exhibit the difference between the _logical_ and the _historical_ +analysis of a language. + +17. What are the Celtic names for the _English language_? + +18. Enumerate the chief Germanic populations connected by ancient writers +with the _Angles_, stating the Ethnological relations of each, and noticing +the extent to which they coincide with those of the Angles. + +19. What are the reasons for believing that there is a _Frisian_ element in +the population of England? + +20. Exhibit, in a tabular form, the languages and dialects of the Celtic +stock. To which division did the Gallic of ancient Gaul, and the Pict +belong? Support the answer by reasons. What were the relations of the Picts +to the Gaelic inhabitants of Scotland? What to the Lowland Scotch? What to +the Belgæ? + +21. Explain the following words--_petorritum_, _pempedula_, _candetum_, +_Epona_, _Nantuates_, _peann fahel_ and _Bernicia_. What inferences do you +draw from the derivation of them? + +22. Exhibit, in a tabular form, the languages and dialects of the Classical +stock. + +23. What is the bearing of the statements of Tacitus and other ancient +writers respecting the following Germanic populations upon the ethnological +relations of the Angles,--Aviones, Reudigni, Suevi, Langobardi, Frisii, +Varini? + +24. What is meant by the following terms, Provençal, Langue d'Oc, Langue +d'Oyl, Limousin, and Norman-French? + +25. What languages, besides the Celtic and Latin, enter into the +composition of the French? + + * * * * * + + +PART II. + +HISTORY AND ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + + * * * * * + +CHAPTER I. + +HISTORICAL AND LOGICAL ELEMENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + +§ 70. The Celtic elements of the present English fall into five classes. + +1. Those that are of late introduction, and cannot be called original and +constituent parts of the language. Some of such are the words _flannel_, +_crowd_ (a fiddle), from the Cambrian; and _kerne_ (an Irish foot-soldier), +_galore_ (enough), _tartan_, _plaid_, &c., from the Gaelic branch. + +2. Those that are originally common to both the Celtic and Gothic stocks. +Some of such are _brother_, _mother_, in Celtic _brathair_, _mathair_; the +numerals, &c. + +3. Those that have come to us from the Celtic, but have come to us through +the medium of another language. Some of such are _druid_ and _bard_, whose +_immediate_ source is, not the Celtic but the Latin. + +4. Celtic elements of the Anglo-Norman, introduced into England after the +Conquest, and occurring in that language as remains of the original Celtic +of Gaul. + +5. Those that have been retained from the original Celtic of the island, +and which form genuine constituents of our language. These fall into three +subdivisions. + +a. Proper names--generally of geographical localities; as _the Thames_, +_Kent_, &c. + +b. Common names retained in the provincial dialects of England, but not +retained in the current language; as _gwethall_ = _household stuff_, and +_gwlanen_ = _flannel_ in Herefordshire. + +c. Common names retained in the current language.--The following list is +Mr. Garnett's:-- + + _Welsh._ _English._ + + Basgawd _Basket_. + Berfa _Barrow_. + Botwm _Button_. + Bràn _Bran_. + Clwt _Clout_, _Rag_. + Crochan _Crockery_. + Crog _Crook_, _Hook_. + Cwch _Cock_, in _Cock-boat_. + Cwysed _Gusset_. + Cyl, Cyln _Kiln_ (_Kill_, provinc.). + Dantaeth _Dainty_. + Darn _Darn_. + Deentur _Tenter_, in _Tenterhook_. + Fflaim _Fleam_, _Cattle-lancet_. + Fflaw _Flaw_. + Ffynnell (air-hole) _Funnel_. + Gefyn (fetter) _Gyve_. + Greidell _Grid_ in _Gridiron_. + Grual _Gruel_. + Gwald (hem, border) _Welt_. + Gwiced (little door) _Wicket_. + Gwn _Gown_. + Gwyfr _Wire_. + Masg (stitch in netting) _Mesh_. + Mattog _Mattock_. + Mop _Mop_. + Rhail (fence) _Rail_. + Rhashg (slice) _Rasher_. + Rhuwch _Rug_. + Sawduriaw _Solder_. + Syth (glue) _Size_. + Tacl _Tackle_. + +§ 71. _Latin of the first period._--Of the Latin introduced by Cæsar and +his successors, the few words remaining are those that relate to military +affairs; viz. _street_ (_strata_); -coln (as in _Lincoln_ = _Lindi +colonia_); -cest- (as in _Gloucester_ = _glevæ castra_) from _castra_. The +Latin words introduced between the time of Cæsar and Hengist may be called +the _Latin of the first period_, or the _Latin of the Celtic period_. + +§ 72. _The Anglo-Saxon._--This is not noticed here, because, from being the +staple of the present language, it is more or less the subject of the book +throughout. + +§ 73. _The Danish, or Norse._--The pirates that pillaged Britain, under the +name of Danes, were not exclusively the inhabitants of Denmark. Of the +three Scandinavian nations, the Swedes took the least share, the Norwegians +the greatest, in these invasions. + +The language of the three nations was the same; the differences being +differences of dialect. It was that which is now spoken in Iceland, having +been once common to Scandinavia and Denmark. + +The Danish that became incorporated with our language, under the reign of +Canute and his sons, may be called the _direct_ Danish element, in +contradistinction to the _indirect_ Danish of § 76. + +The determination of the amount of Danish in English is difficult. It is +not difficult to prove a word _Scandinavian_; but, then, we must also show +that it is not German as well. A few years back the current opinion was +against the doctrine that there was much Danish in England. At present, the +tendency is rather the other way. The following facts are from Mr. +Garnett.--"Phil. Trans." vol. i. + +1. The Saxon name of the present town of _Whitby_ in Yorkshire was +_Streoneshalch_. The present name _Whitby_, _Hvitby_, or _Whitetown_, is +Danish. + +2. The Saxon name of the capital of Derbyshire was _Northweortheg_. The +present name is Danish. + +3. The termination -by = _town_ is Norse. + +4. On a monument in Aldburgh church, Holdernesse, in the East Riding of +Yorkshire, referred to the age of Edward the Confessor, is found the +following inscription:-- + + _Ulf_ het aræran cyrice _for hanum_ and for Gunthara saula. + "Ulf bid rear the church for him and for the soul of Gunthar." + +Now, in this inscription, _Ulf_, in opposition to the Anglo-Saxon _Wulf_, +is a Norse form; whilst _hanum_ is a Norse dative, and by no means an +Anglo-Saxon one.--Old Norse _hanum_, Swedish _honom_. + +5. The use of _at_ for _to_ as the sign of the infinitive mood is Norse, +not Saxon. It is the regular prefix in Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, and +Feroic. It is also found in the northern dialects of the Old English, and +in the particular dialect of Westmoreland at the present day. + +6. The use of _sum_ for _as_; e.g.,--_swa sum_ we forgive oure detturs. + +7. Isolated words in the northern dialects are Norse rather than Saxon. + + _Provincial._ _Common Dialect._ _Norse._ + + Braid _Resemble_ Braas, _Swed._ + Eldin _Firing_ Eld, _Dan._ + Force _Waterfall_ Fors, _D. Swed._ + Gar _Make_ Göra, _Swed._ + Gill _Ravine_ Gil, _Iceland._ + Greet _Weep_ Grata, _Iceland._ + Ket _Carrion_ Kiöd--flesh, _Dan._ + Lait _Seek_ Lede, _Dan._ + Lathe _Barn_ Lade, _Dan._ + Lile _Little_ Lille, _Dan._ + +§ 74. _Roman of the second period._--Of the Latin introduced under the +Christianised Saxon sovereigns, many words are extant. They relate chiefly +to ecclesiastical matters, just as the Latin of the Celtic period bore upon +military affairs. _Mynster_, a minster, _monasterium_; _portic_, a porch, +_porticus_; _cluster_, a cloister, _claustrum_; _munuc_, a monk, +_monachus_; _bisceop_, a bishop, _episcopus_; _arcebisceop_, archbishop, +_archiepiscopus_; _sanct_, a saint, _sanctus_; _profost_, a provost, +_propositus_; _pall_, a pall, _pallium_; _calic_, a chalice, _calix_; +_candel_, a candle, _candela_; _psalter_, a psalter, _psalterium_; _mæsse_, +a mass, _missa_; _pistel_, an epistle, _epistola_; _prædic-ian_, to preach, +_prædicare_; _prof-ian_, to prove, _probare_. + +The following are the names of foreign plants and animals:--_camell_, a +camel, _camelus_; _ylp_, elephant, _elephas_; _ficbeam_, fig-tree, _ficus_; +_feferfuge_, feverfew, _febrifuga_; _peterselige_, parsley, _petroselinum_. + +Others are the names of articles of foreign origin, as _pipor_, pepper, +_piper_; _purpur_, purple, _purpura_; _pumicstan_, pumicestone, _pumex_. + +This is the Latin of the second, or Saxon period. + +§ 75. _The Anglo-Norman element._--For practical purposes we may say that +the French or Anglo-Norman element appeared in our language after the +battle of Hastings, A.D. 1066. + +Previous, however, to that period we find notices of intercourse between +the two countries. + +1. The residence in England of Louis Outremer. + +2. Ethelred II. married Emma, daughter of Richard Duke of Normandy, and the +two children were sent to Normandy for education. + +3. Edward the Confessor is particularly stated to have encouraged French +manners and the French language in England. + +4. Ingulphus of Croydon speaks of his own knowledge of French. + +5. Harold passed some time in Normandy. + +6. The French article _la_, in the term _la Drove_, occurs in a deed of +A.D. 975. + +The chief Anglo-Norman elements of our language are the terms connected +with the feudal system, the terms relating to war and chivalry, and a great +portion of the law terms--_duke_, _count_, _baron_, _villain_, _service_, +_chivalry_, _warrant_, _esquire_, _challenge_, _domain_, &c. + +§ 76. When we remember that the word _Norman_ means _man of the north_, +that it is a _Scandinavian_, and _not a French_ word, that it originated in +the invasions of the followers of Rollo and and other _Norwegians_, and +that just as part of England was overrun by Pagan buccaneers called +_Danes_, part of France was occupied by similar _Northmen_, we see the +likelihood of certain Norse words finding their way into the French +language, where they would be superadded to its original Celtic and Roman +elements. + +The extent to which this is actually the case has only been partially +investigated. It is certain, however, that some French words are Norse or +Scandinavian. Such, for instance, are several _names of geographical +localities_ either near the sea, or the river Seine, in other words, within +that tract which was most especially occupied by the invaders. As is to be +expected from the genius of the French language, these words are +considerably altered in form. Thus, + + NORSE. ENGLISH. FRENCH. + Toft Toft Tot. + Beck Beck Bec. + Flöt Fleet[33] Fleur, &c. + +and in these shapes they appear in the Norman names _Yvetot_, _Caudebec_, +and _Harfleur_, &c. + +Now any words thus introduced from the Norse of Scandinavia into the French +of Normandy, might, by the Norman Conquest of England, be carried further, +and so find their way into the English. + +In such a case, they would constitute its _indirect_ Scandinavian element. + +A list of these words has not been made; indeed the question requires far +more investigation than it has met with. The names, however, of the islands +_Guerns-ey_, _Jers-ey_, and _Aldern-ey_, are certainly of the kind in +question--since the -ey, meaning _island_, is the same as the -ey in +_Orkn-ey_, and is the Norse rather than the Saxon form. + +§ 77. _Latin of the third period._--This means the Latin which was +introduced between the battle of Hastings and the revival of literature. It +chiefly originated in the cloister, in the universities, and, to a certain +extent, in the courts of law. It must be distinguished from the _indirect_ +Latin introduced as part and parcel of the Anglo-Norman. It has yet to be +accurately analyzed. + +§ 78. _Latin of the fourth period._--This means the Latin which has been +introduced between the revival of literature and the present time. It has +originated in the writings of learned men in general, and is distinguished +from that of the previous periods by: + +1. Being less altered in form: + +2. Preserving, with substantives, in many cases its original inflections; +_axis_, _axes_; _basis_, _bases_: + +3. Relating to objects and ideas for which the increase of the range of +science in general has required a nomenclature. + +§ 79. _Greek._--Words derived _directly_ from the Greek are in the same +predicament as the Latin of the third period--_phænomenon_, _phænomena_; +_criterion_, _criteria_, &c.; words which are only _indirectly_ of Greek +origin, being considered to belong to the language from which they were +immediately introduced into the English. Such are _deacon_, _priest_, &c., +introduced through the Latin. Hence a word like _church_ proves no more in +regard to a Greek element in English, than the word _abbot_ proves in +respect to a Syrian one. + +§ 80. The Latin of the fourth period and the Greek agree in retaining, in +many cases, original inflexions rather than adopting the English ones; in +other words, they agree in being but _imperfectly incorporated_. The +phænomenon of imperfect incorporation is reducible to the following +rules:-- + +1. That it has a direct ratio to the date of the introduction, i.e., the +more recent the word the more likely it is to retain its original +inflexion. + +2. That it has a relation to the number of meanings belonging to the words: +thus, when a single word has two meanings, the original inflexion expresses +one, the English inflexion another--_genius_, _genii_, often (_spirits_), +_geniuses_ (_men of genius_). + +3. That it occurs with substantives only, and that only in the expression +of number. Thus, although the plural of substantives like _axis_ and +_genius_ are Latin, the possessive cases are English. So also are the +degrees of comparison for adjectives, like _circular_, and the tenses, &c. +for verbs, like _perambulate_. + +§ 81. The following is a list of the chief Latin substantives introduced +during the latter part of the fourth period; and preserving the _Latin_ +plural forms-- + +FIRST CLASS. + +_Words wherein the Latin plural is the same as the Latin singular._ + + (a) _Sing._ _Plur._ | (b) _Sing._ _Plur._ + Apparatus apparat-us | Caries cari-es + Hiatus hiat-us | Congeries congeri-es + Impetus impet-us | Series seri-es + | Species speci-es + | Superficies superfici-es. + +SECOND CLASS. + +_Words wherein the Latin plural is formed from the Latin singular by +changing the last syllable._ + +(a).--_Where the singular termination -a is changed in the plural into +-æ_:-- + + _Sing._ _Plur._ | _Sing._ _Plur._ + Formul-a formul-æ | Nebul-a nebul-æ + Lamin-a lamin-æ | Scori-a scori-æ. + Larv-a larv-æ | + +(b).--_Where the singular termination -us is changed in the plural into +-i_:-- + + _Sing._ _Plur._ | _Sing._ _Plur._ + Calcul-us calcul-i | Polyp-us polyp-i + Coloss-us coloss-i | Radi-us radi-i + Convolvul-us convolvul-i | Ranuncul-us ranuncul-i + Foc-us foc-i | Sarcophag-us sarcophag-i + Geni-us geni-i | Schirr-us schirrh-i + Mag-us mag-i | Stimul-us stimul-i + Nautil-us nautil-i | Tumul-us tumul-i. + Œsophag-us œsophag-i | + +(c).--_Where the singular termination -um is changed in the plural into +-a_:-- + + _Sing._ _Plur._ | _Sing._ _Plur._ + Animalcul-um animalcul-a | Mausole-um mausole-a + Arcan-um arcan-a | Medi-um medi-a + Collyri-um collyri-a | Memorand-um memorand-a + Dat-um dat-a | Menstru-um menstru-a + Desiderat-um desiderat-a | Moment-um moment-a + Effluvi-um effluvi-a | Premi-um premi-a + Empori-um empori-a | Scholi-um scholi-a + Encomi-um encomi-a | Spectr-um spectr-a + Errat-um errat-a | Specul-um specul-a + Gymnasi-um gymnasi-a | Strat-um strat-a + Lixivi-um lixivi-a | Succedane-um succedane-a. + Lustr-um lustr-a | + +(d).--_Where the singular termination -is is changed in the plural into +-es_:-- + + _Sing._ _Plur._ | _Sing._ _Plur._ + Amanuens-is amanuens-es | Ellips-is ellips-es + Analys-is analys-es | Emphas-is emphas-es + Antithes-is antithes-es | Hypothes-is hypothes-es + Ax-is ax-es | Oas-is oas-es + Bas-is bas-es | Parenthes-is parenthes-es + Cris-is cris-es | Synthes-is synthes-es + Diæres-is diæres-es | Thes-is thes-es. + +THIRD CLASS. + +_Words wherein the plural is formed by inserting -e between the last two +sounds of the singular, so that the former number always contains a +syllable more than the latter:--_ + + _Sing._ _Plur._ + Apex _sounded_ apec-s apices + Appendix -- appendic-s appendices + Calix -- calic-s calices + Cicatrix -- cicatric-s cicatrices + Helix -- helic-s helices + Index -- indec-s indices + Radix -- radic-s radices + Vertex -- vertec-s vertices + Vortex -- vortec-s vortices. + +In all these words the c of the singular number is sounded as k; of the +plural, as s. + +§ 82. The following is a list of the chief Greek substantives lately +introduced, and preserving the _Greek_ plural forms-- + +FIRST CLASS. + +_Words where the singular termination -on is changed in the plural into +-a_:-- + + _Sing._ _Plur._ _Sing._ _Plur._ + Apheli-on apheli-a Criteri-on criteri-a + Periheli-on periheli-a Ephemer-on ephemer-a + Automat-on automat-a Phænomen-on phænomen-a. + +SECOND CLASS. + +_Words where the plural is formed from the original root by adding either +-es or -a, but where the singular rejects the last letter of the original +root._ + +_Plurals in_ -es:-- + + _Original root._ _Plur._ _Sing._ + + Apsid- apsid-es apsis + Cantharid- cantharid-es cantharis + Chrysalid- chrysalid-es chrysalis + Ephemerid- ephemerid-es ephemeris + Tripod- tripod-es tripos. + +_Plurals in_ -a:-- + + _Original root._ _Plur._ _Sing._ + + Dogmat- dogmat-a dogma + Lemmat- lemmat-a lemma + Miasmat- miasmat-a miasma.[34] + +§ 83. _Miscellaneous elements._--Of miscellaneous elements we have two +sorts; those that are incorporated in our language, and are currently +understood (e.g., the Spanish word _sherry_, the Arabic word _alkali_, and +the Persian word _turban_), and those that, even amongst the educated, are +considered strangers. Of this latter kind (amongst many others) are the +oriental words _hummum_, _kaftan_, _gul_, &c. + +Of the currently understood miscellaneous elements of the English language, +the most important are from the French; some of which agree with those of +the Latin of the fourth period, and the Greek, in preserving the _French_ +plural forms--as _beau_, _beaux_, _billets-doux_. + +_Italian._--Some words of Italian origin do the same; as _virtuoso_, +_virtuosi_. + +_Hebrew._--The Hebrew words, _cherub_ and _seraph_ do the same; the form +_cherub-im_, and _seraph-im_ being not only plurals but Hebrew plurals. + +Beyond the words derived from these five languages, none form their plural +other than after the English method, i.e., in -s, as _waltzes_, from the +_German_ word _waltz_. + +§ 84. Hence we have a measure of the extent to which a language, which, +like the English, at one and the same time requires names for many objects, +comes in contact with the tongues of half the world, and has moreover, a +great power of incorporating foreign elements, derives fresh words from +varied sources; as may be seen from the following incomplete notice of the +languages which have, in different degrees, supplied it with new terms. + +_Arabic._--Admiral, alchemist, alchemy, alcohol, alcove, alembic, algebra, +alkali, assassin. + +_Persian._--Turban, caravan, dervise, &c. + +_Turkish._--Coffee, bashaw, divan, scimitar, janisary, &c. + +_Hindoo languages._--Calico, chintz, cowrie, curry, lac, muslin, toddy, &c. + +_Chinese._--Tea, bohea, congou, hyson, soy, nankin &c. + +_Malay._--Bantam (fowl), gamboge, rattan, sago, shaddock, &c. + +_Polynesian._--Taboo, tattoo. + +_Tungusian or some similar Siberian language._--Mammoth, the bones of which +are chiefly from the banks of the Lena. + +_North American Indian._--Squaw, wigwam, pemmican. + +_Peruvian._--Charki = prepared meat; whence _jerked_ beef. + +_Caribbean._--Hammock. + +§ 85. A distinction is drawn between the _direct_ and _indirect_, the +latter leading to the _ultimate origin_ of words. + +Thus a word borrowed into the English from the French, might have been +borrowed into the French from the Latin, into the Latin from the Greek, +into the Greek from the Persian, &c., and so _ad infinitum_. + +The investigation of this is a matter of literary curiosity rather than any +important branch of philology. + +The ultimate known origin of many common words sometimes goes back to a +great date, and points to extinct languages-- + +_Ancient Nubian._--Barbarous. + +_Ancient Egyptian._--Ammonia. + +_Ancient Syrian._--Cyder. + +_Ancient Lycian._--Pandar. + +_Ancient Lydian._--Mæander. + +_Ancient Persian._--Paradise. + +§ 86. Again, a word from a given language may be introduced by more lines +than one; or it may be introduced twice over; once at an earlier, and again +at a later period. In such a case its form will, most probably, vary; and, +what is more, its meaning as well. Words of this sort may be called +_di-morphic_, their _dimorphism_ having originated in one of two reasons--a +difference of channel or a difference of date. Instances of the first are, +_syrup_, _sherbet_, and _shrub_, all originally from the _Arabic_, _srb_; +but introduced differently, viz., the first through the Latin, the second +through the Persian, and the third through the Hindoo. Instances of the +second are words like _minster_, introduced during the Anglo-Saxon, as +contrasted with _monastery_, introduced during the Anglo-Norman period. By +the proper application of these processes, we account for words so +different in present form, yet so identical in origin, as _priest_ and +_presbyter_, _episcopal_ and _bishop_, &c. + +§ 87. _Distinction._--The history of the languages that have been spoken in +a particular country, is a different subject from the history of a +particular language. The history of the languages that have been spoken in +the United States of America, is the history of _Indian_ languages. The +history of the language of the United States is the history of a Germanic +language. + +§ 88. _Words of foreign simulating a vernacular origin._--These may occur +in any mixed language whatever; they occur, however, oftener in the English +than in any other. + +Let a word be introduced from a foreign language--let it have some +resemblance in sound to a real English term: lastly, let the meanings of +the two words be not absolutely incompatible. We may then have a word of +foreign origin taking the appearance of an English one. Such, amongst +others, are _beef-eater_, from _bœuffetier_; _sparrow-grass_, _asparagus_; +_Shotover_, _Chateauvert_;[35] _Jerusalem_, _Girasole_;[36] _Spanish +beefeater_, _spina bifida_; _periwig_, _peruke_; _runagate_, _renegade_; +_lutestring_, _lustrino_;[37] _O yes_, _Oyez!_ _ancient_, _ensign_.[38] + +_Dog-cheap_.--This has nothing to do with _dogs_. The first syllabic is +_god_ = _good_ transposed, and the second the _ch-p_ in _chapman_ ( = +_merchant_) _cheap_, and _Eastcheap_. In Sir J. Mandeville, we find +_god-kepe_ = _good bargain_. + +_Sky-larking_.--Nothing to do with _larks_ of any sort; still less the +particular species, _alauda arvensis_. The word improperly spelt _l-a-r-k_, +and banished to the slang regions of the English language, is the +Anglo-Saxon _lác_ = _game_, or _sport_; wherein the a is sounded as in +_father_ (not as in _farther_). _Lek_ = _game_, in the present Scandinavian +languages. + +_Zachary Macaulay_ = _Zumalacarregui_; _Billy Ruffian_ = _Bellerophon_; +_Sir Roger Dowlas_ = _Surajah Dowlah_, although so limited to the common +soldiers and sailors, who first used them, as to be exploded vulgarisms +rather than integral parts of the language, are examples of the same +tendency towards the irregular accommodation of misunderstood foreign +terms. + +_Birdbolt_.--An incorrect name for the _gadus lota_, or _eel-pout_, and a +transformation of _barbote_. + +_Whistle-fish_.--The same for _gadus mustela_, or _weasel-fish_. + +_Liquorice_ = _glycyrrhiza_. + +_Wormwood_ = _weremuth_, is an instance of a word from the same language, +in an antiquated shape, being equally transformed with a word of really +foreign origin. + +§ 89. Sometimes the transformation of the _name_ has engendered a change in +the object to which it applies, or, at least, has evolved new ideas in +connection with it. How easy for a person who used the words _beef-eater_, +_sparrow-grass_, or _Jerusalem_, to believe that the officers designated by +the former either eat or used to eat more beef than any other people, that +the second word was the name for a _grass_ or herb of which _sparrows_ were +fond; and that _Jerusalem_ artichokes came from Palestine. + +What has just been supposed has sometimes a real occurrence. To account for +the name of _Shotover-hill_, I have heard that Little John _shot over_ it. +Here the confusion, in order to set itself right, breeds a fiction. Again, +in chess, the piece now called the _queen_, was originally the _elephant_. +This was in Persian, _ferz_. In French it became _vierge_, which, in time, +came to be mistaken for a derivative, and _virgo_ = _the virgin_, _the +lady_, _the queen_. + +§ 90. Sometimes, where the form of a word in respect to its _sound_ is not +affected, a false spirit of accommodation introduces an unetymological +_spelling_; as _frontispiece_, from _frontispecium_, _sovereign_, from +_sovrano_, _colleague_ from _collega_, _lanthorn_ (old orthography) from +_lanterna_. + +The value of forms like these consists in their showing that language is +affected by false etymologies as well as by true ones. + + * * * * * + +§ 91. In _lambkin_ and _lancet_, the final syllables (-kin and -et) have +the same power. They both express the idea of smallness or diminutiveness. +These words are but two out of a multitude, the one (_lamb_) being of +Saxon, the other (_lance_) of Norman origin. The same is the case with the +superadded syllables: -kin being Saxon; -et Norman. Now to add a Saxon +termination to a Norman word, or _vice versâ_, is to corrupt the English +language. + +This leads to some observation respecting the-- + +§ 92. _Introduction of new words and Hybridism._--Hybridism is a term +derived from _hybrid-a_, _a mongrel_; a Latin word _of Greek extraction_. + +The terminations -ize (as in _criticize_), -ism (as in _criticism_), -ic +(as in _comic_)--these, amongst many others, are Greek terminations. To add +them to words not of Greek origin is to be guilty of hybridism. Hence, +_witticism_ is objectionable. + +The terminations -ble (as in _penetrable_), -bility (as in +_penetrability_), -al (as in _parental_)--these, amongst many others, are +Latin terminations. To add them to words not of Latin origin is to be +guilty of hybridism. + +Hybridism is the commonest fault that accompanies the introduction of new +words. The hybrid additions to the English language are most numerous in +works on science. + +It must not, however, be concealed that several well established words are +hybrid; and that, even in the writings of the classical Roman authors, +there is hybridism between the Latin and the Greek. + +Nevertheless, the etymological view of every word of foreign origin is, not +that it is put together in England, but that it is brought whole from the +language to which it is vernacular. Now no derived word can be brought +whole from a language unless, in that language, all its parts exist. The +word _penetrability_ is not derived from the English word _penetrable_, by +the addition of -ty. It is the Latin word _penetrabilitas_ imported. + +_In derived words all the parts must belong to one and the same language_, +or, changing the expression, _every derived word must have a possible form +in the language from which it is taken_. Such is the rule against +hybridism. + +§ 93. A true word sometimes takes the appearance of a hybrid without really +being so. The -icle, in _icicle_, is apparently the same as the -icle in +_radicle_. Now, as _ice_ is Gothic, and -icle classical, hybridism is +simulated. _Icicle_, however, is not a derivative but a compound; its parts +being _is_ and _gicel_, both Anglo-Saxon words.[39] + +§ 94. _On incompletion of the radical._--Let there be in a given language a +series of roots ending in -t, as _sæmat_. Let a euphonic influence eject +the -t, as often as the word occurs in the nominative case. Let the +nominative case be erroneously considered to represent the root, or +radical, of the word. Let a derivative word be formed accordingly, i.e., on +the notion that the nominative form and the radical form coincide. Such a +derivative will exhibit only a part of the root; in other words, the +radical will be incomplete. + +Now all this is what actually takes place in words like _hæmo-ptysis_ +(_spitting of blood_), _sema-phore_ (_a sort of telegraph_). The Greek +imparisyllabics eject a part of the root in the nominative case; the +radical forms being _hæmat-_ and _sæmat-_, not _hæm-_and _sæm-_. + +Incompletion of the radical is one of the commonest causes of words being +coined faultily. It must not, however, be concealed, that even in the +classical writers, we have in words like δίστομος examples of incompletion +of the radical. + + * * * * * + +§ 95. The preceding chapters have paved the way for a distinction between +the _historical_ analysis of a language, and the _logical_ analysis of one. + +Let the present language of England (for illustration's sake only) consist +of 40,000 words. Of these let 30,000 be Anglo-Saxon, 5,000 Anglo-Norman, +100 Celtic, 10 Latin of the first, 20 Latin of the second, and 30 Latin of +the third period, 50 Scandinavian, and the rest miscellaneous. In this case +the language is considered according to the historical origin of the words +that compose it, and the analysis is an historical analysis. + +But it is very evident that the English, or any other language, is capable +of being contemplated in another view, and that the same number of words +may be very differently classified. Instead of arranging them according to +the languages whence they are derived, let them be disposed according to +the meanings that they convey. Let it be said, for instance, that out of +40,000 words, 10,000 are the names of natural objects, that 1000 denote +abstract ideas, that 1000 relate to warfare, 1000 to church matters, 500 to +points of chivalry, 1000 to agriculture, and so on through the whole. In +this case the analysis is not historical but logical; the words being +classed not according to their _origin_, but according to their _meaning_. + +Now the logical and historical analyses of a language generally in some +degree coincide; that is, terms for a certain set of ideas come from +certain languages; just as in English a large proportion of our chemical +terms are Arabic, whilst a still larger one of our legal ones are +Anglo-Norman. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER II. + +THE RELATION OF THE ENGLISH TO THE ANGLO-SAXON, AND THE STAGES OF THE +ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + +§ 96. The relation of the present English to the Anglo-Saxon is that of a +_modern_ language to an _ancient_ one: the words _modern_ and _ancient_ +being used in a defined and technical sense. + +Let the word _smiðum_ illustrate this. _Smið-um_, the dative plural of +_smið_, is equivalent in meaning to the English _to smiths_; or to the +Latin _fabr-is_. _Smiðum_, however, is a single Anglo-Saxon word (a +substantive, and nothing more); whilst its English equivalent is two words +(i.e., a substantive with the addition of a preposition). The letter s, in +_smiths_, shows that the word is plural. The -um, in _smiðum_, does this +and something more. It is the sign of the _dative case_ plural. The -um in +_smiðum_, is the part of a word. The preposition _to_ is a separate word +with an independent existence. _Smiðum_ is the radical syllable _smið_ + +the subordinate inflectional syllable -um, the sign of the dative case. The +combination _to smiths_ is the substantive _smiths_ + the preposition _to_, +equivalent in power to the sign of a dative case, but different from it in +form. As far, then, as the words just quoted is concerned, the Anglo-Saxon +differs from the English by expressing an idea by a certain _modification +of the form of the root_, whereas the modern English denotes the same idea +by _the addition of a preposition_; in other words, the Saxon _inflection_ +is superseded by a _combination_ of words. + +The sentences in italics are mere variations of the same general statement. +1. _The earlier the stage of a given language the greater the amount of its +inflectional forms, and the later the stage of a given language, the +smaller the amount of them._ 2. _As languages become modern they substitute +prepositions and auxiliary verbs for cases and tenses._ 3. _The amount of +inflection is in the inverse proportion to the amount of prepositions and +auxiliary verbs._ 4. _In the course of time languages drop their +inflections, and substitute in its stead circumlocutions by means of +prepositions, &c. The reverse never takes place._ 5. _Given two modes of +expression, the one inflectional_ (smiðum), _the other +circumlocutional_[40] (to smiths), _we can state that the first belongs to +an early, the second to a late, state of language._ + +The present chapter, then showing the relation of the English to the +Anglo-Saxon, shows something more. It exhibits the _general_ relation of a +modern to an ancient language. As the English is to the Anglo-Saxon, so are +the Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian, to the old Norse; and so are the +French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanese and Wallachian to the Latin, +and the Romaic to the ancient Greek. + +§ 97. Contrasted with the English, the Anglo-Saxon has (among others) the +following differences. + +NOUNS. + +1. _Gender._--In Anglo-Saxon there were three genders, the masculine, the +feminine, and the neuter. With _adjectives_ each gender had its peculiar +declension. With _substantives_ also there were appropriate terminations, +though only to a certain degree. + +2. The definite article varied with the gender of its substantive; _þæt +eage_, the eye; _se steorra_, the star; _seo tunge_, the tongue. + +3. _Number._--The plural form in -en (as in _oxen_), rare in English, was +common in Anglo-Saxon. It was the regular termination of a whole +declension; e.g., _eágan_, eyes; _steorran_, stars; _tungan_, tongues. +Besides this, the Anglo-Saxons had forms in -u and -a as _ricu_, kingdoms; +_gifa_, gifts. The termination -s, current in the present English, was +confined to a single gender and to a single declension, as _endas_, ends; +_dagas_, days; _smiðas_, smiths. + +4. _Case._--Of these the Saxons had, for their substantives, at least +three; viz., the nominative, dative, genitive. With the pronouns and +adjectives there was a true accusative form; and with a few especial words +an ablative or instrumental one. _Smið_, a smith; _smiðe_, to a smith; +_smiðes_, of a smith. Plural, _smiðas_, smiths; _smiðum_, to smiths; +_smiða_, of smiths: _he_, he; _hine_, him; _him_, to him; _his_, his; _se_, +the; _þa_, the; _þy_, with the; _þam_, to the; _þæs_, of the. + +5. _Declension._--In _Anglo-Saxon_ it was necessary to determine the +declension of a substantive. There was the weak, or simple declension for +words ending in a vowel (as, _eage_, _steorra_, _tunga_), and the strong +declension for words ending in a consonant (_smið_, _spræc_, _leáf_). The +letters i and u were dealt with as semivowels, semi-vowels being dealt with +as consonants; so that words like _sunu_ and _gifu_ belonged to the same +declension as _smið_ and _sprǽc_. + +6. _Definite and indefinite form of adjectives._--In Anglo-Saxon each +adjective had two forms, one _definite_ and one _indefinite_. There is +nothing of this kind in English. We say _a good sword_, and _the good +sword_ equally. In Anglo-Saxon, however, the first combination would be _se +gode sweord_, the second _án god sweord_, the definite form being +distinguished from the indefinite by the addition of a vowel. + +7. _Pronouns personal._--The Anglo-Saxon language had for the first two +persons a _dual_ number; inflected as follows: + + _1st Person._ _2nd Person._ + _Nom._ Wit _We two_ _Nom._ Git _Ye two_ + _Acc._ Unc _Us two_ _Acc._ Ince _You two_ + _Gen._ Uncer _Of us two_ _Gen._ Incer _Of you two._ + +Besides this, the demonstrative, possessive, and relative pronouns, as well +as the numerals _twa_ and _þreo_, had a fuller declension than they have at +present. + +VERBS. + +8. _Mood._--The subjunctive mood that in the present English (with one +exception[41]) differs from the indicative only in the third person +singular, was in Anglo-Saxon considerably different from the indicative. + + _Indicative Mood._ + + _Pres. Sing._ 1. Lufige. _Plur._ 1. } + 2. Lufast. 2. } Lufiað. + 3. Lufað. 3. } + + _Subjunctive Mood._ + + _Pres. Sing._ 1. } _Plur._ 1. } + 2. } Lufige 2. } Lufion. + 3. } 3. } + +The Saxon infinitive ended in -an (_lufian_), and besides this there was a +so-called gerundial form, _to lufigenne_. + +Besides these there were considerable differences in respect to particular +words; but of these no notice is taken; the object being to indicate the +differences between the _ancient_ and _modern_ stages of a language in +respect to _grammatical structure_. + +9. To bring about these changes a certain amount _of time_ is, of course, +necessary; a condition which suggests the difficult question as to the +_rate_ at which languages change. This is different for different +languages; but as the investigation belongs to _general_ philology rather +than to the particular history of the English language, it finds no place +here. + +§ 98. The extent, however, to which external causes may accelerate or +retard philological changes, is _not_ foreign to our subject; the influence +of the Norman Conquest, upon the previous Anglo-Saxon foundation, being a +problem of some difficulty. + +At the first glance it seems to have been considerable, especially in the +way of simplifying the grammar. Yet the accuracy of this view is by no +means unequivocal. The reasons against it are as follows: + +a. In Friesland no such conquest took place. Yet the modern Frisian, as +compared with the ancient, is nearly as simple in its grammatical +structure, as the English is when compared with the Anglo-Saxon. + +b. In Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, no such conquest took place. Yet the +modern Danish and Swedish, as compared with the Old Norse, are nearly as +simple in their grammatical structure, as the English is, when compared +with the Anglo-Saxon. + +The question requires more investigation than it has met with. + +An extract from Mr. Hallam's "History of Literature" closes the present +section, and introduces the next. + + "Nothing can be more difficult, except by an arbitrary line, than to + determine the commencement of the English language; not so much, as in + those on the Continent, because we are in want of materials, but rather + from an opposite reason, the possibility of showing a very gradual + succession of verbal changes that ended in a change of denomination. We + should probably experience a similar difficulty, if we knew equally + well the current idiom of France or Italy in the seventh and eighth + centuries. For when we compare the earliest English of the thirteenth + century with the Anglo-Saxon of the twelfth, it seems hard to pronounce + why it should pass for a separate language, rather than a modification + or simplification of the former. We must conform, however, to usage, + and say that the Anglo-Saxon was converted into English:--1. By + contracting and otherwise modifying the pronunciation and orthography + of words. 2. By omitting many inflections, especially of the noun, and + consequently making more use of articles and auxiliaries. 3. By the + introduction of French derivatives. 4. By using less inversion and + ellipsis, especially in poetry. Of these, the second alone, I think, + can be considered as sufficient to describe a new form of language; and + this was brought about so gradually, that we are not relieved from much + of our difficulty, as to whether some compositions shall pass for the + latest offspring of the mother, or the earlier fruits of the daughter's + fertility. It is a proof of this difficulty that the best masters of + our ancient language have lately introduced the word Semi-Saxon, which + is to cover everything from A.D. 1150 to A.D. 1250."--Chapter i. 47. + +§ 99. This shows that by the middle of the 12th century, the Anglo-Saxon of +the standard Anglo-Saxon authors, had undergone such a change as to induce +the scholars of the present ago to denominate it, not Saxon, but +Semi-Saxon. It had ceased to be genuine Saxon, but had not yet become +English. + +Some, amongst others, of the earlier changes of the standard Anglo-Saxon +are, + +1. The substitution of -an for -as, in the plural of substantives, +_munucan_ for _munucas_ (_monks_); and, conversely, the substitution of -s +for -n, as _steorres_ for _steorran_ (_stars_). + +2. The ejection or shortening of final vowels, _þæt ylc_ for _þæt ylce_; +_sone_ for _sunu_; _name_ for _nama_; _dages_ for _dagas_. + +3. The substitution of -n for -m in the dative case, _hwilon_ for _hwilum_. + +4. The ejection of the -n of the infinitive mood, _cumme_ for _cuman_ (_to +come_), _nemne_ for _nemnen_ (_to name_). + +5. The ejection of -en in the participle passive, _I-hote_ for _gehaten_ +(_called_, _hight_). + +6. The gerundial termination -enne, superseded by the infinitive +termination -en; as _to lufian_ for _to lufienne_, or _lufigenne_. + +7. The substitution of -en for -að in the persons plural of verbs; _hi +clepen_ (_they call_) for _hi clypiað_, &c. + +The preponderance (not the occasional occurrence) of forms like those above +constitute _Semi-Saxon_ in contradistinction to standard Saxon, classical +Saxon, or Anglo-Saxon proper. + +§ 100. _Old English stage._--Further changes convert Semi-Saxon into Old +English. Some, amongst others, are the following:-- + +1. The ejection of the dative plural termination -um, and the substitution +of the preposition to and the plural sign -s; as _to smiths_ for _smiðum_. +Of the dative singular the -e is retained (_ende_, _worde_); but it is by +no means certain that, although recognized in writing, it was equally +recognized in pronunciation also. + +2. The ejection of -es in the genitive singular whenever the preposition +_of_ came before it; _Godes love_ (_God's love_), but the _love of God_, +and not the _love of Godes_. + +3. The syllable -es as a sign of the genitive case extended to all genders +and to all declensions; _heart's_ for _heortan_; _sun's_ for _sunnan_. + +4. The same in respect to the plural number; _sterres_ for _steorran_; +_sons_ for _suna_. + +5. The ejection of -na in the genitive plural; as _of tunges_ for +_tungena_. + +6. The use of the word _the_, as an article, instead of _se_, &c. + +The _preponderance_ of the forms above (and not their mere occasional +occurrence) constitutes _Old English_ in contradistinction to Semi-Saxon. + +§ 101. In the Old English the following forms predominate. + +1. A fuller inflection of the demonstrative pronoun, or definite article; +_þan_, _þenne_, _þære_, _þam_;--in contradistinction to the Middle English. + +2. The presence of the dative singular in -e; _ende_, _smithe_. + +3. The existence of a genitive plural in -r or -ra; _heora_, theirs; +_aller_, of all. This, with substantives and adjectives, is less common. + +4. The substitution of _heo_ for _they_, of _heora_ for _their_, of _hem_ +for _them_. + +5. A more frequent use of _min_ and _thin_, for _my_ and _thy_;--in +contradistinction to both Middle and Modern English. + +6. The use of _heo_ for _she_;--in contradistinction to Middle and Modern +English and Old Lowland _Scotch_. + +7. The use of broader vowels; as in _iclepud_ or _iclepod_ (for _icleped_ +or _yclept_); _geongost_, youngest; _ascode_, asked; _eldore_, elder. + +8. The use of the strong preterits (_see_ the chapter on the tenses of +verbs), where in the present English the weak form is found--_wex_, _wop_, +_dalf_, for _waxed_, _wept_, _delved_. + +9. The omission not only of the gerundial termination -enne, but also of +the infinitive sign -en after _to_; _to honte_, _to speke_;--in +contradistinction to Semi-Saxon. + +10. The substitution of -en for -eþ or -eð, in the first and second persons +plural of verbs; _we wollen_, we will: _heo schullen_, they should. + +11. The comparative absence of the articles _se_ and _seo_. + +12. The substitution of _ben_ and _beeth_, for _synd_ and _syndon_ = _we_, +_ye_, _they are_. + +§ 102. Concerning the extent to which the Anglo-Norman was used, I retail +the following statements and quotations. + + 1. "Letters even of a private nature were written in Latin till the + beginning of the reign of Edward I., soon after 1270, when a sudden + change brought in the use of French."--_Mr. Hallam, communicated by Mr. + Stevenson_ (_Literature of Europe_, i. 52, _and note_). + + 2. Conversation between the members of the Universities was ordered to + be carried on either in Latin or French:--"_Si qua inter se proferant, + colloquio Latino vel saltem Gallico perfruantur._"--_Statutes of Oriel + College, Oxford._--_Hallam, ibid._ from Warton. + + 3. "The Minutes of the Corporation of London, recorded in the Town + Clerk's Office, were in French, as well as the Proceedings in + Parliament, and in the Courts of Justice."--_Ibid._ + + 4. "In Grammar Schools, boys were made to construe their Latin into + French."--_Ibid._ "_Pueri in scholis, contra morem cæterarum nationum, + et Normannorum adventu, derelicto proprio vulgari, construere Gallice + compelluntur. Item quod filii nobilium ab ipsis cunabulorum crepundiis + ad Gallicum idioma informantur. Quibus profecto rurales homines + assimulari volentes, ut per hoc spectabiliores videantur, Francigenari + satagunt omni nisu._"--_Higden_ (_Ed. Gale_, p. 210). + +§ 103. The reigns of Edward III., and Richard II., may be said to form a +transition from the _Old_ to the _Middle_; those of Mary and Elizabeth from +the _Middle_ to the _New_, _Recent_ or _Modern English_. No very definite +line of demarcation, however, can be drawn. + +§ 104. The _present_ tendencies of the English may be determined by +observation: and as most of them will be noticed in the etymological part +of this volume, the few here indicated must be looked upon as illustrations +only. + +1. The distinction between the subjunctive and indicative mood is likely to +pass away. We verify this by the very general tendency to say _if it is_, +and _if he speaks_, rather than _if it be_, and _if he speak_. + +2. The distinction between the participle passive and the past tense is +likely to pass away. We verify this by the tendency to say _it is broke_, +and _he is smote_, for _it is broken_ and _he is smitten_. + +3. Of the double forms, _sung_ and _sang_, _drank_ and _drunk_, &c., one +only will be the permanent. + +As stated above, these tendencies are but a few out of many, and have been +adduced in order to indicate the subject rather than to exhaust it. + + * * * * * + + +QUESTIONS. + + 1. Classify the Celtic elements of the English language. + + 2. Enumerate the chief periods during which words from the Latin were + introduced into English, and classify the Latin elements accordingly. + + 3. What words were introduced _directly_ by the Danes, Scandinavians, + or Norsemen? What _indirectly_? Through what language did these latter + come? + + 4. Give the dates of the Battle of Hastings, and of the reigns of Louis + Outremer, Ethelred II, and Edward the Confessor. What was the amount of + Norman-French elements in England anterior to the Conquest? + + 5. Give the languages from whence the following words were introduced + into the English--_flannel_, _jerked_ (as to _beef_), _hammock_, + _apparatus_, _waltz_, _Seraph_, _plaid_, _street_, _muslin_. + + 6. Distinguish between the _direct_, _indirect_, and _ultimate_ origin + of introduced words. What words have we in English which are supposed + to have _originated_ in the Ancient Ægyptian, the Syrian, and the + languages of Asia Minor? + + 7. Under what different forms do the following words appear in + English--_monasterium_, πρεσβύτερος, ἐπίσκοπος. Account for these + differences. _Syrup_, _shrub_, and _sherbet_, all originate from the + same word. Explain the present difference. + + 8. Give the _direct_ origin (i.e., the languages from which they were + _immediately_ introduced) of--_Druid_, _epistle_, _chivalry_, _cyder_, + _mæander_. Give the _indirect_ origin of the same. + + 9. Investigate the process by which a word like _sparrow-grass_, + apparently of _English_ origin, is, in reality, derived from the Latin + word _asparagus_. Point out the incorrectness in the words + _frontispiece_, _colleague_, and _lanthorn_. + + 10. To what extent may _Norse_, and to what extent may _Celtic_ words, + not found in the current language of English, be found in the + provincial dialects? + + 11. What were the original names of the towns _Whitby_ and _Derby_? + From what language are the present names derived? Give the reason for + your answer. + + 12. Show the extent to which the _logical_ and _historical_ analyses + coincide in respect to the words introduced from the Roman of the + second period, the Arabic, the Anglo-Norman, and the Celtic of the + current English. + + 13. What are the plural forms of _criterion_, _axis_, _genius_, + _index_, _dogma_? When is a word introduced from a foreign language + _perfectly_, when _imperfectly_ incorporated with the language into + which it is imported? Is the following expression correct--_the + cherubim that singeth aloft_? If not, why? + + 14. What is there exceptionable in the words _semaphore_ (meaning a + sort of telegraph), and _witticism_. Give the etymologies of the words + _icicle_, _radicle_, and _radical_. + + 15. What are the singular forms of _cantharides_, _phænomena_, and + _data_? + + 16. What are the stages of the English language? How does the present + differ from the older ones? + + 17. Exhibit in detail the inflections of the Anglo-Saxon a) noun, and + b) verb, which are not found in the present English. What is the import + of the loss of inflections, and their replacement by separate words? + What is the nature of such words in nouns? What in verbs? + + 18. Contrast the syntax of the Anglo-Saxon with the Modern English + adjective. What is the English for the Anglo-Saxon words _wit_, _unc_, + _incer_? + + 19. Express, in general terms, the chief points wherein a modern + language differs from an ancient one: or, rather, the points wherein + the different stages of the same language differ. + + 20. Investigate the influence of the Norman Conquest on the English. + Explain the terms Semi-Saxon, Old English, and Middle English. Compare + the stages of the English with those of the other Gothic tongues. + + 21. Give the Modern English for the following forms and + expressions--_munucas_, _steorran_, _to lufienne_. What are the + Anglo-Saxon forms of _munucan_, _steorres_, _i-hotte_, _clepen_? + Translate the Latin word _omnium_ (genitive plural of _omnis_) into + _Old_ English. Translate the Greek ὁ, ἡ, τὸ into Anglo-Saxon, Old + English, and Modern English. + + 22. Investigate the extent to which the Anglo-Norman superseded the + Anglo-Saxon subsequent to the Conquest. Is any further change in the + grammatical structure of our language probable? If so, what do you + consider will be the nature of it? + + * * * * * + + +PART III. + +SOUNDS, LETTERS, PRONUNCIATION, SPELLING. + + * * * * * + +CHAPTER I. + +GENERAL NATURE AND CERTAIN PROPERTIES OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS. + +§ 105. To two points connected with the subject of the following chapter, +the attention of the reader is requested. + +a. In the comparison of sounds the ear is liable to be misled by the eye. +Thus-- + +The syllables ka and ga are similar syllables. The vowel is in each the +same, and the consonant is but slightly different. Hence the words ka and +ga are more allied to each other than the words ka and ba, ka and ta, &c., +because the consonantal sounds of k and g are more allied than the +consonantal sounds of k and b, k and t. + +Comparing the syllables ga and ka, we see the affinity between the sounds, +and we see it at the first glance. It lies on the surface, and strikes the +ear at once. + +It is, however, very evident that ways might be devised or might arise from +accident, of concealing the likeness between the two sounds, or, at any +rate, of making it less palpable. One of such ways would be a faulty mode +of spelling. If instead of ga we wrote gha the following would be the +effect: the syllable would appear less simple than it really was; it would +look as if it consisted of three parts instead of two, and consequently its +affinity to ka would seem less than it really was. It is perfectly true +that a little consideration would tell us that, as long as the sound +remained the same, the relation of the two syllables remained the same +also; and that, if the contrary appeared to be the case, the ear was misled +by the eye. Still a little consideration would be required. Now in the +English language we have (amongst others) the following modes of spelling +that have a tendency to mislead;-- + +The sounds of ph and of f, in _Philip_ and _fillip_, differ to the eye, but +to the ear are identical. Here a difference is simulated. + +The sounds of th in _thin_, and of th in _thine_, differ to the ear but to +the eye seem the same. Here a difference is concealed. + +Furthermore. These last sounds appear to the eye to be double or compound. +This is not the case; they are simple single sounds, and not the sounds of +t followed by h, as the spelling leads us to imagine. + +b. Besides improper modes of spelling, there is another way of concealing +the true nature of sounds. If I say that ka and ga are allied, the alliance +is manifest; since I compare the actual _sounds_. If I say _ka_ and _gee_ +are allied, the alliance is concealed; since I compare, not the actual +sounds, but only the _names of the letters_ that express those sounds. Now +in the English language we have (amongst others) the following names of +letters that have a tendency to mislead:-- + +The sounds fa and va are allied. The names _eff_ and _vee_ conceal this +alliance. + +The sounds sa and za are allied. The names _ess_ and _zed_ conceal the +alliance. + +In comparing sounds it is advisable to have nothing to do either with +letters or names of letters. Compare the sounds themselves. + +§ 106. In many cases it is sufficient, in comparing consonants, to compare +syllables that contain those consonants; e.g., in order to determine the +relations of p, b, f, v, we say pa, ba, fa, va; or for those of s and z, we +say sa, za. Here we compare _syllables_, each consonant being followed by a +vowel. At times this is insufficient. We are often obliged to isolate the +consonant from its vowel, and bring our organs to utter (or half utter) the +imperfect sounds of p', b', t', d'. + +§ 107. Let any of the _vowels_ (for instance, the a in _father_) be +sounded. The lips, the tongue, and the parts within the throat remain in +the same position; and as long as these remain in the same position the +sound is that of the vowel under consideration. Let, however, a change take +place in the position of the organs of sound; let, for instance, the lips +be closed, or the tongue be applied to the front part of the mouth: in that +case the vowel sound is cut short. It undergoes a change. It terminates in +a sound that is different, according to the state of those organs whereof +the position has been changed. If, on the vowel in question, the lips be +closed, there then arises an imperfect sound of b or p. If on the other +hand, the tongue be applied to the front teeth, or to the forepart of the +palate, the sound is one (more or less imperfect) of t or d. This fact +illustrates the difference between the vowels and the consonants. It may be +verified by pronouncing the a in _fate_, ee in _feet_, oo in _book_, o in +_note_, &c. + +It is a further condition in the formation of a vowel sound, that the +passage of the breath be uninterrupted. In the sound of the l' in _lo_ +(isolated from its vowel) the sound is as continuous as it is with the a in +_fate_. Between, however, the consonant l and the vowel a there is this +difference: with a, the passage of the breath is uninterrupted; with l, the +tongue is applied to the palate, breaking or arresting the passage of the +breath. + +§ 108. The primary division of our articulate sounds is into vowels and +consonants. The latter are again divided into liquids (l, m, n, r) and +mutes (p, b, f, v, t, d, k, g, s, z, &c.). + +§ 109. _Sharp and flat._--Take the sounds of p, f, t, k, s. Isolate them +from their vowels, and pronounce them. The sound is the sound of a whisper. + +Let b, v, d, g, z, be similarly treated. The sound is no whisper, but one +at the natural tone of our voice. + +Now p, f, t, k, s (with some others that will be brought forward anon) are +_sharp_, whilst b, v, &c., are _flat_. Instead of _sharp_, some say _hard_, +and instead of _flat_, some say _soft_. The terms _sonant_ and _surd_ are, +in a scientific point of view, the least exceptionable. They have, however, +the disadvantage of being pedantic. The _tenues_ of the classics (as far as +they go) are sharp, the _mediæ_ flat. + +§ 110. _Continuous and explosive._--Isolate the sounds of b, p, t, d, k, g. +Pronounce them. You have no power of prolonging the sounds, or of resting +upon them. They escape with the breath, and they escape at once. + +It is not so with f, v, sh, zh. Here the breath is transmitted by degrees, +and the sound can be drawn out and prolonged for an indefinite space of +time. Now b, p, t, &c., are explosive, f, v, &c., continuous. + +§ 111. Concerning the vowels, we may predicate a) that they are all +continuous, b) that they are all flat. + +Concerning the liquids, we may predicate a) that they are all continuous, +b) that they are all flat. + +Concerning the mutes, we may predicate a) that one half of them is flat, +and the other half sharp, and b) that some are continuous, and that others +are explosive. + +§ 112.--The letter h is no _articulate_ sound, but only a breathing. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER II. + +SYSTEM OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS. + +§ 113.--The attention of the reader is now directed to the following +_foreign_ vowel sounds. + +1. The _é fermé_, of the French.--This is a sound allied to, but different +from, the a in _fate_, and the ee in _feet_. It is intermediate to the two. + +2. The u of the French, ü of the Germans, y of the Danes.--This sound is +intermediate to the ee in _feet_, and the oo in _book_. + +3. The _o chiuso_, of the Italians.--Intermediate to the o in _note_, and +the oo in _book_. + +For these sounds we have the following sequences: a in _fate_, _é fermé_, +ee in _feet_, ü in _übel_ (German), oo in _book_, _o chiuso_, o in _note_. +And this is the true order of alliance among the vowels; a in _fate_, and o +in _note_, being the extremes; the other sounds being transitional or +intermediate. As the English orthography is at once singular and faulty, it +exhibits the relationship but imperfectly. + +§ 114. _The system of the mutes._--Preliminary to the consideration of the +system of the mutes, let it be observed:-- + + 1. that the th in _thin_ is a simple single sound, different from the + th in _thine_, and that it may be expressed by the sign þ. + + 2. That the th in _thine_ is a simple single sound, different from the + th in _thin_, and that it may be expressed by the sign ð. + + 3. That the sh in _shine_ is a simple single sound, and that it may be + expressed by the sign σ[42] (Greek σῖγμα). + + 4. That the z in _azure_, _glazier_ (French j) is a simple single + sound, and that it may be expressed by the sign ζ[42] (Greek ζῆτα). + + 5. That in the Laplandic, and possibly in many other languages, there + are two peculiar sounds, different from any in English, German, and + French, &c., and that they may respectively be expressed by the sign κ + and the sign γ[42] (Greek κάππα and γάμμα). + +§ 115. With these preliminary notices we may exhibit the system of the +sixteen mutes; having previously determined the meaning of two fresh terms, +and bearing in mind what was said concerning the words _sharp_ and _flat_, +_continuous_ and _explosive_. + +_Lene and aspirate._--From the sound of p in _pat_, the sound of f in _fat_ +differs in a certain degree. This difference is not owing to a difference +in their sharpness or flatness. Each is sharp. Neither is it owing to a +difference in their continuity or explosiveness; although f is continuous, +whilst p is explosive. This we may ascertain by considering the position of +s. The sound of s is _continuous_; yet s, in respect to the difference +under consideration, is classed not with f the continuous sound but with p +the explosive one. This difference, which has yet to be properly +elucidated, is expressed by a particular term; and p is called _lene_, f is +called _aspirate_. + + As f is to p so is v to b. + As v is to b so is þ to t. + As þ is to t so is ð to d. + As ð is to d so is κ to k. + As κ is to k so is γ to g. + As γ is to g so is σ to s. + As σ is to s so is ζ to z. + +Hence p, b, t, d, k, g, s, z, are _lene_; f, v, þ, ð, κ, γ, σ, ζ, are +_aspirate_. Also p, f, t, þ, k, κ, s, σ, are _sharp_, whilst b, v, d, ð, g, +γ, z, ζ, are _flat_; so that there is a double series of relationship +capable of being expressed as follows:-- + + _Lene._ _Aspirate._ | _Sharp._ _Flat._ + Sharp. Flat. Sharp. Flat. | Lene. Aspirate. Lene. Aspirate. + p b f v | p f b v + t d þ ð | t þ d ð + k g κ γ | k κ g γ + s z σ ζ | s σ z ζ + +All the so-called aspirates are continuous; and, with the exception of s +and z, all the lenes are explosive. + +§ 116. I believe that in the fact of each mute appearing in a four-fold +form (i.e., sharp, or flat, lene, or aspirate), lies the essential +character of the mutes as opposed to the liquids. + +§ 117. Y and w.--These sounds, respectively intermediate to γ and i (the ee +in _feet_), and to v and u (oo in _book_), form a transition from the +vowels to the consonants. + +§ 118. The French word _roi_, and the English words _oil_, _house_, are +specimens of a fresh class of articulations; viz., of _compound vowel_ +sounds or diphthongs. The diphthong oi is the vowel o + the semivowel y. +The diphthongal sound in _roi_ is the vowel o + the semivowel w. In _roi_ +the semivowel element precedes, in _oil_ it follows. + +§ 119. The words quoted indicate the nature of the diphthongal system. + +1. Diphthongs with the semivowel w, a) _preceding_, as in the French word +_roi_, b) _following_, as in the English word _new_. + +2. Diphthongs with the semivowel y, a) _preceding_, as is common in the +languages of the Lithuanic and Slavonic stocks, b) _following_, as in the +word _oil_. + +3. Triphthongs with a semivowel both _preceding_ and _following_. + +The diphthongs in English are four; ow as in _house_, ew as in _new_, oi as +in _oil_, i as in _bite_, _fight_. + +§ 120. _Chest_, _jest_.--Here we have _compound consonantal_ sounds. The ch +in _chest_ = t + sh; the j in _jest_ = d + zh. I believe that in these +combinations one or both the elements, viz., t and sh, d and zh, are +modified; but I am unable to state the exact nature of this modification. + +§ 121. Ng.--The sound of the ng in _sing_, _king_, _throng_, when at the +end of a word, or of _singer_, _ringing_, &c., in the middle of a word, is +not the natural sound of the combination n and g, each letter retaining its +natural power and sound; but a simple single sound, for which the +combination ng is a conventional mode of expression. + +§ 122. Compared with a in _fate_, and the o in _note_, a in _father_, and +the aw in _bawl_, are _broad_; the vowels of _note_ and _fate_ being +_slender_. + +§ 123. In _fat_, the vowel is, according to common parlance, _short_; in +_fate_, it is _long_. Here we have the introduction of two fresh terms. For +the words _long_ and _short_, I substitute _independent_ and _dependent_. +If from the word _fate_ I separate the final consonantal sound, the +syllable fa remains. In this syllable the a has precisely the sound that it +had before. It remains unaltered. The removal of the consonant has in +nowise modified its sound or power. It is not so, however, with the vowel +in the word _fat_. If from this I remove the consonant following, and so +leave the a at the end of the syllable, instead of in the middle, I must do +one of two things: I must sound it either as the a in _fate_, or else as +the a in _father_. Its (so-called) short sound it cannot retain, unless it +be supported by a consonant following. For this reason it is _dependent_. +The same is the case with all the so-called short sounds, viz., the e in +_bed_, i in _fit_, u in _bull_, o in _not_, u in _but_. + +§ 124. It is not every vowel that is susceptible of every modification. I +(ee) and u (oo) are incapable of becoming _broad_. The e in _bed_, although +both broad and slender, is incapable of becoming _independent_. For the u +in _but_, and for the ö of certain foreign languages, I have no +satisfactory systematic position. + + § 125. _Vowel System._ + + _Broad._ _Slender._ + _Independent._ || _Independent._ | _Dependent._ + a, in _father_ || a, in _fate_ | a, in _fat_. + || é in _fermé_, | é, in _fermé_, + || _long_ | _short_. + e, in _meine_, Germ. || | e, in _bed_. + || ee, in _feet_ | i, _pit_. + || ü, of the German, | the same, _short_. + || _long_ | + || oo, in _book_ | ou, in _could_. + || o in _chiuso_ | the same, _short_. + aw, in _bawl_ || o, in _note_ | o, in _not_. + +From these the semivowels w and y make a transition to the consonants v and +the so-called aspirate of g, respectively. + +§ 126. _System of Consonants._ + + Liquids. Mutes. Semivowels. + + || Lene. | Aspirate. || + || Sharp. Flat. | Sharp. Flat. || + || | || + m || p v | f v || w + n || t d | þ ð || . + l || k g | κ γ || y + r || s z | σ ζ || . + + n is doubled in _unnatural_, _innate_, _oneness_. + l -- _soulless_, _civil-list_, _palely_. + k -- _book-case_. + t -- _seaport-town_. + +It must not, however, be concealed, that, in the mouths even of correct +speakers, one of the doubled sounds is often dropped. + +§ 132. _True aspirates rare._--The criticism applied to words like +_pitted_, &c., applies also to words like _Philip_, _thin_, _thine_, &c. +There is therein no sound of h. How the so-called aspirates differ from +their corresponding lenes has not yet been determined. That it is _not_ by +the addition of h is evident. Ph and th are conventional modes of spelling +simple single sounds, which might better be expressed by simple single +signs. + +In our own language the _true_ aspirates, like the true reduplications, are +found only in compound words; and there they are often slurred in the +pronunciation. + + We find p and h in the words _haphazard_, _upholder_. + -- b and h -- _abhorrent_, _cub-hunting_. + -- f and h -- _knife-handle_, _off hand_. + -- v and h -- _stave-head_. + -- d and h -- _adhesive_, _childhood_. + -- t and h -- _nuthook_. + -- th and h -- _withhold_. + -- k and h -- _inkhorn_, _bakehouse_. + -- g and h -- _gig-horse_. + -- s and h -- _race-horse_, _falsehood_. + -- z and h -- _exhibit_, _exhort_. + -- r and h -- _perhaps_. + -- l and h -- _wellhead_, _foolhardy_. + -- m and h -- _Amherst_. + -- n and h -- _unhinge_, _inherent_, _unhappy_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER IV. + +EUPHONY AND THE PERMUTATION OF LETTERS. + +§ 133. 1. Let there be two syllables of which the one ends in m, and the +other begins with r, as we have in the syllables num- and -rus of the Latin +word _numerus_. + +2. Let an ejection of the intervening letters bring these two syllables +into immediate contact, _numrus_. The m and r form an unstable combination. +To remedy this there is a tendency to insert an intervening sound. + +In English, the form which the Latin word _numerus_ takes is _number_; in +Spanish, _nombre_. The b makes no part of the original word, but has been +inserted for the sake of _euphony_; or, to speak more properly, by a +euphonic process. The word euphony is derived from εὖ (_well_), and φώνη +(_fônæ_, a voice). + +§ 134. In the words _give_ and _gave_ we have a change of tense expressed +by a change of vowel. In the words _price_ and _prize_ a change of meaning +is expressed by a change of consonant. In _clothe_ and _clad_ there is a +change both of a vowel and of a consonant. In the words _to use_ and _a +use_ there is a similar change, although it is not expressed by the +spelling. To the ear the verb _to use_ ends in z, although not to the eye. +All these are instances of the _permutation_ of letters. + + _Permutation of Vowels._ + + a to ĕ, as _man_, _men_. + a to oo, as _stand_, _stood_. + a to u, as _dare_, _durst_. + a to ē, as _was_, _were_. + ea to o, as _speak_, _spoken_. + ea = ĕ to ea = ē, as _breath_, _breathe_. + ee to ĕ, as _deep_, _depth_. + ea to o, as _bear_, _bore_. + i to a, as _spin_, _span_. + i to u, as _spin_, _spun_. + ī = ei to o, as _smite_, _smote_. + i = ei to ĭ, as _smite_, _smitten_. + i to a, as _give_, _gave_. + i = ei to a, as _rise_, _raise_. + ĭ to e, as _sit_, _set_. + ow to ew, as _blow_, _blew_. + o to e, as _strong_, _strength_. + oo to ee, as _tooth_, _teeth_. + o to i, as _top_, _tip_. + o to e, as _old_, _elder_; _tell_, _told_. + ŏ to e, as _brother_, _brethren_. + ō = oo to i, as _do_, _did_. + o = oo to o = ŭ, as _do_, _done_. + oo to o, as _choose_, _chose_. + + _Permutation of Consonants._ + + f to v, _life_, _live_; _calf_, _calves_. + þ to ð, _breath_, _to breathe_. + þ to d, _seethe_, _sod_; _clothe_, _clad_. + d to t, _build_, _built_. + s to z, _use_, _to use_. + s to r, _was_, _were_; _lose_, _forlorn_. + +In _have_ and _had_ we have the _ejection_ of a sound; in _work_ and +_wrought_, the _transposition_ of one. + + _Permutation of Combinations._ + + ie = i to ow, as _grind_, _ground_. + ow to i = ei, as _mouse_, _mice_; + _cow_, _kine_. + ink to augh, as _drink_, _draught_. + ing to ough, as _bring_, _brought_. + y (formerly g), to ough, as _buy_, _bought_. + igh = ei to ough, as _fight_, _fought_. + eek to ough, as _seek_, _sought_. + +It must be noticed that the list above is far from being an exhaustive one. +The expression too of the changes undergone has been rendered difficult on +account of the imperfection of our orthography. The whole section has been +written in illustration of the meaning of the word _permutation_, rather +than for any specific object in grammar. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER V. + +ON THE FORMATION OF SYLLABLES. + +§ 135. In respect to the formation of syllables, I am aware of no more than +one point that requires any especial consideration. + +In certain words, of more than one syllable, it is difficult to say to +which syllable an intervening consonant belongs. For instance, does the v +in _river_, and the e in _fever_, belong to the first or the second +syllable? Are the words to be divided thus, _ri-ver_, _fe-ver_? or thus, +_riv-er_, _feve-r_? + +The solution of the question lies by no means on the surface. + +In the first place, the case is capable of being viewed in two points of +view--an etymological and a phonetic one. + +That the c and r in _become_, _berhymed_, &c., belong to the second +syllable, we determine at once by taking the words to pieces; whereby we +get the words _come_ and _rhymed_ in an isolated independent form. But this +fact, although it settles the point in etymology, leaves it as it was in +phonetics; since it in nowise follows, that, because the c in the _simple_ +word _come_ is exclusively attached to the letter that succeeds, it is, in +the _compound_ word _become_, exclusively attached to it also. + +To the following point of structure in the consonantal sounds the reader's +attention is particularly directed. + +1. Let the vowel a (as in _fate_) be sounded.--2. Let it be followed by the +consonant p, so as to form the syllable _āp_. To form the sound of p, it +will be found that the lips close on the sound of a, and arrest it. Now, if +the lips be left to themselves they will not _remain_ closed on the sound, +but will open again; in a slight degree indeed, but in a degree sufficient +to cause a kind of vibration, or, at any rate, to allow an escape of the +remainder of the current of breath by which the sound was originally +formed. To re-open in a slight degree is the natural tendency of the lips +in the case exhibited above. + +Now, by an effort, let this tendency to re-open be counteracted. Let the +remaining current of breath be cut short. We have, then, only this, viz., +so much of the syllable _āp_ as can be formed by the _closure_ of the lips. +All that portion of it that is caused by their re-opening is deficient. The +resulting sound seems truncated, cut short, or incomplete. It is the sound +of p, _minus_ the remnant of breath. All of the sound p that is now left is +formed, not by the _escape_ of the breath, but by the _arrest_ of it. + +The p in āp is a _final_ sound. With initial sounds the case is different. +Let the lips be _closed_, and let an attempt be made to form the syllable +pa by suddenly opening them. The sound appears incomplete; but its +incompleteness is at the _beginning_ of the sound, and not at the end of +it. In the natural course of things there would have been a current of +breath _preceding_, and this current would have given a vibration, now +wanting. All the sound that is formed here is formed, not by the _arrest_ +of breath, but by the _escape_ of it. + +I feel that this account of the mechanism of the apparently simple sound p, +labours under all the difficulties that attend the _description_ of a +sound; and for this reason I again request the reader to satisfy himself +either of its truth or of its inaccuracy, before he proceeds to the +conclusions that will be drawn from it. + +The account, however, being recognized, we have in the sound of p, two +elements:-- + +1. That formed by the current of air and the closure of the lips, as in ap. +This may be called the sound of breath _arrested_. + +2. That formed by the current of air, and the opening of the lips, as in +pa. This may be called the sound of breath _escaping_. + +Now what may be said of p may be said of all the other consonants, the +words _tongue_, _teeth_, &c., being used instead of _lips_, according to +the case. + +Let the sound of breath _arrested_ be expressed by π, and that of breath +_escaping_ be expressed by ϖ, the two together form p (π + ϖ = p). + +Thus ap (as quoted above) is p - ϖ, or π; whilst pa (sounded similarly) is +p - π, or ϖ. + +In the formation of syllables, I consider that the sound of breath arrested +belongs to the first, and the sound of breath escaping to the second +syllable; that if each sound were expressed by a separate sign, the word +_happy_ would be divided thus, _haπ-ϖy_; and that such would be the case +with all consonants between two syllables. The _whole_ consonant belongs +neither to one syllable nor the other. Half of it belongs to each. The +reduplication of the p in _happy_, the t in _pitted_, &c., is a mere point +of spelling. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VI. + +ON QUANTITY. + +§ 136. The dependent vowels, as the a in _fat_, i in _fit_, u in _but_, o +in _not_, have the character of being uttered with rapidity, and they pass +quickly in the enunciation, the voice not resting on them. This rapidity of +utterance becomes more evident when we contrast with them the prolonged +sounds of the a in _fate_, ee in _feet_, oo in _book_, or o in _note_; +wherein the utterance is retarded, and wherein the voice rests, delays, or +is prolonged. The f and t of _fate_ are separated by a longer interval than +the f and t of _fat_; and the same is the case with _fit_, _feet_, &c. + +Let the n and the t of _not_ be each as 1, the o also being as 1; then each +letter, consonant or vowel, shall constitute ⅓ of the whole word. + +Let, however, the n and the t of _note_ be each as 1, the o being as 2. +Then, instead of each consonant constituting ⅓ of the whole word, it shall +constitute but ¼. + +Upon the comparative extent to which the voice is prolonged, the division +of vowels and syllables into _long_ and _short_ has been established: the o +in _note_ being long, the o in _not_ being short. And the longness or +shortness of a vowel or syllable is said to be its _quantity_. + +§ 137. Attention is directed to the word _vowel_. The longness or shortness +of a _vowel_ is one thing. The longness or shortness of a _syllable_ +another. This difference is important in prosody; especially in comparing +the English with the classical metres. + +The vowel in the syllable _see_ is long; and long it remains, whether it +stand as it is, or be followed by a consonant, as in _see-n_, or by a +vowel, as in _see-ing_. + +The vowel in the word _sit_ is short. If followed by a vowel it becomes +unpronounceable, except as the ea in _seat_ or the i in _sight_. By a +consonant, however, it _may_ be followed. Such is the case in the word +quoted--_sit_. Followed by a _second_ consonant, it still retains its +shortness, e.g., _sits_. Whatever the comparative length of the +_syllables_, _see_ and _seen_, _sit_ and _sits_, may be, the length of +their respective _vowels_ is the same. + +Now, if we determine the character of the syllable by the character of the +vowel, all syllables are short wherein there is a short vowel, and all are +long wherein there is a long one. Hence, measured by the quantity of the +vowel, the word _sits_ is short, and the syllable _see-_ in _seeing_ is +long. + +§ 138. But it is well known that this view is not the view commonly taken +of the syllables _see_ (in _seeing_) and _sits_. It is well known, that, in +the eyes of a classical scholar, the _see_ (in _seeing_) is short, and that +in the word _sits_ the i is long. + +The classic differs from the Englishman thus,--_He measures his quantity, +not by the length of the vowel, but by the length of the syllable taken +altogether._ The perception of this distinction enables us to comprehend +the following statements. + +a. That vowels long by nature may _appear_ to become short by position, and +_vice versâ_. + +b. That, by a laxity of language, the _vowel_ may be said to have changed +its quantity, whilst it is the _syllable_ alone that has been altered. + +c. That if one person measures his quantities by the vowels, and another by +the syllables, what is short to the one, shall be long to the other, and +_vice versâ_. The same is the case with nations. + +d. That one of the most essential differences between the English and the +classical languages is that the quantities (as far as they go) of the first +are measured by the vowel, those of the latter by the syllable. To a Roman +the word _monument_ consists of two short syllables and one long one; to an +Englishman it contains three short syllables. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VII. + +ON ACCENT. + +§ 139. In the word _tyrant_ there is an emphasis, or stress, upon the first +syllable. In the word _presume_ there is an emphasis, or stress, on the +second syllable. This emphasis, or stress, is called _accent_. The +circumstance of a syllable bearing an accent is sometimes expressed by a +mark (′); in which case the word is said to be accentuated, i.e., to have +the accent signified in writing. + +Words accented on the last syllable--_Brigáde_, _preténce_, _harpoón_, +_reliéve_, _detér_, _assúme_, _besóught_, _beréft_, _befóre_, _abroád_, +_abóde_, _abstrúse_, _intermíx_, _superádd_, _cavaliér_. + +Words accented on the last syllable but one--_An'chor_, _ar'gue_, _hásten_, +_fáther_, _fóxes_, _smíting_, _húsband_, _márket_, _vápour_, _bárefoot_, +_archángel_, _bespátter_, _disáble_, _terrífic_. + +Words accented on the last syllable but two--_Reg'ular_, _an'tidote_, +_for'tify_, _suscéptible_, _incontrovértible_. + +Words accented on the last syllable but three (rare)--_Réceptacle_, +_régulating_, _tálkativeness_, _ábsolutely_, _lúminary_, _inévitable_, &c. + +§ 140. A great number of words are distinguished by the difference of +accent alone. + + An _áttribute_. To _attríbute_. + The month _Aúgust_. An _augúst_ person. + A _com'pact_. _Compáct_ (close). + To _con'jure_ (magically). _Conjúre_ (enjoin). + _Des'ert_, wilderness. _Desért_, merit. + _Inválid_, not valid. _Invalíd_, a sickly person. + _Mínute_, 60 seconds. _Minúte_, small. + _Súpine_, part of speech. _Supíne_, careless, &c. + +§ 141. In _týrant_ and _presúme_, we deal with single words; and in each +_word_ we determine which _syllable_ is accented. Contrasted with the sort +of accent that follows, this may be called a _verbal_ accent. + +In the line, + + Better for _us_, perhaps, it might appear, + (Pope's "Essay on Man," I. 169.) + +the pronoun _us_ is strongly brought forward. An especial stress or +emphasis is laid upon it, denoting that _there are other beings to whom it +might not appear_, &c. This is collected from the context. Here there is a +_logical_ accent. "When one word in a sentence is distinguished by a +stress, as more important than the rest, we may say that it is +_emphatical_, or that an _emphasis_ is laid upon it. When one syllable in a +word is distinguished by a stress, and more audible than the rest, we say +that it is accented, or that an accent is put upon it. Accent, therefore, +is to syllables what emphasis is to sentences; it distinguishes one from +the crowd, and brings it forward to observation."--Nares' "Orthoepy," part +ii. chap. 1. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +ORTHOGRAPHY. + +§ 142. _Orthoepy_, a word derived from the Greek _orthon_ (_upright_), and +_epos_ (_a word_), signifies the right utterance of words. Orthoepy +determines words, and deals with a language as it is _spoken_; +_orthography_ determines the correct spelling of words, and deals with a +language as it is _written_. This latter term is derived from the Greek +words _orthos_ (_upright_), and _graphé_, or _grafæ_ (_writing_). +Orthography is less essential to language than orthoepy; since all +languages are spoken, whilst but a few languages are written. Orthography +presupposes orthoepy. Orthography addresses itself to the eye, orthoepy to +the ear. Orthoepy deals with the articulate sounds that constitute +syllables and words; orthography treats of the signs by which such +articulate sounds are expressed in writing. A _letter_ is the sign of an +articulate (and, in the case of h, of an inarticulate) sound. + +§ 143. A full and perfect system of orthography consists in two things:--1. +The possession of a sufficient and consistent alphabet. 2. The right +application of such an alphabet. This position may be illustrated more +fully. + +§ 144. First, in respect to a sufficient and consistent alphabet--Let there +be in a certain language, simple single articulate sounds, to the number of +forty, whilst the simple single signs, or letters, expressive of them, +amount to no more than _thirty_. In this case the alphabet is insufficient. +It is not full enough: since ten of the simple single articulate sounds +have no corresponding signs whereby they may be expressed. In our own +language, the sounds (amongst others) of th in _thin_, and of th in +_thine_, are simple and single, whilst there is no sign equally simple and +single to spell them with. + +§ 145. An alphabet, however, may be sufficient, and yet imperfect. It may +err on the score of inconsistency. Let there be in a given language two +simple single sounds, (for instance) the p in _pate_, and the f in _fate_. +Let these sounds stand in a given relation to each other. Let a given sign, +for instance, פ (as is actually the case in Hebrew), stand for the p in +_pate_; and let a second sign be required for the f in _fate_. Concerning +the nature of this latter sign, two views may be taken. One framer of the +alphabet, perceiving that the two sounds are mere modifications of each +other, may argue that no new sign (or letter) is at all necessary, but that +the sound of f in _fate_ may be expressed by a mere modification of the +sign (or letter) פ, and may be written thus פּ, or thus פ′ or פ`, &c.; +upon the principle that like sounds should be expressed by like signs. The +other framer of the alphabet, contemplating the difference between the two +sounds, rather than the likeness, may propose, not a mere modification of +the sign פ, but a letter altogether new, such as f, or φ, &c., upon the +principle that sounds of a given degree of dissimilitude should be +expressed by signs of a different degree of dissimilitude. + +Hitherto the expression of the sounds in point is a matter of convenience +only. No question has been raised as to its consistency or inconsistency. +This begins under conditions like the following:--Let there be in the +language in point the sounds of the t in _tin_, and of the th in _thin_; +which (it may be remembered) are precisely in the same relation to each +other as the p in _pate_ and the f in _fate_. Let each of these sounds have +a sign or letter expressive of it. Upon the nature of these signs, or +letters, will depend the nature of the sign or letter required for the f in +_fate_. If the letter expressing the th in _thin_ be a mere modification of +the letter expressing the t in _tin_, then must the letter expressive of +the f in _fate_ be a mere modification of the letter expressing the p in +_pate_, and _vice versâ_. If this be not the case, the alphabet is +inconsistent. + +In the English alphabet we have (amongst others) the following +inconsistency:--The sound of the f in _fate_, in a certain relation to the +sound of the p in _pate_, is expressed by a totally distinct sign; whereas, +the sound of the th in _thin_ (similarly related to the t in _tin_) is +expressed by no new sign, but by a mere modification of t; viz., th. + +§ 146. A third element in the faultiness of an alphabet is the fault of +erroneous representation. The best illustration of this we get from the +Hebrew alphabet, where the sounds of ת and ט, mere _varieties_ of each +other, are represented by distinct and dissimilar signs, whilst ת and תּ, +sounds _specifically_ distinct, are expressed by a mere modification of the +same sign, or letter. + +§ 147. _The right application of an alphabet._--An alphabet may be both +sufficient and consistent, accurate in its representation of the alliances +between articulate sounds, and in no wise redundant; and yet, withal, it +may be so wrongly applied as to be defective. Of defect in the use or +application of the letters of an alphabet, the three main causes are the +following:-- + +a. _Unsteadiness in the power of letters._--Of this there are two kinds. In +the first, there is one sound with two (or more) ways of expressing it. +Such is the sound of the letter f in English. In words of Anglo-Saxon +origin it is spelt with a single simple sign, as in _fill_; whilst in Greek +words it is denoted by a combination, as in _Philip_. The reverse of this +takes place with the letter g; here a single sign has a double power; in +_gibbet_ it is sounded as j, and in _gibberish_ as g in _got_. + +b. _The aim at secondary objects._--The natural aim of orthography, of +spelling, or of writing, is to express the _sounds_ of a language. +Syllables and words it takes as they meet the ear, it translates them by +appropriate signs, and so paints them, as it were, to the eye. That this is +the natural and primary object is self-evident; but beyond this natural and +primary object there is, with the orthographical systems of most languages, +a secondary one, viz., the attempt to combine with the representation of +the sound of a given word, the representation of its history and origin. + +The sound of the c, in _city_, is the sound that we naturally spell with +the letter s, and if the expression of this sound was the _only_ object of +our orthographists, the word would be spelt accordingly (_sity_). The +following facts, however, traverse this simple view of the matter. The word +is a derived word; it is transplanted into our own language from the Latin, +where it is spelt with a c (_civitas_); and to change this c into s +conceals the origin and history of the word. For this reason the c is +retained, although, as far as the mere expression of sounds (the primary +object in orthography) is concerned, the letter is a superfluity. In cases +like the one adduced the orthography is bent to a secondary end, and is +traversed by the etymology. + +c. _Obsoleteness._--It is very evident that modes of spelling which at one +time may have been correct, may, by a change of pronunciation, become +incorrect; so that orthography becomes obsolete whenever there takes place +a change of speech without a correspondent change of spelling. + +§ 148. From the foregoing sections we arrive at the theory of a full and +perfect alphabet and orthography, of which a few (amongst many others) of +the chief conditions are as follow:-- + +1. That for every simple single sound, incapable of being represented by a +combination of letters, there be a simple single sign. + +2. That sounds within a determined degree of likeness be represented by +signs within a determined degree of likeness; whilst sounds beyond a +certain degree of likeness be represented by distinct and different signs, +_and that uniformly_. + +3. That no sound have more than one sign to express it. + +4. That no sign express more than one sound. + +5. That the primary aim of orthography be to express the sounds of words, +and not their histories. + +6. That changes of speech be followed by corresponding changes of spelling. + +With these principles in our mind we may measure the imperfections of our +own and of other alphabets. + +§ 149. Previous to considering the sufficiency or insufficiency of the +English alphabet, it is necessary to enumerate the elementary articulate +sounds of the language. The vowels belonging to the English language are +the following _twelve_:-- + + 1. That of a in _father_. 7. That of e -- _bed_. + 2. -- a -- _fat_. 8. -- i -- _pit_. + 3. -- a -- _fate_. 9. -- ee -- _feet_. + 4. -- aw -- _bawl_. 10. -- u -- _bull_. + 5. -- o -- _not_. 11. -- oo -- _fool_. + 6. -- o -- _note_. 12. -- u -- _duck_. + +The diphthongal sounds are _four_. + + 1. That of ou in _house_. + 2. -- ew -- _new_. + 3. -- oi -- _oil_. + 4. -- i -- _bite_. + +This last sound being most incorrectly expressed by the single letter i. + +The consonantal sounds are, 1. the two semivowels; 2. the four liquids; 3. +fourteen out of the sixteen mutes; 4. ch in _chest_, and j in _jest_, +compound sibilants; 5. ng, as in _king_; 6. the aspirate h. In all, +twenty-four. + + 1. w as in _wet_. 13. th as in _thin_. + 2. y -- _yet_. 14. th -- _thine_. + 3. m -- _man_. 15. g -- _gun_. + 4. n -- _not_. 16. k -- _kind_. + 5. l -- _let_. 17. s -- _sin_. + 6. r -- _run_. 18. z -- _zeal_. + 7. p -- _pate_. 19. sh -- _shine_. + 8. b -- _ban_. 20. z -- _azure, glazier_. + 9. f -- _fan_. 21. ch -- _chest_. + 10. v -- _van_. 22. j -- _jest_. + 11. t -- _tin_. 23. ng -- _king_. + 12. d -- _din_. 24. h -- _hot_. + +§ 150. Some writers would add to these the additional sound of the _é +fermé_ of the French; believing that the vowel in words like _their_ and +_vein_ has a different sound from the vowel in words like _there_ and +_vain_. For my own part I cannot detect such a difference either in my own +speech or that of my neighbours; although I am far from denying that in +certain _dialects_ of our language such may have been the case. The +following is an extract from the "Danish Grammar for Englishmen," by +Professor Rask, whose eye, in the matter in question, seems to have misled +his ear; "The _é fermé_, or _close é_, is very frequent in Danish, but +scarcely perceptible in English; unless in such words as _their_, _vein_, +_veil_, which appear to sound a little different from _there_, _vain_, +_vale_." + +§ 151. The vowels being twelve, the diphthongs four, and the consonantal +sounds twenty-four, we have altogether as many as forty sounds, some being +so closely allied to each other as to be mere modifications, and others +being combinations rather than simple sounds; all, however, agreeing in +requiring to be expressed by letters or by combinations of letters, and to +be distinguished from each other. This enables us to appreciate-- + +§ 152. _The insufficiency of the English alphabet._-- + +a. _In respect to the vowels._--Notwithstanding the fact that the sounds of +the a in _father_, _fate_, and _fat_, and of the o and the aw in _note_, +_not_, and _bawl_, are modifications of a and o respectively, we have still +_six_ vowel sounds specifically distinct, for which (y being a consonant +rather than a vowel) we have but _five_ signs. The u in _duck_, +specifically distinct from the u in _bull_, has no specifically distinct +sign to represent it. + +b. _In respect to the consonants_.--The th in _thin_, the th in _thine_, +the sh in _shine_, the z in _azure_, and the ng in _king_, five sounds +specifically distinct, and five sounds perfectly simple require +corresponding signs, which they have not. + +§ 153. _Its inconsistency._--The f in _fan_, and the v in _van_, sounds in +a certain degree of relationship to p and b, are expressed by sounds as +unlike as f is unlike p, and as v is unlike b. The sound of the th in +_thin_, the th in _thine_, the sh in _shine_, similarly related to t, d, +and s, are expressed by signs as like t, d, and s, respectively, as th and +sh. + +The compound sibilant sound of j in _jest_ is spelt with the single sign j, +whilst the compound sibilant sound in _chest_ is spelt with the combination +ch. + +§ 154. _Erroneousness._--The sound of the ee in _feet_ is considered the +long (independent) sound of the e in _bed_; whereas it is the long +(independent) sound of the i in _pit_. + +The i in _bite_ is considered as the long (independent) sound of the i in +_pit_; whereas it is a diphthongal sound. + +The u in _duck_ is looked upon as a modification of the u in _bull_; +whereas it is a specifically distinct sound. + +The ou in _house_ and the oi in _oil_ are looked upon as the compounds of o +and i and of o and u respectively; whereas the latter element of them is +not i and u, but y and w. + +The th in _thin_ and the th in _thine_ are dealt with as one and the same +sound; whereas they are sounds specifically distinct. + +The ch in _chest_ is dealt with as a modification of c (either with the +power of k or of s); whereas its elements are t and sh. + +§ 155. _Redundancy._--As far as the representation of sounds is concerned +the letter c is superfluous. In words like _citizen_ it may be replaced by +s; in words like _cat_ by k. In ch, as in _chest_, it has no proper place. +In ch, as in _mechanical_, it may be replaced by k. + +Q is superfluous, cw or kw being its equivalent. + +X also is superfluous, ks, gz, or z, being equivalent to it. + +The diphthongal forms æ and œ, as in _Æneas_ and _Crœsus_, except in the +way of etymology, are superfluous and redundant. + +§ 156. _Unsteadiness._--Here we have (amongst many other examples), 1. The +consonant c with the double power of s and k; 2. g with its sound in _gun_ +and also with its sound in _gin_; 3. x with its sounds in _Alexander_, +_apoplexy_, _Xenophon_. + +In the foregoing examples a single sign has a double power; in the words +_Philip_ and _filip_, &c.; a single sound has a double sign. + +In respect to the degree wherein the English orthography is made +subservient to etymology, it is sufficient to repeat the statement that as +many as three letters c, æ, and œ are retained in the alphabet for +_etymological purposes only_. + +§ 157. The defects noticed in the preceding sections are _absolute_ +defects, and would exist, as they do at present, were there no language in +the world except the English. This is not the case with those that are now +about to be noticed; for them, indeed, the word _defect_ is somewhat too +strong a term. They may more properly be termed inconveniences. + +Compared with the languages of the rest of the world the use of many +letters in the English alphabet is _singular_. The letter i (when long or +independent) is, with the exception of England, generally sounded as ee. +With Englishmen it has a diphthongal power. The inconvenience of this is +the necessity that it imposes upon us, in studying foreign languages, of +unlearning the sound which we give it in our own, and of learning the sound +which it bears in the language studied. So it is (amongst many others) with +the letter j. In English this has the sound of _dzh_, in French of zh, and +in German of y. From singularity in the use of letters arises inconvenience +in the study of foreign tongues. + +In using j as dzh there is a second objection. It is not only inconvenient, +but it is theoretically incorrect. The letter j was originally a +modification of the vowel i. The Germans, who used it as the semivowel y, +have perverted it from its original power less than the English have done, +who sound it dzh. + +With these views we may appreciate in the English alphabet and +orthography-- + +_Its convenience or inconvenience in respect to learning foreign +tongues._--The sound given to the a in _fate_ is singular. Other nations +sound it as a in _father_. + +The sound given to the e, long (or independent), is singular. Other nations +sound it either as a in _fate_, or as _é fermé_. + +The sound given to the i in _bite_ is singular. Other nations sound it as +ee in _feet_. + +The sound given to the oo in _fool_ is singular. Other nations sound it as +the o in _note_, or as the _ó chiuso_. + +The sound given to the u in _duck_ is singular. Other nations sound it as +the u in _bull_. + +The sound given to the ou in _house_ is singular. Other nations, more +correctly, represent it by au or aw. + +The sound given to the w in _wet_ is somewhat singular, but is also correct +and convenient. With many nations it is not found at all, whilst with those +where it occurs it has the sound (there or thereabouts) of v. + +The sound given to y is somewhat singular. In Danish it has a vowel power. +In German the semivowel sound is spelt with j. + +The sound given to z is not the sound which it has in German and Italian, +but its power in English is convenient and correct. + +The sound given to ch in _chest_ is singular. In other languages it has +generally a guttural sound; in French that of sh. The English usage is more +correct than the French, but less correct than the German. + +The sound given to j (as said before) is singular. + +§ 158. _The historical propriety or impropriety of certain letters._--The +use of i with a diphthongal power is not only singular and inconvenient, +but also _historically incorrect_. The Greek _iota_, from whence it +originates, has the sound of i and ee, as in _pit_ and _feet_. + +The y, sounded as in _yet_, is historically incorrect. It grew out of the +Greek υ, a vowel, and no semivowel. The Danes still use it as such, that +is, with the power of the German ü. + +The use of j for dzh is historically incorrect. + +The use of c for k in words derived from the Greek as _mechanical_, +_ascetic_, &c., is historically incorrect. The form c is the representative +of γ and σ and not of the Greek _kappa_. + +§ 159. _On certain conventional modes of spelling._--In the Greek language +the sounds of o in _not_ and of o in _note_ (although allied) are expressed +by the unlike signs (or letters) ο and ω, respectively. In most other +languages the difference between the sounds is considered too slight to +require for its expression signs so distinct and dissimilar. In some +languages the difference is neglected altogether. In many, however, it is +expressed, and that by some modification of the original letter. + +Let the sign (ˉ) denote that the vowel over which it stands is long, or +independent, whilst the sign (˘) indicates shortness, or dependence. In +such a case, instead of writing _not_ and _nωt_, like the Greeks, we may +write _nŏt_ and _nōt_, the sign serving for a fresh letter. Herein the +expression of the nature of the sound is natural, because the natural use +of (ˉ) and (˘) is to express length or shortness, dependence or +independence. Now, supposing the broad sound of o to be already +represented, it is very evident that, of the other two sounds of o, the one +must be long (independent), and the other short (dependent); and as it is +only necessary to express one of these conditions, we may, if we choose, +use the sign (ˉ) alone; its presence denoting length, and its absence +shortness (independence or dependence). + +As signs of this kind, one mark is as good as another; and instead of (ˉ) +we may, if we chose, substitute such a mark as (′) and write _nót_ = _nōt_ += _nωt_ = _nōte_; provided only that the sign (′) expresses no other +condition or affection of a sound. This use of the mark (′), as a sign that +the vowel over which it is placed is long (independent), is common in many +languages. But is this use of (′) natural? For a reason that the reader has +anticipated, it is not natural, but conventional. Neither is it convenient. +It is used elsewhere not as the sign of _quantity_, but as the sign of +_accent_; consequently, being placed over a letter, and being interpreted +according to its natural meaning, it gives the idea, not that the syllable +is long, but that it is emphatic or accented. Its use as a sign of quantity +then, would be an orthographical expedient, or an inconvenient conventional +mode of spelling. + +The English language abounds in orthographical expedients; the modes of +expressing the quantity of the vowels being particularly numerous. To begin +with these:-- + +The reduplication of a vowel where there is but one syllable (as in _feet_, +_cool_), is an orthographical expedient. It merely means that the syllable +is long (or independent). + +The juxtaposition of two different vowels, where there is but one syllable +(as in _plain_, _moan_), is an orthographical expedient. It generally means +the same as the reduplication of a vowel, i.e., that the syllable is long +(independent). + +The addition of the e mute, as in _plane_, _whale_ (whatever may have been +its origin), is, at present, but an orthographical expedient. It denotes +the lengthening of the syllable. + +The reduplication of the consonant after a vowel, as in _spotted_, +_torrent_, is in most cases but an orthographical expedient. It merely +denotes that the preceding vowel is short (dependent). + +The use of ph for f in _Philip_, is an orthographical expedient, founded +upon etymological reasons. + +The use of th for the simple sound of the first consonant in _thin_ and +_thine_, is an orthographical expedient. The combination must be dealt with +as a single letter. + +_Caution._--The letters x and q are not orthographical expedients. They are +orthographical _compendiums_, x = ks, and q = kw. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER IX. + +HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE ENGLISH ALPHABET. + +§ 160. The preceding chapter has exhibited the theory of a full and perfect +alphabet; it has shown how far the English alphabet falls short of such a +standard; and, above all, it has exhibited some of the conventional modes +of spelling which the insufficiency of alphabets, combined with other +causes, has engendered. The present chapter gives a _history_ of our +alphabet, whereby many of its defects are _accounted for_. These defects, +it may be said, once for all, the English alphabet shares with those of the +rest of the world; although, with the doubtful exception of the French, it +possesses them in a higher degree than any. + +With few, if any exceptions, _all the modes of writing in the world +originate_, directly or indirectly, from the Phœnician. + +At a certain period the alphabet of Palestine, Phœnicia, and the +neighboring languages of the Semitic tribes, consisted of _twenty-two_ +separate and distinct letters. + +Now the chances are, that, let a language possess as few elementary +articulate sounds as possible, an alphabet of only _twenty-two_ letters +will be insufficient. + +Hence it may safely be asserted, that the original Semitic alphabet was +_insufficient_ for even the _Semitic_ languages. + +§ 161. In this state it was imported into Greece. Now, as it rarely happens +that any two languages have precisely the same elementary articulate +sounds, so it rarely happens that an alphabet can be transplanted from one +tongue to another, and be found to suit. When such is the case, alterations +are required. The extent to which these alterations are made at all, or (if +made) made on a right principle varies with different languages. Some +_adapt_ an introduced alphabet well: others badly. + +Of the _twenty-two_ Phœnician letters the Greeks took but _twenty-one_. The +eighteenth letter, _tsadi_ צ was never imported into Europe. + +Compared with the Semitic, the _Old_ Greek alphabet ran thus:-- + + _Hebrew._ _Greek._ + + 1. א Α. + 2. ב Β. + 3. ג Γ. + 4. ד Δ. + 5. ה Ε. + 6. ו Digamma. + 7. ז Ζ. + 8. ח Η. + 9. ט Θ. + 10. י Ι. + 11. כ Κ. + 12. ל Λ. + 13. מ Μ. + 14. נ Ν. + 15. ס Σ? + 16. ע Ο. + 17. פ Π. + 18. צ -- + A letter called + 19. ק koppa, afterwards + ejected. + 20. ר Ρ. + 21. ש M afterwards Σ? + 22. ת Τ. + +The _names_ of the letters were as follows: + + _Hebrew._ _Greek._ + + 1. Aleph Alpha. + 2. Beth Bæta. + 3. Gimel Gamma. + 4. Daleth Delta. + 5. He E, _psilon._ + 6. Vaw _Digamma._ + 7. Zayn Zæta. + 8. Heth Hæta. + 9. Teth Thæta. + 10. Yod Iôta. + 11. Kaph Kappa. + 12. Lamed Lambda. + 13. Mem Mu. + 14. Nun Nu. + 15. Samech Sigma? + 16. Ayn O. + 17. Pe Pi. + 18. Tsadi ---- + 19. Kof Koppa, _Archaic_. + 20. Resh Rho. + 21. Sin San, _Doric_. + 22. Tau Tau. + +The alphabet of Phœnicia and Palestine being adapted to the language of +Greece, the first change took place in the manner of writing. The +Phœnicians wrote from right to left; the Greeks from left to right. Besides +this, the following principles were recognised;-- + +a. Letters for which there was no use were left behind. This was the case, +as seen above, with the eighteenth letter, _tsadi_. + +b. Letters expressive of sounds for which there was no precise equivalent +in Greek, were used with other powers. This was the case with letters 5, 8, +16, and probably with some others. + +c. Letters of which the original sound, in the course of time, became +changed, were allowed, as it were, to drop out of the alphabet. This was +the case with 6 and 19. + +d. For such simple single elementary articulate sounds as there was no sign +or letter representant, new signs, or letters, were invented. This +principle gave to the Greek alphabet the new signs φ, χ, υ, ω. + +e. The new signs were not mere modifications of the older ones, but totally +new letters. + +All this was correct in principle; and the consequence is, that the Greek +alphabet, although not originally meant to express a European tongue at +all, expresses the Greek language well. + +§ 162. But it was not from the Greek that our own alphabet was immediately +derived; although ultimately it is referable to the same source as the +Greek, viz., the Phœnician. + +It was the _Roman_ alphabet which served as the basis to the English. + +And it is in the changes which the Phœnician alphabet underwent in being +accommodated to the Latin language that we must investigate the chief +peculiarities of the present alphabet and orthography of Great Britain and +America. + +Now respecting the Roman alphabet, we must remember that it was _not_ taken +_directly_ from the Phœnician; in this important point differing from the +Greek. + +Nor yet was it taken, _in the first instance_, from the Greek. + +It had a _double_ origin. + +The operation of the principles indicated in § 161 was a work of the time; +and hence the older and more unmodified Greek alphabet approached in +character its Phœnician prototype much more than the later, or modified. As +may be seen, by comparing the previous alphabets with the common alphabets +of the Greek Grammar, the letters 6 and 19 occur in the earlier, whilst +they are missing in the later, modes of writing. On the other hand, the +_old_ alphabet has no such signs as φ, χ, υ, ω, ψ, and ξ. + +Such being the case, it is easy to imagine what would be the respective +conditions of two Italian languages which borrowed those alphabets, the one +from the earlier, the other from the later Greek. The former would contain +the equivalents to _vaw_ (6), and _kof_ (19); but be destitute of φ, χ, +&c.; whereas the latter would have φ, χ, &c., but be without either _vaw_ +or _kof_. + +Much the same would be the case with any single Italian language which took +as its basis the _earlier_, but adopted, during the course of time, +modifications from the _later_ Greek. It would exhibit within itself +characters common to the two stages. + +This, or something very like it, was the case with Roman. For the first two +or three centuries the alphabet was Etruscan; Etruscan derived _directly_ +from the Greek, and from the _old_ Greek. + +Afterwards, however, the later Greek alphabet had its influence, and the +additional letters which it contained were more or less incorporated; and +that without effecting the ejection of any earlier ones. + +§ 163. With these preliminaries we may investigate the details of the Roman +alphabet, when we shall find that many of them stand in remarkable contrast +with those of Greece and Phœnicia. At the same time where they differ with +them, they agree with the English. + + _Order._ _Roman._ _English._ _Greek._ _Hebrew._ + + 1. A A Alpha Aleph. + 2. B B Bæta Beth. + 3. C C Gamma Gimel. + 4. D D Delta Daleth. + 5. E E Epsilon He. + 6. F F _Digamma_ Vaw. + 7. G G -- -- + 8. H H Hæta Heth. + 9. I I Iôta Iod. + 10. J J Iôta Iod. + 11. K Kappa Kaf. + 12. L L Lamda Lamed. + 13. M M Mu Mem. + 14. N N Nu Nun. + 15. O O Omicron Ayn. + 16. P P Pi Pe. + 17. Q Q _Koppa_ Kof. + 18. R R Rho Resh. + 19. S S _San_ Sin. + 20. T T Tau Tau. + 21. U U Upsilon -- + 22. V V Upsilon -- + 23. W Upsilon -- + 24. X X Xi Samech.[43] + 25. Y Y Upsilon -- + 26. Z Z Zæta Zain. + +§ 164. The differences of this table are referable to one of the following +four heads:--a. Ejection. b. Addition. c. Change of power. d. Change of +order. + +a. _Ejection._--In the first instance, the Italians ejected as unnecessary, +letters 7,[44] 9, and 11: _zayn_ (_zæta_), _teth_ (_thæta_), and _kaf_ +(_kappa_). Either the sounds which they expressed were wanting in their +language; or else they were expressed by some other letter. The former was +probably the case with 7 and 9, _zæta_ and _thæta_, the latter with 11, +_kappa_. + +b. _Addition._--Out of the Greek _iôta_, two; out of the Greek _upsilon_, +four modifications have been evolved; viz., i and j out of ι, and u, v, w, +y, out of υ. + +c. _Change of power._--Letter 3, in Greek and Hebrew had the sound of the g +in _gun_; in Latin that of k. The reason for this lies in the structure of +the Etruscan language. In that tongue the _flat_ sounds were remarkably +deficient; indeed, it is probable, that that of g was wanting. Its _sharp_ +equivalent, however, the sound of k, was by no means wanting; and the Greek +_gamma_ was used to denote it. This made the equivalent to k, the third +letter of the alphabet, as early as the time of the Etruscans. + +But the _Romans_ had both sounds, the _flat_ as well as the _sharp_, g as +well as k. How did they express them? Up to the second Punic War they made +the rounded form of the Greek Γ, out of which the letter C has arisen, do +double work, and signify k and g equally, just as in the present English th +is sounded as the Greek θ,[45] and as dh;[46] in proof whereof we have in +the Duillian column, MACESTRATOS = MAGISTRATOS, and CARTHACINIENSES = +CARTHAGINIENSES. + +Thus much concerning the power and places of the Latin c, as opposed to the +Greek γ. But this is not all. The use of _gamma_, with the power of k, made +_kappa_ superfluous, and accounts for its ejection in the _Etruscan_ +alphabet; a fact already noticed. + +Furthermore, an addition to the Etruscan alphabet was required by the +existence of the sound of g, in Latin, as soon as the inconvenience of +using c with a double power became manifest. What took place then? Even +this. The third letter was modified in form, or became a new letter, c +being altered into g; and the new letter took its place in the alphabet. + +Where was this? As the _seventh_ letter between f (_digamma_) and h +(_hæta_). + +Why? Because it was there where there was a vacancy, and where it replaced +the Greek _zæta_, or the Hebrew _zayn_, a letter which, _at that time_, was +not wanted in Latin. + +d. _Change of order._--As far as the letters c and g are concerned, this +has been explained; and it has been shown that change of order and change +of power are sometimes very closely connected. All that now need be added +is, that those letters which were _last_ introduced from the Greek into the +Roman alphabet, were placed at the end. + +This is why u, v, w, and y come after t--the last letter of the original +Phœnician, and also of the _older_ Greek. + +This, too, is the reason for z coming last of all. It was restored for the +purpose of spelling Greek words. But as its original place had been filled +up by g, it was tacked on as an appendage, rather than incorporated as an +element. + +X in _power_, coincided with the Greek xi; in _place_, with the Greek +_khi_. Its _position_ seems to have determined its _form_, which is +certainly that of X rather than of Ξ. The full investigation of this is too +lengthy for the present work. + +§ 165. It should be observed, that, in the Latin, the letters have no +longer any _names_ (like _beth_, _bæta_), except such as are derived from +their powers (_be_, _ce_). + +§ 166. The principles which determined the form of the Roman alphabet were, +upon the whole, correct; and, hence, the Roman alphabet, although not +originally meant to express an Italian tongue at all, expressed the +language to which it was applied tolerably. + +On the other hand, there were both omissions and alterations which have had +a detrimental effect upon the orthography of those other numerous tongues +to which Latin has supplied the alphabet. Thus-- + +a. It is a matter of regret, that the differences which the Greeks drew +between the so-called _long_ and _short_ e and o, was neglected by the +Latins; in other words, that ω was omitted entirely, and η changed in +power. Had this been the case, all the orthographical expedients by which +we have to express the difference between the o in _not_, and the o in +_note_, would have been prevented--_not_, _note_, _moat_--_bed_, _bead_, +_heel_, _glede_, &c. + +b. It is a matter of regret, that such an unnecessary _compendium_ as q = +cu, or cw, should have been retained from the old Greek alphabet; and, +still more so, that the equally superfluous x = cs, or ks, should have been +re-admitted. + +c. It is a matter of regret, that the Greek θ was not treated like the +Greek ζ. Neither were wanted at first; both afterwards. The manner, +however, of their subsequent introduction was different. _Zæta_ came in as +a simple single letter, significant of a simple single sound. _Thæta_, on +the contrary, although expressive of an equally simple sound, became th. +This was a combination rather than a letter; and the error which it +engendered was great. + +It suggested the idea, that a simple sound was a compound one--which was +wrong. + +It further suggested the idea, that the sound of θ differed from that of τ, +by the addition of h--which was wrong also. + +§ 167. The Greek language had a system of sounds different from the +Phœnician; and the alphabet required modifying accordingly. + +The Roman language had a system of sounds different from the Greek and the +alphabet required modifying accordingly. + +This leads us to certain questions concerning the Anglo-Saxon. Had _it_ a +system of sounds different from the Roman? If so, what modifications did +the alphabet require? Were such modifications effected? If so, how? +Sufficiently or insufficiently? The answers are unsatisfactory. + +§ 168. The Anglo-Saxon had, even in its earliest stage, the following +sounds, for which the Latin alphabet had no equivalent signs or letters-- + +1. The sound of the th in _thin_. + +2. The sound of the th in _thine_. + +It had certainly these: probably others. + +§ 169. Expressive of these, two new signs were introduced, viz., þ = th in +_thin_, and ð = th in _thine_. + +W, also evolved out of u, was either an original improvement of the +Anglo-Saxon orthographists, or a mode of expression borrowed from one of +the allied languages of the Continent. Probably the latter was the case; +since we find the following passage in the Latin dedication of Otfrid's +"Krist:"--"Hujus enim linguæ barbaries, ut est inculca et +indisciplinabilis, atque insueta capi regulari freno grammaticæ artis, sic +etiam in multis dictis scriptu est difficilis propter literarum aut +congeriem, aut incognitam sonoritatem. Nam interdum tria u u u ut puto +quærit in sono; priores duo consonantes, ut mihi videtur, tertium vocali +sono manente." + +This was, as far as it went, correct, so that the Anglo-Saxon alphabet, +although not originally meant to express a Gothic tongue at all, answered +the purpose to which it was applied tolerably. + +§ 170. Change, however, went on; and the orthography which suited the +earlier Anglo-Saxon would not suit the later; at any rate, it would not +suit the language which had become or was becoming, _English_; wherein the +sounds for which the Latin alphabet had no equivalent signs increase. Thus +there is at present-- + +1. The sound of the sh in _shine_. + +2. The sound of the z in _azure_. + +How are these to be expressed? The rule has hitherto been to denote simple +single sounds, by simple single signs, and where such signs have no +existence already, to _originate new ones_. + +To _combine existing letters_, rather than to coin a new one, has only been +done rarely. The Latin substitution of the combination th for the simple +single θ, was exceptionable. It was a precedent, however, which now begins +to be followed generally. + +§ 171. It is this precedent which accounts for the absence of any letter in +English, expressive of either of the sounds in question. + +§ 172. Furthermore, our alphabet has not only not increased in proportion +to our sound-system, but it has _decreased_. The Anglo-Saxon þ = the th in +_thin_, and ð = the th in _thine_, have become obsolete; and a difference +in pronunciation, which our ancestors expressed, _we_ overlook. + +The same precedent is at the bottom of this; a fact which leads us to-- + +§ 173. _The Anglo-Norman alphabet._--The Anglo-Saxon language was _Gothic_; +the alphabet, _Roman_. + +The Anglo-Norman language was _Roman_; the alphabet, _Roman_ also. + +The Anglo-Saxon took his speech from one source; his writing from another. + +The Anglo-Norman took both from the same. + +In adapting a Latin alphabet to a Gothic language, the Anglo-Saxon allowed +himself more latitude than the Anglo-Norman. We have seen that the new +signs þ and ð were Anglo-Saxon. + +Now the sounds which these letters represent did not occur in the +Norman-French, consequently the Norman-French alphabet neither had nor +needed to have signs to express them; until after the battle of Hastings, +_when it became the Anglo-Norman of England_. + +_Then_, the case became altered. The English language influenced the Norman +orthography, and the Norman orthography the English language; and the +result was, that the simple single correct and distinctive signs of the +Anglo-Saxon alphabet, became replaced by the incorrect and indistinct +combination th. + +This was a loss, both in the way of theoretical correctness and +perspicuity. + +Such is the general view of the additions, ejections, changes of power, and +changes of order in the English alphabet. The extent, however, to which an +alphabet is faulty, is no measure of the extent to which an orthography is +faulty; since an insufficient alphabet may, by consistency in its +application, be more useful than a full and perfect alphabet unsteadily +applied. + +§ 174. One of our orthographical expedients, viz., the reduplication of the +consonant following, to express the shortness (dependence) of the preceding +vowel, is as old as the classical languages: _terra_, θάλασσα. +Nevertheless, the following extract from the "Ormulum" (written in the +thirteenth century) is the fullest recognition of the practice that I have +met with. + + And whase wilenn shall þis boc, + Efft oþerr siþe writenn, + Himm bidde icc þatt hett write rihht, + Swa sum þiss boc himm tæcheþþ; + All þwerrt utt affterr þatt itt iss + Oppo þiss firrste bisne, + Wiþþ all swilc rime als her iss sett, + Wiþþ alse fele wordess: + And tatt he loke well þatt he + _An boc-staff write twiggess_,[47] + Eggwhær þær itt uppo þiss boc + Iss writenn o þatt wise: + Loke he well þatt hett write swa, + Forr he ne magg noht elless, + On Englissh writenn rihht te word, + þatt wite he well to soþe. + +§ 175. _The order of the alphabet._--In the history of our alphabet, we +have had the history of certain changes in the arrangement, as well as of +the changes in the number and power of its letters. The following question +now presents itself: viz., Is there in the order of the letters any +_natural_ arrangement, or is the original as well as the present succession +of letters arbitrary and accidental? The following facts suggest an answer +in the affirmative. + +The order of the Hebrew alphabet is as follows:-- + + _Name._ _Sound._ + + 1. _Aleph_ Either a vowel or a breathing. + 2. _Beth_ B. + 3. _Gimel_ G, as in _gun_. + 4. _Daleth_ D. + 5. _He_ Either a vowel or an aspirate. + 6. _Vaw_ V. + 7. _Zayn_ Z. + 8. _Kheth_ a variety of K. + 9. _Teth_ a variety of T. + 10. _Yod_ I. + 11. _Caph_ K. + 12. _Lamed_ L. + 13. _Mem_ M. + 14. _Nun_ N. + 15. _Samech_ a variety of S. + 16. _Ayn_ Either a vowel or ----? + 17. _Pe_ P. + 18. _Tsadi_ TS. + 19. _Kof_ a variety of K. + 20. _Resh_ R. + 21. _Sin_ S. + 22. _Tau_ T. + +Let _beth_, _vaw_, and _pe_ (b, v, p) constitute a series called series P. +Let _gimel_, _kheth_, and _kof_ (g, kh, k') constitute a series called +series K. Let _daleth_, _teth_, and _tau_, (d, t', t) constitute a series +called series T. Let _aleph_, _he_, and _ayn_ constitute a series called +the vowel series. Let the first four letters be taken in their order. + + 1. _Aleph_ of the vowel series. + 2. _Beth_ of series P. + 3. _Gimel_ of series K. + 4. _Daleth_ of series T. + +Herein the consonant of series B comes next to the letter of the vowel +series; that of series K follows; and in the last place, comes the letter +of series T. After this the order changes; _daleth_ being followed by _he_ +of the vowel series. + + 5. _He_ of the vowel series. + 6. _Vaw_ of series P. + 7. _Zayn_ ---- + 8. _Kheth_ of series K. + 9. _Teth_ of series T. + +In this second sequence the _relative_ positions of v, kh, and t', are the +same in respect to each other, and the same in respect to the vowel series. +The sequence itself is broken by the letter _zayn_ but it is remarkable +that the principle of the sequence is the same. Series P follows the vowel +and series T is farthest from it. After this the system becomes but +fragmentary. Still, even now, _pe_, of series P, follows _ayn_; _tau_, of +series T, is farthest from it, and _kof_, of series K, is intermediate. + +If this be the case, and, if the letters, so to say, _circulate_, the +alterations made in their order during the transfer of their alphabet from +Greece to Rome, have had the unsatisfactory effect of concealing an +interesting arrangement, and of converting a real, though somewhat complex +regularity, into apparent hazard and disorder. + + * * * * * + + +QUESTIONS. + + 1. Explain the terms _sharp_, _explosive_, _true aspirate_, _apparent + aspirate_, _broad_, _dependent_. + + 2. Exhibit the difference between the quantity of _syllables_ and the + quantity of _vowels_. + + 3. Accentuate the following words,--_attribute_ (_adjective_), _survey_ + (_verb_), _August_ (_the month_). + + 4. Under what conditions is the _sound_ of consonants doubled? + + 5. Exhibit, in a tabular form, the relations of the a) mutes, b) the + vowels, underlining those which do not occur in English. + + 6. What is the power of ph in _Philip_? what in _haphazard_? Illustrate + the difference fully. + + 7. Investigate the changes by which the words _picture_, _nature_, + derived from the Latin _pictura_ and _natura_, are _sounded pictshur_ + and _natshur_. + + 8. How do you sound the combination apd? Why? + + 9. In what points is the English alphabet _insufficient_, _redundant_, + and _inconsistent_? + + 10. Why is z (_zæta_), which is the sixth letter in the Greek, the last + in the English alphabet? + + * * * * * + + +PART IV. + +ETYMOLOGY. + + * * * * * + +CHAPTER I. + +ON THE PROVINCE OF ETYMOLOGY. + +§ 176. The word etymology, derived from the Greek, in the current language +of scholars and grammarians, has a double meaning. At times it is used in a +wide, and at times in a restricted sense. + +If in the English language we take such a word as _fathers_, we are enabled +to divide it into two parts; in other words, to reduce it into two +elements. By comparing it with the word _father_, we see that the s is +neither part nor parcel of the original word. Hence the word is capable of +being analysed; _father_ being the original primitive word, and s the +secondary superadded termination. From the word _father_, the word +_fathers_ is _derived_, or (changing the expression) deduced, or descended. +What has been said of the word _fathers_ may also be said of _fatherly_, +_fatherlike_, _fatherless_, &c. Now, from the word _father_, all these +words (_fathers_, _fatherly_, _fatherlike_, and _fatherless_) differ in +form and in meaning. To become such a word as _fathers_, &c., the word +_father_ is _changed_. Of changes of this sort, it is the province of +etymology to take cognizance. + +§ 177. Compared with the form _fathers_, the word _father_ is the older +form of the two. The word _father_ is a word current in this the nineteenth +century. The same word is found much earlier, under different forms, and in +different languages. Thus, in the Latin language, the form was _pater_; in +Greek, πατήρ. Now, with _father_ and _fathers_, the change takes place +within the same language, whilst the change that takes place between +_pater_ and _father_ takes place within different languages. Of changes of +this latter kind it is, also, the province of etymology to take cognizance. + +§ 178. In its widest signification, etymology takes cognizance _of the +changes of the form of words_. However, as the etymology that compares the +forms _fathers_ and _father_ is different from the etymology that compares +_father_ and _pater_, we have, of etymology, two sorts: one dealing with +the changes of form that words undergo in one and the same language +(_father_, _fathers_), the other dealing with the changes that words +undergo in passing from one language to another (_pater_, _father_). + +The first of these sorts may be called etymology in the limited sense of +the word, or the etymology of the grammarian. In this case it is opposed to +orthoepy, orthography, syntax, and the other parts of grammar. This is the +etymology of the ensuing pages. + +The second may be called etymology in the wide sense of the word, +_historical_ etymology, or _comparative_ etymology. + +§ 179. It must be again repeated that the two sorts of etymology agree in +one point, viz., in taking cognizance of the _changes of forms that words +undergo_. Whether the change arise from grammatical reasons, as _father_, +_fathers_, or from a change of language taking place in the lapse of time, +as _pater_, _father_, is a matter of indifference. + +In the Latin _pater_, and in the English _father_, we have one of two +things, either two words descended or derived from each other, or two words +descended or derived from a common original source. + +In _fathers_ we have a formation deduced from the radical word _father_. + +With these preliminaries we may understand Dr. Johnson's explanation of the +word etymology. + +"ETYMOLOGY, n. s. (_etymologia_, Lat.) ἔτυμος (_etymos_) _true, and_ λόγος +(_logos_) _a word_. + +"1. _The descent or derivation of a word from its original; the deduction +of formations from the radical word; the analysis of compounds into +primitives._ + +"2. _The part of grammar which delivers the inflections of nouns and +verbs."_ + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER II + +ON GENDER. + +§ 180. How far is there such a thing as _gender_ in the English language? +This depends upon the meaning that we attach to the word. + +In the Latin language we have the words _taurus_ = _bull_, and _vacca_ = +_cow_. Here the natural distinction of _sex_ is expressed by _wholly_ +different words. With this we have corresponding modes of expression in +English: e.g., + + _Male._ _Female._ | _Male._ _Female._ + | + Bachelor Spinster. | Horse Mare. + Boar Sow. | Ram Ewe. + Boy Girl. | Son Daughter. + Brother Sister. | Uncle Aunt. + Buck Doe. | Father Mother, &c. + +The mode, however, of expressing different sexes by _wholly_ different +words is not a matter of _gender_. The words _boy_ and _girl_ bear no +_etymological_ relation to each other; neither being derived from the +other, nor in any way connected with it. + +§ 181. Neither are words like _cock-sparrow_, _man-servant_, _he-goat_, +&c., as compared with _hen-sparrow_, _maid-servant_, _she-goat_, &c., +specimens of _gender_. Here a difference of sex is indicated by the +addition of a fresh term, from which is formed a compound word. + +§ 182. In the Latin words _genitrix_ = _a mother_, and _genitor_ = _a +father_, we have a nearer approach to _gender_. Here the difference of sex +is expressed by a difference of termination; the words _genitor_ and +_genitrix_ being in a true etymological relation, i.e., either derived from +each other, or from some common source. With this we have, in English +corresponding modes of expression: e.g. + + _Male._ _Female._ | _Male._ _Female._ + | + Actor Actress. | Lion Lioness. + Arbiter Arbitress. | Peer Peeress. + Baron Baroness. | Poet Poetess. + Benefactor Benefactress. | Sorcerer Sorceress. + Count Countess. | Songster Songstress. + Duke Duchess. | Tiger Tigress. + +§ 183. This, however, in strict grammatical language, is an approach to +gender rather than _gender_ itself; the difference from true grammatical +gender being as follows:-- + +Let the Latin words _genitor_ and _genitrix_ be declined:-- + + _Sing. Nom._ Genitor Genitrix. + _Gen._ Genitor-is Genitric-is. + _Dat._ Genitor-i Genitric-i. + _Acc._ Genitor-em Genitric-em. + _Voc._ Genitor Genitrix. + _Plur. Nom._ Genitor-es Genitric-es. + _Gen._ Genitor-um Genitric-um. + _Dat._ Genitor-ibus Genitric-ibus. + _Acc._ Genitor-es Genitric-es. + _Voc._ Genitor-es Genitric-es. + +The syllables in italics are the signs of the cases and numbers. Now those +signs are the same in each word, the difference of meaning (or sex) not +affecting them. + +§ 184. Contrast, however, with the words _genitor_ and _genitrix_ the words +_domina_ = _a mistress_, and _dominus_ = _a master_. + + _Sing. Nom._ Domin-a Domin-us. + _Gen._ Domin-æ Domin-i. + _Dat._ Domin-æ Domin-o. + _Acc._ Domin-am Domin-um. + _Voc._ Domin-a Domin-e. + _Plur. Nom._ Domin-æ Domin-i. + _Gen._ Domin-arum Domin-orum. + _Dat._ Domin-abus Domin-is. + _Acc._ Domin-as Domin-os. + _Voc._ Domin-æ Domin-i. + +Here the letters in italics, or the signs of the cases and numbers, are +different; the difference being brought about by the difference of gender. +Now it is very evident that, if _genitrix_ be a specimen of gender, +_domina_ is something more. + +§ 185. It may be laid down as a sort of definition, that _there is no +gender where there is no affection of the declension_: consequently, that, +although we have, in English, words corresponding to _genitrix_ and +_genitor_, we have no true genders until we find words corresponding to +_dominus_ and _domina_. + +§ 186. The second element in the notion of gender, although I will not +venture to call it an essential one, is the following:--In the words +_domina_ and _dominus_, _mistress_ and _master_, there is a _natural_ +distinction of sex; the one being masculine, or male, the other feminine, +or female. In the words _sword_ and _lance_ there is _no natural_ +distinction of sex. Notwithstanding this, the word _hasta_, in Latin, is as +much of the feminine gender as _domina_, whilst _gladius_ = _a sword_ is, +like _dominus_, a masculine noun. From this we see that, in languages +wherein there are true genders, a fictitious or conventional sex is +attributed even to inanimate objects; in other words, _sex_ is a natural +distinction, _gender_ a grammatical one. + +§ 187. In § 185 it is written, that "although we have, in English, words +corresponding to _genitrix_ and _genitor_, we have no true genders until we +find _words corresponding to dominus_ and _domina_."--The sentence was +intentionally worded with caution. Words like _dominus_ and _domina_, that +is, words where the declension is affected by the sex, _are_ to be found +_even in English_. + +The pronoun _him_, from the Anglo-Saxon and English _he_, as compared with +the pronoun _her_, from the Anglo-Saxon _heó_, is affected in its +declension by the difference of sex, and is a true, though fragmentary, +specimen of gender. The same is the case with the form _his_ as compared +with _her_. + +The pronoun _it_ (originally _hit_), as compared with _he_, is a specimen +of gender. + +The relative _what_, as compared with the masculine _who_, is a specimen of +gender. + +The forms _it_ (for _hit_) and _he_ are as much genders as _hoc_ and _hic_, +and the forms _hoc_ and _hic_ are as much genders as _bonum_ and _bonus_. + +§ 188. The formation of the neuter gender by the addition of -t, in words +like _wha-t_, _i-t_, and _tha-t_, occurs in other languages. The -t in +_tha-t_ is the -d in _istu-d_, Latin, and the -t in _ta-t_, Sanskrit. + +§ 189. In the Mœso-Gothic and Scandinavian, the _adjectives_ form the +neuters in -t, in Old High German in -z (ts), and in Modem German in -s +(derived from -z)--Mœso-Gothic, _blind-ata_; Icel., _blind-t_; Old High +German, _plint-ez_, M. G. _blind-es_ = _cæc-um_. + +_Caution._--_Which_, is _not_ the neuter of _who_. + +§ 190. Just as there are in English fragments of a gender modifying the +declension, so are there, also, fragments of the second element of gender; +viz., the attribution of sex to objects naturally destitute of it. _The sun +in _his_ glory_, _the moon in _her_ wane_, are examples of this. A sailor +calls his ship _she_. A husbandman, according to Mr. Cobbett, does the same +with his _plough_ and working implements:--"In speaking of a _ship_ we say +_she_ and _her_. And you know that our country-folks in Hampshire call +almost every thing _he_ or _she_. It is curious to observe that country +labourers give the feminine appellation to those things only which are more +closely identified with themselves, and by the qualities or conditions of +which their own efforts, and their character as workmen, are affected. The +mower calls his _scythe_ a _she_, the ploughman calls his _plough_ a _she_; +but a prong, or a shovel, or a harrow, which passes promiscuously from hand +to hand, and which is appropriated to no particular labourer, is called a +_he_."--"English Grammar," Letter v. + +§ 191. Now, although Mr. Cobbett's statements may account for a sailor +calling his ship _she_, they will not account for the custom of giving to +the sun a masculine, and to the moon a feminine, pronoun, as is done in the +expressions quoted in the last section; still less will it account for the +circumstance of the Germans reversing the gender, and making the _sun_ +feminine, and the _moon_ masculine. + +§ 192. Let there be a period in the history of a language wherein the _sun_ +and _moon_ are dealt with, not as inanimate masses of matter, but as +animated divinities. Let there, in other words, be a time when dead things +are personified, and when there is a _mythology_. Let an object like the +_sun_ be deemed a _male_, and an object like the _moon_, a _female_, deity. +We may then understand the origin of certain genders. + +The Germans say the _sun in _her_ glory_; the _moon in _his_ wane_. This +difference between the usage of the two languages, like so many others, is +explained by the influence of the classical languages upon the +English.--"_Mundilfori had two children; a son, Mâni (Moon), and a +daughter, Sôl (Sun)._"--Such is an extract out of an Icelandic mythological +work, viz., the prose Edda. In the classical languages, however, _Phœbus_ +and _Sol_ are masculine, and _Luna_ and _Diana_ feminine. Hence it is that, +although in Anglo-Saxon and Old-Saxon the _sun_ is _feminine_, it is in +English _masculine_. + +_Philosophy_, _charity_, &c., or the names of abstract qualities +personified, take a conventional sex, and are feminine from their being +feminine in Latin. + +As in all these words there is no change of form, the consideration of them +is a point of rhetoric, rather than of etymology. + +§ 193. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to miscellaneous remarks +upon the true and apparent genders of the English language. + +1. With the false genders like _baron_, _baroness_, it is a general rule +that the feminine form is derived from the masculine, and not the masculine +from the feminine; as _peer_, _peeress_. The words _widower_, _gander_, and +_drake_ are exceptions. For the word _wizard_, from _witch_, see the +section on augmentative forms. + +2. The termination -ess, in which so large a portion of our feminine +substantives terminate, is not of Saxon but of classical origin, being +derived from the termination -ix, _genitrix_. + +3. The words _shepherdess_, _huntress_, and _hostess_ are faulty; the +radical part of the word being Germanic, and the secondary part classical: +indeed, in strict English Grammar, the termination -ess has no place at +all. It is a classic, not a Gothic, element. + +4. The termination -inn, is current in German, as the equivalent to -ess, +and as a feminine affix (_freund_ = _a friend_; _freundinn_ = _a female +friend_). In English it occurs only in a fragmentary form;--e.g., in +_vixen_, a true feminine derivative from _fox_ = _füchsinn_, German. + +_Bruin_ = _the bear_, may be either a female form, as in Old High German +_përo_ = _a he-bear_, _pirinn_ = _a she-bear_; or it may be the Norse form +_björn_ = _a bear_, male or female. + +_Caution._--Words like _margravine_ and _landgravine_ prove nothing, being +scarcely naturalised. + +5. The termination -str, as in _webster_, _songster_, and _baxter_, was +originally a feminine affix. Thus, in Anglo-Saxon, + + Sangere, _a male singer_ } { Sangëstre, _a female singer_. + Bäcere, _a male baker_ } were { Bacestre, _a female baker_. + Fiðelere, _a male fiddler_ } opposed { Fiðelstre, _a female fiddler_. + Vebbere, _a male weaver_ } to { Vëbbëstre, _a female weaver_. + Rædere, _a male reader_ } { Rædestre, _a female reader_. + Seamere, _a male seamer_ } { Seamestre, _a female seamer_. + +The same is the case in the present Dutch of Holland: e.g., _spookster_ = +_a female fortune-teller_; _baxster_ = _a baking-woman_; _waschster_ = _a +washerwoman_. The word _spinster_ still retains its original feminine +force. + +6. The words _songstress_ and _seamstress_, besides being, as far as +concerns the intermixture of languages, in the predicament of +_shepherdess_, have, moreover, a double feminine termination; 1st. -str, of +Germanic, 2nd. -ess, of classical, origin. + +7. In the word _heroine_ we have a Greek termination, just as -ix is a +Latin, and -inn a German one. It must not, however, be considered as +derived from _hero_, by any process of the English language, but be dealt +with as a separate importation from the Greek language. + +8. The form _deaconness_ is not wholly unexceptionable; since the +termination -ess is of Latin, the root _deacon_ of Greek origin: this Greek +origin being rendered all the more conspicuous by the spelling, _deacon_ +(from _diaconos_), as compared with the Latin _decanus_. + +9. _Goose, gander_.--One peculiarity in this pair of words has already been +indicated. In the older forms of the word _goose_, such as χὴν, Greek; +_anser_, Latin; _gans_, German, as well as in the derived form _gander_, we +have the proofs that, originally, there belonged to the word the sound of +the letter n. In the forms ὀδοὺς, ὀδόντος, Greek; _dens_, _dentis_, Latin; +_zahn_, German; _tooth_, English, we find the analogy that accounts for the +ejection of the n, and the lengthening of the vowel preceding. With +respect, however, to the d in _gander_, it is not easy to say whether it is +inserted in one word or omitted in the other. Neither can we give the +precise power of the -er. The following forms occur in the different Gothic +dialects. _Gans_, fem.; _ganazzo_, masc., Old High German--_gôs_, f.; +_gandra_, m., Anglo-Saxon--_gâs_, Icelandic, f.; _gaas_, Danish, f.; +_gassi_, Icelandic, m.; _gasse_, Danish, m.--_ganser_, _ganserer_, +_gansart_, _gänserich_, _gander_, masculine forms in different New German +dialects. + +10. Observe, the form _gänserich_, has a masculine termination. The word +_täuberich_, in provincial New German, has the same form and the same +power. It denotes a _male dove_; _taube_, in German, signifying a _dove_. +In _gänserich_ and _täuberich_, we find preserved the termination -rich (or +_rik_), with a masculine power. Of this termination we have a remnant, in +English, preserved in the curious word _drake_. To _duck_ the word _drake_ +has no etymological relation whatsoever. It is derived from a word with +which it has but one letter in common; viz., the Latin _anas_ = _a duck_. +Of this the root is anat-, as seen in the genitive case _anatis_. In Old +High German we find the form _anetrekho_ = _a drake_; in provincial New +High German there is _enterich_ and _äntrecht_, from whence come the +English and Low German form, _drake_. + +11. _Peacock_, _peahen_.--In these compounds, it is not the word _pea_ that +is rendered masculine or feminine by the addition of _cock_ and _hen_, but +it is the words _cock_ and _hen_ that are modified by prefixing _pea_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER III. + +THE NUMBERS. + +§ 194. In the Greek language the word _patær_ signifies a _father_, +denoting _one_, whilst _patere_ signifies _two fathers_, denoting a pair, +and thirdly, _pateres_ signifies _fathers_, speaking of any number beyond +two. The three words, _patær_, _patere_, and _pateres_, are said to be in +different numbers, the difference of meaning being expressed by a +difference of form. These numbers have names. The number that speaks of +_one_ is the _singular_, the number that speaks of _two_ is the _dual_ +(from the Latin word _duo_ = _two_), and the number that speaks of _more +than two_ is the _plural_. + +All languages have numbers, but all languages have not them to the same +extent. The Hebrew has a dual, but it is restricted to nouns only. It has, +moreover, this peculiarity; it applies, for the most part, only to things +which are naturally double, as _the two eyes_, _the two hands_, &c. The +Latin has no dual number, except the _natural_ one in the words _ambo_ and +_duo_. + +§ 195. The question presents itself,--to what extent have we numbers in +English? Like the Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, we have a singular and a +plural. Like the Latin, and unlike the Greek and Hebrew, we have no dual. + +§ 196. Different from the question, _to what degree have we numbers?_ is +the question,--_over what extent of our language have we numbers?_ This +distinction has already been foreshadowed or indicated. The Greeks, who +said _typtô_ = _I beat_, _typteton_ = _ye two beat_, _typtomen_ = _we +beat_, had a dual number for their verbs as well as their nouns; while the +Hebrew dual was limited to the nouns only. In the Greek, then, the dual +number is spread over a greater extent of the language than in the Hebrew. + +There is no dual in the _present_ English. It has been seen, however, that +in the Anglo-Saxon there _was_ a dual. But the Anglo-Saxon dual, being +restricted to the personal pronouns (_wit_ = _we two_; _git_ = _ye two_), +was not co-extensive with the Greek dual. + +There is no dual in the present German. In the ancient German there _was_ +one. + +In the present Danish and Swedish there is no dual. In the Old Norse and in +the present Icelandic a dual number is to be found. + +From this we learn that the dual number is one of those inflections that +languages drop as they become modern. + +§ 197. The numbers, then, in the present English are two, the singular and +the plural. Over what extent of language have we a plural? The Latins say +_bonus pater_ = _a good father_; _boni patres_ = _good fathers_. In the +Latin, the adjective _bonus_ changes its form with the change of number of +the substantive that it accompanies. In English it is only the substantive +that is changed. Hence we see that in the Latin language the numbers were +extended to adjectives, whereas in English they are confined to the +substantives and pronouns. Compared with the Anglo-Saxon, the present +English is in the same relation as it is with the Latin. In the Anglo-Saxon +there were plural forms for the adjectives. + +§ 198. Respecting the formation of the plural, the current rule is, that it +is formed from the singular by adding s, as _father_, _fathers_. This, +however, is by no means a true expression. The letter s added to the word +_father_, making it _fathers_, is s to the _eye_ only. To the _ear_ it is +z. The word sounds _fatherz_. If the s retained its sound the spelling +would be _fatherce_. In _stags_, _lads_, &c., the sound is _stagz_, _ladz_. +The rule, then, for the formation of the English plurals, rigorously, +though somewhat lengthily expressed, is as follows.--_The plural is formed +from the singular, by adding to words ending in a vowel, a liquid or flat +mute, the flat lene sibilant (z); and to words ending in a sharp mute, the +sharp lene sibilant (s):_ e.g. (the sound of the word being expressed), +_pea_, _peaz_; _tree_, _treez_; _day_, _dayz_; _hill_, _hillz_; _hen_, +_henz_; _gig_, _gigz_; _trap_, _traps_; _pit_, _pits_; _stack_, _stacks_. + +§ 199. Upon the formation of the English plural some further remarks are +necessary. + +a. In the case of words ending in b, v, d, the th in _thine_ = ð, or g, a +change either of the final flat consonant, or of the sharp s affixed, was +_not a matter of choice but of necessity_; the combinations abs, avs, ads, +aðs, ags, being unpronounceable. + +b. Whether the first of the two mutes should be accommodated to the second +(aps, afs, ats, aþs, aks), or the second to the first (abz, avz, adz, aðz, +agz), is determined by _the habit of the particular language_ in question; +and, with a few _apparent_ exceptions it is the rule of the English +language to accommodate the second sound to the first, and not _vice +versâ_. + +c. Such combinations as _peas_, _trees_, _hills_, _hens_, &c., (the s +preserving its original power, and being sounded as if written _peace_, +_treece_, _hillce_, _hence_), being pronounceable, the change from s to z, +in words so ending, is _not_ a matter determined by the necessity of the +case, but by the habit of the English language. + +d. Although the vast majority of our plurals ends, not in s, but in z, the +original addition was not z, but s. This we infer from three facts: 1. From +the spelling; 2. from the fact of the sound of z being either rare or +non-existent in Anglo-Saxon; 3. from the sufficiency of the causes to bring +about the change. + +It may now be seen that some slight variations in the form of our plurals +are either mere points of orthography, or else capable of being explained +on very simple euphonic principles. + +§ 200. _Boxes, churches, judges, lashes, kisses, blazes, princes_.--Here +there is the addition, not of the mere letter s, but of the syllable -es. +As s cannot be immediately added to s, the intervention of a vowel becomes +necessary; and that all the words whose plural is formed in -es really end +either in the sounds of s, or in the allied sounds of z, sh, or zh, may be +seen by analysis; since x = ks, ch = tsh, and j or ge = dzh, whilst ce, in +_prince_, is a mere point of orthography for s. + +_Monarchs_, _heresiarchs_.--Here the ch equals not tsh, but k, so that +there is no need of being told that they do not follow the analogy of +_church_, &c. + +_Cargoes_, _echoes_.--From _cargo_ and _echo_, with the addition of e; an +orthographical expedient for the sake of denoting the length of the vowel +o. + +_Beauty, beauties_; _key, keys_.--Like the word _cargoes_, &c., these forms +are points, not of etymology, but of orthography. + +_Pence_.--The peculiarity of this word consists in having a _flat_ liquid +followed by the sharp sibilant s (spelt ce), contrary to the rule given +above. In the first place, it is a contracted form from _pennies_; in the +second place, its sense is collective rather than plural; in the third +place, the use of the sharp sibilant lene distinguishes it from _pens_, +sounded _penz_. That its sense is _collective_ rather than _plural_, we +learn from the word _sixpence_, which, compared with _sixpences_, is no +plural, but a singular form. + +_Dice_.--In respect to its form, peculiar for the reason that _pence_ is +peculiar.--We find the sound of s after a vowel, where that of z is +expected. This distinguishes _dice_ for play, from _dies_ (_diz_) for +coining. _Dice_, perhaps, like _pence_, is collective rather than plural. + +In _geese_, _lice_, and _mice_, we have, apparently, the same phenomenon as +in _dice_, viz., a sharp sibilant (s) where a _flat_ one (z) is expected. +The s, however, in these words is not the sign of the plural, but the last +letter of the original word. + +_Alms_.--This is no true plural form. The s belongs to the original word, +Anglo-Saxon, _ælmesse_; Greek, ἐλεημοσύνη; just as the s in _goose_ does. +How far the word, although a true singular in its form, may have a +collective signification, and require its verb to be plural, is a point not +of etymology, but of syntax. The same is the case with the word _riches_, +from the French _richesse_. In _riches_ the last syllable being sounded as +ez, increases its liability to pass for a plural. + +_News_, _means_, _pains_.--These, the reverse of _alms_ and _riches_, are +true plural forms. How far, in sense, they are singular is a point not of +etymology, but of syntax. + +_Mathematics_, _metaphysics_, _politics_, _ethics_, _optics_, +_physics_.--The following is an exhibition of my hypothesis respecting +these words, to which I invite the reader's criticism. All the words in +point are of Greek origin, and all are derived from a Greek adjective. Each +is the name of some department of study, of some art, or of some science. +As the words are Greek, so also are the sciences which they denote, either +of Greek origin, or else such as flourished in Greece. Let the arts and +sciences of Greece be expressed in Greek, rather by a substantive and an +adjective combined, than by a simple substantive; for instance, let it be +the habit of the language to say _the musical art_, rather than _music_. +Let the Greek for _art_ be a word in the feminine gender; e.g., τέχνη +(_tekhnæ_), so that the _musical art_ be ἡ μουσίκη τέχνη (_hæ mousikæ +tekhnæ_). Let, in the progress of language (as was actually the case in +Greece), the article and substantive be omitted, so that, for the _musical +art_, or for _music_, there stand only the feminine adjective, μουσίκη. Let +there be, upon a given art or science, a series of books, or treatises; the +Greek for _book_, or _treatise_, being a neuter substantive, βίβλιον +(_biblion_). Let the substantive meaning _treatise_ be, in the course of +language, omitted, so that whilst the science of physics is called φυσίκη +(_fysikæ_), physic, from ἡ φυσίκη τέχνη, a series of treatises (or even +chapters) upon the science shall be called φύσικα (_fysika_) or physics. +Now all this was what happened in Greece. The science was denoted by a +feminine adjective singular, as φυσίκη (_fysicæ_), and the treatises upon +it, by the neuter adjective plural, as φύσικα (_fysika_). The treatises of +Aristotle are generally so named. To apply this, I conceive, that in the +middle ages a science of Greek origin might have its name drawn from two +sources, viz., from the name of the art or science, or from the name of the +books wherein it was treated. In the first case it had a singular form, as +_physic_, _logic_; in the second place a plural form, as _mathematics_, +_metaphysics_, _optics_. + +In what number these words, having a collective sense, require their verbs +to be, is a point of syntax. + +§ 201. The plural form _children_ (_child-er-en_) requires particular +notice. + +In the first place it is a double plural; the -en being the -en in _oxen_, +whilst the simpler form _child-er_ occurs in the old English, and in +certain provincial dialects. + +Now, what is the -er in _child-er_? + +In Icelandic, no plural termination is commoner than that in -r; as +_geisl-ar_ = _flashes_, _tung-ur_ = _tongues_, &c. Nevertheless, it is not +the Icelandic that explains the plural form in question. + +Besides the word _childer_, we collect from the Old High German the +following forms in -r:-- + + Hus-ir, _Houses_, + Chalp-ir, _Calves_, + Lemp-ir, _Lambs_, + Plet-ir, _Blades of grass_, + Eig-ir, _Eggs_, + +and others, the peculiarity of which is the fact of their all being _of the +neuter gender_. + +Now, the theory respecting this form which is propounded by Grimm is as +follows:-- + +1. The -r represents an earlier -s. + +2. Which was, originally, no sign of a plural number, but merely a neuter +derivative affix, common to the singular as well as to the plural number. + +3. In this form it appears in the Mœso-Gothic: _ag-is_ = _fear_ (whence +_ague_ = _shivering_), _hat-is_ = _hate_, _riqv-is_ = _smoke_ (_reek_). In +none of these words is the -s radical, and in none is it limited to the +singular number. + +To these doctrines, it should be added, that the reason why a singular +derivational affix should become the sign of the plural number, lies, most +probably, in the _collective_ nature of the words in which it occurs: +_Husir_ = _a collection of houses_, _eiger_ = _a collection of eggs_, +_eggery_ or _eyry_. In words like _yeoman-r-y_ and _Jew-r-y_, the -r has, +probably, the same origin, and is _collective_. + +In Wicliffe we find the form _lamb-r-en_, which is to _lamb_ as _children_ +is to _child_. + +§ 202. _The form in -en._--In the Anglo-Saxon no termination of the plural +number is more common than -n: _tungan_, tongues; _steorran_, stars. Of +this termination we have evident remains in the words _oxen_, _hosen_, +_shoon_, _eyne_, words more or less antiquated. This, perhaps, is _no_ true +plural. In _welk-in_ = _the clouds_, the original singular form is lost. + +§ 203. _Men_, _feet_, _teeth_, _mice_, _lice_, _geese_.--In these we have +some of the oldest words in the language. If these were, to a certainty, +true plurals, we should have an appearance somewhat corresponding to the +so-called _weak_ and _strong_ tenses of verbs; viz., one series of plurals +formed by a change of the vowel, and another by the addition of the +sibilant. The word _kye_, used in Scotland for _cows_, is of the same +class. The list in Anglo-Saxon of words of this kind is different from that +of the present English. + + _Sing._ _Plur._ + + Freónd Frýnd _Friends_. + Feónd Fynd _Foes_. + Niht Niht _Nights_. + Bóc Béc _Books_. + Burh Byrig _Burghs_. + Bróc Bréc _Breeches_. + Turf Týrf _Turves_. + +§ 204. _Brethren_.--Here there are two changes. 1. The alteration of the +vowel. 2. The addition of -en. Mr. Guest quotes the forms _brethre_ and +_brothre_ from the Old English. The sense is collective rather than plural. + +_Peasen_ = _pulse_.--As _children_ is a double form of one sort (r + en), +so is _peasen_ a double form of another (s + en); _pea_, _pea-s_, +_pea-s-en_. Wallis speaks to the _singular_ power of the form in +-s;--"Dicunt nonnulli _a pease_, pluraliter _peasen_; at melius, +singulariter _a pea_, pluraliter _pease_."--P. 77. He might have added, +that, theoretically, _pease_ was the proper singular form; as shown by the +Latin _pis-um_. + +_Pullen_ = poultry. + + _Lussurioso._--What? three-and-twenty years in law! + + _Vendice._--I have known those who have been five-and-fifty, and all + about _pullen_ and pigs.--"Revenger's Tragedy," iv. 1. + +If this were a plural form, it would be a very anomalous one. The -en, +however, is no more a sign of the plural than is the -es in _rich-es_ +(_richesse_.) The proper form is in -ain or -eyn. + + A false theefe, + That came like a false fox, my _pullain_ to kill and mischeefe. + "Gammer Gurton's Needle," v. 2. + +_Chickens_.--A third variety of the double inflection (en + s), with the +additional peculiarity of the form _chicken_ being used, at present, almost +exclusively in the singular number, although, originally, it was, probably, +the plural of _chick_. So Wallis considered it:--"At olim etiam per -en vel +-yn formabant pluralia; quorum pauca admodum adhuc retinemus. Ut, _an ox_, +_a chick_, pluralitur _oxen_, _chicken_ (sunt qui dicunt in singulari +_chicken_, et in plurali _chickens_)." _Chick_, _chick-en_, _chick-en-s_. + +_Fern_.--According to Wallis the -n in _fer-n_ is the -en in _oxen_, in +other words a plural termination:--"A _fere_ (_filix_) pluraliter _fern_ +(verum nunc plerumque _fern_ utroque numero dicitur, sed et in plurali +_ferns_); nam _fere_ et _feres_ prope obsoleta sunt." Subject to this view, +the word _fer-n-s_ would exhibit the same phenomenon as the word +_chicken-s_. It is doubtful, however, whether Wallis's view be correct. A +reason for believing the -n to be radical is presented by the Anglo-Saxon +form _fearn_, and the Old High German, _varam_. + +_Women_.--Pronounced _wimmen_, as opposed to the singular form _woomman_. +Probably an instance of accommodation. + +_Houses_.--Pronounced _houz-ez_. The same peculiarity in the case of s and +z, as occurs between f and v in words like _life_, _lives_, &c. + +_Paths_, _youths_.--Pronounced _padhz_, _yoodhz_. The same peculiarity in +the case of þ and ð, as occurs between s and z in the words _house_, +_houses_. "Finita in f plerumque alleviantur in plurali numero, +substituendo v; ut _wife_, _wives_, &c. Eademque alleviatio est etiam in s +et th, quamvis retento charactere, in _house_, _cloth_, _path_." + +§ 205. The words sounded _houz-ez_, _padh-z_, _yoodh-z_, taken along with +the extract from Wallis, lead us to an important class of words.--§ 199 b. + +§ 206. Certain words ending in f, like _loaf_, _wife_, &c. + +The regular plural of these would be _loafs_, _wifes_, pronounced _loafce_, +_wifce_, &c. + +But this is not the case. The sound added to the final f is the sound of z, +not that of s. + +And the plurals are sounded _loavz_, _wivz_ (_wivez_, _weivz_). + +Furthermore, the sound of the final f is changed to that of v; in other +words, the _first_ of the two letters is accommodated to the second, in +violation to the rule of § 199 b. + +Can this be explained? Perhaps it can. In the Swedish language the letter f +has the sound of v; so that _staf_ is sounded _stav_. + +Again, in the allied languages the words in question end in the _flat_ (not +the _sharp_) mute,--_weib_, _laub_, _calb_, _halb_, _stab_, &c. = _wife_, +_leaf_, _calf_, _half_, _staff_. + +This makes it probable that, originally, the f in _wife_, _loaf_, &c. was +sounded as v; so that the singular forms were _wive_, _loav_. + +If so, the _plural is_ perfectly normal; it being the _singular_ form on +which the irregularity lies. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER IV. + +ON THE CASES. + +§ 207. The extent to which there are, in the English language, cases, +depends on the meaning which we attach to the word case. In the term _a +house of a father_, the idea expressed by the words _of a father_, is an +idea of relation between them and the word _house_. This idea is an idea of +property or possession. The relation between the words _father_ and _house_ +may be called the _possessive_ relation. This relation, or connexion, +between the two words, is expressed by the preposition _of_. + +In the term _a father's house_, the idea is, there or thereabouts, the +same; the relation or connexion between the two words being the same. The +expression, however, differs. In _a father's house_ the relation, or +connexion, is expressed, not by a preposition, but by a change of form, +_father_ becoming _father's_. + +_He gave the house to a father_.--Here the words _father_ and _house_ stand +in another sort of relationship, the relationship being expressed by the +preposition _to_. The idea _to a father_ differs from the idea _of a +father_, in being expressed in one way only; viz., by the preposition. +There is no second mode of expressing it by a change of form, as was done +with _father's_. + +_The father taught the child_.--Here there is neither preposition nor +change of form. The connexion between the words _father_ and _child_ is +expressed by the arrangement only. + +§ 208. Now if the relation alone between two words constitute a case, the +words _a child_, _to a father_, _of a father_, and _father's_, are all +equally cases; of which one may be called the accusative, another the +dative, a third the genitive, and so on. + +Perhaps, however, the relationship alone does not constitute a case. +Perhaps there is a necessity of either the addition of a preposition (as in +_of a father_), or of a change in form (as in _father's_). In this case +(although _child_ be not so) _father's_, _of a father_, and _to a father_, +are all equally cases. + +Now it has long been remarked, that if the use of a preposition constitute +a case, there must be as many cases in a language as there are +prepositions, and that "_above a man_, _beneath a man_, _beyond a man_, +_round about a man_, _within a man_, _without a man_, shall be cases as +well as _of a man_, _to a man_, and _with a man_." + +§ 209. For etymological purposes, therefore, it is necessary to limit the +meaning of the word case; and, as a sort of definition, it may be laid down +that _where there is no change of form there is no case_. With this remark, +the English language may be compared with the Latin. + + _Latin._ _English._ + + _Sing. Nom._ _Pater_ _a father._ + _Gen._ _Patris_ _a father's._ + _Dat._ _Patri_ _to a father._ + _Acc._ _Patrem_ _a father._ + _Abl._ _Patre_ _from a father._ + +Here, since in the Latin language there are five changes of form, whilst in +English there are but _two_, there are (as far, at least, as the word +_pater_ and _father_ are concerned) three more cases in Latin than in +English. + +It does not, however, follow that because in the particular word _father_ +we have but two cases, there may not be other words wherein there are more +than two. + +§ 210. Neither does it follow, that because two words may have the _same +form_ they are necessarily in the _same case_; a remark which leads to the +distinction between _a real and an accidental identity of form_. + +In the language of the Anglo-Saxons the genitive cases of the words _smið_, +_ende_, and _dæg_, were respectively, _smiðes_, _endes_, and _dæges_; +whilst the nominative plurals were, _smiðas_, _endas_, and _dægas_. + +But when a change took place, by which the vowel of the last syllable in +each word was ejected, the result was, that the forms of the genitive +singular and the nominative plural, originally different, became one and +the same; so that the identity of the two cases is an accident. + +This fact relieves the English grammarian from a difficulty. The nominative +plural and the genitive singular are, in the present language of England, +identical; the apostrophe in _father's_ being a mere matter of orthography. +However, there was _once_ a difference. This modifies the previous +statement, which may now stand thus:--_for a change of case there must be a +change of form existing or presumed_. + +§ 211. _The number of our cases and the extent of language over which they +spread._--In the English language there is undoubtedly a _nominative_ case. +This occurs in substantives, adjectives, and pronouns (_father_, _good_, +_he_) equally. It is found in both numbers. + +§ 212. _Accusative._--Some call this the _objective_ case. The words _him_ +and _them_ (whatever they may have been originally) are now (to a certain +extent) true accusatives. The accusative case is found in pronouns only. +_Thee, me, us_, and _you_ are, to a certain extent, true accusatives. These +are accusative thus far: 1. They are not derived from any other case. 2. +They are distinguished from the forms _I_, _my_, &c. 3. Their meaning is +accusative. Nevertheless, they are only imperfect accusatives. They have no +sign of case, and are distinguished by negative characters only. + +One word in the present English is probably a true accusative in the strict +sense of the term, viz., the word _twain_ = _two_. The -n in _twai-n_ is +the -n in _hine_ = _him_ and _hwone_ = _whom_. This we see from the +following inflection:-- + + _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ + + _N. and Acc._ Twá, Twégen, Twá. + \____ _____/ + \/ + _Abl. and Dat._ Twám, Twǽm. + _Gen._ Twegra, Twega. + +Although nominative as well as accusative, I have little doubt as to the +original character of _twégen_ being accusative. The -n is by no means +radical; besides which, it _is_ the sign of an accusative case, and is +_not_ the sign of a nominative. + +§ 213. _Dative._--In the antiquated word _whilom_ (_at times_), we have a +remnant of the old dative in -m. The _sense_ of the word is abverbial; its +form, however, is that of a dative case. + +§ 214. _Genitive._--Some call this the possessive case. It is found in +substantives and pronouns (_father's, his_), but not in adjectives. It is +formed like the nominative plural, by the addition of the lene sibilant +(_father, fathers; buck, bucks_); or if the word end in -s, by that of -es +(_boxes_, _judges_, &c.) It is found in both numbers: _the men's hearts_; +_the children's bread_. In the plural number, however, it is rare; so rare, +indeed, that wherever the plural ends in s (as it almost always does), +there is no genitive. If it were not so, we should have such words as +_fatherses_, _foxeses_, _princeses_, &c. + +§ 215. _Instrumental._--The following extracts from Rask's "Anglo-Saxon +Grammar," teach us that there exist in the present English two powers of +the word spelt _t-h-e_, or of the so-called definite article--"The +demonstrative pronouns are _þæt, se, seó_ (_id, is, ea_), which are also +used for the article; and _þis, þes, þeós_ (_hoc, hic, hæc_). They are thus +declined:-- + + _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ + + _Sing N._ þæt se seó þis þes þeós. + _A._ þæt þone þá þis þisne þás. + \____ _____/ \_____ _____/ + \/ \/ + _Abl._ þý þǽre þise þisse. + _D._ þám þǽre þisum þisse. + _G._ þæs þǽre þises þisse. + \_____ _____/ \_____ _____/ + \/ \/ + _Plur. N. and A._ þá þás. + _Abl. and D._ þám þisum. + _G._ þára. þissa. + +"The indeclinable _þe_ is often used instead of _þæt, se, seó_, in all +cases, but especially with a relative signification, and, in later times, +as an article. Hence the English article _the_. + +"_þý_ seems justly to be received as a proper _ablativus instrumenti_, as +it occurs often in this character, even in the masculine gender; as, _mid +þý áþe_ = _with that oath_ ("Inæ Leges," 53). And in the same place in the +dative, _on þǽm áþe_ = _in that oath_."--Pp. 56, 57. + +Hence the _the_ that has originated out of the Anglo-Saxon _þý_ is one +word; whilst the _the_ that has originated out of the Anglo-Saxon _þe_, +another. The latter is the common article: the former the _the_ in +expressions like _all the more_, _all the better_ = _more by all that_, +_better by all that_, and the Latin phrases _eo majus_, _eo melius_. + +That _why_ is in the same case with the instrumental _the_ ( = _þý_) may be +seen from the following Anglo-Saxon inflexion of the interrogative +pronoun:-- + + _Neut._ _Masc._ + _N._ Hwæt Hwá + _A._ Hwæt Hwone (hwæne). + \_____ _____/ + \/ + _Abl._ _Hwi_ + _D._ Hwám (hwǽm) + _G._ Hwæs. + +Hence, then, in _the_ and _why_ we have instrumental ablatives, or, simply, +_instrumentals_. + +§ 216. _The determination of cases._--How do we determine cases? In other +words, why do we call _him_ and _them_ accusatives rather than datives or +genitives? By one of two means; viz., either by the _sense_ or the _form_. + +Suppose that in the English language there were ten thousand dative cases +and as many accusatives. Suppose, also, that all the dative cases ended in +-m, and all the accusatives in some other letter. It is very evident that, +whatever might be the meaning of the words _him_ and _them_ their form +would be dative. In this case the meaning being accusatives, and the form +dative, we should doubt which test to take. + +My own opinion is, that it would be convenient to determine cases by the +_form_ of the word _alone_; so that, even if a word had a dative sense only +once, where it had an accusative sense ten thousand times, such a word +should be said to be in the dative case. Now the words _him_ and _them_ (to +which we may add _whom_) were once dative cases;[48] -m in Anglo-Saxon +being the sign of the dative case. In the time of the Anglo-Saxons their +sense coincided with their form. At present they are dative forms with an +accusative meaning. Still, as the word _give_ takes after it a dative case, +we have, even now, in the sentence, _give it him_, _give it them_, remnants +of the old dative sense. To say _give it to him_, _to them_, is unnecessary +and pedantic: neither do I object to the expression, _whom shall I give +it?_ If ever the _formal_ test become generally recognised and consistently +adhered to, _him_, _them_, and _whom_ will be called datives with a +latitude of meaning; and then the only true and unequivocal accusatives in +the English language will be the forms _you_, _thee_, _us_, _me_, and +_twain_. + +§ 217. _Analysis of cases._--In the word _children's_ we are enabled to +separate the word into three parts. 1. The root _child_. 2. The plural +signs r and en. 3. The sign of the genitive case, s. In this case the word +is said to be analysed, since we not only take it to pieces, but also give +the respective powers of each of its elements; stating which denotes the +case, and which the number. Although it is too much to say that the +analysis of every case of every number can be thus effected, it ought +always to be attempted. + +§ 218. _The true nature of the genitive form in 's._--It is a common notion +that the genitive form _father's_ is contracted from _father his_. The +expression in our liturgy, _for Jesus Christ his sake_, which is merely a +pleonastic one, is the only foundation for this assertion. As the idea, +however, is not only one of the commonest, but also one of the greatest +errors in etymology, the following three statements are given for the sake +of contradiction to it. + +1. The expression the _Queen's Majesty_ is not capable of being reduced to +the _Queen his Majesty_. + +2. In the form _his_ itself, the s has precisely the power that it has in +_father's_, &c. Now _his_ cannot be said to arise out of _he_ + _his_. + +3. In the Slavonic, Lithuanic, and classical tongues, the genitive ends in +s, just as it does in English; so that even if the words _father his_ would +account for the English word _father's_, it would not account for the +Sanskrit genitive _pad-as_, of a foot; the Zend _dughdhar-s_, of a +daughter; the Lithuanic _dugter-s_; the Greek ὀδόντ-ος; the Latin +_dent-is_, &c. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER V. + +THE PERSONAL PRONOUNS. + +§ 219. _I_, _we_, _us_, _me_, _thou_, _ye_.--These constitute the true +personal pronouns. From _he_, _she_, and _it_, they differ in being +destitute of gender. + +These latter words are demonstrative rather than personal, so that there +are in English true personal pronouns for the first two persons only. + +§ 220. The usual declension of the personal pronouns is exceptionable. _I_ +and _me_, _thou_ and _ye_, stand in no etymological relations to each +other. The true view of the words is, that they are not irregular but +defective. _I_ has no _oblique_, and _me_ no nominative case. And so it is +with the rest. + +§ 221. _You_.--As far as the practice of the present mode of speech is +concerned, the word _you_ is a _nominative_ form; since we say _you move_, +_you are moving_, _you were speaking_. + +Why should it not be treated as such? There is no absolute reason why it +should not. The Anglo-Saxon form for _you_ was _eow_, for _ye_, _ge_. +Neither bears any sign of case at all, so that, form for form, they are +equally and indifferently nominative and accusative. Hence, it, perhaps, is +more logical to say that a certain form (_you_), is used _either_ as a +nominative or accusative, than to say that the accusative case is used +instead of a nominative. It is clear that _you_ can be used instead of _ye_ +only so far as it is nominative in power. + +_Ye_.--As far as the evidence of such expressions as _get on with ye_ is +concerned, the word _ye_ is an accusative form. The reasons why it should +or should not be treated as such are involved in the previous paragraph. + +§ 222. _Me_.--carrying out the views just laid down, and admitting _you_ to +be a nominative, or _quasi_-nominative case, we may extend the reasoning to +the word _me_, and call it also a secondary or equivocal nominative; +inasmuch as such phrases as _it is me_ = _it is I_ are common. + +Now to call such expressions incorrect English is to assume the point. No +one says that _c'est moi_ is bad French, and that _c'est je_ is good. + +§ 223. _Caution._--Observe, however, that the expression _it is me_ = _it +is I_ will not justify the use of _it is him_, _it is her_ = _it is he_ and +_it is she_. _Me_, _ye_, _you_, are what may be called _indifferent forms_, +i.e., nominative as much as accusative, and accusative as much as +nominative. _Him_ and _her_, on the other hand, are not indifferent. The -m +and -r are respectively the signs of cases other than the nominative. + +§ 224. Again: the reasons which allow the form _you_ to be considered as a +nominative plural, on the strength of its being used for _ye_, will not +allow it to be considered a nominative singular on the strength of its +being used for _thou_. + +§ 225. In phrases like _you are speaking_, &c., even when applied to a +single individual, the idea is really plural; in other words, the courtesy +consists in treating _one_ person as _more than one_, and addressing him as +such, rather than in using a plural form in a singular sense. It is certain +that, grammatically considered, _you_ = _thou_ is a plural, since the verb +with which it agrees is plural:--_you are speaking_, not _you art +speaking_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VI. + +ON THE TRUE REFLECTIVE PRONOUN IN THE GOTHIC LANGUAGES, AND ON ITS ABSENCE +IN ENGLISH. + +§ 226. A true reflective pronoun is wanting in English. In other words, +there are no equivalents to the Latin forms _sui_, _sibi_, _se_. + +Nor yet are there any equivalents to the forms _suus, sua, suum_: since +_his_ and _her_ are the equivalents to _ejus_ and _illius_, and are not +adjectives but genitive cases. + +At the first view, this last sentence seems unnecessary. It might seem +superfluous to state, that, if there were no such primitive form as _se_, +there could be no such secondary form as _suus_. + +Such, however, is not the case. _Suus_ might exist in the language, and yet +_se_ be absent; in other words, the derivative form might have continued +whilst the original one had become extinct. + +Such is really the case with the _Old_ Frisian. The reflective personal +form, the equivalent to _se_, is lost, whilst the reflective possessive +form, the equivalent to _suus_, is found. In the _Modern_ Frisian, however, +both forms are lost. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VII. + +THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS, &c. + +§ 227. The demonstrative pronouns are, 1. _He, it_. 2. _She_. 3. _This, +that_. 4. _The_. + +_He_, _she_, and _it_, generally looked on as personal, are here treated as +demonstrative pronouns, for the following reasons. + +1. The personal pronouns form an extremely natural class, if the pronouns +of the two first persons be taken by themselves. This is not the case if +they be taken along with _he_, _it_, and _she_. + +2. The idea expressed by _he_, _it_, and _she_ is naturally that of +demonstrativeness. In the Latin language _is, ea, id_; _ille, illa, illud_; +_hic, hæc, hoc_, are demonstrative pronouns in sense, as well as in +declension. + +3. The plural forms _they, them_, in the present English, are the plural +forms of the root of _that_, a true demonstrative pronoun; so that even if +_he_, _she_, and _it_ could be treated as personal pronouns, _they_ could +not. + +4. The word _she_ has grown out of the Anglo-Saxon _seó_. Now _seó_ was in +Anglo-Saxon the feminine form of the definite article; the definite article +itself being originally a demonstrative pronoun. + +§ 228. Compared with the Anglo-Saxon the present English stands as +follows:-- + +_She_.--The Anglo-Saxon form _heó_, being lost to the language, is replaced +by the feminine article _seó_. + +§ 229. _Her_.--This is a case, not of the present _she_, but of the +Anglo-Saxon _heó_: so that _she_ may be said to be defective in the oblique +cases, and _her_ to be defective in the nominative. + +_Him_.--A dative form, which has replaced the Anglo-Saxon _hine_. When used +as a dative, it was neuter as well as masculine. + +_His_.--Originally neuter as well as masculine. Now as a neuter, replaced +by _its_--"et quidem ipsa vox _his_, ut et interrogativum _whose_, nihil +aliud sunt quam _hee's_, _who's_, ubi s omnino idem præstat quod in aliis +possessivis. Similiter autem _his_ pro _hee's_ eodem errore quo nonnunquam +_bin_ pro _been_; item _whose_ pro _who's_ eodem errore quo _done_, _gone_, +_knowne_, _growne_, &c., pro _doen_, _goen_, _knowen,_ vel _do'n_, _go'n_, +_know'n_, _grow'n_; utrobique contra analogiam linguæ; sed usu +defenditur."--Wallis, c.v. + +_It_.--Changed from the Anglo-Saxon _hit_, by the ejection of h. The t is +no part of the original word, but a sign of the neuter gender, forming it +regularly from _he_. The same neuter sign is preserved in the Latin _id_ +and _illud_. + +_Its_.--In the course of time the nature of the neuter sign t, in _it_, the +form being found in but a few words, became misunderstood. Instead of being +looked on as an affix, it passed for part of the original word. Hence was +formed from _it_ the anomalous genitive _its_ superseding the Saxon _his_. +The same was the case with-- + +_Hers_.--The r is no part of the original word, but the sign of the dative +case. These formations are of value in the history of cases. + +§ 230. _Theirs_.--In the same predicament with _hers_ and _its_; either the +case of an adjective, or a case formed from a case. + +_Than_ or _then_, and _there_.--Although now adverbs, they were once +demonstrative pronouns, in a certain case and in a certain gender, viz., +_than_ and _then_ masculine accusative and singular, _there_ feminine +dative and singular. + +§ 231. An exhibition of the Anglo-Saxon declension is the best explanation +of the English. Be it observed, that the cases marked in italics are found +in the present language. + +I. + +_Se, seó_ ( = _she_). + +Of this word we meet two forms only, both of the singular number, and both +in the nominative case; viz., masc., _se_; fem. _seó_ ( = the). The neuter +gender and the other cases of the article were taken from the pronoun _þæt_ +( = that). + +II. + + _þæt_ ( = that, the), and _þis_ ( = this). + + _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ + + _Sing. Nom._ _þæt_ -- -- _þis_ þes þeós. + _Acc._ _þæt_ _þone_ þâ þis þisne þás. + _Abl._ _þy_ _þy_ _þǽre._ _þise_ þise þisse. + _Dat._ þám þám _þǽre._ þisum þisum þisse. + _Gen._ þæs þæs _þǽre._ þises þises þisse. + \__________ _________/ \_________ _________/ + \/ \/ + _Plur. Nom. Acc._ _þá._ _þás._ + _Abl. Dat._ _þám._ þisum. + _Gen._ _þára._ þissa. + +III. + + _Hit_ ( = it), (_he_ = he), _heó_ ( = she). + + _Sing. Nom._ _hit_ _he_ heó. + _Acc._ _hit_ hine hí. + _Dat._ _him_ _him_ _hire._ + _Gen._ _his_ _his_ _hire._ + \_________ __________/ + \/ + _Plur. Nom. Acc._ hi + _Dat._ him (heom). + _Gen._ hira (heora). + +IV. + +_þe_ (the)--Undeclined, and used for all cases and genders. + +§ 232. _These_.--Here observe-- + +1st. That the s is no inflection, but a radical part of the word, like the +s in _geese_. + +2nd. That the Anglo-Saxon form is _þás_. + +These facts create difficulties in respect to the word _these_. Mr. Guest's +view is, perhaps, the best; viz., that the plural element of the word is +the final -e, and that this -e is the old English and Anglo-Saxon adjective +plural; so that _thes-e_ is formed from _this_, as _gode_ ( = _boni_) is +from _god_ ( = _bonus_). + +The nominative plural in the Old English adjective ended in -e; as, + + _Singular._ _Plural._ + _M._ _F._ _N._ _M._ _F._ _N._ + _God_, _god_, _god_, _gode_. + +In Old English MSS. this plural in -e is general. It occurs not only in +adjectives and pronouns as a regular inflection, but even as a plural of +the genitive _his_, that word being treated as a nominative singular; so +that _hise_ is formed from _his_, as _sui_ from _suus_, or as _eji_ might +have been formed from _ejus_; provided that in the Latin language this last +word had been mistaken for a nominative singular. The following examples +are Mr. Guest's. + + 1. In these lay a gret multitude of _syke_ men, _blinde_, crokid, and + _drye_.--_Wicliffe_, Jon. v. + + 2. In all the orders foure is non that can + So much of dalliance and faire language, + He hadde ymade ful many a marriage-- + His tippet was ay farsed ful of knives, + And pinnes for to given _faire_ wives.--_Chau._, Prol. + + 3. And _al_ the cuntre of Judee wente out to him, and _alle_ men of + Jerusalem.--_Wicliffe_, Mark i. + + 4. He ghyueth lif to _alle_ men, and brething, and _alle_ thingis; and + made of von _al_ kynde of men to inhabit on _al_ the face of the + erthe.--_Wicliffe_, Dedis of Apostlis, xvii. + + 5. That fadres sone which _alle_ thinges wrought; + And _all_, that wrought is with a skilful thought, + The Gost that from the fader gan procede, + Hath souled hem.--_Chau._, The Second Nonnes Tale. + + 6. And _alle_ we that ben in this aray + And maken _all_ this lamentation, + We losten _alle_ our husbondes at that toun.--_Chau._, The Knightes + Tales. + + 7. A _good_ man bryngeth forth _gode_ thingsis of _good_ + tresore.--_Wicliffe_, Matt. xii. + + 8. So every _good_ tree maketh _gode_ fruytis, but an yvel tree maketh + yvel fruytes. A _good_ tree may not mak yvel fruytis, neither an yvel + tree may make _gode_ fruytis. Every tree that maketh not _good_ fruyt + schal be cut down.--_Wicliffe_, Matt. vii. + + 9. Men loveden more darknessis than light for her werkes weren _yvele_, + for ech man that doeth _yvel_, hateth the light.--_Wicliffe_, John iii. + + 10. And _othere_ seedis felden among thornes wexen up and strangliden + hem, and _othere_ seedis felden into good lond and gaven fruyt, sum an + hundred fold, _another_ sixty fold, an _other_ thritty fold, + &c.--_Wicliffe_, Matt. xiii. + + 11. Yet the while he spake to the puple lo _his_ mother and _hise_ + brethren stonden withoute forth.--_Wicliffe_, Mat. xii. + + 12. And _hise_ disciplis camen and taken _his_ body.--_Wicliffe_, + Matt., xiv. + + 13. When _thise_ Bretons tuo were fled out of _this_ lond + Ine toke his feaute of alle, &c.--_Rob Brunne_, p. 3. + + 14. _This_ is thilk disciple that bereth witnessyng of _these_ thingis, + and wroot them.--_Wicliffe_, John xxi. + + 15. Seye to us in what powers thou doist _these_ thingis, and who is he + that gaf to thee _this_ power.--_Wicliffe_, Luke xx. + +§ 233. _Those_.--Perhaps the Anglo-Saxon _þá_ with s added. Perhaps the +_þás_ from _þis_ with its power altered. Rask, in his Anglo-Saxon Grammar, +writes "from _þis_ we find, in the plural, _þæs_ for _þás_. From which +afterwards, with a distinction in signification, _these_ and _those_." The +English form _they_ is illustrated by the Anglo-Saxon form _ðage_ = _þá_. +The whole doctrine of the forms in question has yet to assume a +satisfactory shape. + +The present declension of the demonstrative pronouns is as follows:-- + +A. + +_She_.--Defective in the oblique cases. + +B. + +_He_. + + _Masc._ _Neut._ _Fem._ + _Nom._ He It (from _hit_) -- + _Acc._ Him It Her. + _Dat._ Him -- Her. + _Gen._ His -- Her. + _Secondary Gen._ -- Its Hers. + + No plural form. + +C. + +I. + +_That_. + + _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ + _Sing. Nom._ That -- -- + _Acc._ That Than, then[49] -- + _Dat._ -- -- There.[49] + _Instrumental_ _Thence._ + _Plur. Nom._ They.[50] + _Acc._ Them.[50] + _Gen._ Their.[50] + _Secondary Gen._ Theirs.[50] + +II. + +_Singular_, This. _Plural_, These. + +III. + +_Those_. + +IV. + +_The_--Undeclined. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +THE RELATIVE, INTERROGATIVE, AND CERTAIN OTHER PRONOUNS. + +§ 234. In the relative and interrogative pronouns, _who_, _what_, _whom_, +_whose_, we have, expressed by a change of form, a neuter gender, _what_; a +dative case _whom_; and a genitive case, _whose_: the true power of the s +(viz., as the sign of a case) being obscured by the orthographical addition +of the e mute. + +To these may be added, 1. the adverb _why_, originally the ablative form +_hvi_ (_quo modo?_ _quâ viâ?_). 2. The adverb _where_, a feminine dative, +like _there_. 3. _When_, a masculine accusative (in Anglo-Saxon _hwæne_), +and analogous to _then_. + +The two sounds in the Danish words _hvi_, _hvad_, &c., and the two sounds +in the English, _what_, _when_ (Anglo-Saxon, _hwæt_, _hwæne_) account for +the forms _why_ and _how_. In the first the w alone, in the second the h +alone, is sounded. The Danish for _why_ is _hvi_, pronounced _vi_. + +§ 235. The following remarks (some of them not strictly etymological) apply +to a few of the remaining pronouns. + +_Same_.--Wanting in Anglo-Saxon, where it was replaced by the word _ylca_, +_ylce_. Probably derived from the Norse. + +_Self_.--In _myself_, _thyself_, _herself_, _ourselves_, _yourselves_, a +substantive (or with a substantival power), and preceded by a genitive +case. In _himself_ and _themselves_ an adjective (or with an adjectival +power), and preceded by an accusative case. _Itself_ is equivocal, since we +cannot say whether its elements are _it_ and _self_, or _its_ and _self_; +the s having been dropped in utterance. It is very evident that either the +form like _himself_, or the form like _thyself_, is exceptionable; in other +words, that the use of the word is inconsistent. As this inconsistency is +as old as the Anglo-Saxons, the history of the word gives us no +elucidation. In favour of the forms like _myself_ (_self_ being a +substantive), are the following facts:-- + +1. The plural word _selves_, a substantival, and not an adjectival form. + +2. The Middle High German phrases _mîn lîp_, _dîn lîp_, _my body_, _thy +body_, equivalent in sense to _myself_, _thyself_. + +3. The circumstance that if _self_ be dealt with as a substantive, such +phrases as _my own self_, _his own great self_, &c., can be used; whereby +the language is a gainer. + +"Vox _self_, pluraliter _selves_, quamvis etiam pronomen a quibusdam +censeatur (quoniam ut plurimum per Latinum _ipse_ redditur), est tamen +plane nomen substantivum, cui quidem vix aliquod apud Latinos substantivum +respondet; proxime tamen accedet vox _persona_ vel _propria persona_ ut _my +self_, _thy self_, _our selves_, _your selves_, &c. (_ego ipse_, _tu ipse_, +_nos ipsi_, _vos ipsi_, &c.), ad verbum _mea persona_, _tua persona_, &c. +Fateor tamen _himself_, _itself_, _themselves_, vulgo dici pro _his-self_, +_its-self_, _theirselves_; at (interposito _own_) _his own self_, &c., +_ipsius propria persona_, &c."--Wallis. c. vii. + +4. The fact that many persons actually say _hisself_ and _theirselves_. + +_Whit_.--As in the phrase _not a whit_. This enters in the compound +pronouns _aught_ and _naught_. + +_One_.--As in the phrase _one does so and so_. From the French _on_. +Observe that this is from the Latin _homo_, in Old French _hom_, _om_. In +the Germanic tongues _man_ is used in the same sense: _man sagt_ = _one +says_ = _on dit_. _One_, like _self_ and _other_, is so far a substantive, +that it is inflected. Gen. sing, _one's own self_: plural, _my wife and +little ones are well_. + +_Derived pronouns._--_Any_, in Anglo-Saxon, _ænig_. In Old High German we +have _einîc_ = _any_, and _einac_ = _single_. In Anglo-Saxon _ânega_ means +_single_. In Middle High German _einec_ is always single. In New High +German _einig_ means, 1. _a certain person_ (_quidam_), 2. _agreeing_; +_einzig_, meaning _single_. In Dutch _ênech_ has both meanings. This +indicates the word _án_, _one_, as the root of the word in question. + +_Compound pronouns._--_Which_, as has been already stated more than once, +is most incorrectly called the neuter of _who_. Instead of being a neuter, +it is a compound word. The adjective _leiks_, _like_, is preserved in the +Mœso-Gothic words _galeiks_ and _missaleiks_. In Old High German the form +is _lih_, in Anglo-Saxon _lic_. Hence we have Mœso-Gothic _hvêleiks_; Old +High German, _huëlih_; Anglo-Saxon, _huilic_ and _hvilc_; Old Frisian, +_hwelik_; Danish, _hvilk-en_; German, _welch_; Scotch, _whilk_; English, +_which_. The same is the case with-- + +1. _Such_.--Mœso-Gothic, _svaleiks_; Old High German, _sôlîh_; Old Saxon, +_sulîc_; Anglo-Saxon, _svilc_; German, _solch_; English, _such_. Rask's +derivation of the Anglo-Saxon _swilc_ from _swa-ylc_, is exceptionable. + +2. _Thilk_.--An old English word, found in the provincial dialects, as +_thick_, _thuck_, _theck_, and hastily derived by Tyrwhitt, Ritson, and +Weber, from _së ylca_, is found in the following forms: Mœso-Gothic, +_þéleiks_; Norse, _þvilikr_. + +3. _Ilk_.--Found in the Scotch, and always preceded by the article; _the +ilk_, or _that ilk_, meaning _the same_. In Anglo-Saxon this word is +_ycla_, preceded also by the article _se ylca_, _seó ylce_, _þæt ylce_. In +English, as seen above, the word is replaced by _same_. In no other Gothic +dialect does it occur. According to Grimm, this is no simple word, but a +compound one, of which some such word as _ei_ is the first, and _lîc_ the +second element. + +_Aught_.--In Mœso-Gothic is found the particle, _aiv_, _ever_, but only in +negative propositions; _ni_ (_not_) preceding it. Its Old High German form +is _êo_, _io_; in Middle High German, _ie_; in New High German, _je_; in +Old Saxon, _io_; in Anglo-Saxon, â; in Norse, æ. Combined with this +particle the word _whit_ (_thing_) gives the following forms: Old High +German, _êowiht_; Anglo-Saxon, _âviht_; Old Frisian, _âwet_; English +_aught_. The word _naught_ is _aught_ preceded by the negative particle. + +_Each_.--The particle _gi_ enters, like the particle in the composition of +pronouns. Old High German, _êogalîher_, every one; _êocalih_, all; Middle +High German, _iegelich_; New High German, _jeglich_; Anglo-Saxon, _ælc_; +English, _each_; the l being dropped, as in _which_ and _such_. _Ælc_, as +the original of the English _each_ and the Scotch _ilka_,[51] must by no +means be confounded with the word _ylce_, _the same_. + +_Every_ in Old English, _everich_, _everech_, _everilk one_, is _ælc_, +preceded by the particle _ever_. (Grimm. D. G. iii. 54.) + +_Either_.--Old High German, _êogahuëdar_; Middle High German, _iegewëder_; +Anglo-Saxon, _æghväðer_, _ægðer_; Old Frisian, _eider_. + +_Neither_.--The same with the negative article prefixed. _Neither_ : +_either_ :: _naught_ : _aught_. + +§ 236. _Other_, _whether_.--These words, although derived forms, being +simpler than some that have preceded, might fairly have been dealt with +before. They make, however, a transition from the present to the succeeding +chapter, and so find a place here. + +A. _First_, it may be stated of them that the idea which they express is +not that of _one out of many_, but that of _one out of two_. + +1. In Sanscrit there are two forms, a) _kataras_, the same word as +_whether_, meaning _which out of two_; b) _katamas, which out of many_. So +also _êkateras, one out of two_; _êkatamas, one out of many_. In Greek the +Ionic form κότερος (πότερος); in Latin, _uter_, _neuter_, _alter_; and in +Mœso-Gothic, _hvathar_, have the same form and the same meaning. + +2. In the Scandinavian language the word _anden_, Dano-Saxon, _annar_, +Iceland. corresponds to the English word _second_, and not the German +_zweite_: e.g., _Karl den Anden, Charles the Second_. Now _anthar_ is the +older form of _other_. + +B. _Secondly_, it may be stated of them, that the termination -er is the +same termination that we find in the comparative degree. + +1. The idea expressed by the comparative degree is the comparison, not of +_many_ but of _two_ things; _this is better than that_. + +2. In all the Indo-European languages where there are pronouns in -ter, +there is also a comparative degree in -ter. See next chapter. + +3. As the Sanscrit form _kataras_ corresponds with the comparative degree, +where there is the comparison of _two things with each other_; so the word +_katamas_ is a superlative form; and in the superlative degree lies the +comparison of _many_ things with each other. + +Hence _other_ and _whether_ (to which may be added _either_ and _neither_) +are pronouns with the comparative form. + +_Other_ has the additional peculiarity of possessing the plural form +_others_. Hence, like _self_, it is, in the strictest sense, a substantival +pronoun. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER IX. + +ON CERTAIN FORMS IN -ER. + +§ 237. Preparatory to the consideration of the degrees of comparison, it is +necessary to make some remarks upon a certain class of words, which, with +considerable differences of signification, all agree in one fact, viz., all +terminate in -er, or _t-er_. + +1. Certain pronouns, as _ei-th-er_, _n-ei-th-er_, _whe-th-er_, or +_o-th-er_. + +2. Certain prepositions and adverbs, as _ov-er_, _und-er_, _af-t-er_. + +3. Certain adjectives, with the form of the comparative, but the power of +the positive degree; as _upp-er_, _und-er_, _inn-er_, _out-er_, _hind-er_. + +4. All adjectives of the comparative degree; as _wis-er_, _strong-er_, +_bett-er_, &c. + +Now what is the idea common to all these words, expressed by the sign -er, +and connecting the four divisions into one class? It is not the mere idea +of comparison; although it is the comparative degree, to the expression of +which the affix in question is more particularly applied. Bopp, who has +best generalised the view of these forms, considers the fundamental idea to +be that of _duality_. In the comparative degree we have a relation between +one object and _some_ other object like it, or a relation between two +single elements of comparison: _A is wiser than B_. In the superlative +degree we have a relation between one object and _all_ others like it, or a +relation between one single and one complex element of comparison: _A is +wiser than B, C, D_, &c. + +"As in comparatives a relation between _two_, and in superlatives a +relation between _many_, lies at the bottom, it is natural that their +suffixes should be transferred to other words, whose chief notion is +individualised through that of duality or plurality."--"Vergleichende +Grammatik," § 292, Eastwick's and Wilson's Translation. + +The most important proofs of the view adduced by Bopp are,-- + +1. The Sanskrit form _kataras_ = _which of _two_ persons?_ is a comparative +form; whilst _katamas_ = _which of more than two persons?_ a superlative +form. Similarly, _êkataras_ = _one of two persons_; _êkatamas_ = _one of +more than two persons_. + +2. The Greek forms, ἑκάτερος = _each_ (_or either_) _out of two persons_; +whilst ἕκαστος = _each or any out of more than two persons_. + +§ 238. The more important of the specific modifications of the general idea +involved in the comparison of two objects are,-- + +1. Contrariety: as in _inner_, _outer_, _under_, _upper_, _over_. In Latin +the words for _right_ and _left_ end in -er,--_dexter_, _sinister_. + +2. Choice in the way of an alternative; as _either_, _neither_, _whether_, +_other_. + +§ 239. _Either_, _neither_, _other_, _whether_.--It has just been stated +that the general fundamental idea common to all these forms is that of +_choice between one of two objects in the way of an alternative_. Thus far +the termination -er in _either_, &c., is the termination -er in the true +comparatives, _brav-er_, _wis-er_, &c. _Either_ and _neither_ are common +pronouns. _Other_, like _one_, is a pronoun capable of taking the plural +form of a substantive (_others_), and also that of the genitive case (_the +other's money, the other's bread_). _Whether_ is a pronoun in the almost +obsolete form _whether_ ( = _which_) _of the two do you prefer_, and a +conjunction in sentences like _whether will you do this or not_? The use of +the form _others_ is recent. "_They are taken out of the way as all +other._"--Job. "_And leave their riches for other._"--Psalms. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER X. + +THE COMPARATIVE DEGREE. + +§ 240. There are four leading facts here,-- + +1. _The older form in -s._ In English we say old-er, bett-er, sweet-er; in +Old High German they similarly said, alt-iro, bets-iro, suats-iro; but in +Mœso-Gothic the forms were ald-iza, bat-iza, sut-iza. + +2. _Adverbs_ are susceptible of comparison; e.g.--_Come as soon as you can, +but do not come sooner than is convenient_. + +3. The Anglo-Saxon comparison of the adverbs is different from that of the +adjectives; there being one form in -re and -este, another in -or and -ost +respectively. Now the first of these was the form taken by adjectives: as +_se scearp-re sweord_ = _the sharper sword_, and _se scearp-este sword_ = +_the sharpest sword_. The second, on the other hand, was the form taken by +adverbs: as, _se sweord scyrð scearp-or_ = _the sword cuts sharper_, and +_se sweord scyrð scearp-ost_ = _the sword cuts sharpest_. + +4. In the Anglo-Saxon, the following words exhibit a change of vowel. + + _Positive._ _Comparative._ _Superlative._ + + Lang, Lengre, Lengest. _Long._ + Strang, Strengre, Strengest. _Strong._ + Geong, Gyngre, Gyngest. _Young._ + Sceort, Scyrtre, Scyrtest. _Short._ + Heáh, Hyrre, Hyhst. _High._ + Eald, Yldre, Yldest. _Old._ + +§ 241. Now the fourth of these facts explains the present forms _elder_ and +_eldest_, the comparatives and superlative of _old_, besides which there +are the regular forms _old-er_ and _old-est_; between which there is, +however, a difference in meaning--_elder_ being used as a substantive, and +having a plural form, _elders_. + +§ 242. The abverbial forms in -or and -ost, as compared with the adjectival +in -re, and -este explain the form _rather_. This rhymes to _father_; the a +being full. Nevertheless, the positive form is _rather_ meaning _quick, +easy_ = the classical root ῥαδ- in ῥάδιος. What we do _quickly_ and +_willingly_ we do _preferably_. Now if the word _rather_ were an adjective, +the vowel of the comparative would be sounded as the a in _fate_, as it is, +however, it is abverbial, and as such is properly sounded as the a in +_father_. + +The difference between the action of the small vowel in -re, and of the +full in -or effects this difference, since o being a full vowel, it has the +effect of making the a full also. + +§ 243. The old form in -s will be considered, after notice has been taken +of what may be called-- + +§ 244. _Excess of expression._--Of this two samples have already been +given: 1. in words like _songstress_; 2. in words like _children_. This may +be called _excess of expression_; the feminine gender, in words like +_songstress_, and the plural number, in words like _children_, being +expressed twice over. In the vulgarism _betterer_ for _better_, and in the +antiquated forms _worser_ for _worse_, and _lesser_ for _less_, we have, in +the case of the comparatives, as elsewhere, an excess of expression. In the +old High German we have the forms _betsërôro_, _mêrôro_, _êrërëra_ = +_better_, _more_, _ere_. + +§ 245. _Better_.--Although in the superlative form _best_ there is a slight +variation from the strict form of that degree, the word _better_ is +perfectly regular. So far, then, from truth are the current statements that +the comparison of the words _good, better_, and _best_ is irregular. The +inflection is not irregular, but defective. As the statement that applies +to _good_, _better_, and _best_ applies to many words besides, it will be +well in this place, once for all, to exhibit it in full. + +§ 246. _Difference between a sequence in logic and a sequence in +etymology._--The ideas or notions of _thou, thy, thee_, are ideas between +which there is a metaphysical or logical connexion. The train of such ideas +may be said to form a sequence, and such a sequence may be called a logical +one. + +The words _thou, thy, thee_, are words between which there is a _formal_ or +an _etymological_ connexion. A train of such words may be called a +sequence, and such a sequence may be called an etymological one. + +In the case of _thou, thy, thee_, the etymological sequence tallies with +the _logical_ one. + +The ideas of _I_, _my_, and _me_ are also in a logical sequence: but the +forms _I_, _my_, and _me_ are not altogether in an etymological one. + +In the case of _I, my, me_, the etymological sequence does _not_ tally (or +tallies imperfectly) with the logical one. + +This is only another way of saying that between the words _I_ and _me_ +there is no connexion in etymology. + +It is also only another way of saying, that, in the oblique cases, _I_, +and, in the nominative case, _me_, are _defective_. + +Now the same is the case with _good, better_, _bad, worse_, &c. _Good_ and +_bad_ are defective in the comparative and superlative degrees; _better_ +and _worse_ are defective in the positive; whilst between _good_ and +_better_, _bad_ and _worse_, there is a sequence in logic, but no sequence +in etymology. + +§ 247. To return, however, to the word _better_; no absolute positive +degree is found in any of the allied languages, and in none of the allied +languages is there found any comparative form of _good_. Its root occurs in +the following adverbial forms: Mœso-Gothic, _bats_; Old High German, +_pats_; Old Saxon and Anglo-Saxon, _bet_; Middle High German, _baz_; Middle +Dutch, _bat_, _bet_. + +§ 248. _Worse_.--This word is one of two things. + +1. It is a positive form with a comparative sense; in which case s is part +of the root. + +2. It is a comparative degree from the positive form wor- (vair-, wir-, +vyr-), in which case s is the s of the Old Mœso-Gothic inflexion preserved +in this single word. + +§ 249. _More_.--In Anglo-Saxon this is _mâ_; in the English of the reign of +Elizabeth it is _moe_; and in certain provincial dialects it is _mo_, at +the present time. + +Notwithstanding this, i.e., the form being positive, the _power_ of the +word has always been comparative, and meant _more_ rather than _much_, or +_many_. + +§ 250. _Less_.--In Anglo-Saxon _læssa_ and _læs_. Here there is no +_unequivocal_ sign of the comparative degree; what, then, is the nature of +the word? Is it a positive form with a comparative power like _moe_? or is +it an old comparative in -s? This is undecided. What does it come from? +Grimm derives it from the Mœso-Gothic root _lasiv_ = _weak_. His doctrine +is doubtful. I cannot but believe that it comes from the same root as +_litt-le_; where the old Frisian form _litich_, shows that the -l is no +essential part of the word, and the Danish form _lille_ gets rid of the t. +Still the word is difficult; indeed it is unexplained. + +§ 251. _Near_, _nearer_.--Anglo-Saxon, _neah_; comparative, _nearre_, +_near_, _nyr_; superlative, _nyhst_, _nehst_. Observe, in the Anglo-Saxon +positive and superlative, the absence of the r. This shows that the English +positive _near_ is the Anglo-Saxon comparative _nearre_, and that in the +secondary comparative _nearer_, we have an _excess of expression_. It may +be, however, that the r in _near_ is a mere point of orthography, and that +it is not pronounced; since, in the English language the words _father_ and +_farther_ are, for the most part, pronounced alike. + +§ 252. _Farther_.--Anglo-Saxon _feor, fyrre, fyrrest_. The th seems +euphonic, inserted by the same process that gives the δ in ἀνδρὸς, from +ἀνὴρ = man. + +_Further_.--Confounded with _farther_, although in reality from a different +word, _fore_. Old High German, _furdir_; New High German, _der vordere_; +Anglo-Saxon, _fyrðre_. + +§ 253. _Former_.--A comparative formed from the superlative; _forma_ being +such. Consequently, an instance of excess of expression, combined with +irregularity. + +§ 254. In Mœso-Gothic _spêdists_ means _last_, and _spêdiza_ = _later_. Of +the word _spêdists_ two views may be taken. According to one it is the +positive degree with the addition of st; according to the other, it is the +comparative degree with the addition only of t. Now, Grimm and others lay +down as a rule, that the superlative is formed, not directly from the +positive, but indirectly through the comparative. + +With the exception of _worse_ and _less_, all the English comparatives end +in -r: yet no superlative ends in -rt, the form being, not _wise, wiser, +wisert_, but _wise, wiser, wisest_. This fact, without invalidating the +notion just laid down, gives additional importance to the comparative forms +in s; since it is from these, before they have changed to r, that we must +suppose the superlatives to have been derived. The theory being admitted, +we can, by approximation, determine the comparative antiquity of the +superlative degree. It was introduced _after_ the establishment of the +comparative, and _before_ the change of -s into -r. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XI. + +THE SUPERLATIVE DEGREE. + +§ 255. The Anglo-Saxon word for _first_ was _for-m-a_. + +The root was _for_ = the Latin _præ_, the Greek προ, and being the same +combination which occurs in _fore_, _fore-m-ost_, &c. + +The m was the Anglo-Saxon sign of the superlative degree. + +It is the m in the Latin words _pri-m-us_, _inti-m-us_, _exti-m-us_, +_ulti-m-us_, &c. + +It occurs even in the Gothic tongues; in other words, besides _for-m-a_. + +In short, m is an old sign of the superlative degree; probably older than +the usual form, -st, discussed in § 254. This has some important +applications. + +§ 256. _Former_.--This is a remarkable word: it is a comparative derived +from the Anglo-Saxon superlative, and its analysis is _for-m-er_, with +_excess of inflexion_. + +§ 257. _Nea-r-est_.--Here the r is no part of the original root, as may be +seen in § 251. It has grown out of -ah pronounced as the a in _father_. The +true forms are positive, _neah_; comparative, _neah-er_; superlative, +_neah-est_. Such, to a certain extent, is really the case. + +§ 258. _Next_.--The superlative of _nigh_, contracted from _nigh-est_. The +Anglo-Saxon forms were _neah_, _nyh-st_, _neh-st_, _nyh-ste_. In +Anglo-Saxon the letter h was pronounced strongly, and sounded like g or k. +This fact is still shown in the spelling; as nigh. In the word _next_ this +sound is preserved, slightly changed into that of k; _next_ = _nek-st_. + +§ 259. _Upmost_, &c.--The common statement concerning words like _upmost_ +is, that they are compound words, formed by the addition of the word +_most_: this, however, is more than doubtful. + +The Anglo-Saxon language presents us with the following forms:-- + + _Anglo-Saxon._ _English._ + + Innema (inn-ema), Inmost (in-m-ost). + Ûtema (ût-ma), Outmost (out-m-ost). + Siðema (sið-ema), Latest. + Lætema (læt-ema), Latest. + Niðema (nið-ema), Nethermost (neth-er-m-ost). + Forma (for-ma), Foremost (fore-m-ost). + Æftema (aft-ema), Aftermost (aft-er-m-ost). + Ufema (uf-ema), Upmost (up-m-ost). + Hindema (hind-ema), Hindmost (hind-m-ost). + Midema (mid-ema), Midmost (mid-m-ost). + +Now the words in question show at once, that, as far as they are concerned, +the m that appears in the last syllable of each has nothing to do with the +word _most_. + +From the words in question there was formed, in Anglo-Saxon, a regular +superlative form in the usual manner; viz., by the addition of -st; as +_æfte-m-est_, _fyr-m-est_, _læte-m-est_, _sið-m-est_, _yfe-m-est_, +_ute-m-est_, _inne-m-est_. + +Hence, in the present English, the different parts of the syllable _most_ +(in words like _upmost_) come from different quarters. The m is the m in +the Anglo-Saxon words _innema_, &c.; whilst the -st is the common sign of +the superlative. Hence, in separating such words as _midmost_ into its +component parts, we should write + + Mid-m-ost _not_ mid-most. + Ut-m-ost -- ut-most. + Up-m-ost -- up-most. + Fore-m-ost -- fore-most. + In-m-ost -- in-most. + Hind-m-ost -- hind-most. + Out-m-ost -- out-most. + +§ 260. In certain words, however, the syllable _m-ost_ is added to a word +already ending in -er; that is, already marked with the sign of the +comparative degree. + + Neth-er-m-ost. Hind-er-m-ost. + Utt-er-m-ost. Out-er-m-ost. + Upp-er-m-ost. Inn-er-m-ost. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XII. + +THE CARDINAL NUMBERS. + +§ 261. Generally speaking, the greater part of the cardinal numbers are +undeclined. As far as _number_ goes, this is necessary. + +_One_ is naturally and exclusively _singular_. + +_Two_ is naturally _dual_. + +The rest are naturally and exclusively _plural_. + +As to the inflection of gender and case, there is no reason why all the +numerals should not be as fully inflected as the Latin _unus, una, unum_, +_unius_. It is a mere habit of our language that they are not so in +English. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +THE ORDINAL NUMBERS. + +§ 262. By referring to § 259, we see that -m was an early sign of the +superlative degree. This bears upon the numerals _seven_, _nine_, and +_ten_. + +These are _cardinal_ numbers. Nevertheless, the present chapter is the +proper place for noticing them. + +There is good reason for believing that the final -n is no part of the +original root. Thus,-- + +a. _Sev-en_ = the Latin _sept-em_, where the -m is equivalent to the -n. +But in the Greek ἑπτὰ, and the Scandinavian _syv_, and _sju_, neither -n +nor -m occur. + +b. _Ni-ne_.--This same applies here. The Latin form is _nov-em_; but the +Greek and Norse are ἐννέα and _niu_. + +c. _Ten_.--The older form is _ti-h-un_, in Latin _de-c-em_. The English -n +is the Latin -m. Nevertheless, in the Greek and Norse the forms are δέκα +and _tuo_. + +§ 263. What explains this? The following hypothesis. Some of the best +German authorities believe, that the -m, expressive of the superlative +degree, was also used to denote the _ordinal character_ (_ordinality_) _of +the numerals_; so that the -m- in _deci-m-us_, was the -m- in _ulti-m-us_ +and _exti-m-us_. This is the first step in the explanation. + +§ 264. The next is, to suppose that certain _cardinal_ numerals have taken +and retained the _ordinal_ form; these being the-- + + _Latin._ _English._ _Greek._ _Norse._ + + _Sept-em_, _sev-en_, as opposed to the ἑπτα _sjau_. + _Nov-em_, _ni-ne_ " " εννεα _níu_. + _Dec-em_, _te-n_ " " δεκα _tíu_. + +I give no opinion as to the accuracy or erroneousness of this view. + +§ 265. _Thir-teen_, &c., is _three_ with _ten_ added, or 3 + 10. + +§ 266. _Thir-ty_, &c., is _three tens_ (_three decades_), or 3 × 10. In +Mœso-Gothic we find the -ty in the fuller form _tig_ = δέκ-ας in Greek. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +THE ARTICLES. + +§ 267. In the generality of grammars the definite article _the_, and the +indefinite article _an_, are the very first parts of speech that are +considered. This is exceptionable. So far are they from being essential to +language, that, in many dialects, they are wholly wanting. In Greek there +is no indefinite, in Latin there is neither an indefinite nor a definite +article. In the former language they say ἀνήρ τις = _a certain man_: in the +latter the words _filius patris_ mean equally _the son of the father_, _a +son of a father_, _a son of the father_, or _the son of a father_. In +Mœso-Gothic and in Old Norse, there is an equal absence of the indefinite +article; or, at any rate, if there be one at all, it is a different word +from what occurs in English. In these the Greek τις is expressed by the +Gothic root _sum_. + +Now, since it is very evident that, as far as the sense is concerned, the +words _some man_, _a certain man_, and _a man_, are much the same, an +exception may be taken to the statement that in Greek and Mœso-Gothic there +is no indefinite article. It may, in the present state of the argument, be +fairly said that the words _sum_ and τις are pronouns with a certain sense, +and that _a_ and _an_ are no more; consequently, that in Greek the +indefinite article is τις, in Mœso-Gothic _sum_, and in English _a_ or +_an_. + +A distinction, however, may be made. In the expression ἀνήρ τις (_anær +tis_) = _a certain man_, or _a man_, and in the expression _sum mann_, the +words _sum_ and τις preserve their natural and original meaning; whilst in +_a man_ and _an ox_ the words _a_ and _an_ are used in a secondary sense. +These words, as is currently known, are one and the same, the n, in the +form _a_, being ejected through a euphonic process. They are, moreover, the +same words with the numeral _one_; Anglo-Saxon, _án_; Scotch, _ane_. Now, +between the words _a man_ and _one man_, there is a difference in meaning; +the first expression being the most indefinite. Hence comes the difference +between the English and Mœso-Gothic expressions. In the one the word _sum_ +has a natural, in the other, the word _an_ has a secondary power. + +The same reasoning applies to the word _the_. Compared with _a man_, the +words _the man_ are very definite. Compared, however, with the words _that +man_, they are the contrary. Now, just as _an_ and _a_ have arisen out of +the numeral _one_, so has _the_ arisen out of the demonstrative pronoun +_þæt_, or at least from some common root. It will be remembered that in +Anglo-Saxon there was a form _þe_, undeclined, and common to all the cases +of all the numbers. + +In no language in its oldest stage is there ever a word giving, in its +primary sense, the ideas of _a_ and _the_. As tongues become modern, some +noun with a _similar_ sense is used to express them. In the course of time +a change of form takes place, corresponding to the change of meaning; e.g., +_one_ becomes _an_, and afterwards a. Then it is that articles become +looked upon as separate parts of speech, and are dealt with accordingly. No +invalidation of this statement is drawn from the Greek language. Although +the first page of the etymology gives us ὁ, ἡ, τὸ (_ho, hæ, to_), as the +definite articles, the corresponding page in the syntax informs us, that, +in the oldest stage of the language, ὁ (_ho_) = _the_, had the power of +οὗτος (_howtos_) = _this_. + +The origin of the articles seems uniform. In German _ein_, in Danish _en_, +stand to _one_ in the same relation that _an_ does. The French _un_, +Italian and Spanish _uno_, are similarly related to _unus_ = _one_. + +And as, in English, _the_, in German _der_, in Danish _den_, come from the +demonstrative pronouns, so, in the classical languages, are the French +_le_, the Italian _il_ and _lo_, and the Spanish _el_, derived from the +Latin demonstrative _ille_. + +In his "Outlines of Logic," the present writer has given reasons for +considering the word _no_ (as in _no man_) an article. + +That _the_, in expressions like _all the more_, _all the better_, &c., is +no article, has already been shown. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XV. + +DIMINUTIVES, AUGMENTATIVES, AND PATRONYMICS. + +§ 268. Compared with the words _lamb_, _man_, and _hill_, the words +_lambkin_, _mannikin_, and _hillock_ convey the idea of comparative +smallness or diminution. Now, as the word _hillock_ = _a little hill_ +differs in _form_ from _hill_, we have in English a series of _diminutive_ +forms, or _diminutives_. + +The English diminutives may be arranged according to a variety of +principles. Amongst others: + +1. _According to their form._--The word _hillock_ is derived from _hill_, +by the _addition_ of a _syllable_. The word _tip_ is derived from _top_, by +the _change_ of a _vowel_. + +2. _According to their meaning._--In the word _hillock_ there is the simple +expression of comparative smallness in size. In the word _doggie_ for +_dog_, _lassie_ for _lass_, the addition of the -ie makes the word not so +much a diminutive as a term of tenderness or endearment. The idea of +smallness, accompanied, perhaps, with that of neatness, generally carries +with it the idea of approbation; hence, the word _clean_ in English, means, +in German, _little_ = _kleine_. The feeling of protection which is extended +to small objects engenders the notion of endearment. + +§ 269. The Greek word μείωσις (_meiôsis_) means diminution; the Greek word +ὑποκόρισμα (_hypokorisma_) means an endearing expression. Hence we get +names for the two kinds of diminutives; viz., the term _meiotic_ for the +true diminutives, and the term _hypocoristic_ for the diminutives of +endearment. + +3. _According to their historical origin._--The syllable -ock, as in +_hillock_, is of Anglo-Saxon and Gothic origin. The -et, as in _lancet_, is +of French and classical origin. + +4. _According as they affect proper names, or common names._--_Hawkin_, +_Perkin_, _Wilkin_, &c. In these words we have the diminutives of _Hal_, +_Peter_, _Will_, &c. + +§ 270. The diminutive forms of Gothic origin are the first to be +considered. + +1. _Those formed by a change of vowel._--_Tip_, from _top_. The relation of +the feminine to the masculine is allied to the ideas conveyed by many +diminutives. Hence in the word _kit_, from _cat_, it is doubtful whether +there be meant a female cat or a little cat. _Kid_ is a diminutive form of +_goat_. + +2. _Those formed by the addition of a letter or letters._--Of the +diminutive characteristics thus formed the commonest, beginning from the +simpler forms, are + +Ie.--Almost peculiar to the Lowland Scotch; as _daddie_, _lassie_, +_minnie_, _wifie_, _mousie_, _doggie_, _boatie_, &c. + +Ock.--_Bullock_, _hillock_. + +Kin.--_Lambkin_, _mannikin_, _ladikin_, &c. As is seen above, common in +proper names. + +En.--_Chicken_, _kitten_, from _cock_, _cat_. The notion of diminution, if +indeed that be the notion originally conveyed, lies not in the -en, but in +the vowel. In the word _chicken_, from _cock_, observe the effect of the +small vowel on the c. + +The consideration of words like _duckling_, and _gosling_, is purposely +deferred. + +The chief diminutive of classical origin is-- + +_Et_, as in _trumpet_, _lancet_, _pocket_; the word _pock_, as in +_meal-pock_ = _a meal-bag_, being found in the Scottish. From the French +-ette, as in _caissette_, _poulette_. + +The forms -rel, as in _cockerel_, _pickerel_, and -let, as in _streamlet_, +require a separate consideration. The first has nothing to do with the +Italian forms _acquerella_ and _coserella_--themselves, perhaps, of Gothic, +rather than of classical origin. + +In the Old High-German there are a multitude of diminutive forms in -el; as +_ouga_ = _an eye_, _ougili_ = _a little eye_; _lied_ = _a song_, _liedel_ = +_a little song_. This indicates the nature of words like _cockerel_. + +Even in English the diminutive power of -el can be traced in the following +words:-- + +_Soare_ = a deer in its third year. _Sor-rel_--a deer in its second +year.--See "Love's Labour Lost," with the note. + +_Tiercel_ = a small sort of hawk, one-third less (_tierce_) than the common +kind. + +_Kantle_ = _small corner_, from _cant_ = _a corner_.--"Henry IV." + +_Hurdle_; in Dutch _horde_; German, _hurde_. _Hording_, without the -l, is +used in an allied sense by builders in English. + +In the words in point we must assume an earlier form, _cocker_ and _piker_, +to which the diminutive form -el is affixed. If this be true, we have, in +English, representatives of the diminutive form -el so common in the High +Germanic dialects. _Wolfer_ = _a wolf_, _hunker_ = _a haunch_, _flitcher_ = +_a flitch_, _teamer_ = _a team_, _fresher_ = _a frog_,--these are north +country forms of the present English. + +The termination -let, as in _streamlet_, seems to be double, and to consist +of the Gothic diminutive -l, and the French diminutive -t. + +§ 271. _Augmentatives._--Compared with _capello_ = _a hat_, the Italian +word _capellone_ = _a great hat_, is an augmentative. The augmentative +forms, pre-eminently common in the Italian language, often carry with them +a depreciating sense. + +The termination -rd (in Old High German, -hart), as in _drunkard_, +_braggart_, _laggard_, _stinkard_, carries with it this idea of +depreciation. In _buzzard_, and _reynard_, the name of the fox, it is +simply augmentative. In _wizard_, from _witch_, it has the power of a +masculine form. + +The termination -rd, taken from the Gothic, appears in the modern languages +of classical origin: French, _vieillard_; Spanish, _codardo_. From these we +get, at secondhand, the word _coward_. + +The word _sweetheart_ is a derived word of this sort, rather than a +compound word; since in Old High German and Middle High German, we have the +corresponding form _liebhart_. Now the form for _heart_ is in German not +_hart_, but _herz_. + +Words like _braggadocio_, _trombone_, _balloon_, being words of foreign +origin, prove nothing as to the further existence of augmentative forms in +English. + +§ 272.--_Patronymics._--In the Greek language the notion of _lineal +descent_, in other words, the relation of the son to the father, is +expressed by a particular termination; as Πηλεύς (_Peleus_), Πηλείδης +(_Peleidæs_), the son of Peleus. It is very evident that this mode of +expression is very different from either the English form _Johnson_ = _the +son of John_, or the Gaelic _MacDonald_ = _the son of Donald_. In these +last-named words, the words _son_ and _Mac_ mean the same thing; so that +_Johnson_ and _MacDonald_ are not _derived_ but _compound_ words. This +Greek way of expressing descent is peculiar, and the words wherein it +occurs are classed together by the peculiar name _patronymic_; from _patær_ += _a father_, and _onoma_ = _a name_. + +Is there anything in English corresponding to the Greek patronymics? + +Not in the _present_ English? There was, however, in the Anglo-Saxon. + +In the Anglo-Saxon, the termination -ing is as truly patronymic as -ίδης in +Greek. In the Bible-translation the _son of Elisha_ is called _Elising_. In +the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle occur such genealogies as the following:--_Ida +wæs Eopping_, _Eoppa Esing_, _Esa Inging_, _Inga Angenviting_, _Angenvit +Alocing_, _Aloc Beonocing_, _Beonoc Branding_, _Brand Bældæging_, _Bældæg +Vódening_, _Vóden Friðowulfing_, _Friðowulf Finning_, _Finn Godwulfing_, +_Godwulf Geating_ = Ida was the son of Eoppa, Eoppa of Esa, Esa of Inga, +Inga of Angenvit, Angenvit of Aloc, Aloc of Beonoc, Beonoc of Brand, Brand +of Bældæg, Bældæg of Woden, Woden of Friðowulf, Friðowulf of Finn, Finn of +Godwulf, Godwulf of Geat.--In Greek, Ἴδα ἦν Ἐοππείδης, Ἔοππα Ἠσείδης, Ἤσα +Ἰγγείδης, Ἴγγα Ἀγγενφιτείδης, &c. In the plural number these forms denote +the _race of_; as _Scyldingas_ = _the Scyldings_, or the race of _Scyld_, +&c. Edgar Atheling means Edgar of the race of the nobles. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +GENTILE FORMS. + +§ 273. The only word in the present English that requires explanation is +the name of the principality _Wales_. + +1. The form is _plural_, however much the meaning may be _singular_; so +that the -s in _Wale-s_ is the -s in _fathers_, &c. + +2. It has grown out of the Anglo-Saxon from _wealhas_ = _foreigners_, from +_wealh_ = _a foreigner_, the name by which the Welsh are spoken of by the +Germans of England, just as the Italians are called Welsh by the Germans of +Germany; and just as _wal-nuts_ = _foreign nuts_, or _nuces Galliæ_. +_Welsh_ = _weall-isc_ = _foreign_, and is a derived adjective. + +3. The transfer of the name of the _people_ inhabiting a certain country to +the _country_ so inhabited, was one of the commonest processes in both +Anglo-Saxon and Old English. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XVII. + +ON THE CONNEXION BETWEEN THE NOUN AND VERB, AND ON THE INFLECTION OF THE +INFINITIVE MOOD. + +§ 274. In order to understand clearly the use of the so-called infinitive +mood in English, it is necessary to bear in mind two facts, one a matter of +_logic_, the other a matter of _history_. + +In the way of _logic_, the difference between a noun and a verb is less +marked than it is in the way of _grammar_. + +Grammatically, the contrast is considerable. The inflection of nouns +expresses the ideas of sex as denoted by gender, and of relation in place +as denoted by cases. That of verbs rarely expresses sex, and never +relations in place. On the other hand, however, it expresses what no noun +ever does or can express; e.g., the relation of the agency to the +individual speaking, by means of _person_; the time in which acts take +place, by means of _tense_; and the conditions of their occurrence, by +means of _mood_. + +The idea of _number_ is the only one that, on a superficial view, is common +to these two important parts of speech. + +§ 275. Logically, however, the contrast is inconsiderable. A noun denotes +an object of which either the senses or the intellect can take cognizance, +and a verb does no more. _To move_ = _motion_, _to rise_ = _rising_, _to +err_ = _error_, _to forgive_ = _forgiveness_. The only difference between +the two parts of speech is this, that, whereas a noun may express any +object whatever, verbs can only express those objects which consist in an +action. And it is this superadded idea of action that superadds to the verb +the phenomena of tense, mood, person, and voice; in other words, the +phenomena of conjugation. + +§ 276. A noun is a word capable of _declension_ only. A verb is a word +capable of declension and _conjugation_ also. The fact of verbs being +declined as well as conjugated must be remembered. _The participle has the +declension of a noun adjective, the infinitive mood the declension of a +noun substantive. Gerunds and supines, in languages where they occur, are +only names for certain cases of the verb._ + +§ 277. Although in all languages the verb is equally capable of declension, +it is not equally declined. The Greeks, for instance, used forms like + + τὸ φθονεῖν = _invidia_. + τοῦ φθονεῖν = _invidiæ_. + ἐν τῷ φθονεῖν = _in invidia_. + +§ 278. Returning, however, to the illustration of the substantival +character of the so-called infinitive mood, we may easily see-- + +α. That the name of any action may be used without any mention of the +agent. Thus, we may speak of the simple fact of _walking_ or _moving_, +independently of any specification of the _walker_ or _mover_. + +β. That, when actions are spoken of thus indefinitely, the idea of either +person or number has no place in the conception; from which it follows that +the so-called infinitive mood must be at once impersonal, and without the +distinction of singular, dual, and plural. + +γ. That, nevertheless, the ideas of time and relation in space _have_ place +in the conception. We can think of a person being _in the act of striking a +blow_, of his _having been in the act of striking a blow_, or of his _being +about to be in the act of striking a blow_. We can also think of a person +being _in the act of doing a good action_, or of his being _from the act of +doing a good action_. + +§ 279. This has been written to show that verbs of languages in general are +as naturally declinable as nouns. What follows will show that the verbs of +the Gothic languages in particular were actually declined, and that +fragments of this declension remain in the present English. + +The inflection of the verb in its impersonal (or infinitive state) +consisted, in its fullest form, of three cases, a nominative (or +accusative), a dative, and a genitive. The genitive is put last, because +its occurrence in the Gothic languages is the least constant. + +In Anglo-Saxon the nominative (or accusative) ended in -an, with a single +n. + + Lufian = _to love_ = _amare_. + Bærnan = _to burn_ = _urere_. + Syllan = _to give_ = _dare_. + +In Anglo-Saxon the dative of the infinitive verb ended in -nne, and was +preceded by the preposition _to_. + + To lufienne = _ad amandum_. + To bærnenne = _ad urendum_. + To syllanne = _ad dandum_. + +The genitive, ending in -es, occurs only in Old High German and Modern High +German, _plâsannes_, _weinnenes_. + +§ 280. With these preliminaries we can take a clear view of the English +infinitives. They exist under two forms, and are referable to a double +origin. + +1. The _independent_ form.--This is used after the words _can_, _may_, +_shall_, _will_, and some others, as, _I can speak_, _I may go_, _I shall +come_, _I will move_. Here there is no preposition, and the origin of the +infinitive is from the form in -an. + +2. The _prepositional_ form.--This is used after the majority of English +verbs, as, _I wish to speak_, _I mean to go_, _I intend to come_, _I +determine to move_. Here we have the preposition _to_ and the origin of the +infinitive is from the form -nne. + +§ 281. Expressions like _to err_ = _error_, _to forgive_ = _forgiveness_, +in lines like + + "To err is human, to forgive divine," + +are very remarkable. They exhibit the phenomena of a nominative case having +grown not only out of a dative but out of a dative _plus_ its governing +preposition. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XVIII. + +ON DERIVED VERBS. + +§ 282. Of the divisions of verbs into active and passive, transitive and +intransitive, unless there be an accompanying change of _form_, etymology +takes no cognisance. The forces of the auxiliary verbs, and the tenses to +which they are equivalent, are also points of syntax rather than of +etymology. + +Four classes, however, of _derived_ verbs, as opposed to _simple_, +especially deserve notice. + +I. Those ending in -en; as _soften_, _whiten_, _strengthen_, &c. Here the +-en is a derivational affix; and not a representative of the Anglo-Saxon +infinitive form -an (as _lufian_, _bærnan_ = _to love_, _to burn_), and the +Old English -en (as _tellen_, _loven_). + +II. Transitive verbs derived from intransitives by a change of the vowel of +the root. + + _Primitive Intransitive Form._ _Derived Transitive Form._ + + Rise Raise. + Lie Lay. + Sit Set. + Fall Fell. + Drink Drench. + +In Anglo-Saxon these words were more numerous than they are at present. + + _Intrans. Infinitive._ _Trans. Infinitive._ + + Yrnan, _to run_ Ærnan, _to make to run_. + Byrnan, _to burn_ Bærnan, _to make to burn_. + Drincan, _to drink_ Drencan, _to drench_. + Sincan, _to sink_ Sencan, _to make to sink_. + Liegan, _to lie_ Lecgan, _to lay_. + Sittan, _to sit_ Settan, _to set_. + Drífan, _to drift_ Dræfan, _to drive_. + Fëallan, _to fall_ Fyllan, _to fell_. + Wëallan, _to boil_ Wyllan, _to make to boil_. + Flëogan, _to fly_ A-fligan, _to put to flight_. + Bëogan, _to bow_ Bígan, _to bend_. + Faran, _to go_ Feran, _to convey_. + Wacan, _to wake_ Weccan, _to waken_. + +All these intransitives form their præterite by a change of vowel; as +_sink_, _sank_; all the transitives by the addition of d or t, as _sell_, +_sell'd_. + +III. Verbs derived from nouns by a change of accent; as _to survéy_, from a +_súrvey_. + + _Nouns._ _Verbs._ | _Nouns._ _Verbs._ + | + Ábsent absént. | Éxtract extráct. + Ábstract abstráct. | Férment fermént. + Áccent accént. | Fréquent frequént. + Áffix affíx. | Ímport impórt. + Aúgment augmént. | Íncense incénse. + Cólleague colléague. | Ínsult insúlt. + Cómpact compáct. | Óbject objéct. + Cómpound compóund. | Pérfume perfúme. + Cómpress compréss. | Pérmit permít. + Cóncert concért. | Préfix prefíx. + Cóncrete concréte. | Prémise premíse. + Cónduct condúct. | Présage preságe. + Cónfine confíne. | Présent presént. + Cónflict conflíct. | Próduce prodúce. + Cónserve consérve. | Próject projéct. + Cónsort consórt. | Prótest protést. + Cóntract contráct. | Rébel rebél. + Cóntrast contrást. | Récord recórd. + Cónverse convérse. | Réfuse refúse. + Cónvert convért. | Súbject subjéct. + Déscant descánt. | Súrvey survéy. + Désert desért. | Tórment tormént. + Dígest digést. | Tránsfer transfér. + Éssay essáy. | Tránsport transpórt. + +Walker attributes the change of accent to the influence of the participial +termination -ing. All words thus affected are of foreign origin. + +IV. Verbs formed from nouns by changing a final _sharp_ consonant into its +corresponding _flat_ one; as, + + _The_ use _to_ use, _pronounced_ uze. + _The_ breath _to_ breathe -- breadhe. + _The_ cloth _to_ clothe -- clodhe. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XIX. + +ON THE PERSONS. + +§ 283. Compared with the Latin, the Greek, the Mœso-Gothic, and almost all +the ancient languages, there is, in English, in respect to the persons of +the verbs, but a very slight amount of inflection. This may be seen by +comparing the English word _call_ with the Latin _voco_. + + _Sing._ _Plur._ | _Sing._ _Plur._ + 1. Voc-o Voc-amus. | Call Call. + 2. Voc-as Voc-atis. | Call-est Call. + 3. Voc-at Voc-ant. | [52]Call-eth Call. + +Here the Latins have different forms for each different person, whilst the +English have forms for two only; and even of these one (_callest_) is +becoming obsolete. With the forms voc-o, voc-amus, voc-atis, voc-ant, there +is, in the current English, nothing correspondent. + +In the word _am_, as compared with _are_ and _art_, we find a sign of the +first person singular. + +In the old forms _tellen_, _weren_, &c., we have a sign of the plural +number. + +§ 284. In the Modern English, the Old English, and the Anglo-Saxon, the +peculiarities of our personal inflections are very great. This may be seen +from the following tables of comparison:-- + + _Present Tense, Indicative Mood._ + + _Mœso-Gothic._ + + _1st person._ _2nd person._ _3rd person._ + + _Singular._ Sôkja Sôkeis Sôkeiþ--_seek_. + _Plural._ Sôkjam Sôkeiþ Sokjand. + + _Old High German._ + + _Singular._ Prennu Prennîs Prennit--_burn_. + _Plural._ Prennames Prennat Prennant. + + _Icelandic._ + + _Singular._ Kalla Kallar Kallar--_call_. + _Plural._ Kôllum Kalliþ Kalla. + + _Old Saxon._ + + _Singular._ Sôkju Sôkîs Sôkîd--_seek_. + _Plural._ Sôkjad Sôkjad Sôkjad. + + _Anglo-Saxon._ + + _Singular._ Lufige Lufast Lufað. + _Plural._ Lufiað Lufiað Lufiað. + + _Old English._ + + _Singular._ Love Lovest Loveth. + _Plural._ Loven Loven Loven. + + _Modern English._ + + _Singular._ Love Lovest Loveth (or Loves). + _Plural._ Love Love Love. + +§ 285. Herein remark; 1. the Anglo-Saxon addition of t in the second person +singular; 2. the identity in form of the three persons of the plural +number; 3. the change of -að into -en in the Old English plural; 4. the +total absence of plural forms in the Modern English; 5. the change of the +th into s, in _loveth_ and _loves_. These are points bearing especially +upon the history of the English persons. The following points indicate a +more general question: + +1. The full form _prennames_ in the newer Old High German, as compared with +_sôkjam_ in the _old_ Mœso-Gothic. + +2. The appearance of the r in Icelandic. + +3. The difference between the Old Saxon and the Anglo-Saxon in the second +person singular; the final t being absent in Old Saxon. + +§ 286. _The person in -t._--The forms _art_, _wast_, _wert_, _shalt_, +_wilt_, or _ar-t_, _was-t_, _wer-t_, _shal-t_, _wil-t_, are remarkable. +Here the second person singular ends, not in -st, but in t. The reason for +this is to be sought in the Mœso-Gothic and the Icelandic. + +In those languages the form of the person changes with the tense, and the +second singular of the præterite tense of one conjugation is, not -s, but +-t; as Mœso-Gothic, _svôr_ = _I swore_, _svôrt_ = _thou swarest_, _gráip_ = +_I griped_, _gráipt_ = _thou gripedst_; Icelandic, _brannt_ = _thou +burnest_, _gaft_ = _thou gavest_. In the same languages ten verbs are +conjugated like præterites. Of these, in each language, _skal_ is one. + + _Mœso-Gothic._ + + _Singular._ _Dual._ _Plural._ + + 1. Skal Skulu Skulum. + 2. Skalt Skuluts Skuluþ. + 3. Skall Skuluts Skulun. + + _Icelandic._ + + _Singular._ _Plural._ + + 1. Skall Skulum. + 2. Skalt Skuluð. + 3. Skal Skulu. + +§ 287. _Thou spakest_, _thou brakest_, _thou sungest_.[53]-- + +In these forms there is a slight though natural anomaly. They belong to the +class of verbs which form their præterite by changing the vowel of the +present; as _sing_, _sang_, &c. Now, all words of this sort in Anglo-Saxon +formed their second singular præterite, not in -st, but in -e; as _þú +funde_ = _thou foundest_, _þú sunge_ = _thou sungest_. The English +termination is derived from the present. Observe that this applies only to +the præterites formed by changing the vowel. _Thou loved'st_ is Anglo-Saxon +as well as English, viz., _þú lufodest_. + +§ 288. In the northern dialects of the Anglo-Saxon the -ð of plurals like +_lufiað_ = _we love_ becomes -s. In the Scottish this change was still more +prevalent: + + The Scottes come that to this day + _Havys_ and Scotland haldyn ay.--Wintoun, 11, 9, 73. + +James I. of England ends nearly all his plurals in -s. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XX. + +ON THE NUMBERS OF VERBS. + +§ 289. As compared with the present plural forms, _we love_, _ye love_, +_they love_, the Anglo-Saxons had the truly plural forms, _we lufiað_, _ge +lufiað_, _hi lufiað_. The Old English also had a true plural inflection _we +loven_, _ye loven_, _they loven_. The present English wants both the form +in -en, and the form in -að. In other words, the Anglo-Saxon and the Old +English have a plural _personal_ characteristic, whilst the Modern English +has nothing to correspond with it. + +§ 290. In the forms _luf-iað_, and _lov-en_, the change from singular to +plural is made by adding a syllable; but there is no reason against the +inflection running thus--_I love_, _thou lovest_, _he loves_; _we lave_, +_ye lave_, _they lave_; in other words, there is no reason against the +_vowel_ of the root being changed, just as is the case with the form +_speak, spoke_; _fall, fell_. + +Now, in Anglo-Saxon, with a great number of verbs such a plural inflection +not only actually takes place, but takes place most regularly. It takes +place, however, in the past tense only. And this is the case in all the +Gothic languages as well as in Anglo-Saxon. Amongst the rest, in-- + +_Mœso-Gothic._ + + Skáin, _I shone_; skinum, _we shone_. + Smáit, _I smote_; smitum, _we smote_. + Káus, _I chose_; kusum, _we chose_. + Láug, _I lied_; lugum, _we lied_. + Gab, _I gave_; gêbum, _we gave_. + At, _I ete_; étum, _we ete_. + Stal, _I stole_; stélum, _we stole_. + Qvam, _I came_; qyêmum, _we came_. + +_Anglo-Saxon._ + + Arn, _I ran_; urnon, _we run_. + Ongan, _I began_; ongunnon, _we begun_. + Span, _I span_; spunnon, _we spun_. + Sang, _I sang_; sungon, _we sung_. + Swang, _I swang_; swangon, _we swung_. + Dranc, _I drank_; druncon, _we drunk_. + Sanc, _I sank_; suncon, _we sunk_. + Sprang, _I sprang_; sprungon, _we sprung_. + Swam, _I swam_; swummon, _we swum_. + Rang, _I rang_; rungon, _we rung_. + +From these examples the reader has himself drawn his inference; viz. that +words like + + _Began_, _begun_. + _Ran_, _run_. + _Span_, _spun_. + _Sang_, _sung_. + _Swang_, _swung_. + _Sprang_, _sprung_. + _Sank_, _sunk_. + _Swam_, _swum_. + _Rang_, _rung_. + _Bat_, _bit_. + _Smote_, _smit_. + _Drank_, _drunk_, &c., + +generally called double forms of the past tense, were originally _different +numbers of the same tense_, the forms in a, as _swam_, being singular, and +the forms in u, as _swum_, plural. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXI. + +ON MOODS. + +§ 291. The Anglo-Saxon infinitive has already been considered. + +Between the second plural imperative, and the second plural indicative, +_speak ye_, and _ye speak_, there is no difference of form. + +Between the second singular imperative _speak_, and the second singular +indicative, _speakest_, there is a difference in form. + +Still, as the imperative form _speak_ is distinguished from the indicative +form _speakest_ by the _negation_ of a character rather than by the +possession of one, it cannot be said that there is in English any +imperative mood. + +§ 292. _If he speak_, as opposed to _if he speaks_, is characterized by a +negative sign only, and consequently is no true example of a subjunctive. +_Be_, as opposed to _am_, in the sentence _if it be so_, is a fresh word +used in a limited sense, and consequently no true example of a subjunctive. +It is a different word altogether, and is only the subjunctive of _am_, in +the way _puss_ is the vocative of _cat_. + +The only true subjunctive inflection in the English language is that of +_were_ and _wert_, as opposed to the indicative forms _was_ and _wast_. + + _Indicative._ | _Subjunctive._ + _Singular._ | _Singular._ _Plural._ + 1. I was. | If I were. If we were. + 2. Thou wast. | If thou wert. If ye were. + 3. He was. | If he were. If they were. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXII. + +ON TENSES IN GENERAL. + +§ 293. The nature of tenses in general is best exhibited by reference to +the Greek; since in that language they are more numerous, and more strongly +marked than elsewhere. + +_I strike_, _I struck_.--Of these words, the first implies an action taking +place at the time of speaking, the second marks an action that has already +taken place. + +These two notions of present and of past time, being expressed by a change +of form, are true tenses. If there were no change of form, there would be +no change of tense. They are the only true tenses in our language. In _I +was beating_, _I have beaten_, _I had beaten_, and _I shall beat_, a +difference of time is expressed; but as it is expressed by _a combination +of words_, and not _by a change of form_, no true tenses are constituted. + +§ 294. In Greek the case is different. Τύπτω (typtô) = _I beat_; ἔτυπτον +(etypton) = _I was beating_; τύψω (typsô) = _I shall beat_; ἔτυψα (etypsa) += _I beat_; τέτυφα (tetyfa) = _I have beaten_; ἐτετύφειν (etetyfein) = _I +had beaten_. In these words we have, of the same mood, the same voice, and +the same conjugation, six different tenses; whereas, in English, there are +but two. The forms τέτυφα and ἔτυψα are so strongly marked, that we +recognise them wheresoever they occur. The first is formed by a +reduplication of the initial τ, and, consequently, may be called the +reduplicate form. As a tense it is called the perfect. In the form ἔτυψα an +ε is prefixed, and an σ is added. In the allied language of Italy the ε +disappears, whilst the σ (s) remains. Ἔτυψα is said to be an aorist tense. +_Scripsi_ is to _scribo_ as ἔτυψα is to τύπτω. + +§ 295. Now in the Latin language a confusion takes place between these two +tenses. Both forms exist. They are used, however, indiscriminately. The +aorist form has, besides its own, the sense of the perfect. The perfect +has, besides its own, the sense of the aorist. In the following pair of +quotations, _vixi_, the aorist form, is translated _I have lived_, while +_tetigit_, the perfect form, is translated _he touched_. + + _Vixi_, et quem dederat cursum Fortuna peregi; + Et nunc magna mei sub terras ibis imago.--_Æn._ iv. + + Ut primum alatis _tetigit_ magalia plantis.--_Æn._ iv. + +§ 296. When a difference of form has ceased to express a difference of +meaning, it has become superfluous. This is the case with the two forms in +question. One of them may be dispensed with; and the consequence is, that, +although in the Latin language both the perfect and the aorist forms are +found, they are, with few exceptions, never found in the same word. +Wherever there is the perfect, the aorist is wanting, and _vice versâ_. The +two ideas _I have struck_ and _I struck_ are merged into the notion of past +time in general, and are expressed by one of two forms, sometimes by that +of the Greek perfect, and sometimes by that of the Greek aorist. On account +of this the grammarians have cut down the number of Latin tenses to _five_; +forms like _cucurri_ and _vixi_ being dealt with as one and the same tense. +The true view is, that in _curro_ the aorist form is replaced by the +perfect, and in _vixi_ the perfect form is replaced by the aorist. + +§ 297. In the _present_ English there is no undoubted perfect or +reduplicate form. The form _moved_ corresponds in meaning not with τέτυφα +and _momordi_, but with ἔτυψα and _vixi_. Its sense is that of ἔτυψα, and +not that of τέτυφα. The notion given by τέτυφα we express by the +circumlocution _I have beaten_. We have no such form as _bebeat_ or +_memove_. In the Mœso-Gothic, however, there was a true reduplicate form; +in other words, a perfect tense as well as an aorist. It is by the +possession of this form that the verbs of the first six conjugations are +characterized. + + _Mœso-Gothic._ _Mœso-Gothic._ + _English._ _English._ + + 1st. Falþa, _I fold_ Fáifalþ, _I have folded_, + or _I folded_. + Halda, _I feed_ Háihald, _I have fed_, + or _I fed_. + Haha, _I hang_ Háihah, _I have hanged_, + or _I hanged_. + 2nd. Háita, _I call_ Háiháit, _I have called_, + or _I called_. + Láika, _I play_ Láiláik, _I have played_, + or _I played_. + 3rd. Hláupa, _I run_ Hláiláup _I have run_, + or _I ran_. + 4th. Slêpa, _I sleep_ Sáizlêp, _I have slept_, + or _I slept_. + 5th. Láia, _I laugh_ Láilô, _I have laughed_, + or _I laught_. + Sáija, _I sow_ Sáisô, _I have sown_, + or _I sowed_. + 6th. Grêta, _I weep_ Gáigrôt, _I have wept_, + or _I wept_. + Téka, _I touch_ Táitôk, _I have touched_, + or _I touched_. + +In Mœso-Gothic, as in Latin, the perfect forms have, besides their own, an +aorist sense, and _vice versâ_. + +In Mœso-Gothic, as in Latin, few (if any) words are found in both forms. + +In Mœso-Gothic, as in Latin, the two forms are dealt with as a single +tense; _láilô_ being called the præterite of _láia_, and _svôr_ the +præterite of _svara_. The true view, however, is that in Mœso-Gothic, as in +Latin, there are two past tenses, each having a certain latitude of +meaning, and each, in certain words, replacing the other. + +The reduplicate form, in other words, the perfect tense, is current in none +of the Gothic languages except the Mœso-Gothic. A trace of it is said to be +found in the Anglo-Saxon of the seventh century in the word _heht_, which +is considered to be _hê-ht_, the Mœso-Gothic _háiháit_, _vocavi_. _Did_ +from _do_ is also considered to be a reduplicate form. + +§ 298. In the English language the tense corresponding with the Greek +aorist and the Latin forms like _vixi_, is formed after two modes; 1, as in +_fell_, _sang_, and _took_, from _fall_, _sing_, and _take_, by changing +the vowel of the present: 2, as in _moved_ and _wept_, from _move_ and +_weep_, by the addition of -d or -t; the -d or -t not being found in the +original word, but being a fresh element added to it. In forms, on the +contrary, like _sang_ and _fell_, no addition being made, no new element +appears. The vowel, indeed, is changed, but nothing is added. Verbs, then, +of the first sort, may be said to form their præterites out of themselves; +whilst verbs of the second sort require something from without. To speak in +a metaphor, words like _sang_ and _fell_ are comparatively independent. Be +this as it may, the German grammarians call the tenses formed by a change +of vowel the _strong_ tenses, the _strong_ verbs, the _strong_ conjugation, +or the _strong_ order; and those formed by the addition of d or t, the +_weak_ tenses, the _weak_ verbs, the _weak_ conjugation, or the _weak_ +order. _Bound_, _spoke_, _gave_, _lay_, &c., are _strong_; _moved_, +_favoured_, _instructed_, &c., are _weak_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXIII. + +THE STRONG TENSES. + +§ 299. The strong præterites are formed from the present by changing the +vowel, as _sing_, _sang_; _speak_, _spoke_. + +In Anglo-Saxon, several præterites change, in their plural, the vowel of +their singular; as + + Ic sang, _I sang_. | We sungon, _we sung_. + Þu sunge, _thou sungest_. | Ge sungon, _ye sung_. + He sang, _he sang_. | Hi sungon, _they sung_. + +The bearing of this fact upon the præterites has already been indicated. In +a great number of words we have a double form, as _ran_ and _run_, _sang_ +and _sung_, _drank_ and _drunk_, &c. One of these forms is derived from the +singular, and the other from the plural. + +In cases where but one form is preserved, that form is not necessarily the +singular; indeed, it is often the plural;--e.g., Ic fand, _I found_, we +fundon, _we found_, are the Anglo-Saxon forms. Now the present word _found_ +comes, not from the singular _fand_, but from the plural _fundon_; although +in the Lowland Scotch dialect and in the old writers, the _singular_ form +occurs; + + Donald Caird finds orra things, + Where Allan Gregor _fand_ the tings.--SCOTT. + +§ 300. The verbs wherein the double form of the present præterite is thus +explained, fall into two classes. + +1. In the first class, the Anglo-Saxon forms were á in the singular, and i +in the plural; as-- + + _Sing._ | _Plur._ + | + Sceán | Scinon (_we shone_). + Arás | Arison (_we arose_). + Smát | Smiton (_we smote_). + +This accounts for-- + + _Present._ _Præt. from Sing. form._ _Præt. from Plur. form._ + + Rise Rose [54]Ris. + Smite Smote Smit. + Ride Rode [54]Rid. + Stride Strode Strid. + Slide [54]Slode Slid. + Chide [54]Chode Chid. + Drive Drove [54]Driv. + Thrive Throve Thriv. + Write Wrote Writ. + Slit [54]Slat Slit. + Bite [54]Bat Bit. + +2. In the second class, the Anglo-Saxon forms were a in the singular, and u +in the plural, as-- + + _Sing._ | _Plural._ + | + Band | Bundon (_we bound_). + Fand | Fundon (_we found_). + Grand | Grundon (_we ground_). + Wand | Wundon (_we wound_). + +This accounts for-- + + _Present._ _Præt from Sing. form._ _Præt. from Pl. form._ + Swim Swam Swum. + Begin Began Begun. + Spin [55]Span Spun. + Win [55]Wan [56]Won. + Sing Sang Sung. + Swing [55]Swang Swung. + Spring Sprang Sprung. + Sting [55]Stang Stung. + Ring Rang Rung. + Wring [55]Wrang Wrung. + Fling Flang Flung. + [55]Hing Hang Hung. + String [55]Strang Strung. + Sink Sank Sunk. + Drink Drank Drunk. + Shrink Shrank Shrunk. + Stink [55]Stank Stunk. + Melt [55]Molt -- + Help [55]Holp -- + Delve [55]Dolv -- + Stick [55]Stack Stuck. + Run Ran Run. + Burst Brast Burst. + Bind Band Bound. + Find [55]Fand Found. + +§ 301. The following double præterites are differently explained. The +primary one _often_ (but not _always_) is from the Anglo-Saxon +_participle_, the secondary from the Anglo-Saxon _præterite_. + + _Present._ _Primary Præterite._ _Secondary Præterite._ + Cleave Clove [55]Clave. + Steal Stole [55]Stale. + Speak Spoke Spake. + Swear Swore Sware. + Bear Bore Bare. + Tear Tore [55]Tare. + Wear Wore [55]Ware. + Break Broke Brake. + Get Got [55]Gat. + Tread Trod Trad. + Bid Bade Bid. + Eat Ate Ete. + +§ 302. The following verbs have only a single form for the præterite,-- + + _Present._ _Præterite._ | _Present._ _Præterite._ + | + Fall Fell. | Forsake Forsook. + Befall Befell. | Eat Ate. + Hold Held. | Give Gave. + Draw Drew. | Wake Woke. + Slay Slew. | Grave Grove. + Fly Flew. | Shape Shope. + Blow Blew. | Strike Struck. + Crow Crew. | Shine Shone. + Know Knew. | Abide Abode. + Grow Grew. | Strive Strove. + Throw Threw. | Climb Clomb. + Let Let. | Hide Hid. + Beat Beat. | Dig Dug. + Come Came. | Cling Clung. + Heave Hove. | Swell Swoll. + Weave Wove. | Grind Ground. + Freeze Froze. | Wind Wound. + Shear Shore. | Choose Chose. + ---- Quoth. | Stand Stood. + Seethe Sod. | Lie Lay. + Shake Shook. | See Saw. + Take Took. | + +§ 303. An arrangement of the preceding verbs into classes, according to the +change of vowel, is by no means difficult, even in the present stage of the +English language. In the Anglo-Saxon, it was easier still. It is also +easier in the provincial dialects, than in the literary English. Thus, when + + _Break_ is pronounced _Breek_, + _Bear_ -- _Beer_, + _Tear_ -- _Teer_, + _Swear_ -- _Sweer_, + _Wear_ -- _Weer_, + +as they actually are by many speakers, they come in the same class with,-- + + _Speak_ pronounced _Speek_, + _Cleave_ -- _Cleeve_, + +and form their præterite by means of a similar change, i.e., by changing +the sound of the ee in _feet_ (spelt ea) into that of the a in _fate_; +viewed thus, the irregularity is less than it appears to be at first sight. + +Again, _tread_ is pronounced _tredd_, but many provincial speakers say +_treed_, and so said the Anglo-Saxons, whose form was _ic trede_ = _I +tread_. Their præterite was _træd_. This again subtracts from the apparent +irregularity. + +Instances of this kind may be multiplied; the whole question, however, of +the conjugation of the _strong verbs_ is best considered after the perusal +of the next chapter. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXIV. + +THE WEAK TENSES. + +§ 304. The præterite tense of the weak verbs is formed by the addition of +-d or -t. + +If necessary, the syllable -ed is substituted for -d. + +The current statement that the syllable -ed, rather than the letter -d is +the sign of the præterite tense, is true only in regard to the written +language. In _stabbed_, _moved_, _bragged_, _whizzed_, _judged_, _filled_, +_slurred_, _slammed_, _shunned_, _barred_, _strewed_, the e is a point of +spelling only. In _language_, except in declamation, there is no second +vowel sound. The -d comes in immediate contact with the final letter of the +original word, and the number of syllables remains the same as it was +before. We say _stabd_, _môved_, _bragd_, &c. + +§ 305. When, however, the original word ends in -d or -t, as _slight_ or +_brand_, then, and then only is there the real addition of the syllable +-ed; as in _slighted_, _branded_. + +This is necessary, since the combinations _slightt_ and _brandd_ are +unpronounceable. + +Whether the addition be -d or -t depends upon the flatness or sharpness of +the preceding letter. + +After b, v, th (as in _clothe_), g, or z, the addition is -d. This is a +matter of necessity. We say _stabd_, _môvd_, _clôthd_, _braggd_, _whizzd_, +because _stabt_, _môvt_, _clotht_, _braggt_, _whizzt_, are unpronounceable. + +After l, m, n, r, w, y, or a vowel, the addition is also -d. This is the +_habit_ of the English language. _Filt_, _slurt_, _strayt_, &c., are as +pronounceable as _filld_, _slurrd_, _strayd_, &c. It is the habit, however, +of the English language to prefer the latter forms. + +All this, as the reader has probably observed, is merely the reasoning +concerning the s, in words like _father's_, &c., applied to another letter +and to another part of speech. + +§ 306. The verbs of the weak conjugation fall into three classes. + +I. In the first there is the simple addition of -d, -t, or -ed. + + Serve, served. | Dip, dipped (_dipt_). + Cry, cried. | Slip, slipped (_slipt_). + Betray, betrayed. | Step, stepped (_stept_). + Expell, expelled. | Look, looked (_lookt_). + Accuse, accused. | Pluck, plucked (_pluckt_). + Instruct, instructed. | Toss, tossed (_tost_). + Invite, invited. | Push, pushed (_pusht_). + Waste, wasted. | Confess, confessed (_confest_). + +To this class belong the greater part of the weak verbs and all verbs of +foreign origin. + +§ 307. II. In the second class, besides the addition of -t or -d, the vowel +is _shortened_, + + _Present._ _Præterite._ + + Creep Crept. + Keep Kept. + Sleep Slept. + Sweep Swept. + Weep Wept. + Lose Lost. + Mean [57]Meant. + +Here the final consonant is -t. + + _Present_ _Præterite_ + + Flee Fled. + Hear [58]Heard. + Shoe Shod. + Say [59]Said. + +Here the final consonant is -d. + +§ 308. III. In the second class the vowel of the present tense was +_shortened_ in the præterite. In the third class it is _changed_. + + Tell, told. + Will, would. + Sell, sold. + Shall, should. + +To this class belong the remarkable præterites of the verbs _seek_, +_beseech_, _catch_, _teach_, _bring_, _think_, and _buy_, viz., _sought_, +_besought_, _caught_, _taught_, _brought_, _thought_, and _bought_. In all +these, the final consonant is either g or k, or else a sound allied to +those mutes. When the tendency of these sounds to become h and y, as well +as to undergo farther changes, is remembered, the forms in point cease to +seem anomalous. In _wrought_, from _work_, there is a transposition. In +_laid_ and _said_ the present forms make a show of regularity which they +have not. The true original forms should be _legde_ and _sægde_, the +infinitives being _lecgan_, _secgan_. In these words the i represents the +semivowel y, into which the original g was changed. The Anglo-Saxon forms +of the other words are as follows:-- + + Bycan, bóhte. + Sêcan, sóhte. + Bringan, bróhte. + Þencan, þóhte. + Wyrcan, wórhte. + +§ 309. Out of the three classes into which the weak verbs in Anglo-Saxon +are divided, only one takes a vowel before the d or t. The other two add +the syllables -te or -de, to the last letter of the original word. The +vowel that, in one out of the three Anglo-Saxon classes, precedes d is o. +Thus we have _lufian_, _lufode_; _clypian_, _clypode_. In the other two +classes the forms are respectively _bærnan_, _bærnde_; and _tellan_, +_tealde_, no vowel being found. The _participle_, however, as stated above, +ended, not in -de or -te, but in -d or -t; and in two out of the three +classes it was preceded by a vowel; the vowel being e,--_gelufod_, +_bærned_, _geteald_. Now in those conjugations where no vowel preceded the +d of the præterite, and where the original word ended in -d or -t, a +difficulty, which has already been indicated, arose. To add the sign of the +præterite to a word like _eard-ian_ (_to dwell_) was an easy matter, +inasmuch as _eardian_ was a word belonging to the first class, and in the +first class the præterite was formed in -ode. Here the vowel o kept the two +d's from coming in contact. With words, however, like _métan_ and _sendan_, +this was not the case. Here no vowel intervened; so that the natural +præterite forms were _met-te_, _send-de_, combinations wherein one of the +letters ran every chance of being dropped in the pronunciation. Hence, with +the exception of the verbs in the first class, words ending in -d or -t in +the root admitted no additional d or t in the præterite. This difficulty, +existing in the present English as it existed in the Anglo-Saxon, modifies +the præterites of most words ending in -t or -d. + +§ 310. In several words there is the actual addition of the syllable -ed; +in other words d is separated from the last letter of the original word by +the addition of a vowel; as _ended_, _instructed_, &c. + +§ 311. In several words the final -d is changed into -t, as _bend_, _bent_; +_rend_, _rent_; _send_, _sent_; _gild_, _gilt_; _build_, _built_; _spend_, +_spent_, &c. + +§ 312. In several words the vowel of the root is changed; as _feed_, _fed_; +_bleed_, _bled_; _breed_, _bred_; _meet_, _met_; _speed_, _sped_; _rēad_, +_rĕad_, &c. Words of this last-named class cause occasional difficulty to +the grammarian. No addition is made to the root, and, in this circumstance, +they agree with the strong verbs. Moreover, there is a change of the vowel. +In this circumstance also they agree with the strong verbs. Hence with +forms like _fed_ and _led_ we are in doubt as to the conjugation. This +doubt we have three means of settling, as may be shown by the word _beat_. + +a. _By the form of the participle._--The -en in _beaten_ shows that the +word _beat_ is strong. + +b. _By the nature of the vowel._--The weak form of _to beat_ would be +_bet_, or _beăt_, after the analogy of _feed_ and _read_. By some persons +the word is pronounced _bet_, and with those who do so the word is weak. + +c. _By a knowledge of the older forms._--The Anglo-Saxon form is _beáte_, +_beot_. There is no such a weak form as _beáte_, _bætte_. The præterite of +_sendan_ is _sende_ weak. There is in Anglo-Saxon no such form as _sand_, +strong. + +In all this we see a series of expedients for distinguishing the præterite +form from the present, when the root ends with the same sound with which +the affix begins. + +The change from a long vowel to a short one, as in _feed_, _fed_, &c., can +only take place where there is a long vowel to be changed. + +Where the vowels are short, and, at the same time, the word ends in -d, the +-d of the present may become -t in the præterite. Such is the case with +_bend_, _bent_. + +When there is no long vowel to shorten, and no -d to change into -t, the +two tenses, of necessity, remain alike; such is the case with _cut_, +_cost_, &c. + +§ 313. The following verbs form their præterite in -t:-- + + _Present._ _Præterite._ + + Leave [60]Lef_t_ not [61]Leav_ed_. + Cleave Clef_t_ -- Cleav_ed_. + Bereave Beref_t_ -- Bereav_ed_. + Deal [62]Deal_t_ -- Deal_ed_. + Feel Fel_t_ -- Feel_ed_. + Dream [60]Drem_t_ -- Dream_ed_. + Learn [60]Lern_t_ -- Learn_ed_. + +§ 314. Certain _so-called_ irregularities may now be noticed.--_Made_, +_had_.--In these words there is nothing remarkable but the ejection of a +consonant. The Anglo-Saxon forms are _macode_ and _hæfde_, respectively. +The words, however, in regard to the amount of change, are not upon a +_par_. The f in _hæfde_ was probably sounded as v. Now v is a letter +excessively liable to be ejected, which k is not. K, before it is ejected, +is generally changed into either g or y. + +_Would_, _should_, _could_.--It must not be imagined that _could_ is in the +same predicament with these words. In _will_ and _shall_ the -l is part of +the original word. This is not the case with _can_. For the form _could_, +see § 331. + +§ 315. _Aught_.--In Anglo-Saxon _áhte_, the præterite of the present form +_áh_, plural _ágon_.--As late as the time of Elizabeth we find _owe_ used +for _own_. The present form _own_ seems to have arisen from the plural +_ágon_. _Aught_ is the præterite of the Anglo-Saxon _áh_; _owed_ of the +English _owe_ = _debeo_; _owned_ of the English _own_ = _possideo_. The +word _own_, in the expression _to own to a thing_, has a totally different +origin. It comes from the Anglo-Saxon _an_ (plural, _unnon_) = _I give_, or +_grant_ = _concedo_. + +§ 316. _Durst_.--The verb _dare_ is both transitive and intransitive. We +can say either _I dare do such a thing_, or _I dare (challenge) such a man +to do it_. This, in the present tense, is unequivocally correct. In the +past the double power of the word _dare_ is ambiguous; still it is, to my +mind at least, allowable. We can certainly say _I dared him to accept my +challenge_; and we can, perhaps, say _I dared venture on the expedition_. +In this last sentence, however, _durst_ is the preferable expression. + +Now, although _dare_ is both transitive and intransitive, _durst_ is only +intransitive. It never agrees with the Latin word _provoco_; only with the +Latin word _audeo_. Moreover, the word _durst_ has both a present and a +past sense. The difficulty which it presents consists in the presence of +the -st, letters characteristic of the second person singular, but here +found in all the persons alike; as _I durst_, _they durst_, &c. + +This has still to be satisfactorily accounted for. + +_Must_.--A form common to all persons, numbers, and tenses. That neither +the -s nor the -t are part of the original root, is indicated by the +Scandinavian form _maae_ (Danish), pronounced _moh_; præterite _maatt_. + +This form has still to be satisfactorily accounted for. + +_Wist_.--In its present form a regular præterite from _wiss_ = _know_. The +difficulties of this word arise from the parallel forms _wit_ (as in _to +wit_), and _wot_ = _knew_. The following are the forms of this peculiar +word:-- + +In Mœso-Gothic, 1 sing. pres. ind. _váit_; 2. do., _váist_; 1 pl. _vitum_; +præterite 1 s. _vissa_; 2 _vissêss_; 1 pl. _vissêdum_. From the form +_váist_ we see that the second singular is formed after the manner of +_must_; that is, _váist_ stands instead of _váit-t_. From the form +_vissêdum_ we see that the præterite is not strong, but weak; therefore +that _vissa_ is euphonic for _vista_. + +In Anglo-Saxon.--_Wât_, _wást_, _witon_, _wiste_, and _wisse_, +_wiston_.--Hence the double forms, _wiste_, and _wisse_, verify the +statement concerning the Mœso-Gothic _vissa_. + +In Icelandic.--_Veit_, _veizt_, _vitum_, _vissi_. Danish _ved_, _vide_, +_vidste_. Observe the form _vidste_; since, in it, the d of the root (in +spelling, at least) is preserved. The t of the Anglo-Saxon _wiste_ is the +t, not of the root, but of the inflection. + +In respect to the four forms in question, viz., _wit_, _wot_, _wiss_, +_wisst_, the first seems to be the root; the second a strong præterite +regularly formed, but used (like οἶδα in Greek) with a present sense; the +third a weak præterite, of which the -t has been ejected by a euphonic +process, used also with a present sense; the fourth is a second singular +from _wiss_ after the manner of _wert_ from _were_, a second singular from +_wit_ after the manner of _must_, a secondary præterite from _wiss_, or +finally, the form _wisse_, anterior to the operation of the euphonic +process that ejected the -t. + +§ 317. In the phrase _this will do_ = _this will answer the purpose_, the +word _do_ is wholly different from the word _do_, meaning _to act_. In the +first case it is equivalent to the Latin _valere_; in the second to the +Latin _facere_. Of the first the Anglo-Saxon inflection is _deáh_, _dugon_, +_dohte_, _dohtest_, &c. Of the second it is _dó_, _doð_, _dyde_, &c. I +doubt whether the præterite _did_, as equivalent to _valebat_ = _was good +for_, is correct. In the phrase _it did for him_ = _it finished him_, +either meaning may be allowed. + +In the present Danish they write _duger_, but say _duer_: as _duger et +noget?_ = _Is it worth anything?_ pronounced _dooer deh note?_ This +accounts for the ejection of the g. The Anglo-Saxon form _deáh_ does the +same. + +§ 318. _Mind--mind and do so and so_.--In this sentence the word _mind_ is +wholly different from the noun _mind_. The Anglo-Saxon forms are _geman_, +_gemanst_, _gemunon_, without the -d; this letter occurring only in the +præterite tense (_gemunde_, _gemundon_), of which it is the sign. _Mind_ +is, then, a præterite form with a present sense; whilst _minded_ (as in _he +minded his business_) is an instance of excess of inflection; in other +words, it is a præterite formed from a præterite. + +§ 319. _Yode_.--The obsolete præterite of _go_, now replaced by _went_, the +præterite of _wend_. Regular, except that the initial g has become y. + +§ 320. _Did_.--See § 317. + +_Did_, from _do_ = _facio_, is a _strong_ verb. This we infer from the form +of its participle _done_. + +If so the final -d is not the same as the -d in _moved_. What is it? There +are good grounds for believing that in the word _did_ we have a single +instance of the old _reduplicate præterite_. If so, it is the latter d +which is radical, and the former which is inflectional. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXV. + +ON CONJUGATION. + +§ 321. Attention is directed to the following list of verbs. In the present +English they all form the præterite in -d or -t; in Anglo-Saxon, they all +formed it by a change of the vowel. In other words they are _weak verbs +that were once strong_. + + _Præterites._ + + _English._ _Anglo-Saxon._ + + _Present._ _Præterite._ | _Present._ _Præterite._ + | + Wreak Wreaked. | Wrece Wrǽc. + Fret Fretted. | Frete Frǽt. + Mete Meted. | Mete Mǽt. + Shear Sheared. | Scere Scear. + Braid Braided. | Brede Brǽd. + Knead Kneaded. | Cnede Cnǽd. + Dread Dreaded. | Drǽde Dred. + Sleep Slept. | Slápe Slep. + Fold Folded. | Fealde Feold. + Wield Wielded. | Wealde Weold. + Wax Waxed. | Weaxe Weox. + Leap Leapt. | Hleápe Hleop. + Sweep Swept. | Swápe Sweop. + Weep Wept. | Wepe Weop. + Sow Sowed. | Sáwe Seow. + Bake Baked. | Bace Bók. + Gnaw Gnawed. | Gnage Gnóh. + Laugh Laughed. | Hlihhe Hlóh. + Wade Waded. | Wade Wód. + Lade Laded. | Hlade Hlód. + Grave Graved. | Grafe Gróf. + Shave Shaved. | Scafe Scóf. + Step Stepped. | Steppe Stóp. + Wash Washed. | Wacse Wócs. + Bellow Bellowed. | Belge Bealh. + Swallow Swallowed. | Swelge Swealh. + Mourn Mourned. | Murne Mearn. + Spurn Spurned. | Spurne Spearn. + Carve Carved. | Ceorfe Cearf. + Starve Starved. | Steorfe Stærf. + Thresh Threshed. | Þersce Þærsc. + Hew Hewed. | Heawe Heow. + Flow Flowed. | Flówe Fleow. + Row Rowed. | Rówe Reow. + Creep Crept. | Creópe Creáp. + Dive Dived. | Deófe Deáf. + Shove Shoved. | Scéofe Sceáf. + Chew Chewed. | Ceówe Ceáw. + Brew Brewed. | Breówe Breáw. + Lock Locked. | Lûce Leác. + Suck Sucked. | Sûce Seác. + Reek Reeked. | Reóce Reác. + Smoke Smoked. | Smeóce Smeác. + Bow Bowed. | Beóge Beáh. + Lie Lied. | Leóge Leáh. + Gripe Griped. | Grípe Gráp. + Span Spanned. | Spanne Spén. + Eke Eked. | Eáce Eóc. + Fare Fared. | Fare Fôr. + +§ 322. Respecting the _strong_ verb, the following general statements may +be made: + +1. Many strong verbs become weak; whilst no weak verb ever becomes strong. + +2. All the strong verbs are of Saxon origin. None are classical. + +3. The greater number of them are strong throughout the Gothic tongues. + +4. No new word is ever, upon its importation, inflected according to the +strong conjugation. It is always weak. As early as A.D. 1085, the French +word _adouber_ = _to dub_, was introduced into English. Its præterite was +_dubbade_. + +5. All derived words are inflected weak. The intransitive forms _drink_ and +_lie_, are strong; the transitive forms _drench_ and _lay_, are weak. + +This shows that the division of verbs into _weak_ and _strong_ is a truly +natural one. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXVI. + +DEFECTIVENESS AND IRREGULARITY. + +§ 323. The distinction between irregularity and defectiveness has been +foreshadowed. It is now more urgently insisted on. + +The words that have hitherto served as illustrations are the personal +pronouns _I_ or _me_, the adjectives _good_, _better_, and _best_. + +The view of these words was as follows; viz., that none of them were +_irregular_, but that they were all _defective_. _Me_ wanted the +nominative, _I_ the oblique cases. _Good_ was without a comparative, +_better_ and _best_ had no positive degree. + +Now _me_ and _better_ may be said to make good the defectiveness of _I_ and +_good_; and _I_ and _good_ may be said to replace the forms wanting in _me_ +and _better_. This gives us the principle of _compensation_. To introduce a +new term, _I_ and _me_, _good_ and _better_, may be said to be +_complementary_ to each other. + +What applies to nouns applies to verbs also. _Go_ and _went_ are not +irregularities. _Go_ is defective in the past tense. _Went_ is without a +present. The two words, however, compensate their mutual deficiencies, and +are complementary to each other. + +The distinction between defectiveness and irregularity, is the first +instrument of criticism for coming to true views concerning the proportion +of the regular and irregular verbs. + +§ 324. The second instrument of criticism in determining the irregular +verbs, is the meaning that we attach to the term. + +It is very evident that it is in the power of the grammarian to raise the +number of etymological irregularities to any amount, by narrowing the +definition of the word _irregular_; in other words, by framing an exclusive +rule. The current rule of the common grammarians is that the præterite is +formed _by the addition of_ -t, or -d, or -ed; a position sufficiently +exclusive; since it proscribes not only the whole class of strong verbs, +but also words like _bent_ and _sent_, where -t exists, but where it does +not exist as _an addition_. The regular forms, it may be said, should be +_bended_ and _sended_. + +Exclusive, however, as the rule in question is, it is plain that it might +be made more so. The regular forms might, by the _fiat_ of a rule, be +restricted to those in -d. In this case words like _wept_ and _burnt_ would +be added to the already numerous list of irregulars. + +Finally, a further limitation might be made, by laying down as a rule that +no word was regular, unless it ended in -ed. + +§ 325. Thus much concerning the modes of making rules exclusive, and, +consequently, of raising the amount of irregularities. This is the last art +that the philosophic grammarian is ambitious of acquiring. True etymology +_reduces_ irregularity; and that by making the rules of grammar, not +exclusive, but general. _The quantum of irregularity is in the inverse +proportion to the generality of our rules._ In language itself there is no +irregularity. The word itself is only another name for our ignorance of the +processes that change words; and, as irregularity is in the direct +proportion to the exclusiveness of our rules, the exclusiveness of our +rules is in the direct proportion to our ignorance of etymological +processes. + +§ 326. The explanation of some fresh terms will lead us towards the +definition of the word _irregular_. + +_Vital and obsolete processes._--The word _moved_ is formed from _move_, by +the addition of -d. The addition of -d is the process by which the present +form is rendered præterite. The word _fell_ is formed from _fall_, by +changing a into e. The change of vowel is the process by which the present +form is rendered præterite. Of the two processes the result is the same. In +what respect do they differ? + +For the sake of illustration, let a new word be introduced into the +language. Let a præterite tense of it be formed. This præterite would be +formed, not by changing the vowel, but by adding -d. No _new_ verb ever +takes a strong præterite. The like takes place with nouns. No _new_ +substantive would form its plural, like _oxen_ or _geese_, by adding -en, +or by changing the vowel. It would rather, like _fathers_ and _horses_, add +the lene sibilant. + +Now, the processes that change _fall_, _ox_ and _goose_ into _fell_, +_oxen_, and _geese_, inasmuch as they cease to operate on the language in +its present stage, are _obsolete_ processes; whilst those that change +_move_ into _moved_, and _horse_ into _horses_, operating on the language +in its present stage, are _vital_ processes. + +A definition of the word _irregular_ might be so framed as to include all +words whose forms could not be accounted for by the vital processes. Such a +definition would make all the strong verbs irregular. + +The very fact of so natural a class as that of the strong verbs being +reduced to the condition of irregulars, invalidates such a definition as +this. + +§ 327. _Processes of necessity as opposed to processes of habit._--The +combinations -pd, -fd, -kd, -sd, and some others, are unpronounceable. +Hence words like _step_, _quaff_, _back_, _kiss_, &c., take after them the +sound of -t; _stept_, _quafft_, &c., being their præterites, instead of +_stepd_, _quaffd_. Here the change from -d to -t is a matter of necessity. +It is not so with words like _weep_, and _wept_, &c. Here the change of +vowel is not necessary. _Weept_ might have been said if the habit of the +language had permitted. + +A definition of the word _irregular_ might be so framed as to include all +words whose natural form was modified by any euphonic process whatever. In +this case _stept_ (modified by a process of necessity), and _wept_ +(modified by a process of habit), would be equally irregular. + +A less limited definition might account words regular as long as the +process by which they are deflected from their natural form was a process +of necessity. Those, however, which were modified by a process of habit it +would class with the irregulars. + +Definitions thus limited arise from ignorance of euphonic processes, or +rather from an ignorance of the generality of their operation. + +§ 328. _Ordinary processes as opposed to extraordinary processes._--The +whole scheme of language is analogical. A new word introduced into a +language takes the forms of its cases or tenses, &c., from the forms of the +cases or tenses, &c., of the old words. The analogy is extended. Now few +forms (if any) are so unique as not to have some others corresponding with +them; and few processes of change are so unique as not to affect more words +than one. The forms _wept_, and _slept_, correspond with each other. They +are brought about by the same process: viz., by the shortening of the vowel +in _weep_ and _sleep_. The analogy of _weep_ is extended to _sleep_, and +_vice versâ_. Changing our expression, a common influence affects both +words. The alteration itself is the leading fact. The extent of its +influence is an instrument of classification. When processes affect a +considerable number of words, they may be called _ordinary_ processes; as +opposed to _extraordinary_ processes, which affect one or few words. + +When a word stands by itself, with no other corresponding to it, we confess +our ignorance, and say that it is affected by an extraordinary process, by +a process peculiar to itself, or by a process to which we know nothing +similar. + +A definition of the word _irregular_ might be so framed as to include all +words affected by extraordinary processes; the rest being considered +regular. + +§ 329. _Positive processes as opposed to ambiguous processes._--The words +_wept_ and _slept_ are similarly affected. Each is changed from _weep_ and +_sleep_ respectively; and we know that the process which affects the one is +the process that affects the other also. Here there is a positive process. + +Reference is now made to words of a different sort. The nature of the word +_worse_ has been explained in the Chapter on the Comparative Degree. There +the form is accounted for in two ways, of which only one can be the true +one. Of the two processes, each might equally have brought about the +present form. Which of the two it was, we are unable to say. Here the +process is _ambiguous_. + +A definition of the word _irregular_ might be so framed as to include all +words affected by ambiguous processes. + +§ 330. _Normal processes as opposed to processes of confusion._--Let a +certain word come under class A. Let all words under class A be similarly +affected. Let a given word come under class A. This word will be affected +even as the rest of class A is affected. The process affecting, and the +change resulting, will be normal, regular, or analogical. + +Let, however, a word, instead of really coming under class A, only _appear_ +to do so. Let it be dealt with accordingly. The analogy then is a false +one. The principle of imitation is a wrong one. The process affecting is a +process of confusion. + +Examples of this (a few amongst many) are words like _songstress_, +_theirs_, _minded_, where the words _songstr-_, _their-_, _mind-_, are +dealt with as roots, which they are not. + +Ambiguous processes, extraordinary processes, processes of confusion--each, +or all of these, are legitimate reasons for calling words irregular. The +practice of etymologists will determine what definition is most convenient. + +With extraordinary processes we know nothing about the word. With ambiguous +processes we are unable to make a choice. With processes of confusion we +see the analogy, but, at the same time, see that it is a false one. + +§ 331. _Could_.--With all persons who pronounce the l this word is truly +irregular. The Anglo-Saxon form is _cuðe_. The l is inserted by a process +of confusion. + +_Can_, _cunne_, _canst_, _cunnon_, _cunnan_, _cuðe_, _cuðon_, _cuð_--such +are the remaining forms in Anglo-Saxon. None of them account for the l. The +presence of the l makes the word _could_ irregular. No reference to the +allied languages accounts for it. + +Notwithstanding this, the presence of the l is accounted for. In _would_ +and _should_ the l has a proper place. It is part of the original words, +_will_ and _shall_. A false analogy looked upon _could_ in the same light. +Hence a true irregularity; _provided that the _L_ be pronounced_. + +The L, however, is pronounced by few, and that only in pursuance with the +spelling. This reduces the word _could_ to an irregularity, not of +language, but only of orthography. + +That the mere ejection of the -n in _can_, and that the mere lengthening of +the vowel, are not irregularities, we learn from a knowledge of the +processes that convert the Greek ὀδόντος (_odontos_) into ὀδούς (_odows_). + +§ 332. The verb _quoth_ is truly defective. It is found in only one tense, +one number, and one person. It is the third person singular of the +præterite tense. It has the further peculiarity of preceding its pronoun. +Instead of saying _he quoth_, we say _quoth he_. In Anglo-Saxon, however, +it was not defective. It was found in the other tenses, in the other +number, and in other moods. _Ic cweðe_, _þú cwyst_, _he cwyð_; _ic cwæð_, +_þú cwæðe_, _he cwæð_, _we cwædon_, _ge cwædon_, _hi cwædon_; imperative, +_cweð_; participle, _gecweden_. In the Scandinavian it is current in all +its forms. There, however, it means, not _to speak_ but to _sing_. As far +as its conjugation goes, it is strong. As far as its class goes, it follows +the form of _speak_, _spoke_. Like _speak_, its Anglo-Saxon form is in æ, +as _cwæð_. Like one of the forms of _speak_, its English form is in o, as +_quoth_, _spoke_. + +§ 333. The principle that gives us the truest views of the structure of +language is that which considers no word irregular unless it be affected by +either an _ambiguous_ process, or by a _process of confusion_. The words +affected by _extraordinary processes_ form a provisional class, which a +future increase of our etymological knowledge may show to be regular. +_Worse_ and _could_ are the fairest specimens of our irregulars. Yet even +_could_ is only an irregularity in the written language. The printer makes +it, and the printer can take it away. Hence the class, instead of filling +pages, is exceedingly limited. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXVII. + +THE IMPERSONAL VERBS. + +§ 334. In _me-seems_, and _me-thinks_, the _me_ is dative rather than +accusative, and = _mihi_ and μοι rather than _me_ and με. + +§ 335. In _me-listeth_, the _me_ is accusative rather than dative, and = +_me_ and με rather than _mihi_ and μοι. + +For the explanation of this difference see _Syntax_, Chapter XXI. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXVIII. + +THE VERB SUBSTANTIVE. + +§ 336. The verb substantive is generally dealt with as an _irregular_ verb. +This is inaccurate. The true notion is that the idea of _being_ or +_existing_ is expressed by four different verbs, each of which is defective +in some of its parts. The parts, however, that are wanting in one verb, are +made up by the inflections of one of the others. There is, for example, no +præterite of the verb _am_, and no present of the verb _was_. The absence, +however, of the present form of _was_ is made up by the word _am_, and the +absence of the præterite form of _am_ is made up by the word _was_. + +§ 337. _Was_ is defective, except in the præterite tense, where it is found +both in the indicative and conjunctive. + + _Indicative._ | _Conjunctive._ + _Sing._ _Plur._ | _Sing._ _Plur._ + 1. Was Were. | 1. Were Were. + 2. Wast Were. | 2. Wert Were. + 3. Was Were. | 3. Were Were. + +In the older stages of the Gothic languages the word had both a full +conjugation and a regular one. In Anglo-Saxon it had an infinitive, a +participle present, and a participle past. In Mœso-Gothic it was inflected +throughout with -s; as _visa_, _vas_, _vêsum_, _visans_. In that language +it has the power of the Latin _maneo_ = _to remain_. The r first appears in +the Old High German, _wisu_, _was_, _wârumés_, _wësaner_. In Norse the s +_entirely_ disappears, and the word is inflected with r throughout; _vera_, +_var_, _vorum_, &c. + +§ 338. _Be_ is inflected in Anglo-Saxon throughout the present tense, both +indicative and subjunctive. It is found also as an infinitive, _beón_; as a +gerund, _to beonne_; and as a participle, _beonde_; in the present English +its inflection is as follows: + + _Present._ + _Conjunctive._ | _Imperative._ + _Sing._ _Plur._ | _Sing._ _Plur._ + Be Be. | -- -- + -- -- | Be Be + Be Be | -- -- + _Infin._ To be. _Pres. P._ Being. _Past. Part._ Been. + +§ 339. The line in Milton beginning _If thou beest he_--(P. L. b. ii.), +leads to the notion that the antiquated form _beest_ is not indicative, but +conjunctive. Such, however, is not the case: _byst_ in Anglo-Saxon is +indicative, the conjunctive form being _beó_. _And every thing that pretty +bin_ (Cymbeline).--Here the word _bin_ is the conjunctive plural, in +Anglo-Saxon _beón_; so that the words _every thing_ are to be considered +equivalent to the plural form _all things_. The phrase in Latin would stand +thus, _quotquot pulchra sint_; in Greek, thus, ἁ ἂν κάλα ᾖ. The +_indicative_ plural is, in Anglo-Saxon, not _beón_, but _beóð_ and _beó_. + +§ 340. In the "Deutsche Grammatik" it is stated that the Anglo-Saxon forms +_beô_, _bist_, _bið_, _beoð_, or _beó_, have not a present but a _future_ +sense; that whilst _am_ means _I am_, _beó_ means _I shall be_; and that in +the older languages it is only where the form _am_ is not found that _be_ +has the power of a present form. The same root occurs in the Slavonic and +Lithuanic tongues with the same power; as, _esmi_ = _I am_; _búsu_ = _I +shall be_, Lithuanic. _Esmu_ = _I am_; _buhshu_ = _I shall be_, +Livonic.--_Jesm_ = _I am_; _budu_ = _I shall be_, Slavonic.--_Gsem_ = _I +am_; _budu_ = _I shall be_, Bohemian. This, however, proves, not that there +is in Anglo-Saxon a future tense, but that the word _beó_ has a future +sense. There is no fresh tense where there is no fresh form. + +The following is a specimen of the future power of _beón_ in +Anglo-Saxon:--_"Hi ne _beóð_ na cílde, soðlice, on domesdæge, ac _beóð_ swa +micele menn swa swa hi migton beón gif hi full weoxon on gewunlicre +ylde."_--Ælfric's Homilies. "They _will not be_ children, forsooth, on +Domesday, but _will be_ as much (so muckle) men as they might be if they +were full grown (waxen) in customary age." + +§ 341. Now, if we consider the word _beón_ like the word _weorðan_ (see § +343) to mean not so much _to be_ as to _become_, we get an element of the +idea of futurity. Things which are _becoming anything_ have yet something +further to either do or suffer. Again, from the idea of futurity we get the +idea of contingency, and this explains the subjunctive power of _be_. In +English we often say _may_ for _shall_, and the same was done in +Anglo-Saxon. + +§ 342. _Am_.--Of this form it should be stated that the letter -m is no +part of the original word. It is the sign of the first person, just as it +is in _Greek_, and several other languages. + +It should also be stated, that although the fact be obscured, and although +the changes be insufficiently accounted for, the forms _am_, _art_, _are_, +and _is_, are not, like _am_ and _was_, parts of different words, but forms +of one and the same word; in other terms, that, although between _am_ and +_be_ there is no etymological connexion, there is one between _am_ and +_is_. This we collect from the comparison of the Indo-European languages. + + 1. 2. 3. + Sanskrit _Asmi_ _Asi_ _Asti_. + Zend _Ahmi_ _Asi_ _Ashti_. + Greek Εἰμί Εἴς Ἐστί. + Latin _Sum_ _Es_ _Est_. + Lithuanic _Esmi_ _Essi_ _Esti_. + Old Slavonic _Yesmy_ _Yesi_ _Yesty_. + Mœso-Gothic _Im_ _Is_ _Ist_. + Old Saxon -- [63]_Is_ _Ist_. + Anglo-Saxon _Eom_ _Eart_ _Is_. + Icelandic _Em_ _Ert_ _Er_. + English _Am_ _Art_ _Is_. + +§ 343. _Worth_.--In the following lines of Scott, the word _worth_ = _is_, +and is a fragment of the regular Anglo-Saxon verb _weorðan_ = _to be_, or +_to become_; German _werden_. + + Woe _worth_ the chase, woe _worth_ the day, + That cost thy life, my gallant grey.--_Lady of the Lake._ + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXIX. + +THE PRESENT PARTICIPLE. + +§ 344. The present participle, called also the active participle and the +participle in -ing, is formed from the original word by adding -ing; as, +_move_, _moving_. In the older languages the termination was more marked, +being -nd. Like the Latin participle in -ns, it was originally declined. +The Mœso-Gothic and Old High German forms are _habands_ and _hapêntér_ = +_having_, respectively. The -s in the one language, and the -êr in the +other, are the signs of the case and gender. In the Old Saxon and +Anglo-Saxon the forms are -and and -ande; as _bindand_, _bindande_ = +_binding_. In all the Norse languages, ancient and modern, the -d is +preserved. So it is in the Old Lowland Scotch, and in many of the modern +provincial dialects of England, where _strikand_, _goand_, is said for +_striking_, _going_. In Staffordshire, where the -ing is pronounced -ingg, +there is a fuller sound than that of the current English. In Old English +the form in -nd is predominant, in Middle English the use fluctuates, and +in New English the termination -ing is universal. In the Scotch of the +modern writers we find the form -in. + + The rising sun o'er Galston muirs + Wi' glorious light was glintin'; + The hares were hirplin' down the furs, + The lav'rocks they were chantin'.--BURNS' _Holy Fair_. + +§ 345. It has often been remarked that the participle is used in many +languages as a substantive. This is true in Greek, + + Ὁ πράσσων = _the actor_, when a male. + Ἡ πρασσοῦσα = _the actor_, when a female. + Τὸ πράττου = _the active principle of a thing_. + +But it is also stated, that, in the English language, the participle is +used as a substantive in a greater degree than elsewhere, and that it is +used in several cases and in both numbers, e.g., + + _Rising_ early is healthy, + There is health _in rising_ early. + This is the advantage _of rising_ early. + The _risings_ in the North, &c. + +Some acute remarks of Mr. R. Taylor, in the Introduction to his edition of +Tooke's "Diversions of Purley," modify this view. According to these, the +-ing in words like _rising_ is not the -ing of the present participle; +neither has it originated in the Anglo-Saxon -end. It is rather the -ing in +words like _morning_; which is anything but a participle of the +non-existent verb _morn_, and which has originated in the Anglo-Saxon +substantival termination -ung. Upon this Rask writes as +follows:--"_Gitsung_, _gewilnung_ = _desire_; _swutelung_ = +_manifestation_; _clænsung_ = _a cleansing_; _sceawung_ = _view_, +_contemplation_; _eorð-beofung_ = _an earthquake_; _gesomnung_ = _an +assembly_. This termination is chiefly used in forming substantives from +verbs of the first class in -ian; as _hálgung_ = _consecration_, from +_hálgian_ = _to consecrate_. These verbs are all feminine."--"Anglo-Saxon +Grammar," p. 107. + +Now, whatever may be the theory of the origin of the termination -ing in +old phrases like _rising early is healthy_, it cannot apply to expressions +of recent introduction. Here the direct origin in -ung is out of the +question. + +The view, then, that remains to be taken of the forms in question is this: + +1. That the older forms in -ing are substantival in origin, and = the +Anglo-Saxon -ung. + +2. That the latter ones are _irregularly_ participial, and have been formed +on a false analogy. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXX. + +THE PAST PARTICIPLE. + +§ 346. A. _The participle in_ -EN.--In the Anglo-Saxon this participle was +declined like the adjectives. Like the adjectives, it is, in the present +English, undeclined. + +In Anglo-Saxon it always ended in -en, as _sungen_, _funden_, _bunden_. In +English this -en is often wanting, as _found_, _bound_; the word _bounden_ +being antiquated. + +Words where the -en is wanting may be viewed in two lights; 1, they may be +looked upon as participles that have lost their termination; 2, they may be +considered as præterites with a participial sense. + +§ 347. _Drank_, _drunk_, _drunken_.--With all words wherein the vowel of +the plural differs from that of the singular, the participle takes the +plural form. To say _I have drunk_, is to use an ambiguous expression; +since _drunk_ may be either a participle _minus_ its termination, or a +præterite with a participial sense. To say _I have drank_, is to use a +præterite for a participle. To say _I have drunken_, is to use an +unexceptional form. + +In all words with a double form, as _spake_ and _spoke_, _brake_ and +_broke_, _clave_ and _clove_, the participle follows the form in o, as +_spoken_, _broken_, _cloven_. _Spaken_, _braken_, _claven_ are impossible +forms. There are degrees in laxity of language, and to say _the spear is +broke_ is better than to say _the spear is brake_. + +§ 348. As a general rule, we find the participle in -en wherever the +præterite is strong; indeed, the participle in -en may be called the strong +participle, or the participle of the strong conjugation. Still the two +forms do not always coincide. In _mow_, _mowed_, _mown_, _sow_, _sowed_, +_sown_; and several other words, we find the participle strong, and the +præterite weak. I remember no instances of the converse. This is only +another way of saying that the præterite has a greater tendency to pass +from strong to weak than the participle. + +§ 349. In the Latin language the change from s to r, and _vice versâ_, is +very common. We have the double forms _arbor_ and _arbos_, _honor_ and +_honos_, &c. Of this change we have a few specimens in English. The words +_rear_ and _raise_, as compared with each other, are examples. In +Anglo-Saxon a few words undergo a similar change in the plural number of +the strong præterites. + + Ceóse, _I choose_; ceâs, _I chose_; curon, _we chose_; gecoren, _chosen_. + Forleóse, _I lose_; forleás, _I lost_; forluron, _we lost_; forloren, + _lost_. + Hreose, _I rush_; hreás, _I rushed_; hruron, _we rushed_; gehroren, + _rushed_. + +This accounts for the participial form _forlorn_, or _lost_, in New High +German _verloren_. In Milton's lines, + + ---- the piercing air + Burns _frore_, and cold performs the effect of fire, + _Paradise Lost_, b. ii., + +we have a form from the Anglo-Saxon participle _gefroren_ = _frozen_. + +§ 350. B. The _participle_ in -D, -T, or -ED.--In the Anglo-Saxon this +participle was declined like the adjective. Like the adjective, it is, in +the present English, undeclined. + +In Anglo-Saxon it differed in form from the præterite, inasmuch as it ended +in -ed, or -t, whereas the præterite ended in -ode, -de, or -te: as, +_lufode_, _bærnde_, _dypte_, præterites; _gelufod_, _bærned_, _dypt_, +participles. + +As the ejection of the e (in one case final in the other not) reduces words +like _bærned_ and _bærnde_ to the same form, it is easy to account for the +present identity of form between the weak præterites and the participles in +-d: e.g., _I moved_, _I have moved_, &c. + +§ 351. _The prefix_ Y.--In the older writers, and in works written, like +Thomson's "Castle of Indolence," in imitation of them, we find prefixed to +the præterite participle the letter y-, as, _yclept_ = _called_: _yclad_ = +_clothed_: _ydrad_ = _dreaded_. + +The following are the chief facts and the current opinion concerning this +prefix:-- + +1. It has grown out of the fuller forms ge-: Anglo-Saxon, ge-: Old Saxon, +gi-: Mœso-Gothic, ga-: Old High German, ka-, cha-, ga-, ki-, gi-. + +2. It occurs in each and all of the Germanic languages of the Gothic stock. + +3. It occurs, with a few fragmentary exceptions, in none of the +Scandinavian languages of the Gothic stock. + +4. In Anglo-Saxon it occasionally indicates a difference of sense; as, +_hâten_ = _called_, _ge-hâten_ = _promised_; _boren_ = _borne_, _ge-boren_ += _born_. + +5. It occurs in nouns as well as verbs. + +6. Its power, in the case of nouns, is generally some idea of +_association_, or _collection_.--Mœso-Gothic, _sinþs_ = _a journey_, +_ga-sinþa_ = _a companion_; Old High German, _perc_ = _hill_; _ki-perki_ +(_gebirge_) = _a range of hills_. + +7. But it has also a _frequentative_ power; a frequentative power, which +is, in all probability, secondary to its collective power; since things +which recur frequently recur with a tendency to collection or association; +Middle High German, _ge-rassel_ = _rustling_; _ge-rumpel_ = _c-rumple_. + +8. And it has also the power of expressing the possession of a quality. + + _Anglo-Saxon._ _English._ _Anglo-Saxon._ _Latin._ + + Feax _Hair_ _Ge-feax_ _Comatus._ + Heorte _Heart_ _Ge-heort_ _Cordatus._ + Stence _Odour_ _Ge-stence_ _Odorus._ + +This power is also a collective, since every quality is associated with the +object that possesses it; _a sea with waves_ = _a wavy sea_. + +9. Hence it is probable that the ga-, ki-, or gi-, Gothic, is the _cum_ of +Latin languages. Such, at least, is Grimm's view, as given in the "Deutsche +Grammatik," i. 1016. + +Concerning this, it may be said that it is deficient in an essential point. +It does not show how the participle past is collective. Undoubtedly it may +be said that every such participle is in the condition of words like +_ge-feax_ and _ge-heort_; i.e., that they imply an association between the +object and the action or state. But this does not seem to be Grimm's view; +he rather suggests that the ge- may have been a prefix to verbs in general, +originally attached to all their forms, but finally abandoned everywhere +except in the case of the participle. + +The theory of this prefix has yet to assume a satisfactory form. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXXI. + +COMPOSITION. + +§ 352. In the following words, amongst many others, we have palpable and +indubitable specimens of composition--_day-star_, _vine-yard_, _sun-beam_, +_apple-tree_, _ship-load_, _silver-smith_, &c. The words _palpable_ and +_indubitable_ have been used, because in many cases, as will be seen +hereafter, it is difficult to determine whether a word be a true compound +or not. + +§ 353. Now, in each of the compounds quoted above, it may be seen that it +is the second word which is qualified, or defined, by the first, and that +it is not the first which is qualified, or defined, by the second. Of +_yards_, _beams_, _trees_, _loads_, _smiths_, there may be many sorts, and, +in order to determine what _particular_ sort of _yard_, _beam_, _tree_, +_load_, or _smith_, may be meant, the words _vine_, _sun_, _apple_, _ship_, +and _silver_, are prefixed. In compound words it is the _first_ term that +defines or particularises the _second_. + +§ 354. That the idea given by the word _apple-tree_ is not referable to the +words _apple_ and _tree_, irrespective of the order in which they occur, +may be seen by reversing the position of them. The word _tree-apple_, +although not existing in the language, is as correct a word as +_thorn-apple_. In _tree-apple_, the particular sort of _apple_ meant is +denoted by the word _tree_, and if there were in our gardens various sorts +of plants called _apples_, of which some grew along the ground and others +upon trees, such a word as _tree-apple_ would be required in order to be +opposed to _earth-apple_, or _ground-apple_, or some word of the kind. + +In the compound words _tree-apple_ and _apple-tree_, we have the same +elements differently arranged. However, as the word _tree-apple_ is not +current in the language, the class of compounds indicated by it may seem to +be merely imaginary. Nothing is farther from being the case. A _tree-rose_ +is a _rose_ of a particular sort. The generality of _roses_ being on +_shrubs_, this grows on a _tree_. Its peculiarity consists in this fact, +and this particular character is expressed by the word _tree_ prefixed. A +_rose-tree_ is a _tree_ of a particular sort, distinguished from +_apple-trees_, and _trees_ in general (in other words, particularised or +defined), by the word _rose_ prefixed. + +A _ground-nut_ is a _nut_ particularised by growing in the ground. A +_nut-ground_ is a _ground_ particularised by producing nuts. + +A _finger-ring_, as distinguished from an _ear-ring_, and from _rings_ in +general (and so particularised), is a _ring_ for the _finger_. A +_ring-finger_, as distinguished from _fore-fingers_, and from _fingers_ in +general (and so particularised), is a _finger_ whereon _rings_ are worn. + +§ 355. At times this rule seems to be violated. The words _spit-fire_ and +_dare-devil_ seem exceptions to it. At the first glance it seems, in the +case of a _spit-fire_, that what he (or she) _spits_ is _fire_; and that, +in the case of a _dare-devil_, what he (or she) _dares_ is the _devil_. In +this case the initial words _spit_ and _dare_ are particularised by the +final ones _fire_ and _devil_. The true idea, however, confirms the +original rule. A _spit-fire_ voids his fire by spitting. A _dare-devil_, in +meeting the fiend, would not shrink from him, but would defy him. A +_spit-fire_ is not one who spits fire, but one whose fire is _spit_. A +_dare-devil_ is not one who dares even the devil, but one by whom the devil +is even dared. + +§ 356. Of the two elements of a compound word, which is the most important? +In one sense the latter, in another sense the former. The latter word is +the most _essential_; since the general idea of _trees_ must exist before +it can be defined or particularised; so becoming the idea which we have in +_apple-tree_, _rose-tree_, &c. The former word, however, is the most +_influential_. It is by this that the original idea is qualified. The +latter word is the staple original element: the former is the superadded +influencing element. Compared with each other, the former element is +active, the latter passive. Etymologically speaking, the former element, in +English compounds, is the most important. + +§ 357. Most numerous are the observations that bear upon the detail of the +composition of words; e.g., how nouns combine with nouns, as in _sun-beam_; +nouns with verbs, as in _dare-devil_, &c. It is thought however, sufficient +in the present work to be content with, 1. defining the meaning of the term +composition; 2. explaining the nature of some obscure compounds. + +Composition is the joining together, _in language_, of _two different +words_, and _treating the combination as a single term_. Observe the words +in italics. + +_In language._--A great number of our compounds, like the word +_merry-making_, are divided by the sign -, or the hyphen. It is very plain +that if all words _spelt_ with a hyphen were to be considered as compounds, +the formation of them would be not a matter of speech, or language, but one +of writing or spelling. This distinguishes compounds in language from mere +printers' compounds. + +_Two._--For this, see § 369. + +_Different._--In Old High German we find the form _sëlp-sëlpo_. Here there +is the junction of two words, but not the junction of two _different_ ones. +This distinguishes composition from gemination. + +_Words._--In _father-s_, _clear-er_, _four-th_, &c., there is the addition +of a letter or a syllable, and it may be even of the part of a word. There +is no addition, however, of a whole word. This distinguishes composition +from derivation. + +_Treating the combination as a single term._--In determining between +derived words and compound words, there is an occasional perplexity; the +perplexity, however, is far greater in determining between a _compound +word_ and _two words_. In the eyes of one grammarian the term _mountain +height_ may be as truly a compound word as _sun-beam_. In the eyes of +another grammarian it may be no compound word, but two words, just as +_Alpine height_ is two words; _mountain_ being dealt with as an adjective. +It is in the determination of this that the accent plays an important part. + +§ 358. As a preliminary to a somewhat subtle distinction, the attention of +the reader is drawn to the following line, slightly altered, from +Churchill:-- + + "Then rést, my friénd, _and spáre_ thy précious bréath." + +On each of the syllables _rést_, _friénd_, _spáre_, _préc-_, _bréath_, +there is an accent. Each of these syllables must be compared with the one +that precedes it; _rest_ with _then_, _friend_ with _my_, and so on +throughout the line. Compared with the word _and_, the word _spare_ is not +only accented, but the accent is conspicuous and prominent. There is so +little on _and_, so much on _spare_, that the disparity of accent is very +manifest. + +Now, if in the place of _and_, there were some other word, a word not so +much accented as _spare_, but still more accented than _and_, this +disparity would be diminished, and the accents of the two words might be +said to be at _par_, or nearly so. As said before, the line was slightly +altered from Churchill, the real reading being + + "Then rést, my friénd, _spare, spare_ thy précious bréath." + +In the true reading we actually find what had previously only been +supposed. In the words _spare, spare_, the accents are nearly at _par_. +Such the difference between accent at par and disparity of accent. + +Good illustrations of the parity and disparity of accent may be drawn from +certain names of places. Let there be such a sentence as the following: +_the lime house near the bridge north of the new port_. Compare the parity +of accent on the pairs of words _lime_ and _house_, _bridge_ and _north_, +_new_ and _port_, with the disparity of accent in the compound words +_Límehouse_, _Brídgenorth_, and _Néwport_. The separate words _beef steak_, +where the accent is nearly at _par_, compared with the compound word +_sweépstakes_, where there is a great disparity of accent, are further +illustrations of the same difference. + +The difference between a compound word and a pair of words is further +illustrated by comparing such terms as the following:--_bláck bírd_, +meaning a _bird that is black_, with _bláckbird_ = the Latin _merula_; +_blúe béll_, meaning a _bell that is blue_, with _blúebell_, the flower. +Expressions like a _shárp edgéd instrument_, meaning _an instrument that is +sharp and has edges_, as opposed to _a shárp-edged instrument_, meaning _an +instrument with sharp edges_, further exemplify this difference. + +Subject to a few exceptions, it may be laid down, that, in the English +language, _there is no composition unless there is either a change of form +or a change of accent_. + +§ 359. The reader is now informed, that unless he has taken an exception to +either a statement or an inference, he has either seen beyond what has been +already laid down by the author, or else has read him with insufficient +attention. This may be shown by drawing a distinction between a compound +form and a compound idea. + +In the words _a red house_, each word preserves its natural and original +meaning, and the statement suggested by the term is _that a house is red_. +By a parity of reasoning _a mad house_ should mean a _house that is mad_; +and provided that each word retain its _natural meaning_ and its _natural +accent_, such is the fact. Let a _house_ mean, as it often does, a +_family_. Then the phrase, _a mad house_, means that the _house_, _or +family_, _is mad_, just as a _red house_ means that the _house is red_. +Such, however, is not the current meaning of the word. Every one knows that +_a mad house_ means _a house for mad men_; in which case it is treated as a +compound word, and has a marked accent on the first syllable, just as +_Límehouse_ has. Now, compared with the word _red house_, meaning a house +of a _red colour_, and compared with the words _mad house_, meaning a +_deranged family_, the word _mádhouse_, in its common sense, expressed a +compound idea; as opposed to two ideas, or a double idea. The word _beef +steak_ is evidently a compound idea; but as there is no disparity of +accent, it is not a compound word. Its sense is compound. Its form is not +compound but double. This indicates the objection anticipated, which is +this: viz., that a definition, which would exclude such a word as _beef +steak_ from the list of compounds, is, for that very reason, exceptionable. +I answer to this, that the term in question is a compound idea, and not a +compound form; in other words, that it is a compound in logic, but not a +compound in etymology. Now etymology, taking cognisance of forms only, has +nothing to do with ideas, except so far as they influence forms. + +Such is the commentary upon the words, _treating the combination as a +single term_; in other words, such the difference between a compound word +and two words. The rule, being repeated, stands (subject to exceptions +indicated above) thus:--_there is no true composition without either a +change of form or a change of accent_. + +§ 360. As I wish to be clear upon this point, I shall illustrate the +statement by its application. + +The term _trée-rose_ is often pronounced _trée róse_; that is, with the +accent at _par_. It is compound in the one case; it is a pair of words in +the other. + +The terms _mountain ash_ and _mountain height_ are generally (perhaps +always) pronounced with an equal accent on the syllables _mount-_ and +_ash_, _mount-_ and _height_, respectively. In this case the word +_mountain_ must be dealt with as an adjective, and the words considered as +two. The word _moúntain wave_ is often pronounced with a visible diminution +of accent on the last syllable. In this case there is a disparity of +accent, and the word is compound. + +§ 361. The following quotation indicates a further cause of perplexity in +determining between compound words and two words:-- + + 1. + + A wet sheet and a blowing gale, + A breeze that follows fast; + That fills the white and swelling sail, + And bends the _gallant mast_.--ALLAN CUNNINGHAM. + + 2. + + Britannia needs no bulwarks, + No towers along the steep; + Her march is o'er the _mountain-wave_, + Her home is on the deep.--THOMAS CAMPBELL. + +To speak first of the term _gallant mast_. If _gallant_ mean _brave_, there +are _two words_. If the words be two, there is a stronger accent on _mast_. +If the accent on _mast_ be stronger, the rhyme with _fast_ is more +complete; in other words, the metre favours the notion of the words being +considered as _two_. _Gallant-mast_, however, is a compound word, with an +especial nautical meaning. In this case the accent is stronger on _gal-_ +and weaker on -mast. This, however, is not the state of things that the +metre favours. The same applies to _mountain wave_. The same person who in +prose would throw a stronger accent on _mount-_ and a weaker one on _wave_ +(so dealing with the word as a compound), might, in poetry, the words +_two_, by giving to the last syllable a parity of accent. + +The following quotation from Ben Jonson may be read in two ways; and the +accent may vary with the reading: + + 1. + + Lay thy bow of pearl apart, + And thy _silver shining_ quiver. + + 2. + + Lay thy bow of pearl apart, + And thy _silver-shining_ quiver.--_Cynthia's Revels._ + +§ 362. _On certain words wherein the fact of their being compound is +obscured._--Composition is the addition of a word to a word, derivation is +the addition of certain letters or syllables to a word. In a compound form +each element has a separate and independent existence; in a derived form, +only one of the elements has such. Now it is very possible that in an older +stage of a language two words may exist, may be put together, and may so +form a compound, each word having, then, a separate and independent +existence. In a later stage of language, however, only one of these words +may have a separate and independent existence, the other having become +obsolete. In this case a compound word would take the appearance of a +derived one, since but one of its elements could be exhibited as a separate +and independent word. Such is the case with, amongst others, the word +_bishop-ric_. In the present language the word _ric_ has no separate and +independent existence. For all this, the word is a true compound, since, in +Anglo-Saxon, we have the noun _ríce_ as a separate, independent word, +signifying _kingdom_ or _domain_. + +Again, without becoming obsolete, a word may alter its form. This is the +case with most of our adjectives in -ly. At present they appear derivative; +their termination -ly having no separate and independent existence. The +older language, however, shows that they are compounds; since -ly is +nothing else than -lic, Anglo-Saxon; -lih, Old High German; -leiks, +Mœso-Gothic; = _like_, or _similis_, and equally with it an independent +separate word. + +§ 363. "Subject to a few exceptions, it may be laid down, that _there is no +true composition unless there is either a change of form or a change of +accent_."--Such is the statement made in § 358. The first class of +exceptions consists of those words where the natural tendency to disparity +of accent is traversed by some rule of euphony. For example, let two words +be put together, which at their point of contact form a combination of +sounds foreign to our habits of pronunciation. The rarity of the +combination will cause an effort in utterance. The effort in utterance will +cause an accent to be laid on the latter half of the compound. This will +equalize the accent, and abolish the disparity. The word _monkshood_, the +name of a flower (_aconitum napellus_), where, to my ear at least, there is +quite as much accent on the -hood as on the _monks-_, may serve in the way +of illustration. _Monks_ is one word, _hood_ another. When joined together, +the h- of the -hood is put in immediate apposition with the s of the +_monks-_. Hence the combination _monkshood_. At the letters s and h is the +point of contact. Now the sound of s followed immediately by the sound of h +is a true aspirate. But true aspirates are rare in the English language. +Being of rare occurrence, the pronunciation of them is a matter of +attention and effort; and this attention and effort create an accent which +otherwise would be absent. Hence words like _mónks-hóod_, _well-héad_, and +some others. + +Real reduplications of consonants, as in _hóp-póle_, may have the same +parity of accent with the true aspirates: and for the same reasons. They +are rare combinations that require effort and attention. + +§ 364. The second class of exceptions contains those words wherein between +the first element and the second there is so great a disparity, either in +the length of the vowel, or the length of the syllable _en masse_, as to +counteract the natural tendency of the first element to become accented. +One of the few specimens of this class (which after all may consist of +double words) is the term _upstánding_. Here it should be remembered, that +words like _hapházard_, _foolhárdy_, _uphólder_, and _withhóld_ come under +the first class of the exceptions. + +§ 365. The third class of exceptions contains words like _perchánce_ and +_perháps_. In all respects but one these are double words, just as _by +chance_ is a double word. _Per_, however, differs from _by_ in having no +separate existence. This sort of words we owe to the multiplicity of +elements (classical and Gothic) in the English language. + +§ 366. _Peacock_, _peahen_.--If these words be rendered masculine or +feminine by the addition of the elements -cock and -hen, the statements +made in the beginning of the present chapter are invalidated. Since, if the +word _pea-_ be particularized, qualified, or defined by the words -cock and +-hen, the _second_ term defines or particularises the _first_, which is +contrary to the rule of § 356. The truth, however, is, that the words -cock +and -hen are defined by the prefix _pea-_. Preparatory to the exhibition of +this, let us remember that the word _pea_ (although now found in +composition only) is a true and independent substantive, the name of a +species of fowl, like _pheasant_, _partridge_, or any other appellation. It +is the Latin _pavo_, German _pfau_. Now if the word _peacock_ mean a _pea_ +(_pfau_ or _pavo_) that is a male, then do _wood-cock_, _black-cock_, and +_bantam-cock_, mean _woods_, _blacks_, and _bantams_ that are male. Or if +the word _peahen_ mean a _pea_ (_pfau_ or _pavo_) that is female, then do +_moorhen_ and _guineahen_ mean _moors_ and _guineas_ that are female. +Again, if a _peahen_ mean a _pea_ (_pfau_ or _pavo_) that is female, then +does the compound _pheasant-hen_ mean the same as _hen-pheasant_; which is +not the case. The fact is that _peacock_ means a _cock that is a pea_ +(_pfau_ or _pavo_); _peahen_ means a _hen that is a pea_ (_pfau_ or +_pavo_); and, finally, _peafowl_ means a _fowl that is a pea_ (_pfau_ or +_pavo_). In the same way _moorfowl_ means, not a _moor that is connected +with a fowl_, but a _fowl that is connected with a moor_. + +§ 367. It must be clear that in every compound word there are, at least, +two parts; i.e., the whole or part of the original, and the whole or part +of the superadded word. In the most perfect forms of inflection, however, +there is a _third_ element, viz., a vowel, consonant, or syllable that +joins the first word with the second. + +In the older forms of all the Gothic languages the presence of this third +element was the rule rather than the exception. In the present English it +exists in but few words. + +a. The -a- in _black-a-moor_ is possibly such a connecting element. + +b. The -in- in _night-in-gale_ is most probably such a connecting element. +Compare the German form _nacht-i-gale_, and remember the tendency of vowels +to take the sound of -ng before g. + +§ 368. _Improper compounds._--The -s- in words like _Thur-s-day_, +_hunt-s-man_, may be one of two things. + +a. It may be the sign of the genitive case, so that _Thursday_ = _Thoris +dies_. In this case the word is an _improper compound_, since it is like +the word _pater-familias_ in Latin, in a common state of syntactical +construction. + +b. It may be a connecting sound, like the -i- in _nacht-i-gale_. Reasons +for this view occur in the following fact:-- + +In the modern German languages the genitive case of feminine nouns ends +otherwise than in -s. Nevertheless, the sound of -s- occurs in composition +equally, whether the noun it follows be masculine or feminine. This fact, +as far as it goes, makes it convenient to consider the sound in question as +a connective rather than a case. Probably, it is neither one nor the other +exactly, but the effect of a false analogy. + +§ 369. _Decomposites._--"Composition is the joining together of _two_ +words."--See § 357. + +Words like _mid-ship-man_, _gentle-man-like_, &c., where the number of +verbal elements seems to amount to _three_, are no exception to this rule; +since _compound radicals_ like _midship_ and _gentleman_, are, for the +purposes of composition, single words. Compounds wherein one element is +compound are called _decomposites_. + +§ 370. There are a number of words which are never found by themselves; or, +if so found, have never the same sense that they have in _combination_. +Mark the word _combination_. The terms in question are points of +_combination_, not of composition: since they form not the parts of words, +but the parts of phrases. Such are the expressions _time and tide_--_might +and main_--_rede me my riddle_--_pay your shot_--_rhyme and reason_, &c. +These words are evidently of the same class, though not of the same species +with _bishopric_, _colewort_, _spillikin_, _gossip_, _mainswearer_, &c. + +These last-mentioned terms give us obsolete words preserved in composition. +The former give us obsolete words preserved in combination. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXXII. + +ON DERIVATION AND INFLECTION. + +§ 371. _Derivation_, like _etymology_, is a word used in a wide and in a +limited sense. In the wide sense of the term, every word, except it be in +the simple form of a root, is a derived word. In this sense the cases, +numbers, and genders of nouns, the persons, moods, and tenses of verbs, the +ordinal numbers, the diminutives, and even the compound words, are alike +matters of derivation. In the wide sense of the term the word _fathers_, +from _father_, is equally in a state of derivation with the word _strength_ +from _strong_. + +In the use of the word, even in its limited sense, there is considerable +laxity and uncertainty. + +_Gender_, _number_, _case_.--These have been called the _accidents_ of the +noun, and these it has been agreed to separate from derivation in its +stricter sense, or from derivation properly so called, and to class +together under the name of declension. Nouns are _declined_. + +_Person_, _number_, _tense_, _voice_.--These have been called the +_accidents_ of a verb, and these it has been agreed to separate from +derivation properly so called, and to class together under the name of +conjugation. Verbs are _conjugated_. + +Conjugation and declension constitute inflection. Nouns and verbs, speaking +generally, are inflected. + +Inflection, a part of derivation in its wider sense, is separated from +derivation properly so called, or from derivation in its limited sense. + +The degrees of comparison, or certain derived forms of adjectives; the +ordinals, or certain derived forms of the numerals; the diminutives, &c., +or certain derived forms of the substantive, have been separated from +derivation properly so called, and considered as parts of inflection. I am +not certain, however, that for so doing there is any better reason than +mere convenience. + +Derivation proper, the subject of the present chapter, comprises all the +changes that words undergo, which are not referable to some of the +preceding heads. As such, it is, in its details, a wider field than even +composition. The details, however, are not entered into. + +§ 372. Derivation proper may be divided according to a variety of +principles. Amongst others-- + +I. _According to the evidence._--In the evidence that a word is not simple, +but derived, there are at least two degrees. + +a. That the word _strength_ is a derived word I collect to a certainty from +the word _strong_, an independent form, which I can separate from it. Of +the nature of the word _strength_ there is the clearest evidence, or +evidence of the first degree. + +b. _Fowl_, _hail_, _nail_, _sail_, _tail_, _soul_; in Anglo-Saxon, _fugel_, +_hægel_, _nægel_, _segel_, _tægel_, _sawel_.--These words are by the best +grammarians considered as derivatives. Now, with these words I cannot do +what was done with the word _strength_, I cannot take from them the part +which I look upon as the derivational addition, and after that leave an +independent word. _Strength_ -th is a true word; _fowl_ or _fugel_ -l is no +true word. If I believe these latter words to be derivations at all, I do +it because I find in words like _harelle_, &c., the -l as a derivational +addition. Yet, as the fact of a word being sometimes used as a derivational +addition does not preclude it from being at other times a part of the root, +the evidence that the words in question are not simple, but derived, is not +cogent. In other words, it is evidence of the second degree. + +II. _According to the effect._--The syllable -en in the word _whiten_ +changes the noun _white_ into a verb. This is its effect. We may so +classify derivational forms as to arrange combinations like -en (whose +effect is to give the idea of the verb) in one order; whilst combinations +like -th (whose effect is, as in the word _strength_, to give the idea of +abstraction) form another order. + +III. _According to the form._--Sometimes the derivational element is a +vowel (as the -ie in _doggie_), sometimes a consonant (as the -th in +_strength_), sometimes a vowel and consonant combined; in other words a +syllable (as the -en, in _whiten_), sometimes a change of vowel without any +addition (as the -i in _tip_, compared with _top_), sometimes a change of +consonant without any addition (as the z in _prize_, compared with +_price_). Sometimes it is a change of accent, like a _súrvey_, compared +with _to survéy_. To classify derivations in this manner, is to classify +them according to their form. + +IV. _According to the historical origin of the derivational elements._ + +V. _According to the number of the derivational elements._--In _fisher_, as +compared with _fish_, there is but one derivational affix. In _fishery_, as +compared with _fish_, the number of derivational elements is two. + +§ 373. In words like _bishopric_, and many others mentioned in the last +Chapter, we had compound words under the appearance of derived ones; in +words like _upmost_, and many others, we have derivation under the +appearance of composition. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXXIII. + +ADVERBS. + +§ 374. _Adverbs._--The adverbs are capable of being classified after a +variety of principles. + +Firstly, they may be divided according to their meaning. In this case we +speak of the adverbs of _time_, _place_, _number_, _manner_. + +§ 375. _Well_, _better_, _ill_, _worse_.--Here we have a class of adverbs +expressive of degree, or intensity. Adverbs of this kind are capable of +taking an inflection, viz., that of the comparative and superlative +degrees. + +_Now_, _then_, _here_, _there_.--In the idea expressed by these words there +are no degrees of intensity. Adverbs of this kind are incapable of taking +any inflection. + +Adverbs differ from nouns and verbs in being susceptible of one sort of +inflection only, viz., that of degree. + +§ 376. Secondly, adverbs may be divided according to their form and origin. + +_Better_, _worse_.--Here the words are sometimes adverbs; sometimes +adjectives.--_This book is better than that_--here _better_ agrees with +_book_, and is, therefore, adjectival. _This looks better than that_--here +_better_ qualifies _looks_, and is therefore adverbial. Again; _to do a +thing with violence_ is equivalent _to do a thing violently_. This shows +how adverbs may arise out of cases. In words like the English _better_, the +Latin _vi_ = _violenter_, the Greek καλὸν = καλῶς, we have adjectives in +their degrees, and substantives in their cases, with adverbial powers. In +other words, nouns are deflected from their natural sense to an adverbial +one. Adverbs of this kind are adverbs of _deflection_. + +_Brightly_, _bravely_.--Here an adjective is rendered adverbial by the +addition of the derivative syllable -ly. Adverbs like _brightly_, &c., may +be called adverbs of _derivation_. + +_Now_.--This word has not satisfactorily been shown to have originated as +any other part of speech but as an adverb. Words of this sort are adverbs +_absolute_. + +§ 377. _When_, _now_, _well_, _worse_, _better_--here the adverbial +expression consists in a single word, and is _simple_. _To-day_, +_yesterday_, _not at all_, _somewhat_--here the adverbial expression +consists of a compound word, or a phrase. This indicates the division of +adverbs into _simple_ and _complex_. + +§ 378. Adverbs of deflection may originally have been-- + +a. _Substantive_; as _needs_ in such expressions as _I needs must go_. + +b. _Adjectives_; as the _sun shines bright_. + +c. _Prepositions_; as _I go in_, _we go out_; though, it should be added, +that in this case we may as reasonably derive the preposition from the +adverb as the adverb from the preposition. + +§ 379. Adjectives of deflection derived from substantives may originally +have been-- + +a. _Substantives in the _genitive_ case_; as _needs_. + +b. _Substantives in the _dative_ case_; as _whil-om_, an antiquated word +meaning _at times_, and often improperly spelt _whilome_. In such an +expression as _wait a while_, the word still exists; and _while_ = _time_, +or rather _pause_; since, in Danish, _hvile_ = _rest_. + +_El-se_ (for _ell-es_); _unawar-es_; _eftsoon-s_ are _adjectives_ in the +genitive case. _By rights_ is a word of the same sort; the -s being the +sign of the genitive singular like the -s in _father's_, and not of the +accusative plural like the -s in _fathers_. + +_Once_ (_on-es_); _twice_ (_twi-es_); _thrice_ (_thri-es_) are _numerals_ +in the genitive case. + +§ 380. _Darkling_.--This is no participle of a verb _darkle_, but an adverb +of derivation, like _unwaringûn_ = _unawares_, Old High German; _stillinge_ += _secretly_, Middle High German; _blindlings_ = _blindly_, New High +German; _darnungo_ = _secretly_, Old Saxon; _nichtinge_ = _by night_, +Middle Dutch; _blindeling_ = _blindly_, New Dutch; _bæclinga_ = +_backwards_, _handlunga_ = _hand to hand_, Anglo-Saxon; and, finally, +_blindlins_, _backlins_, _darklins_, _middlins_, _scantlins_, _stridelins_, +_stowlins_, in Lowland Scotch. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXXIV. + +ON CERTAIN ADVERBS OF PLACE. + +§ 381. It is a common practice for languages to express by different +modifications of the same root the three following ideas:-- + +1. The idea of rest _in_ a place. + +2. The idea of motion _towards_ a place. + +3. The idea of motion _from_ a place. + +This habit gives us three correlative adverbs--one of _position_, and two +of _direction_. + +§ 382. It is also a common practice of language to depart from the original +expression of each particular idea, and to interchange the signs by which +they are expressed; so that a word originally expressive of simple position +or _rest in a place_ may be used instead of the word expressive of +direction, _or motion between two places_. Hence we say, _come here_, when +_come hither_ would be the more correct expression. + +§ 383. The full amount of change in this respect may be seen from the +following table, illustrative of the forms _here_, _hither_, _hence_. + + _Mœso-Gothic_ þar, þaþ, þaþro, _there, thither, thence_. + hêr, hiþ, hidrô, _here, hither, hence_. + _Old High huâr, huara, huanana, _where, whither, whence_. + German_ dâr, dara, danana, _there, thither, thence_. + hear, hêra, hinana, _here, hither, hence_. + _Old Saxon_ huar, huar, huanan, _where, whither, whence_. + thar, thar, thanan, _there, thither, thence_. + hêr, hër, hënan, _here, hither, hence_. + _Anglo-Saxon_ þar, þider, þonan, _there, thither, thence_. + hvar, hvider, hvonan, _where, whither, whence_. + hêr, hider, hënan, _here, hither, hence_. + _Old Norse_ þar, þaðra, þaðan, _there, thither, thence_. + hvar, hvert, hvaðan, _where, whither, whence_. + hêr, hëðra, hëðan, _here, hither, hence_. + _Middle High dâ, dan, dannen, _there, thither, thence_. + German_ wâ, war, wannen, _where, whither, whence_. + hie, hër, hennen, _here, hither, hence_. + _Modern High da, dar, dannen, _there, thither, thence_. + German_ wo, wohin, wannen, _where, whither, whence_. + hier, her, hinnen, _here, hither, hence_. + +§ 384. Local terminations of this kind, in general, were commoner in the +earlier stages of language than at present. The following are from the +Mœso-Gothic:-- + + Innaþrô = _from within_. + Utaþrô = _from without_. + Iuþaþrô = _from above_. + Fáirraþrô = _from afar_. + Allaþrô = _from all quarters_. + +§ 385. The -ce ( = es) in _hen-ce_, _when-ce_, _then-ce_, has yet to be +satisfactorily explained. The Old English is _whenn-es_, _thenn-es_. As +far, therefore, as the spelling is concerned, they are in the same +predicament with the word _once_, which is properly _on-es_, the genitive +of _one_. This origin is probable, but not certain. + +§ 386. _Yonder_.--In the Mœso-Gothic we have the following forms: _jáinar_, +_jáina_, _jánþrô_ = _illic_, _illuc_, _illinc_. They do not, however, quite +explain the form _yon-d-er_. It is not clear whether the d = the -d in +_jâind_, or the þ in _jainþro_. + +§ 387. _Anon_, is used by Shakspeare, in the sense of _presently_.--The +probable history of this word is as follows: the first syllable contains a +root akin to the root _yon_, signifying _distance in place_. The second is +a shortened form of the Old High German and Middle High German, -nt, a +termination expressive, 1, of removal in _space_; 2, of removal in _time_; +Old High German, _ënont_, _ënnont_; Middle High German, _ënentlig_, +_jenunt_ = _beyond_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXXV. + +ON WHEN, THEN, AND THAN. + +§ 388. The Anglo-Saxon adverbs are _whenne_ and _þenne_ = _when_, _then_. + +The masculine accusative cases of the relative and demonstrative pronoun +are _hwæne_ (_hwone_) and _þæne_ (_þone_). + +Notwithstanding the difference, the first form is a variety of the second; +so that the adverbs _when_ and _then_ are really pronominal in origin. + +§ 389. As to the word _than_, the conjunction of comparison, it is another +form of _then_; the notions of _order_, _sequence_, and _comparison_ being +allied. + +_This is good_; _then_ (or _next in order_) _that is good_, is an +expression sufficiently similar to _this is better than that_ to have given +rise to it; and in Scotch and certain provincial dialects we actually find +_than_ instead of _then_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXXVI. + +PREPOSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS. + +§ 390. _Prepositions._--Prepositions are wholly unsusceptible of +inflection. + +§ 391. _Conjunctions._--Conjunctions, like prepositions, are wholly +unsusceptible of inflection. + +§ 392. _Yes_, _no_.--Although _not_ may be considered to be an adverb, +_nor_ a conjunction, and _none_ a noun, these two words, the direct +categorical affirmative, and the direct categorical negative, are referable +to none of the current parts of speech. Accurate grammar places them in a +class by themselves. + +§ 393. _Particles._--The word particle is a collective term for all those +parts of speech that are _naturally_ unsusceptible of inflection; +comprising, 1, interjections; 2, direct categorical affirmatives; 3, direct +categorical negatives; 4, absolute conjunctions; 5, absolute prepositions; +6, adverbs unsusceptible of degrees of comparison; 7, inseparable prefixes. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXXVII. + +ON THE GRAMMATICAL POSITION OF THE WORDS MINE AND THINE. + +§ 394. The inflection of pronouns has its natural peculiarities in +language. It has also its natural difficulties in philology. These occur +not in one language in particular, but in all generally. + +The most common peculiarity in the grammar of pronouns is the fact of what +may be called their _convertibility_. Of this _convertibility_ the +following statements serve as illustration:-- + +1. _Of case._--In our own language the words _my_ and _thy_ although at +present possessives, were previously datives, and, earlier still, +accusatives. Again, the accusative _you_ replaces the nominative _ye_, and +_vice versâ_. + +2. _Of number._--The words _thou_ and _thee_ are, except in the mouths of +Quakers, obsolete. The plural forms, _ye_ and _you_, have replaced them. + +3. _Of person._--The Greek language gives us examples of this in the +promiscuous use of νιν, μιν, σφε, and ἑαυτοῦ; whilst _sich_ and _sik_ are +used with a similar latitude in the Middle High German and Scandinavian. + +4. _Of class._--The demonstrative pronouns become-- + + a. Personal pronouns. + b. Relative pronouns. + c. Articles. + +The reflective pronoun often becomes reciprocal. + +§ 395. These statements are made for the sake of illustrating, not of +exhausting, the subject. It follows, however, as an inference from them, +that the classification of pronouns is complicated. Even if we knew the +original power and derivation of every form of every pronoun in a language, +it would be far from an easy matter to determine therefrom the paradigm +that they should take in grammar. To place a word according to its power in +a late stage of language might confuse the study of an early stage. To say +that because a word was once in a given class, it should always be so, +would be to deny that in the present English _they_, _these_, and _she_ are +personal pronouns at all. + +The two tests, then, of the grammatical place of a pronoun, its _present +power_ and its _original power_, are often conflicting. + +§ 396. In the English language the point of most importance in this +department of grammar is the place of forms like _mine_ and _thine_; in +other words, of the forms in -n. + +Now, if we take up the common grammars of the English language _as it is_, +we find, that, whilst _my_ and _thy_ are dealt with as genitive cases, +_mine_ and _thine_ are considered adjectives. In the _Anglo-Saxon_ +grammars, however, _min_ and _þin_, the older forms of _mine_ and _thine_, +are treated as genitives or possessives. + +§ 397. This gives us two views of the words _my_ and _thy_. + +a. They may be genitives or possessives, which were originally datives or +accusatives; in which case they are deduced from the Anglo-Saxon _mec_ and +_þec_. + +b. They may be the Anglo-Saxon _min_ and _þin_, _minus_ the final -n. + +Each of these views has respectable supporters. The former is decidedly +preferred by the present writer. + +§ 398. What, however, are _thine_ and _mine_? Are they adjectives like +_meus_, _tuus_, and _suus_, or cases like _mei_, _tui_, _sui_, in Latin, +and _hi-s_ in English? + +It is no answer to say that sometimes they are one and sometimes the other. +They were not so originally. They did not begin with meaning two things at +once; on the contrary, they were either possessive cases, of which the +power became subsequently adjectival, or adjectives, of which the power +became subsequently possessive. + +§ 399. In Anglo-Saxon and in Old Saxon there is but one form to express the +Latin _mei_ (or _tui_), on the one side, and _meus_, _mea_, _meum_ (or +_tuus_, &c.), on the other. In several other Gothic tongues, however, there +was the following difference of form: + + _Mœso-Gothic_ meina = _mei_ as opposed to meins = _meus_. + þeina = _tui_ -- þeins = _tuus_. + _Old High German_ mîn = _mei_ -- mîner = _meus_. + dîn = _tui_ -- dîner = _tuus_. + _Old Norse_ min = _mei_ -- minn = _meus_. + þin = _tui_ -- þinn = _tuus_. + _Middle Dutch_ mîns = _mei_ -- mîn = _meus_. + dîns = _tui_ -- dîn = _tuus_. + _Modern High German_ mein = _mei_ -- meiner = _meus_. + dein = _tui_ -- deiner = _tuus_. + +In these differences of form lie the best reasons for the assumption of a +genitive case, as the origin of an adjectival form; and, undoubtedly, in +those languages where both forms occur, it is convenient to consider one as +a case and one as an adjective. + +§ 400. But this is not the present question. In Anglo-Saxon there is but +one form, _min_ and _þin_ = _mei_ and _meus_, _tui_ and _tuus_, +indifferently. Is this form an oblique case or an adjective? + +This involves two sorts of evidence. + +§ 401. _Etymological evidence._--Assuming two _powers_ for the words _min_ +and _þin_, one genitive, and one adjectival, which is the original one? Or, +going beyond the Anglo-Saxon, assuming that of two _forms_ like _meina_ and +_meins_, the one has been derived from the other, which is the primitive, +radical, primary, or original one? + +Men, from whom it is generally unsafe to differ, consider that the +adjectival form is the derived one; and, as far as forms like _mîner_, as +opposed to _mîn_, are concerned, the evidence of the foregoing list is in +their favour. But what is the case with the Middle Dutch? The genitive +_mîns_ is evidently the derivative of _mîn_. + +The reason why the forms like _mîner_ seem derived is because they are +longer and more complex than the others. Nevertheless, it is by no means an +absolute rule in philology that the least compound form is the oldest. A +word may be adapted to a secondary meaning by a change in its parts in the +way of omission, as well as by a change in the way of addition. + +§ 402. As to the question whether it is most likely for an adjective to be +derived from a case, or a case from an adjective, it may be said, that +philology furnishes instances both ways. _Ours_ is a case derived, in +syntax at least, from an adjective. _Cujum_ (as in _cujum pecus_) and +_sestertium_ are Latin instances of a nominative case being evolved from an +oblique one. + +§ 403. _Syntactic evidence._--If in Anglo-Saxon we found such expressions +as _dœl min_ = _pars mei_, _hœlf þin_ = _dimidium tui_, we should have a +reason, as far as it went, for believing in the existence of a true +genitive. Such instances, however, have yet to be quoted. + +§ 404. Again--as _min_ and _þin_ are declined like adjectives, even as +_meus_ and _tuus_ are so declined, we have means of ascertaining their +nature from the form they take in certain constructions; thus, _mi-nra_ = +_me-orum_, and _min-re_ = _me-æ_, are the genitive plural and the dative +singular respectively. Thus, too, the Anglo-Saxon for _of thy eyes_ should +be _eagena þinra_, and the Anglo-Saxon for _to my widow_, should be +_wuduwan minre_; just as in Latin, they would be _oculorum tuorum_, and +_viduæ meæ._ + +If, however, instead of this we find such expressions as _eagena þin_, or +_wuduwan min_, we find evidence in favour of a genitive case; for then the +construction is not one of concord, but one of government, and the words +_þin_ and _min_ must be construed as the Latin forms _tui_ and _mei_ would +be in _oculorum mei_, and _viduæ mei_; viz.: as genitive cases. Now, +whether a sufficient proportion of such constructions exist or not, they +have not yet been brought forward. + +Such instances, even if quoted, would not be conclusive. + +§ 405. Why would they not be conclusive? Because _even of the adjective +there are uninflected forms_. + +As early as the Mœso-Gothic stage of our language, we find rudiments of +this omission of the inflection. The possessive pronouns in the _neuter +singular_ sometimes take the inflection, sometimes appear as crude forms, +_nim thata badi theinata_ = ᾆρόν σου τὸν κράββατον (Mark ii. 9), opposed to +_nim thata badi thein_, two verses afterwards. So also with _mein_ and +_meinata_. It is remarkable that this omission should begin with forms so +marked as those of the neuter (-ata). It has, perhaps, its origin in the +adverbial character of that gender. + +_Old High German._--Here the nominatives, both masculine and feminine, lose +the inflection, whilst the neuter retains it--_thin dohter_, _sîn quenâ_, +_min dohter_, _sinaz lîb_. In a few cases, when the pronoun comes after, +even the _oblique_ cases drop the inflection. + +_Middle High German._--_Preceding_ the noun, the nominative of all genders +is destitute of inflection; _sîn lîb_, _mîn ere_, _dîn lîb_, &c. +_Following_ the nouns, the oblique cases do the same; _ine herse sîn_. The +influence of position should here be noticed. Undoubtedly a place _after_ +the substantive influences the omission of the inflection. This appears in +its _maximum_ in the Middle High German. In Mœso-Gothic we have _mein leik_ +and _leik meinata_. + +§ 406. Now by assuming the extension of the Middle High German omission of +the inflection to the Anglo-Saxon; and by supposing it to affect the words +in question in _all_ positions (i.e., both before and after their nouns), +we may explain the constructions in question, in case they occur. But, as +already stated, no instances of them have been quoted. + +To suppose _two_ adjectival forms, one inflected (_min_, _minre_, &c.), and +one uninflected, or common to all genders and both numbers (_min_), is to +suppose no more than is the case with the uninflected _þe_, as compared +with the inflected _þæt_. + +§ 407. Hence, the evidence required in order to make a single instance of +_min_ or _þin_, the _necessary_ equivalents to _mei_ and _tui_, rather than +to _meus_ and _tuus_, must consist in the quotation from the Anglo-Saxon of +some text, wherein _min_ or _þin_ occurs with a feminine substantive, in an +_oblique_ case, the pronoun _preceding_ the noun. When this has been done, +it will be time enough to treat _mine_ and _thine_ as the equivalents to +_mei_ and _tui_, rather than as those to _meus_ and _tuus_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXXVIII. + +ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE WEAK PRÆTERITE. + +§ 408. The remote origin of the weak præterite in -d or -t, has been +considered by Grimm. He maintains that it is the d in _d-d_, the +reduplicate præterite of _do_. In all the Gothic languages the termination +of the past tense is either -da, -ta, -de, -ði, -d, -t, or -ed, for the +singular, and -don, -ton, -tûmês, or -ðum, for the plural; in other words, +d, or an allied sound, appears once, if not oftener. In the _plural_ +præterite of the _Mœso-Gothic_, however, we have something more, viz., the +termination _-dêdum_; as _nas-idêdum_, _nas-idêduþ_, _nas-idedun_, from +_nas-ja_; _sôk-idêdum_, _sôk-idêduþ_, _sôk-idêdun_, from _sôk-ja_; +_salb-ôdedum_, _salb-ôdêduþ_, _salb-ôdêdun_, from _salbô_. Here there is a +second d. The same takes place with the dual form _salb-ôdêduts_, and with +the subjunctive forms, _salb-ôdêdjan_, _salb-ôdêduts_, _salb-ôdedi_, +_salb-ôdêdeits_, _salb-ôdêdeima_, _salb-ôdedeiþ_, _salb-ôdedina_. The +English phrase, _we did salve_, as compared with _salb-ôdedum_, is +confirmatory of this. + +§ 409. Some remarks of Dr. Trithen's on the Slavonic præterite, in the +"Transactions of the Philological Society," induce me to prefer a different +doctrine, and to identify the -d in words like _moved_, &c., with the -t of +the passive participles of the Latin language; as found in mon-it-us, +voc-at-us, rap-t-us, and probably in Greek forms like τυφ-θ-είς. + +1. The Slavonic præterite is commonly said to possess genders: in other +words, there is one form for speaking of a past action when done by a male, +and another for speaking of a past action when done by a female. + +2. These forms are identical with those of the participles, masculine or +feminine, as the case may be. Indeed the præterite is a participle. If, +instead of saying _ille amavit_, the Latins said _ille amatus_, whilst, +instead of saying _illa amavit_, they said _illa amata_, they would exactly +use the grammar of the Slavonians. + +3. Hence, as one class of languages, at least, gives us the undoubted fact +of an active præterite being identical with a passive participle, and as +the participle and præterite in question are nearly identical, we have a +fair reason for believing that the d, in the English active præterite, is +the d of the participle, which in its turn, is the t of the Latin passive +participle. + +§ 410. The following extract gives Dr. Trithen's remarks on the Slavonic +verb in his own words:-- + + "A peculiarity which distinguishes the grammar of all the Slavish + languages, consists in the use of the past participle, taken in an + active sense, for the purpose of expressing the præterite. This + participle generally ends in l; and much uncertainty prevails both as + to its origin and its relations, though the termination has been + compared by various philologists with similar affixes in the Sanscrit, + and the classical languages. + + "In the Old Slavish, or the language of the church, there are three + methods of expressing the past tense: one of them consists in the union + of the verb substantive with the participle; as, + + _Rek esm'_ _chital esmi'_ + _Rek esi'_ _chital esi'_ + _Rek est'_ _chital est'_. + + "In the corresponding tense of the Slavonic dialect we have the verb + substantive placed before the participle: + + _Ya sam imao_ _mi' smo imali_ + _Ti si imao_ _vi' ste imali_ + _On ye imao_ _omi su imali_. + + "In the Polish it appears as a suffix: + + _Czytalem_ _czytalismy_ + _Czytales_ _czytaliscie_ + _Czytal_ _czytalie_. + + "And in the Servian it follows the participle: + + _Igrao sam_ _igrali smo_ + _Igrao si_ _igrali ste_ + _Igrao ye_ _igrali su_. + + "The ending -ao, of _igrao_ and _imao_, stands for the Russian _al_, as + in some English dialects a' is used for _all_." + + * * * * * + + +PART V. + +SYNTAX. + + * * * * * + +CHAPTER I. + +ON SYNTAX IN GENERAL. + +§ 411. The word _syntax_ is derived from the Greek _syn_ (_with_ or +_together_) and _taxis_ (_arrangement_). It relates to the arrangement, or +putting together, of words. Two or more words must be used before there can +be any application of syntax. + +_There is to me a father._--Here we have a circumlocution equivalent to _I +have a father_. In the English language the circumlocution is unnatural. In +the Latin it is common. To determine this, is a matter of idiom rather than +of syntax. + +§ 412. In the English, as in all other languages, it is convenient to +notice certain so-called figures of speech. They always furnish convenient +modes of expression, and sometimes, as in the case of the one immediately +about to be noticed, _account_ for facts. + +§ 413. _Personification._--The ideas of apposition and collectiveness +account for the apparent violations of the concord of number. The idea of +personification applies to the concord of gender. A masculine or feminine +gender, characteristic of persons, may be substituted for the neuter +gender, characteristic of things. In this case the term is said to be +personified. + +_The cities who aspired to liberty._--A personification of the idea +expressed by cities is here necessary to justify the expression. + +_It_, the sign of the neuter gender, as applied to a male or female +_child_, is the reverse of the process. + +§ 414. _Ellipsis_ (from the Greek _elleipein_ = _to fall short_), or a +_falling short_, occurs in sentences like _I sent to the bookseller's_. +Here the word _shop_ or _house_ is understood. Expressions like _to go on +all fours_, and _to eat of the fruit of the tree_, are reducible to +ellipses. + +§ 415. _Pleonasm_ (from the Greek _pleoazein_ = _to be in excess_) occurs +in sentences like _the king, he reigns_. Here the word _he_ is +superabundant. + +_My banks, they are furnished_,--_the most straitest sect_,--these are +pleonastic expressions. In _the king, he reigns_, the word _king_ is in the +same predicament as in _the king, God bless him_. + +The double negative, allowed in Greek and Anglo-Saxon, but not admissible +in English, is pleonastic. + +The verb _do_, in _I do speak_, is _not_ pleonastic. In respect to the +sense it adds intensity. In respect to the construction it is not in +apposition, but in the same predicament with verbs like _must_ and +_should_, as in _I must go_, &c.; i.e., it is a verb followed by an +infinitive. This we know from its power in those languages where the +infinitive has a characteristic sign; as, in German, + + Die Augen _thaten_ ihm winken.--GOETHE. + +Besides this, _make_ is similarly used in Old English,--_But men make draw +the branch thereof, and beren him to be graffed at Babyloyne._--Sir J. +Mandeville. + +§ 416. _The figure zeugma._--_They wear a garment like that of the +Scythians, but a language peculiar to themselves._--The verb, naturally +applying to _garment_ only, is here used to govern _language_. This is +called in Greek, _zeugma_ (junction). + +§ 417. _My paternal home was made desolate, and he himself was +sacrificed._--The sense of this is plain; _he_ means _my father_. Yet no +such substantive as _father_ has gone before. It is supplied, however, from +the word _paternal_. The sense indicated by _paternal_ gives us a subject +to which he can refer. In other words, the word _he_ is understood, +according to what is indicated, rather than according to what is expressed. +This figure in Greek is called _pros to semainomenon_ (_according to the +thing indicated_). + +§ 418.--_Apposition,_--_Cæsar, the Roman emperor, invades Britain._---Here +the words _Roman emperor_ explain, or define, the word _Cæsar_; and the +sentence, filled up, might stand, _Cæsar, that is, the Roman emperor_, &c. +Again, the words _Roman emperor_ might be wholly ejected; or, if not +ejected, they might be thrown into a parenthesis. The practical bearing of +this fact is exhibited by changing the form of the sentence, and inserting +the conjunction _and_. In this case, instead of one person, two are spoken +of, and the verb _invades_ must be changed from the singular to the plural. + +Now the words _Roman emperor_ are said to be in apposition to _Cæsar_. They +constitute, not an additional idea, but an explanation of the original one. +They are, as it were, _laid alongside_ (_appositi_) of the word _Cæsar_. +Cases of doubtful number, wherein two substantives precede a verb, and +wherein it is uncertain whether the verb should be singular or plural, are +decided by determining whether the substantives be in apposition or the +contrary. No matter how many nouns there may be, as long as it can be shown +that they are in apposition, the verb is in the singular number. + +§ 419. _Collectiveness as opposed to plurality._--In sentences like _the +meeting _was_ large_, _the multitude _pursue_ pleasure_, _meeting_ and +_multitude_ are each collective nouns; that is, although they present the +idea of a single object, that object consists of a plurality of +individuals. Hence, _pursue_ is put in the plural number. To say, however, +_the meeting were large_ would sound improper. The number of the verb that +shall accompany a collective noun depends upon whether the idea of the +multiplicity of individuals, or that of the unity of the aggregate, shall +predominate. + +_Sand and salt and a mass of iron _is_ easier to bear than a man without +understanding._--Let _sand and salt and a mass of iron_ be dealt with as a +series of things the aggregate of which forms a mixture, and the expression +is allowable. + +_The king and the lords and commons _forms_ an excellent frame of +government._--Here the expression is doubtful. Substitute _with_ for the +first _and_, and there is no doubt as to the propriety of the singular form +_is_. + +§ 420. _The reduction of complex forms to simple ones._--Take, for +instance, the current illustration, viz., _the-king-of-Saxony's +army_.--Here the assertion is, not that the army belongs to _Saxony_, but +that it belongs to the _king of Saxony_; which words must, for the sake of +taking a true view of the construction, be dealt with as a single word in +the possessive case. Here two cases are dealt with as one; and a complex +term is treated as a single word. + +The same reason applies to phrases like _the two king Williams_. If we say +the _two kings William_, we must account for the phrase by apposition. + +§ 421. _True notion of the part of speech in use._--In _he is gone_, the +word _gone_ must be considered as equivalent to _absent_; that is, as an +adjective. Otherwise the expression is as incorrect as the expression _she +is eloped_. Strong participles are adjectival oftener than weak ones: their +form being common to many adjectives. + +_True notion of the original form._--In the phrase _I must speak_, the word +_speak_ is an infinitive. In the phrase _I am forced to speak_, the word +_speak_ is (in the present English) an infinitive also. In one case, +however, it is preceded by _to_; whilst in the other, the particle _to_ is +absent. The reason for this lies in the original difference of form. +_Speak_ - _to_ = the Anglo-Saxon _sprécan_, a simple infinitive; _to +speak_, or _speak_ + _to_ = the Anglo-Saxon _to sprécanne_, an infinitive +in the dative case. + +§ 422. _Convertibility._--In the English language, the greater part of the +words may, as far as their form is concerned, be one part of speech as well +as another. Thus the combinations _s-a-n-th_, or _f-r-e-n-k_, if they +existed at all, might exist as either nouns or verbs, as either +substantives or adjectives, as conjunctions, adverbs, or prepositions. This +is not the case in the Greek languages. There, if a word be a substantive, +it will probably end in -s; if an infinitive verb, in -ein, &c. The +bearings of this difference between languages like the English and +languages like the Greek will soon appear. + +At present, it is sufficient to say that a word, originally one part of +speech (e.g., a noun), may become another (e.g., a verb). This may be +called the convertibility of words. + +There is an etymological convertibility, and a syntactic convertibility; +and although, in some cases, the line of demarcation is not easily drawn +between them, the distinction is intelligible and convenient. + +§ 423. _Etymological convertibility._--The words _then_ and _than_, now +adverbs or conjunctions, were once cases: in other words, they have been +converted from one part of speech to another. Or, they may even be said to +be cases, at the present moment; although only in an historical point of +view. For the practice of language, they are not only adverbs or +conjunctions, but they are adverbs or conjunctions exclusively. + +§ 424. _Syntactic convertibility._--The combination _to err_, is at this +moment an infinitive verb. Nevertheless it can be used as the equivalent to +the substantive _error_. + +_To err is human_ = _error is human_. Now this is an instance of syntactic +conversion. Of the two meanings, there is no doubt as to which is the +primary one; which primary meaning is part and parcel of the language at +this moment. + +The infinitive, when used as a substantive, can be used in a singular form +only. + +_To err_ = _error_; but we have no such form as _to errs_ = _errors_. Nor +is it wanted. The infinitive, in a substantival sense, always conveys a +general statement, so that even when singular, it has a plural power; just +as _man is mortal_ = _men are mortal_. + +§ 425. _The adjective used as a substantive._--Of these, we have examples +in expressions like the _blacks of Africa_--_the bitters and sweets of +life_--_all fours were put to the ground_. These are true instances of +conversion, and are proved to be so by the fact of their taking a plural +form. + +_Let the blind lead the blind_ is not an instance of conversion. The word +_blind_ in both instances remains an adjective, and is shown to remain so +by its being uninflected. + +§ 426. _Uninflected parts of speech, used as substantive._--When King +Richard III. says, _none of your ifs_, he uses the word _if_ as a +substantive = _expressions of doubt_. + +So in the expression _one long now_, the word _now_ = _present time_. + +§ 427. The convertibility of words in English is very great; and it is so +because the structure of the language favours it. As few words have any +peculiar signs expressive of their being particular parts of speech, +interchange is easy, and conversion follows the logical association of +ideas unimpeded. + +_The convertibility of words is in the inverse ratio to the amount of their +inflection._ + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER II. + +SYNTAX OF SUBSTANTIVES. + +§ 428. The phenomena of convertibility have been already explained. + +The remaining points connected with the syntax of substantives, are chiefly +points of ellipsis. + +_Ellipsis of substantives._--The historical view of phrases, like _Rundell +and Bridge's_, _St. Paul's_, &c., shows that this ellipsis is common to the +English and the other Gothic languages. Furthermore, it shows that it is +met with in languages not of the Gothic stock; and, finally, that the class +of words to which it applies, is, there or thereabouts, the same generally. + +§ 429. The following phrases are referable to a different class of +relations-- + +1. _Right and left_--supply _hand_. This is, probably, a real ellipsis. The +words _right_ and _left_, have not yet become true substantives; inasmuch +as they have no plural forms. In this respect they stand in contrast with +_bitter_ and _sweet_; inasmuch as we can say _he has tasted both the +bitters and sweets of life_. Nevertheless, the expression can be refined +on. + +2. _All fours_. _To go on all fours._ No ellipsis. The word _fours_ is a +true substantive, as proved by its existence as a plural. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER III. + +SYNTAX OF ADJECTIVES. + +§ 430. _Pleonasm._--Pleonasm can take place with adjectives only in the +expression of the degrees of comparison. Over and above the etymological +signs of the comparative and superlative degrees, there may be used the +superlative words _more_ and _most_. + +And this pleonasm really occurs-- + + _The _more serener_ spirit_. + _The _most straitest_ sect_. + +These are instances of pleonasm in the strictest sense of the term. + +§ 431. Collocation.--As a general rule, the adjective precedes the +substantive--_a good man_, not _a man good_. + +When, however, the adjective is qualified by either the expression of its +degree, or accompanied by another adjective, it may follow the +substantive-- + + A man _just and good_. + A woman _wise and fair_. + A hero _devoted to his country_. + A patriot _disinterested to a great degree_. + +_Single simple_ adjectives thus placed after their substantive, belong to +the poetry of England, and especially to the ballad poetry--_sighs +profound_--_the leaves green_. + +§ 432. _Government._--The only adjective that governs a case, is the word +_like_. In the expression, _this is like him_, &c., the original power of +the dative remains. This we infer-- + +1. From the fact that in most languages which have inflections to a +sufficient extent, the word meaning _like_ governs a dative case. + +2. That if ever we use in English any preposition at all to express +similitude, it is the preposition _to_--_like to me_, _like to death_, &c. + +Expressions like _full of meat_, _good for John_, are by no means instances +of the government of adjectives; the really governing words being the +prepositions _to_ and _for_ respectively. + +§ 433. The positive degree preceded by the adjective _more_, is equivalent +to the comparative form--e.g., _more wise_ = _wiser_. + +The reasons for employing one expression in preference to the other, depend +upon the nature of the particular word used. + +When the word is at one and the same time of Anglo-Saxon origin and +monosyllabic, there is no doubt about the preference to be given to the +form in -er. Thus, _wis-er_ is preferable to _more wise_. + +When, however, the word is compound, or trisyllabic, the combination with +the word _more_, is preferable. + + _more fruitful_ _fruitfuller_. + _more villainous_ _villainouser_. + +Between these two extremes there are several intermediate forms, wherein +the use of one rather than another will depend upon the taste of the +writer. The question, however, is a question of euphony, rather than of +aught else. It is also illustrated by the principle of not multiplying +secondary elements. In such a word as _fruit-full-er_, there are two +additions to the root. The same is the case with the superlative, +_fruit-full-est_. + +§ 434. In the Chapter on the Comparative Degree is indicated a refinement +upon the current notions as to the power of the comparative degree, and +reasons are given for believing that the fundamental notion expressed by +the comparative inflexion is the idea of comparison or contrast between +_two_ objects. + +In this case, it is better in speaking of only two objects to use the +comparative degree rather than the superlative--even when we use the +definite article _the_. Thus-- + + This is _the better_ of the two + +is preferable to + + This is _the best_ of the two. + +This principle is capable of an application more extensive than our habits +of speaking and writing will verify. Thus to go to other parts of speech, +we should logically say-- + + Whether of the two, + +rather than + + Which of the two. + + Either the father or the son, + +but not + + Either the father, the son, or the daughter. + +This statement may be refined on. It is chiefly made for the sake of giving +fresh prominence to the idea of duality, expressed by the terminations -er +and -ter. + +§ 435. The absence of inflection simplifies the syntax of adjectives. +Violations of concord are impossible. We could not make an adjective +disagree with its substantive if we wished. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER IV. + +SYNTAX OF PRONOUNS. + +§ 436. _Pleonasm in the syntax of pronouns._--In the following sentences +the words in italics are pleonastic: + + 1. The king _he_ is just. + 2. I saw _her_, the queen. + 3. The _men_, they were there. + 4. The king, _his_ crown. + +Of these forms, the first is more common than the second and third, and the +fourth more common than the first. + +§ 437. The fourth has another element of importance. It has given rise to +the absurd notion that the genitive case in -'s (_father-'s_) is a +contraction from _his_ (_father his_). + +To say nothing about the inapplicability of this rule to feminine genders, +and plural numbers, the whole history of the Indo-Germanic languages is +against it. + +1. We cannot reduce _the queen's majesty_ to _the queen his majesty_. + +2. We cannot reduce _the children's bread_ to _the children his bread_. + +3. The Anglo-Saxon forms are in -es, not in _his_. + +4. The word _his_ itself must be accounted for; and that cannot be done by +assuming it to be _he_ + _his_. + +5. The -s in _father's_ is the -is in _patris_, and the -ος in πατέρος. + +§ 438. The preceding examples illustrate an apparent paradox, viz., the +fact of pleonasm and ellipsis being closely allied. _The king he is just_, +dealt with as a _single_ sentence, is undoubtedly pleonastic. But it is not +necessary to be considered as a mere simple sentence. _The king_--may +represent a first sentence incomplete, whilst _he is just_ represents a +second sentence in full. What is pleonasm in a single sentence is ellipsis +in a double one. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER V. + +THE TRUE PERSONAL PRONOUNS. + +§ 439. _Personal pronouns._--The use of the second person plural instead of +the second singular has been noticed already. This use of one number for +another is current throughout the Gothic languages. A pronoun so used is +conveniently called the _pronomen reverentiæ_. + +§ 440. _Dativus ethicus._--In the phrase + + Rob me the exchequer,--_Henry IV._, + +the _me_ is expletive, and is equivalent to _for me_. This expletive use of +the dative is conveniently called the _dativus ethicus_. + +§ 441. _The reflected personal pronoun._--In the English language there is +no equivalent to the Latin _se_, the German _sich_, and the Scandinavian +_sik_, and _sig_. + +It follows from this that the word _self_ is used to a greater extent than +would otherwise be the case. + +_I strike me_ is awkward, but not ambiguous. + +_Thou strikest thee_ is awkward, but not ambiguous. + +_He strikes him_ is ambiguous; inasmuch as _him_ may mean either the +_person who strikes_ or some one else. In order to be clear we add the word +_self_ when the idea is reflective. _He strikes himself_ is, at once +idiomatic and unequivocal. + +So it is with the plural persons. + +_We strike us_ is awkward, but not ambiguous. + +_Ye strike you_ is the same. + +_They strike them_ is ambiguous. + +This shows the value of a reflective pronoun for the third person. + +As a general rule, therefore, whenever we use a verb reflectively we use +the word _self_ in combination with the personal pronoun. + +Yet this was not always the case. The use of the simple personal pronoun +was current in Anglo-Saxon, and that, not only for the first two persons, +but for the third as well. + +The exceptions to this rule are either poetical expressions, or imperative +moods. + + He sat _him_ down at a pillar's base.--BYRON. + + Sit thee down. + +§ 442. _Reflective neuters._--In the phrase _I strike me_, the verb +_strike_ is transitive; in other words, the word _me_ expresses the object +of an action, and the meaning is different from the meaning of the simple +expression _I strike_. + +In the phrase _I fear me_ (used by Lord Campbell in his lives of the +Chancellors), the verb _fear_ is intransitive or neuter; in other words, +the word _me_ (unless, indeed, _fear_ mean _terrify_), expresses no object +of any action at all; whilst the meaning is the same as in the simple +expression _I fear_. + +Here the reflective pronoun appears out of place, i.e., after a neuter or +intransitive verb. + +Such a use, however, is but the fragment of an extensive system of +reflective verbs thus formed, developed in different degrees in the +different Gothic languages; but in all more than in the English. + +§ 443. _Equivocal reflectives._--The proper place of the reflective is +_after_ the verb. + +The proper place of the governing pronoun is, in the indicative and +subjunctive moods, _before_ the verb. + +Hence in expressions like the preceding there is no doubt as to the power +of the pronoun. + +The imperative mood, however, sometimes presents a complication. Here the +governing person may follow the verb. + +_Mount ye_ = either _be mounted_, or _mount yourselves_. In phrases like +this, and in phrases + + _Busk ye, busk ye_, my bonny, bonny bride, + _Busk ye, busk ye_, my winsome marrow, + +the construction is ambiguous. _Ye_ may either be a nominative case +governing the verb _busk_, or an accusative case governed by it. + +This is an instance of what may be called the _equivocal reflective_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VI. + +ON THE SYNTAX OF THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS, AND THE PRONOUNS OF THE THIRD +PERSON. + +§ 444. As _his_ and _her_ are genitive cases (and not adjectives), there is +no need of explaining such combinations as _his mother_, _her father_, +inasmuch as no concord of gender is expected. The expressions are +respectively equivalent to + + _mater ejus_, not _mater sua_; + _pater ejus_, -- _pater suus_. + +§ 445. It has been stated that _its_ is a secondary genitive, and it may be +added, that it is of late origin in the language. The Anglo-Saxon form was +_his_, the genitive of _he_ for the neuter and masculine equally. Hence, +when, in the old writers, we meet _his_, where we expect _its_, we must not +suppose that any personification takes place, but simply that the old +genitive common to the two genders is used in preference to the modern one +limited to the neuter, and irregularly formed. + +The following instances are the latest specimens of its use: + + "The apoplexy is, as I take it, a kind of lethargy. I have read the + cause of _his_ effects in Galen; _it_ is a kind of deafness."--_2 Henry + IV._ i. 2. + + "If the salt have lost _his_ savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? + _It_ is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men + cast _it_ out."--_Luke_ xiv. 35. + + "Some affirm that every plant has _his_ particular fly or caterpillar, + which it breeds and feeds."--WALTON'S _Angler_. + + "This rule is not so general, but that _it_ admitteth of _his_ + exceptions."--CAREW. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VII. + +ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WORD SELF. + +§ 446. The undoubted constructions of the word _self_, in the present state +of the cultivated English, are threefold. + +1. _Government._--In _my-self_, _thy-self_, _our-selves_, and +_your-selves_, the construction is that of a common substantive with an +adjective or genitive case. _My-self_ = _my individuality_, and is +similarly construed--_mea individualitas_ (or _persona_), or _mei +individualitas_ (or _persona_). + +2. _Apposition._--In _him-self_ and _them-selves_, when accusative, the +construction is that of a substantive in apposition with a pronoun. +_Himself_ = _him_, _the individual_. + +3. _Composition._--It is only, however, when _himself_ and _themselves_, +are in the _accusative_ case, that the construction is appositional. When +they are used as _nominatives_, it must be explained on another principle. +In phrases like + + _He himself_ was present + _They themselves_ were present, + +there is neither apposition nor government; _him_ and _them_, being neither +related to _my_ and _thy_, so as to be governed, nor yet to _he_ and +_they_, so as to form an apposition. In order to come under one of these +conditions, the phrases should be either _he his self_ (_they their +selves_), or else _he he self_ (_they they selves_). In this difficulty, +the only logical view that can be taken of the matter, is to consider the +words _himself_ and _themselves_, not as two words, but as a single word +compounded; and even then, the compound will be of an irregular kind; +inasmuch as the inflectional element -m is dealt with as part and parcel of +the root. + +§ 447. _Her-self_.--The construction here is ambiguous. It is one of the +preceding constructions. Which, however it is, is uncertain; since _her_ +may be either a so-called genitive, like _my_, or an accusative like _him_. + +_Itself_--is also ambiguous. The s may represent the -s in _its_, as well +as the s- in _self_. + +This inconsistency is as old as the Anglo-Saxon stage of the English +language. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +ON THE POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS. + +§ 448. The possessive pronouns fall into two classes. The first contains +the forms like _my_ and _thy_, &c.; the second, those like _mine_ and +_thine_, &c. + +_My_, _thy_, _his_ (as in _his book_), _her_, _its_ (as in _its book_), +_our_, _your_, _their_, are conveniently considered as the equivalents to +the Latin forms _mei_, _tui_, _ejus_, _nostrum_, _vestrum_, _eorum_. + +_Mine_, _thine_, _his_ (as in _the book is his_), _hers_, _ours_, _yours_, +_theirs_ are conveniently considered as the equivalents to the Latin forms +_meus_, _mea_, _meum_; _tuus_, _tua_, _tuum_; _suus_, _sua_, _suum_; +_noster_, _nostra_, _nostrum_; _vester_, _vestra_, _vestrum_. + +§ 449. There is a difference between the construction of _my_ and _mine_. +We cannot say _this is mine hat_, and we cannot say _this hat is my_. +Nevertheless, this difference is not explained by any change of +construction from that of adjectives to that of cases. As far as the syntax +is concerned the construction of _my_ and _mine_ is equally that of an +adjective _agreeing_ with a substantive, and of a genitive (or possessive) +case _governed_ by a substantive. + +Now a common genitive case can be used in two ways; either as part of a +term, or as a whole term (i.e., absolutely).--1. As part of a term--_this +is John's hat_. 2. As a whole term--_this hat is John's_. + +And a common adjective can be used in two ways; either as part of a term, +or as a whole term (i.e. absolutely).--1. As part of a term--_these are +good hats_. 2. As a whole term--_these hats are good_. + +Now whether we consider _my_, and the words like it, as adjectives or +cases, they possess only _one_ of the properties just illustrated, i.e., +they can only be used as part of a term--_this is my hat_; not _this hat is +my_. + +And whether we consider _mine_, and the words like it, as adjectives or +cases, they possess only _one_ of the properties just illustrated, i.e., +they can only be used as whole terms, or absolutely--_this hat is mine_; +not _this is mine hat_. + +For a full and perfect construction whether of an adjective or a genitive +case, the possessive pronouns present the phenomenon of being, singly, +incomplete, but, nevertheless, complementary to each other when taken in +their two forms. + +§ 450. In the absolute construction of a genitive case, the term is formed +by the single word, only so far as the _expression_ is concerned. A +substantive is always _understood_ from what has preceded.--_This discovery +is Newton's_ = _this discovery is Newton's discovery_. + +The same with adjectives.--_This weather is fine_ = _this weather is fine +weather_. + +And the same with absolute pronouns.--_This hat is mine_ = _this hat is my +hat_; and _this is a hat of mine_ = _this is a hat of my hats_. + +§ 451. In respect to all matters of syntax considered exclusively, it is so +thoroughly a matter of indifference whether a word be an adjective or a +genitive case that Wallis considers the forms in -'s, like _father's_, not +as genitive cases but as adjectives. Looking to the logic of the question +alone he is right, and looking to the practical syntax of the question he +is right also. He is only wrong on the etymological side of the question. + + "Nomina substantiva apud nos nullum vel generum vel casuum discrimen + sortiuntur."--p. 76. + + "Duo sunt adjectivorum genera, a substantivis immediate descendentia, + quæ semper substantivis suis præponuntur. Primum quidem adjectivum + possessivum libet appellare. Fit autem a quovis substantivo, sive + singulari sive plurali, addito -s.--Ut _man's nature_, _the nature of + man_, natura humana vel hominis; _men's nature_, natura humana vel + hominum; _Virgil's poems_, _the poems of Virgil_, poemata Virgilii vel + Virgiliana."--p. 89. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER IX. + +THE RELATIVE PRONOUNS. + +§ 452. It is necessary that the relative be in the same _gender_ as the +antecedent--_the man who_--_the woman who_--_the thing which_. + +§ 453. It is necessary that the relative be in the same _number_ with the +antecedent. + +§ 454. It is _not_ necessary for the relative to be in the same _case_ with +its antecedent. + + 1. John, _who_ trusts me, comes here. + 2. John, _whom_ I trust, comes here. + 3. John, _whose_ confidence I possess, comes here. + 4. I trust John _who_ trusts me. + +§ 455. The reason why the relative must agree with its antecedent in both +number and gender, whilst it need not agree with it in case, is found in +the following observations. + +1. All sentences containing a relative contain two verbs--_John who_ (1) +_trusts me_ (2) _comes here_. + +2. Two verbs express two actions--(1) _trust_ (2) _come_. + +3. Whilst, however, the actions are two in number, the person or thing +which does or suffers them is single--_John_. + +4. _He_ (_she_ or _it_) is single _ex vi termini_. The relative expresses +the _identity_ between the subjects (or objects) of the two actions. Thus +_who_ = _John_, or is another name for John. + +5. Things and persons that are one and the same, are of one and the same +gender. The _John_ who _trusts_ is necessarily of the same gender with the +_John_ who _comes_. + +6. Things and persons that are one and the same, are of one and the same +number. The number of _Johns_ who _trust_, is the same as the number of +_Johns_ who _come_. Both these elements of concord are immutable. + +7. But a third element of concord is not immutable. The person or thing +that is an agent in the one part of the sentence, may be the object of an +action in the other. The _John_ whom I _trust_ may _trust_ me also. Hence + + a. I trust John--_John_ the object. + b. John trusts me--_John_ the agent. + +§ 456. As the relative is only the antecedent in another form, it may +change its case according to the construction. + + 1. I trust John--(2) _John_ trusts me. + 2. I trust John--(2) _He_ trusts me. + 3. I trust John--(2) _Who_ trusts me. + 4. John trusts me--(2) I trust _John_. + 5. John trusts me--(2) I trust _him_. + 6. John trusts me--(2) I trust _whom_. + 7. John trusts me--(2) _Whom_ I trust. + 8. John--(2) _Whom_ I trust trusts me. + +§ 457. _The books I want are here_.--This is a specimen of a true ellipsis. +In all such phrases in _full_, there are _three_ essential elements. + +1. The first proposition; as _the books are here_. + +2. The second proposition; as _I want_. + +3. The word which connects the two propositions, and without which, they +naturally make separate, independent, unconnected statements. + +Now, although true and unequivocal ellipses are scarce, the preceding is +one of the most unequivocal kind--the word which connects the two +propositions being wanting. + +§ 458. _When there are two words in a clause, each capable of being an +antecedent, the relative refers to the latter._ + +1. _Solomon the son of David that slew Goliah_.--This is unexceptionable. + +2. _Solomon the son of David who built the temple_.--This is exceptionable. + +Nevertheless, it is defensible, on the supposition that +_Solomon-the-son-of-David_ is a single many-worded name. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER X. + +ON THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN. + +§ 459. Questions are of two sorts, direct and oblique. + +_Direct._--Who is he? + +_Oblique._--Who do you say that he is? + +All difficulties about the cases of the interrogative pronoun may be +determined by framing an answer, and observing the case of the word with +which the interrogative coincides. Whatever be the case of this word will +also be the case of the interrogative. + + DIRECT. + + _Qu._ _Who_ is this?--_Ans._ _I._ + _Qu._ _Whose_ is this?--_Ans._ _His._ + _Qu._ _Whom_ do you seek?--_Ans._ _Him._ + + OBLIQUE. + + _Qu._ _Who_ do you say that it is?--_Ans._ _He._ + _Qu._ _Whose_ do you say that it is?--_Ans._ _His._ + _Qu._ _Whom_ do you say that they seek?--_Ans._ _Him._ + +_Note._--The answer should always be made by means of a pronoun, as by so +doing we distinguish the accusative case from the nominative. + +_Note._--And, if necessary, it should be made in full. Thus the full answer +to _whom do you say that they seek?_ is, _I say that they seek him._ + +§ 460. Nevertheless, such expressions as _whom do they say that it is?_ are +common, especially in oblique questions. + + "And he axed him and seide, _whom_ seien the people that I am?--Thei + answereden and seiden, Jon Baptist--and he seide to hem, But _whom_ + seien ye that I am?"--WICLIF, _Luke_ ix. + + "Tell me in sadness _whom_ she is you love."--_Romeo and Juliet_, i, 1. + + "And as John fulfilled his course, he said, _whom_ think ye that I + am?"--_Acts_ xiii. 25. + +This confusion, however, is exceptionable. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XI. + +THE RECIPROCAL CONSTRUCTION. + +§ 461. In all sentences containing the statement of a reciprocal or mutual +action there are in reality two assertions, viz., the assertion that A. +_strikes_ (or _loves_) B., and the assertion that B. _strikes_ (or _loves_) +A.; the action forming one, the reaction another. Hence, if the expressions +exactly coincided with the fact signified, there would always be two +propositions. This, however, is not the habit of language. Hence arises a +more compendious form of expression, giving origin to an ellipsis of a +peculiar kind. Phrases like _Eteocles and Polynices killed each other_ are +elliptical, for _Eteocles and Polynices killed--each the other_. Here the +second proposition expands and explains the first, whilst the first +supplies the verb to the second. Each, however, is elliptic. + +§ 462. This is the syntax. As to the power of the words _each_ and _one_ in +the expression (_each other_ and _one another_), I am not prepared to say +that in the common practice of the English language there is any +distinction between them. A distinction, however, if it existed, would give +strength to our language. Where two persons performed a reciprocal action +on another, the expression might be _one another_; as _Eteocles and +Polynices killed one another_. Where more than two persons were engaged on +each side of a reciprocal action, the expression might be _each other_; as, +_the ten champions praised each other_. + +This amount of perspicuity is attained, by different processes, in the +French, Spanish, and Scandinavian languages. + +1. French.--_Ils_ (i.e., A. and B.) _se battaient--l'un l'autre._ _Ils_ (A. +B. C.) _se battaient--les uns les autres._ In Spanish, _uno otro_ = _l'un +l'autre_, and _unos otros_ = _les uns les autres_. + +2. Danish.--_Hin_ander = the French _l'un l'autre_; whilst _hverandre_ = +_les uns les autres_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XII. + +THE INDETERMINATE PRONOUNS. + +§ 463. Different nations have different methods of expressing indeterminate +propositions. + +Sometimes it is by the use of the passive voice. This is the common method +in Latin and Greek, and is also current in English--_dicitur_, λέγεται, _it +is said_. + +Sometimes the verb is reflective--_si dice_ = _it says itself_, Italian. + +Sometimes the plural pronoun of the third person is used. This also is an +English locution--_they say_ = _the world at large says_. + +Finally, the use of some word = _man_ is a common indeterminate expression. + +The word _man_ has an indeterminate sense in the Modern German; as _man +sagt_ = _they say_. + +The word _man_ was also used indeterminately in the Old English, although +it is not so used in the Modern. + +In the Old English, the form _man_ often lost the -n, and became +_me_.--"Deutsche Grammatik." This form is also extinct. + +§ 464. The present indeterminate pronoun is _one_; as _one says_ = _they +say_ = _it is said_ = _man sagt_, German = _on dit_, French = _si dice_, +Italian. + +It has been stated, that the indeterminate pronoun _one_ has no +etymological connection with the numeral _one_; but that it is derived from +the French _on_ = _homme_ = _homo_ = _man_; and that it has replaced the +Old English _man_ or _me_. + +§ 465. Two other pronouns, or, to speak more in accordance with the present +habit of the English language, one pronoun, and one adverb of pronominal +origin, are also used indeterminately, viz., _it_ and _there_. + +§ 466. _It_ can be either the subject or the predicate of a sentence,--_it +is this_, _this is it_, _I am it_, _it is I_. When _it_ is the subject of a +proposition, the verb necessarily agrees with it, and can be of the +singular number only; no matter what be the number of the predicate--_it is +this_, _it is these_. + +When _it_ is the predicate of a proposition, the number of the verb depends +upon the number of the subject. These points of universal syntax are +mentioned here for the sake of illustrating some anomalous forms. + +§ 467. _There_ can only be the predicate of a subject. It differs from _it_ +in this respect. It follows also that it must differ from _it_ in never +affecting the number of the verb. This is determined by the nature of the +subject--_there is this_, _there are these_. + +When we say _there is these_, the analogy between the words _these_ and +_it_ misleads us; the expression being illogical. + +Furthermore, although a predicate, _there_ always stands in the beginning +of propositions, i.e., in the place of the subject. This also misleads. + +§ 468. Although _it_, when the subject, being itself singular, absolutely +requires that its verb should be singular also, there is a tendency to use +it incorrectly, and to treat it as a plural. Thus, in German, when the +predicate is plural, the verb joined to the singular form _es_ ( = _it_) is +plural--_es sind menschen_, literally translated = _it are men_; which, +though bad English, is good German. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +THE ARTICLES. + +§ 469. The rule of most practical importance about the articles is the rule +that determines when the article shall be repeated as often as there is a +fresh substantive, and when it shall not. + +When two or more substantives following each other denote the same object, +the article precedes the first only. We say, _the secretary and treasurer_ +(or, _a secretary and treasurer_), when the two offices are held by one +person. + +When two or more substantives following each other denote different +objects, the article is repeated, and precedes each. We say, _the_ (or _a_) +_secretary and the_ (or _a_) _treasurer_, when the two offices are held by +different persons. + +This rule is much neglected. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +THE NUMERALS. + +§ 470. The numeral _one_ is naturally single. All the rest are naturally +plural. + +Nevertheless such expressions--_one two_ ( = _one collection of two_), _two +threes_ ( = _two collections of three_) are legitimate. These are so, +because the sense of the word is changed. We may talk of several _ones_ +just as we may talk of several _aces_; and of _one two_ just as of _one +pair_. + +Expressions like _the thousand-and-first_ are incorrect. They mean neither +one thing nor another: 1001st being expressed by _the thousand-and-first_, +and 1000th + 1st being expressed by _the thousandth and the first_. + +Here it may be noticed that, although I never found it to do so, the word +_odd_ is capable of taking an ordinal form. The _thousand-and-odd-th_ is as +good an expression as the _thousand-and-eight-th_. + +The construction of phrases like the _thousand-and-first_ is the same +construction as we find in the _king of Saxony's army_. + +§ 471. It is by no means a matter of indifference whether we say the _two +first_ or the _first two_. + +The captains of two different classes at school should be called the _two +first boys_. The first and second boys of the same class should be called +the _first two boys_. I believe that when this rule is attended to, more is +due to the printer than to the author: such, at least, is the case with +myself. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XV. + +ON VERBS IN GENERAL. + +§ 472. For the purposes of syntax it is necessary to divide verbs into the +five following divisions: transitive, intransitive, auxiliary, substantive, +and impersonal. + +_Transitive verbs._--In transitive verbs the action is never a simple +action. It always affects some object or other,--_I move my limbs_; _I +strike my enemy_. The presence of a transitive verb implies also the +presence of a noun; which noun is the name of the object affected. A +transitive verb, unaccompanied by a noun, either expressed or understood, +is a contradiction in terms. The absence of the nouns, in and of itself, +makes it intransitive. _I move_ means, simply, _I am in a state of moving_. +_I strike_ means, simply, _I am in the act of striking_. Verbs like _move_ +and _strike_ are naturally transitive. + +_Intransitive verbs._--An act may take place, and yet no object be affected +by it. _To hunger_, _to thirst_, _to sleep_, _to wake_, are verbs that +indicate states of being, rather than actions affecting objects. Verbs like +_hunger_ and _sleep_ are naturally intransitive. + +Many verbs, naturally transitive, may be used as intransitive,--e.g., _I +move_, _I strike_, &c. + +Many verbs, naturally intransitive, may be used as transitives,--e.g., _I +walked the horse_ = _I made the horse walk_. + +This variation in the use of one and the same verb is of much importance in +the question of the government of verbs. + +A. Transitive verbs are naturally followed by some noun or other; and that +noun is _always_ the name of something affected by them _as an object_. + +B. Intransitive verbs are not naturally followed by any noun at all; and +when they are so followed, the noun is _never_ the name of anything +affected by them _as an object_. + +Nevertheless, intransitive verbs may be followed by nouns denoting the +manner, degree, or instrumentality of their action,--_I walk with my feet_ += _incedo pedibus_. + +§ 473. _The auxiliary verbs_ will be noticed fully in Chapter XXIII. + +§ 474. The verb _substantive_ has this peculiarity, viz., that for all +purposes of syntax it is no verb at all. _I speak_ may, logically, be +reduced to _I am speaking_; in which case it is only the _part_ of a verb. +Etymologically, indeed, the verb substantive is a verb; inasmuch as it is +inflected as such: but for the purposes of construction, it is a copula +only, i.e., it merely denotes the agreement or disagreement between the +subject and the predicate. + +For the _impersonal_ verbs see Chapter XXI. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +THE CONCORD OF VERBS. + +§ 475. The verb must agree with its subject in person, _I walk_, not _I +walks_: _he walks_, not _he walk_. + +It must also agree with it in number,--_we walk_, not _we walks_: _he +walks_, not _he walk_. + +Clear as these rules are, they require some expansion before they become +sufficient to solve all the doubtful points of English syntax connected +with the concord of the verb. + +A. _It is I, your master, who command you_. Query? would _it is I, your +master, who commands you_, be correct? This is an example of a disputed +point of concord in respect to the person of the verb. + +B. _The wages of sin is death_. Query? would _the wages of sin _are_ death_ +be correct? This is an example of a disputed point of concord in respect to +the number of the verb. + +§ 476. In respect to the concord of person the following rules will carry +us through a portion of the difficulties. + +_Rule._--In sentences where there is but one proposition, when a noun and a +pronoun of different persons are in apposition, the verb agrees with the +first of them,--_I, your master, command you_ (not _commands_): _your +master, I, commands you_ (not _command_). + +To understand the nature of the difficulty, it is necessary to remember +that subjects may be extremely complex as well as perfectly simple; and +that a complex subject may contain, at one and the same time, a noun +substantive and a pronoun,--_I, the keeper_; _he, the merchant_, &c. + +Now all noun-substantives are naturally of the third person--_John speaks_, +_the men run_, _the commander gives orders_. Consequently the verb is of +the third person also. + +But the pronoun with which such a noun-substantive may be placed in +apposition, may be a pronoun of either person, the first or second: _I_ or +_thou_--_I the commander_--_thou the commander_.--In this case the +construction requires consideration. With which does the verb agree? with +the substantive which requires a third person? or with the pronoun which +requires a first or second? + +Undoubtedly the idea which comes first is the leading idea; and, +undoubtedly, the idea which explains, qualifies, or defines it, is the +subordinate idea: and, undoubtedly, it is the leading idea which determines +the construction of the verb. We may illustrate this from the analogy of a +similar construction in respect to number--_a man with a horse and a gig +meets me on the road_. Here the ideas are three; nevertheless the verb is +singular. No addition of subordinate elements interferes with the +construction that is determined by the leading idea. In the expression _I, +your master_, the ideas are two; viz., the idea expressed by _I_, and the +idea expressed by _master_. Nevertheless, as the one only explains or +defines the other, the construction is the same as if the idea were single. +_Your master, I_, is in the same condition. The general statement is made +concerning the _master_, and it is intended to say what _he_ does. The word +_I_ merely defines the expression by stating who the master is. Of the two +expressions the latter is the awkwardest. The construction, however, is the +same for both. + +From the analysis of the structure of complex subjects of the kind in +question, combined with a rule concerning the position of the subject, +which will soon be laid down, I believe that, for all single propositions, +the foregoing rule is absolute. + +_Rule._--In all single propositions the verb agrees in person with the noun +(whether substantive or pronoun) which comes first. + +§ 477. But the expression _it is I your master, who command_ (or +_commands_) you, is not a single proposition. It is a sentence containing +two propositions. + + 1. _It is I._ + 2. _Who commands you._ + +Here the word _master_ is, so to say, undistributed. It may belong to +either clause of the sentence, i.e., the whole sentence may be divided into + + Either--_it is I your master_-- + Or--_your master who commands you_. + +This is the first point to observe. The next is that the verb in the second +clause (_command_ or _commands_) is governed, not by either the personal +pronoun or the substantive, but by the relative, i.e., in the particular +case before us, not by either _I_ or _master_, but by _who_. + +And this brings us to the following question--with which of the two +antecedents does the _relative_ agree? with _I_ or with _master_? + +This may be answered by the two following rules;-- + +_Rule 1._--When the two antecedents are in the same proposition, the +relative agrees with the first. Thus-- + + 1. It is _I_ your _master_-- + 2. Who _command_ you. + +_Rule 2._--When the two antecedents are in different propositions, the +relative agrees with the second. Thus-- + + 1. It is _I_-- + 2. Your _master_ who _commands_ you. + +This, however, is not all. What determines whether the two antecedents +shall be in the same or in different propositions? I believe that the +following rules for what may be called _the distribution of the substantive +antecedent_ will bear criticism. + +_Rule 1._ That when there is any natural connection between the substantive +antecedent and the verb governed by the relative, the antecedent belongs to +the second clause. Thus, in the expression just quoted, the word _master_ +is logically connected with the word _command_; and this fact makes the +expression, _It is I your master who commands you_ the better of the two. + +_Rule 2._ That when there is no natural connection between the substantive +antecedent and the verb governed by the relative, the antecedent belongs to +the first clause. _It is I, John, who command_ (not _commands_) _you_. + +To recapitulate, the train of reasoning has been as follows:-- + +1. The person of the second verb is the person of the relative. + +2. The person of the relative is that of one of two antecedents. + +3. Of such two antecedents the relative agrees with the one which stands in +the same proposition with itself. + +4. Which position is determined by the connection or want of connection +between the substantive antecedent and the verb governed by the relative. + +Respecting the person of the verb in the _first_ proposition of a complex +sentence there is no doubt. _I, your master, who commands you to make +haste, am_ (not _is_) _in a hurry._ Here, _I am in a hurry_ is the first +proposition; _who commands you to make haste_, the second. + +It is not difficult to see why the construction of sentences consisting of +two propositions is open to an amount of latitude which is not admissible +in the construction of single propositions. As long as the different parts +of a complex idea are contained within the limits of a single proposition, +their subordinate character is easily discerned. When, however, they amount +to whole propositions, they take the appearance of being independent +members of the sentence. + +§ 478. _The concord of number._--It is believed that the following three +rules will carry us through all difficulties of the kind just exhibited. + +_Rule 1._ That the verb agrees with the subject, and with nothing but the +subject. The only way to justify such an expression as _the wages of sin is +death_, is to consider _death_ not as the subject, but as the predicate; in +other words, to consider the construction to be, _death is the wages of +sin_. + +_Rule 2._ That, except in the case of the word _there_, the word which +comes first is generally the subject. + +_Rule 3._ That no number of connected singular nouns can govern a plural +verb, unless they be connected by a copulative conjunction. _The sun _and_ +moon shine_,--_the sun _in conjunction with_ the moon shines_. + +§ 479. _Plural subjects with singular predicates._--- The wages of sin +_are_ death.--Honest men _are_ the salt of the earth. + +_Singular subjects with plural predicates._--These constructions are rarer +than the preceding: inasmuch as two or more persons (or things) are oftener +spoken of as being equivalent to one, than one person (or thing) is spoken +of as being equivalent to two or more. + + Sixpence _is_ twelve halfpennies. + He _is_ all head and shoulders. + Vulnera totus _erat_. + Tu _es_ deliciæ meæ. + Ἑκτορ, ἀτὰρ σύ μοι ἐσσὶ πατὴρ καὶ πότνια μήτηρ, + Ἠδὲ κασίγνητος, σὺ δέ μοι θαλερὸς παρακοίτης. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XVII. + +ON THE GOVERNMENT OF VERBS. + +§ 480. The government of verbs is of two sorts, (1.) _objective_, and (2.) +_modal_. + +It is objective where the noun which follows the verb is the name of some +object affected by the action of the verb,--as _he strikes me_; _he wounds +the enemy_. + +It is modal when the noun which follows the verb is not the name of any +object affected by the verb, but the name of some object explaining the +manner in which the action of the verb takes place, the instrument with +which it is done, the end for which it is done, &c. + +The government of all transitive verbs is necessarily objective. It may +also be modal,--_I strike the enemy with the sword_ = _ferio hostem +gladio_. + +The government of all intransitive verbs can only be modal,--_I walk with +the stick_. When we say, _I walk the horse_, the word _walk_ has changed +its meaning, and signifies _make to walk_, and is, by the very fact of its +being followed by the name of an object, converted from an intransitive +into a transitive verb. + +The modal construction may also be called the _adverbial construction_; +because the effect of the noun is akin to that of an adverb,--_I fight with +bravery_ = _I fight bravely_: _he walks a king_ = _he walks regally_. The +modal (or adverbial) construction, sometimes takes the appearance of the +objective: inasmuch as intransitive verbs are frequently followed by a +substantive, e.g., _to sleep the sleep of the righteous_. Here, +nevertheless, this is no proof of government. For a verb to be capable of +governing an objective case, it must be a verb signifying an action +affecting an object; which is not the case here. The sentence means, to +_sleep as the righteous sleep_, or _according to the sleep of the +righteous_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XVIII. + +ON THE PARTICIPLES. + +§ 481. The present participle, or the participle in -ing, must be +considered in respect to its relations with the substantive in -ing. +_Dying-day_ is, probably, no more a participle than _morning-walk_. In +respect to the syntax of such expressions as the forthcoming, I consider +that they are _either_ participles or substantives. + +1. When substantives, they are in regimen, and govern a genitive +case--_What is the meaning of the lady's holding up her train?_ Here the +word _holding_ = _the act of holding_.--_Quid est significatio elevationis +pallæ de parte fœminæ._ + +2. When participles, they are in apposition or concord, and would, if +inflected, appear in the same case with the substantive, or pronoun, +preceding them--_What is the meaning of the lady holding up her train?_ +Here the word _holding_ = _in the act of holding_, and answers to the Latin +_fœminæ elevantis_.--_Quid est significatio fœminæ elevantis pallam?_ + +§ 482. The past participle corresponds not with the Greek form τυπτόμενος, +but with the form τετυμμένος. _I am beaten_ is essentially a combination, +expressive not of present but of past time, just like the Latin _sum +verberatus_. Its Greek equivalent is not εἰμὶ τυπτόμενος = _I am a man in +the act of being beaten_, but εἰμὶ τετυμμένος = _I am a man who has been +beaten_. It is past in respect to the action, though present in respect to +the state brought about by the action. This essentially past element in the +so-called present expression, _I am beaten_, will be again referred to. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XIX. + +ON THE MOODS. + +§ 483. The infinitive mood is a noun. The current rule that _when two verbs +come together the latter is placed in the infinitive mood_, means that one +verb can govern another only by converting it into a noun--_I begin to +move_ = _I begin the act of moving_. Verbs, _as verbs_, can only come +together in the way of apposition--_I irritate_, _I beat_, _I talk at him_, +_I call him names_, &c. + +§ 484. The construction, however, of English infinitives is two fold. (1.) +Objective. (2.) Gerundial. + +When one verb is followed by another without the preposition _to_, the +construction must be considered to have grown out of the objective case, or +from the form in -an. + +Such is the case with the following words, and, probably, with others: + + I may go, _not_ I may _to_ go. + I might go, -- I might _to_ go. + I can move, -- I can _to_ move. + I could move, -- I could _to_ move. + I will speak, -- I will _to_ speak. + I would speak, -- I would _to_ speak. + I shall wait, -- I shall _to_ wait. + I should wait, -- I should _to_ wait. + Let me go, -- Let me _to_ go. + He let me go, -- He let me _to_ go. + I do speak, -- I do _to_ speak. + I did speak, -- I did _to_ speak. + I dare go, -- I dare _to_ go. + I durst go, -- I durst _to_ go. + +This, in the present English, is the rarer of the two constructions. + +When a verb is followed by another, preceded by the preposition _to_, the +construction must be considered to have grown out of the so-called gerund, +i.e., the form in -nne, i.e., the dative case--_I begin to move_. This is +the case with the great majority of English verbs. + +§ 485. _Imperatives_ have three peculiarities. (1.) They can only, in +English, be used in the second person--_go thou on_, _get you gone_, &c.: +(2.) They take pronouns after, instead of before them: (3.) They often omit +the pronoun altogether. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XX. + +ON THE TENSES. + +§ 486. Notwithstanding its name, the present tense in English does not +express a strictly _present_ action. It rather expresses an habitual one. +_He speaks well_ = _he is a good speaker_. If a man means to say that he is +in the act of speaking, he says _I am speaking_. + +It has also, especially when combined with a subjunctive mood, a future +power--_I beat you_ ( = _I will beat you_) _if you don't leave off_. + +§ 487. The English præterite is the equivalent, not to the Greek perfect +but the Greek aorist. _I beat_ = ἔτυψα not τέτυφα. The true perfect is +expressed, in English, by the auxiliary _have_ + the past participle. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXI. + +SYNTAX OF THE PERSONS OF VERBS. + +§ 488. _The concord of persons._--A difficulty that occurs frequently in +the Latin language is rare in English. In expressions like _ego et ille_ +followed by a verb, there arises a question as to the person in which that +verb should be used. Is it to be in the first person in order to agree with +_ego_, or in the _third_ in order to agree with _ille_? For the sake of +laying down a rule upon these and similar points, the classical grammarians +arrange the persons (as they do the genders) according to their _dignity_, +making the verb (or adjective if it be a question of gender) agree with the +most _worthy_. In respect to persons, the first is more worthy than the +second, and the second more worthy than the third. Hence, the Latins said-- + + _Ego_ et _Balbus_ _sustulimus_ manus. + _Tu_ et _Balbus_ _sustulistis_ manus. + +Now, in English, the plural form is the same for all three persons. Hence +we say _I and you are friends_, _you and I are friends_, _I and he are +friends_, &c., so that for the practice of language, the question as to the +relative dignity of the three persons is a matter of indifference. + +Nevertheless, it _may_ occur even in English. Whenever two or more pronouns +of different persons, and of the _singular_ number, follow each other +_disjunctively_, the question of concord arises. _I or you_,--_you or +he_,--_he or I_. I believe that, in these cases, the rule is as follows:-- + +1. Whenever the words _either_ or _neither_ precede the pronouns, the verb +is in the third person. _Either you or I is in the wrong_; _neither you nor +I is in the wrong_. + +2. Whenever the disjunctive is simple (i.e. unaccompanied with the word +_either_ or _neither_) the verb agrees with the _first_ of the two +pronouns. + + _I_ (or _he_) _am_ in the wrong. + _He_ (or _I_) _is_ in the wrong. + _Thou_ (or _he_) _art_ in the wrong. + _He_ (or _thou_) _is_ in the wrong. + +Now, provided that they are correct, it is clear that the English language +knows nothing about the relative degrees of dignity between these three +pronouns; since its habit is to make the verb agree with the one which is +placed first--whatever may be the person. I am strongly inclined to believe +that the same is the case in Latin; in which case (in the sentence _ego et +Balbus sustulimus manus_) _sustulimus_ agrees, in person, with _ego_, not +because the first person is the worthiest, but because it comes first in +the proposition, + +§ 489. In the Chapter on the Impersonal Verbs, it is stated that the +construction of _me-thinks_ is peculiar. + +This is because in Anglo-Saxon the word _þincan_ = _seem_. Hence +_me-thinks_ is φαίνεταί μοι, or _mihi videtur_, and _me_ is a _dative_ +case, not an _accusative_. + +The _þencan_ = _think_, was, in Anglo-Saxon, a different word. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXII. + +ON THE VOICES OF VERBS. + +§ 490. In English there is neither a passive nor a middle voice. + +The following couplet from Dryden's "Mac Flecnoe" exhibits a construction +which requires explanation:-- + + An ancient fabric, raised to inform the sight, + There stood of yore, and Barbican _it hight_. + +Here the word _hight_ = _was called_, and seems to present an instance of +the participle being used in a passive sense without the so-called verb +substantive. Yet it does no such thing. The word is no participle at all; +but a simple preterite. Certain verbs are _naturally_ either passive or +active, as one of two allied meanings may predominate. _To be called_ is +passive; so is, _to be beaten_. But, _to bear as a name_ is active; so is, +_to take a beating_. The word, _hight_, is of the same class of verbs with +the Latin _vapulo_; and it is the same as the Latin word, +_cluo_.--_Barbican cluit_ = _Barbican audivit_ = _Barbican it hight_. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXIII. + +ON THE AUXILIARY VERBS. + +§ 491. The auxiliary verbs, in English, play a most important part in the +syntax of the language. They may be classified upon a variety of +principles. The following, however, are all that need here be applied. + +A. _Classification of auxiliaries according to their inflection or +non-inflectional powers._--Inflectional auxiliaries are those that may +either replace or be replaced by an inflection. Thus--_I am struck_ = the +Latin _ferior_, and the Greek τύπτομαι. These auxiliaries are in the same +relation to verbs that prepositions are to nouns. The inflectional +auxiliaries are,-- + +1. _Have_; equivalent to an inflection in the way of tense--_I have bitten_ += _mo-mordi_. + +2. _Shall_; ditto. _I shall call_ = _voc-abo_. + +3. _Will_; ditto. _I will call_ = _voc-abo_. + +4. _May_; equivalent to an inflection in the way of mood. _I am come that I +may see_ = _venio ut vid-eam_. + +5. _Be_; equivalent to an inflection in the way of voice. _To be beaten_ = +_verberari_, τύπτεσθαι. + +6. _Am_, _art_, _is_, _are_; ditto. Also equivalent to an inflection in the +way of tense. _I am moving_ = _move-o_. + +7. _Was_, _were_; ditto, ditto. _I was beaten_ = ἐ-τύφθην. _I was moving_ = +_move-bam_. + +_Do_, _can_, _must_, and _let_, are non-inflectional auxiliaries. + +B. _Classification of auxiliaries according to their non-auxiliary +significations._--The power of the word _have_ in the combination of _I +have a horse_ is clear enough. It means possession. The power of the same +word in the combination _I have been_ is not so clear; nevertheless it is a +power which has grown out of the idea of possession. This shows that the +power of a verb as an auxiliary may be a modification of its original +power; i.e., of the power it has in non-auxiliary constructions. Sometimes +the difference is very little: the word _let_, in _let us go_, has its +natural sense of permission unimpaired. Sometimes it is lost altogether. +_Can_ and _may_ exist only as auxiliaries. + +1. Auxiliary derived from the idea of possession--_have_. + +2. Auxiliaries derived from the idea of existence--_be_, _is_, _was_. + +3. Auxiliary derived from the idea of future destination, dependent upon +circumstances external to the agent--_shall_. There are etymological +reasons for believing that _shall_ is no present tense, but a perfect. + +4. Auxiliary derived from the idea of future destination, dependent upon +the volition of the agent--_will_. _Shall_ is simply predictive; _will_ is +predictive and promissive as well. + +5. Auxiliary derived from the idea of power, dependent upon circumstances +external to the agent--_may_. + +6. Auxiliary derived from the idea of power, dependent upon circumstances +internal to the agent--_can_. _May_ is simply permissive; _can_ is +potential. In respect to the idea of power residing in the agent being the +cause which determines a contingent action, _can_ is in the same relation +to _may_ as _will_ is to _shall_. + + "_May_ et _can_, cum eorum præteritis imperfectis, _might_ et _could_, + potentiam innuunt: cum hoc tamen discrimine: _may_ et _might_ vel de + jure vel saltem de rei possibilitate, dicuntur, at _can_ et _could_ de + viribus agentis."--WALLIS, p. 107. + +7. Auxiliary derived from the idea of sufferance--_let_. + +8. Auxiliary derived from the idea of necessity--_must_. + + "_Must_ necessitatem innuit. Debeo, oportet, necesse est urere, _I must + burn_. Aliquando sed rarius in præterito dicitur _must_ (quasi ex + _must'd_ seu _must't_ contractum). Sic, si de præterito dicatur, _he + must_ (seu _must't_) _be burnt_, oportebat uri seu necesse habuit ut + ureretur."--WALLIS, 107. + +9. Auxiliary derived from the idea of action--_do_. + +C. _Classification of auxiliary verbs in respect to their mode of +construction._--Auxiliary verbs combine with others in three ways. + +1. _With participles._--a) With the present, or active, participle--_I am +speaking_: b) With the past, or passive, participle--_I am beaten_, _I have +beaten_. + +2. _With infinitives._--a) With the objective infinitive--_I can speak_: b) +With the gerundial infinitive--_I have to speak_. + +3. _With both infinitives and participles._--_I shall have done_, _I mean +to have done_. + +D. _Auxiliary verbs may be classified according to their +effect._--Thus--_have_ makes the combination in which it appears equivalent +to a tense; _be_ to a passive form; _may_ to a sign of mood, &c. + +This sketch of the different lights under which auxiliary verbs may be +viewed, has been written for the sake of illustrating, rather than +exhausting, the subject. + +§ 492. The combination of the auxiliary, _have_, with the past participle +requires notice. It is, here, advisable to make the following +classifications. + +1. The combination with the participle of a _transitive verb._--_I have +ridden the horse_; _thou hast broken the sword_; _he has smitten the +enemy_. + +2. The combination with the participle of an _intransitive_ verb,--_I have +waited_; _thou hast hungered_; _he has slept_. + +3. The combination with the participle of the verb substantive, _I have +been_; _thou hast been_; _he has been_. + +It is by examples of the first of these three divisions that the true +construction is to be shown. + +For an object of any sort to be in the possession of a person, it must +previously have existed. If I possess a horse, that horse must have had a +previous existence. + +Hence, in all expressions like _I have ridden a horse_, there are two +ideas, a past idea in the participle, and a present idea in the word +denoting possession. + +For an object of any sort, affected in a particular manner, to be in the +possession of a person, it must previously have been affected in the manner +required. If I possess a horse that has been ridden, the riding must have +taken place before I mention the fact of the ridden horse being in my +possession; inasmuch as I speak of it as a thing already done,--the +participle, _ridden_, being in the past tense. + +_I have ridden a horse_ = _I have a horse ridden_ = _I have a horse as a +ridden horse_, or (changing the gender and dealing with the word _horse_ as +a thing) _I have a horse as a ridden thing_. + +In this case the syntax is of the usual sort. (1) _Have_ = _own_ = _habeo_ += _teneo_; (2) _horse_ is the accusative case _equum_; (3) _ridden_ is a +past participle agreeing either with _horse_, or _with a word in apposition +with it understood_. + +Mark the words in italics. The word _ridden_ does not agree with _horse_, +since it is of the neuter gender. Neither if we said _I have ridden the +horses_, would it agree with _horses_; since it is of the singular number. + +The true construction is arrived at by supplying the word _thing_. _I have +a horse as a ridden thing_ = _habeo equum equitatum_ (neuter). Here the +construction is the same as _triste lupus stabulis_. + +_I have horses as a ridden thing_ = _habeo equos equitatum_ (singular, +neuter). Here the construction is-- + + "Triste ... maturis frugibus imbres, + Arboribus venti, nobis Amaryllidos iræ." + +or in Greek-- + + Δεινὸν γυναιξὶν αἱ δι' ὠδίνων γοναί. + +The classical writers supply instances of this use of _have_. _Compertum +habeo_, milites, verba viris virtutem non addere = _I have discovered_ = _I +am in possession of the discovery_. Quæ cum ita sint, satis de Cæsare hoc +_dictum habeo_. + +The combination of _have_ with an intransitive verb is irreducible to the +idea of possession: indeed, it is illogical. In _I have waited_, we cannot +make the idea expressed by the word _waited_ the object of the verb _have_ +or _possess_. The expression has become a part of language by means of the +extension of a false analogy. It is an instance of an illegitimate +imitation. + +The combination of _have_ with _been_ is more illogical still, and is a +stronger instance of the influence of an illegitimate imitation. In German +and Italian, where even _intransitive_ verbs are combined with the +equivalents to the English _have_ (_haben_, and _avere_), the verb +substantive is not so combined; on the contrary, the combinations are + + Italian; _io sono stato_ = _I am been_. + German; _ich bin gewesen_ = _ditto_. + +which is logical. + +§ 493. _I am to speak_.--Three facts explain this idiom. + +1. The idea of _direction towards an object_ conveyed by the dative case, +and by combinations equivalent to it. + +2. The extent to which the ideas of necessity, obligation, or intention are +connected with the idea of _something that has to be done_, or _something +towards which some action has a tendency_. + +3. The fact that expressions like the one in question historically +represent an original dative case, or its equivalent; since _to speak_ +grows out of the Anglo-Saxon form _to sprecanne_, which, although called a +gerund, is really a dative case of the infinitive mood. + +When Johnson thought that, in the phrase _he is to blame_, the word _blame_ +was a noun, if he meant a noun in the way that _culpa_ is a noun, his view +was wrong. But if he meant a noun in the way that _culpare_, _ad +culpandum_, are nouns, it was right. + +§ 494. _I am to blame_.--This idiom is one degree more complex than the +previous one; since _I am to blame_ = _I am to be blamed_. As early, +however, as the Anglo-Saxon period the gerunds were liable to be used in a +passive sense: _he is to lufigenne_ = not _he is to love_, but _he is to be +loved_. + +The principle of this confusion may be discovered by considering that _an +object to be blamed_, is _an object for some one to blame_, _an object to +be loved_ is _an object for some one to love_. + +§ 495. _I am beaten_.--This is a present combination, and it is present on +the strength of the verb _am_, not on the strength of the participle +_beaten_, which is præterite. + +The following table exhibits the _expedients_ on the part of the different +languages of the Gothic stock, since the loss of the proper passive form of +the Mœso-Gothic. + + _Language_ LATIN _datur_, LATIN _datus est_. + + _Mœso-Gothic_ gibada, ist, vas, varth gibans. + _Old High German_ ist, wirdit kepan, was, warth kepan. + _Notker_ wirt keben, ist keben. + _Middle High German_ wirt geben, ist geben. + _New High German_ wird gegeben, ist gegeben worden. + _Old Saxon_ is, wirtheth gebhan, was, warth gebhan. + _Middle Dutch_ es blïft ghegheven, waert, blêf ghegeven. + _New Dutch_ wordt gegeven, es gegeven worden. + _Old Frisian_ werth ejeven, is ejeven. + _Anglo-Saxon_ weorded gifen, is gifen. + _English_ is given, has been given. + _Old Norse_ er gefinn, hefr verit gefinn. + _Swedish_ gifves, har varit gifven. + _Danish_ bliver, vorder given, har varet given. + "Deutsche Grammatik, iv. 19." + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXIV. + +THE SYNTAX OF ADVERBS. + +§ 496. The syntax of the adverb is simpler than that of any other part of +speech, excepting, perhaps, that of the adjective. + +Adverbs have no concord. + +Neither have they any government. They _seem_, indeed, to have it, when +they are in the comparative or superlative degree; but it is merely +apparent. In _this is better than that_, the word _that_ is governed +neither by _better_ nor by _than_. It is not governed at all. It is a +nominative case; the subject of a separate proposition. _This is better +(i.e., more good) than that is good._ Even if we admit such an expression +as _he is stronger than me_ to be good English, there is no adverbial +government. _Than_, if it govern _me_ at all, governs it as a preposition. + +The position of an adverb is, in respect to matters of syntax, +pre-eminently parenthetic; i.e., it may be omitted without injuring the +construction. _He is fighting--now; he was fighting--then; he +fights--bravely; I am almost--tired_, &c. + +§ 497. By referring to the Chapter on the Adverbs, we shall find that the +neuter adjective is frequently converted into an adverb by deflection. As +any neuter adjective may be so deflected, we may justify such expressions +as _full_ (for _fully_) as _conspicuous_ (for _conspicuously_), and +_peculiar_ (for _peculiarly_) _bad grace_, &c. We are not, however, bound +to imitate everything that we can justify. + +§ 498. The termination -ly was originally adjectival. At present it is a +derivational syllable by which we can convert an adjective into an adverb: +_brave, brave-ly_. When, however, the adjective ends in -ly already, the +formation is awkward. _I eat my daily bread_ is unexceptionable English; _I +eat my bread daily_ is exceptionable. One of two things must here take +place: the two syllables ly are packed into one (the full expression being +_dai-li-ly_), or else the construction is that of a neuter adjective +deflected. + +Adverbs are convertible. _The then men_ = οἱ νῦν βρότοι, &c. This will be +seen more clearly in the Chapter on Conjunctions. + +§ 499. It has been remarked that in expressions like _he sleeps the sleep +of the righteous_, the construction is adverbial. So it is in expressions +like _he walked a mile, it weighs a pound_. The ideas expressed by _mile_ +and _pound_ are not the names of anything that serves as either object or +instrument to the verb. They only denote the _manner_ of the action, and +define the meaning of the verb. + +§ 500. _From whence_, _from thence_.--This is an expression which, if it +have not taken root in our language, is likely to do so. It is an instance +of excess of expression in the way of syntax; the -ce denoting direction +_from_ a place, and the preposition doing the same. It is not so important +to determine what this construction _is_, as to suggest what it is _not_. +It is _not_ an instance of an adverb governed by a preposition. If the two +words be dealt with as logically separate, _whence_ (or _thence_) must be a +noun = _which place_ (or _that place_); just as _from then till now_ = +_from that time to this_. But if (which is the better view) the two words +be dealt with as one (i.e., as an improper compound) the preposition _from_ +has lost its natural power, and become the element of an adverb. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXV. + +ON PREPOSITIONS. + +§ 501. All prepositions govern an oblique case. If a word ceases to do +this, it ceases to be a preposition. In the first of the two following +sentences the word _up_ is a preposition, in the second an adverb. + + 1. _I climbed up the tree._ + 2. _I climbed up._ + +All prepositions in English, precede the noun which they govern. _I climbed +up the tree_, never _I climbed the tree up_. This is a matter not of +government, but of collocation. It is the case in most languages; and, from +the frequency of its occurrence, the term _pre-position_ (or _pre-fix_) has +originated. Nevertheless, it is by no means a philological necessity. In +many languages the prepositions are_ post-positive_, following their noun. + +§ 502. No preposition, in the present English, governs a genitive case. +This remark is made, because expressions like the _part of the body = pars +corporis,--a piece of the bread = portio panis_, make it appear as if the +preposition _of_ did so. The true expression is, that the preposition _of_ +followed by an objective case is equivalent in many instances, to the +genitive case of the classical languages. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXVI. + +ON CONJUNCTIONS. + +§ 503. A conjunction is a part of speech which connects +_propositions_,--_the day is bright_, is one proposition. _The sun shines_, +is another. _The day is bright_ because _the sun shines_ is a pair of +propositions connected by the conjunction, _because_. + +From this it follows, that whenever there is a conjunction, there are two +subjects, two copulas, and two predicates: i.e., two propositions in all +their parts. + +But this may be expressed compendiously. _The sun shines, and the moon +shines_ may be expressed by the _sun and moon shine_. + +Nevertheless, however compendious may be the expression, there are always +two propositions wherever there is one conjunction. A part of speech that +merely combines two words is a preposition,--_the sun along with the moon +shines_. + +It is highly important to remember that conjunctions connect propositions. + +It is also highly important to remember that many double propositions may +be expressed so compendiously as to look like one. When this takes place, +and any question arises as to the construction, they must be exhibited in +their fully expanded form, i.e., the second subject, the second predicate, +and the second copula must be supplied. This can always be done from the +first proposition,--_he likes you better than me_ = _he likes you better +than he likes me_. The compendious expression of the second proposition is +the first point of note in the syntax of conjunctions. + +§ 504. The second point in the syntax of conjunctions is the fact of their +great convertibility. Most conjunctions have been developed out of some +other part of speech. + +The conjunction of comparison, _than_, is derived from the adverb of time, +_then_: which is derived from the accusative singular of the demonstrative +pronoun. + +The conjunction, _that_, is derived also from a demonstrative pronoun. + +The conjunction, _therefore_, is a demonstrative pronoun + a preposition. + +The conjunction, _because_, is a substantive governed by a preposition. + +One and the same word, in one and the same sentence, may be a conjunction +or preposition, as the case may be. + +_All fled but John_.--If this mean _all fled_ except _John_, the word _but_ +is a preposition, the word _John_ is an accusative case, and the +proposition is single. If instead of _John_, we had a personal pronoun, we +should say _all fled but_ him. + +_All fled but John_.--If this mean _all fled but John did not fly_, the +word _but_ is a conjunction, the word _John_ is a nominative case, and the +propositions are two in number. If, instead of _John_, we had a personal +pronoun, we should say, _all fled but_ he. + +From the fact of the great convertibility of conjunctions it is often +necessary to determine whether a word be a conjunction or not. _If it be a +conjunction, it cannot govern a case. If it govern a case it is no +conjunction but a preposition._ A conjunction cannot govern a case, for the +following reasons,--the word that follows it _must_ be the subject of the +second proposition, and as such, a nominative case. + +§ 505. The third point to determine in the syntax of conjunctions is the +certainty or uncertainty in the mind of the speaker as to the facts +expressed by the propositions which they serve to connect. + +1. Each proposition may contain a certain, definite, absolute fact--_the +day is clear_ because _the sun shines_. Here there is neither doubt nor +contingency of either the _day being clear_, or of the _sun shining_. + +Of two propositions one may be the condition of the other--_the day will be +clear_ if _the sun shine_. Here, although it is certain that _if the sun +shine the day will be clear_, there is no certainty of _the sun shining_. +Of the two propositions one only embodies a certain fact, and that is +certain only conditionally. + +Now an action, wherein there enters any notion of uncertainty, or +indefinitude, and is at the same time connected with another action, is +expressed, not by the indicative mood, but by the subjunctive. _If the sun_ +shine (not _shines_) _the day will be clear._ + +Simple uncertainty will not constitute a subjunctive construction,--_I am_, +perhaps, _in the wrong_. + +Neither will simple connection.--_I am wrong_, because _you are right_. + +But, the two combined constitute the construction in question,--_if I _be_ +wrong, you are right_. + +Now, a conjunction that connects two certain propositions may be said to +govern an indicative mood. + +And a conjunction that connects an uncertain proposition with a certain +one, may be said to govern a subjunctive mood. + +_The government of mood is the only form of government of which +conjunctions are capable._ + +§ 506. Previous to the question of the government of conjunctions in the +way of mood, it is necessary to notice certain points of agreement between +them and the relative pronouns; inasmuch as, in many cases, the relative +pronoun exerts the same government, in the way of determining the mood of +the verb, as the conjunction. + +Between the relative pronouns and conjunctions in general there is this +point of connection,--both join propositions. Wherever there is a relative, +there is a second proposition. So there is wherever there is a conjunction. + +Between certain relative pronouns and those particular conjunctions that +govern a subjunctive mood there is also a point of connection. Both suggest +an element of uncertainty or indefinitude. This the relative pronouns do, +through the logical elements common to them and to the interrogatives: +these latter essentially suggesting the idea of doubt. Wherever the person, +or thing, connected with an action, and expressed by a relative is +indefinite, there is room for the use of a subjunctive mood. Thus--"he that +troubled you shall bear his judgment, _whosoever_ he _be_." + +§ 507. By considering the nature of such words as _when_, their origin as +relatives on the one hand, and their conjunctional character on the other +hand, we are prepared for finding a relative element in words like _till_, +_until_, _before_, _as long as_, &c. These can all be expanded into +expressions like _until the time when_, _during the time when_, &c. Hence, +in an expression like _seek out his wickedness till thou_ find (not +_findest_) _none_, the principle of the construction is nearly the same as +in _he that troubled you_, &c., or _vice versâ_.[64] + +§ 508. In most conditional expressions the subjunctive mood should follow +the conjunction. All the following expressions are conditional. + + 1. _Except_ I _be_ by Silvia in the night, + There is no music in the nightingale.--SHAKSPEARE. + + 2. Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord our God, _lest_ he _fall_ upon + us with pestilence.--_Old Testament._ + + 3. ----Revenge back on itself recoils. + Let it. I reck not, _so_ it _light_ well aimed.--J. MILTON. + + 4. _If_ this _be_ the case. + + 5. _Although_ my house _be_ not so with God.--_Old Testament._ + + 6. He shall not eat of the holy thing _unless_ he _wash_ his flesh with + water.--_Old Testament._ + +Expressions like _except_ and _unless_ are equally conditional with words +like _if_ and _provided that_, since they are equivalent to _if--not_. + +Expressions like _though_ and _although_ are peculiar. They join +propositions, of which the one is a _primâ facie_ reason against the +existence of the other: and this is the conditional element. In the +sentence, _if the children be so badly brought-up, they are not to be +trusted_, the _bad bringing-up_ is the reason for their being _unfit to be +trusted_; and, as far as the expression is concerned, _is admitted to be +so_. The only uncertainty lies in the question as to the degree of the +badness of the education. The inference from it is unequivocal. + +But if, instead of saying _if_, we say _although_, and omit the word _not_, +so that the sentence run _although the children be so badly brought-up they +are to be trusted_, we do two things: we indicate the general relation of +cause and effect that exists between _bad bringing-up_ and _unfitness for +being trusted_, but we also, at the same time, take an exception to it in +the particular instance before us. These remarks have been made for the +sake of showing the extent to which words like _though_, &c., are +conditional. + +It must be remembered, however, that conjunctions, like the ones lately +quoted, do not govern subjunctive moods because they are conditional, but +because, in the particular condition which they accompany, there is an +element of uncertainty. + +§ 509. This introduces a fresh question. Conditional conjunctions are of +two sorts:-- + +1. Those which express a condition as an actual fact, and one admitted as +such by the speaker. + +2. Those which express a condition as a possible fact, and one which the +speaker either does not admit, or admits only in a qualified manner. + +Since _the children_ are _so badly brought-up_, &c.--This is an instance of +the first construction. The speaker admits as an actual fact the _bad +bringing-up of the children_. + +If _the children_ be _so badly brought-up_, &c.--This is an instance of the +second construction. The speaker admits as a possible (perhaps, as a +probable) fact the _bad bringing-up of the children_: but he does not adopt +it as an indubitable one. + +§ 510. Now, if every conjunction had a fixed unvariable meaning, there +would be no difficulty in determining whether a condition was absolute, and +beyond doubt, or possible, and liable to doubt. But such is not the case. + +_Although_ may precede a proposition which is admitted as well as one which +is doubted. + + a. Although _the children_ are, &c. + b. Although _the children_ be, &c. + +_If_, too, may precede propositions wherein there is no doubt whatever +implied: in other words it may be used instead of _since_. + +In some languages this interchange goes farther than in others; in the +Greek, for instance, such is the case with εἰ, to a very great extent +indeed. + +Hence we must look to the meaning of the sentence in general, rather than +to the particular conjunction used. + +It is a philological fact that _if_ may stand instead of _since_. + +It is also a philological fact that when it does so it should be followed +by the indicative mood. + +This is written in the way of illustration. What applies to _if_ applies to +other conjunctions as well. + +§ 511. As a point of practice, the following method of determining the +amount of doubt expressed in a conditional proposition is useful:-- + +Insert, immediately after the conjunction, one of the two following +phrases,--(1.) _as is the case_; (2.) _as may or may not be the case_. By +ascertaining which of these two supplements expresses the meaning of the +speaker, we ascertain the mood of the verb which follows. + +When the first formula is the one required, there is no element of doubt, +and the verb should be in the indicative mood. _If_ (_as is the case_), _he +_is_ gone, I must follow him_. + +When the second formula is the one required, there _is_ an element of +doubt, and the verb should be in the subjunctive mood. _If_ (_as may or may +not be the case_) _he _be_ gone, I must follow him_. + +§ 512. The use of the word _that_ in expressions like _I eat that I may +live_, &c., is a modification of the subjunctive construction, that is +conveniently called _potential_. It denotes that one act is done for the +sake of supplying the _power_ or opportunity for the performance of +another. + +The most important point connected with the powers of _that_ is the +so-called _succession of tenses_. + +§ 513. _The succession of tenses._--Whenever the conjunction _that_ +expresses intention, and consequently connects two verbs, the second of +which takes place _after_ the first, the verbs in question must be in the +same tense. + + I _do_ this _that_ I _may_ gain by it + I _did_ this _that_ I _might_ gain by it. + +In the Greek language this is expressed by a difference of mood; the +subjunctive being the construction equivalent to _may_, the optative to +_might_. The Latin idiom coincides with the English. + +A little consideration will show that this rule is absolute. For a man _to +be doing_ one action (in present time) in order that some other action may +_follow_ it (in past time) is to reverse the order of cause and effect. To +do anything in A.D. 1851, that something may result from it in 1850 is a +contradiction; and so it is to say _I _do_ this_ that _I _might_ gain by +it_. + +The reasons against the converse construction are nearly, if not equally +cogent. To have done anything at any _previous_ time in order that a +_present_ effect may follow, is, _ipso facto_, to convert a past act into a +present one, or, to speak in the language of the grammarian, to convert an +aorist into a perfect. To say _I _did_ this_ that _I may gain by it_, is to +make, by the very effect of the expression, either _may_ equivalent to +_might_, or _did_ equivalent to _have done_. + + _I _did_ this_ that _I _might_ gain_. + _I _have done_ this_ that _I _may_ gain_. + +§ 514. _Disjunctives._--Disjunctives (_or_, _nor_) are of two sorts, real +and nominal. + +_A king or queen always rules in England_. Here the disjunction is real; +_king_ or _queen_ being different names for different objects. In all +_real_ disjunctions the inference is, that if one out of two (or more) +individuals (or classes) do not perform a certain action, the other does. + +_A sovereign or supreme ruler always rules in England_. Here the +disjunction is nominal; _sovereign_ and _supreme governor_ being different +names for the same object. In all nominal disjunctives the inference is, +that if an agent (or agents) do not perform a certain action under one +name, he does (or they do) it under another. + +Nominal disjunctives are called by Harris _sub_disjunctives. + +In the English language there is no separate word to distinguish the +nominal from the real disjunctive. In Latin, _vel_ is considered by Harris +to be disjunctive, _sive_ subdisjunctive. As a periphrasis, the combination +_in other words_ is subdisjunctive. + +Both nominal and real disjunctives agree in this,--whatever may be the +number of nouns which they connect, the construction of the verb is the +same as if there were but one--Henry, _or_ John, _or_ Thomas, _walks_ (not +_walk_); the sun, _or_ solar luminary, _shines_ (not _shine_). The +disjunctive _isolates_ the subject, however much it may be placed in +juxtaposition with other nouns. + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXVII. + +THE SYNTAX OF THE NEGATIVE. + +§ 515. When the verb is in the infinitive mood, the negative precedes +it.--_Not to advance is to retreat_. + +When the verb is not in the infinitive mood, the negative follows it.--_He +advanced not_. _I cannot_. + +This rule is absolute. It only _seems_ to precede the verb in such +expressions as _I do not advance_, _I cannot advance_, _I have not +advanced_, &c. However, the words _do_, _can_, and _have_, are no +infinitives; and it consequently follows them. The word _advance_ is an +infinitive, and it consequently precedes it. Wallis's rule makes an +equivalent statement, although differently. "Adverbium negandi _not_ (non) +verbo postponitur (nempe auxiliari primo si adsit; aut si non adsit +auxiliare, verbo principali): aliis tamen orationis partibus præfigi +solet."--P. 113. + +That the negative is rarely used, except with an auxiliary, in other words, +that the presence of a negative converts a simple form like _it burneth +not_ into the circumlocution it _does not burn_, is a fact in the practice +of the English language. The syntax is the same in either expression. + +§ 516. What may be called the _distribution_ of the negative is pretty +regular in English. Thus, when the word _not_ comes between an indicative, +imperative, or subjunctive mood and an infinitive verb, it almost always is +taken with the word which it _follows_--_I can not eat_ may mean either _I +can--not eat_ (i.e., _I can abstain_), or _I can not--eat_ (i.e., _I am +unable to eat_); but, as stated above, it _almost_ always has the latter +signification. + +But not _always_. In Byron's "Deformed Transformed" we find the following +lines:-- + + Clay! not dead but soulless, + Though no mortal man would choose thee, + An immortal no less + Deigns _not to refuse_ thee. + +Here _not to refuse_ = _to accept;_ and is probably a Grecism. _To not +refuse_ would, perhaps, be better. + +The next expression is still more foreign to the English idiom:-- + + For _not_ to have been dipped in Lethe's lake + _Could save_ the son of Thetis from to die. + +Here _not_ is to be taken with _could_. + +§ 517. In the present English, two negatives make an affirmative. _I have +not not seen him_ = _I have seen him_. In Greek this was not the case. _Duæ +aut plures negativæ apud Græcos vehementius negant_ is a well known rule. +The Anglo-Saxon idiom differed from the English and coincided with the +Greek. The French negative is only apparently double; words like _point_, +_pas_, mean not _not_, but _at all_. _Je ne parle pas_ = _I not speak at +all_, not _I not speak no_. + +§ 518. _Questions of appeal._--All questions imply want of information; +want of information may then imply doubt; doubt, perplexity; and perplexity +the absence of an alternative. In this way, what are called, by Mr. +Arnold,[65] _questions of appeal_, are, practically speaking, negatives. +_What should I do?_ when asked in extreme perplexity, means that nothing +can well be done. In the following passage we have the presence of a +question instead of a negative:-- + + Or hear'st thou (_cluis_, Lat.) rather pure ethereal stream, + Whose fountain who (_no one_) shall tell?--_Paradise Lost._ + + * * * * * + + +CHAPTER XXVIII. + +ON THE CASE ABSOLUTE. + +§ 519. Broadly speaking, all adverbial constructions are absolute. The +term, however, is conveniently limited to a particular combination of the +noun, verb, and participle. When two actions are connected with each other, +either by the fact of their simultaneous occurrence, or as cause and +effect, they may be expressed within the limits of a single proposition, by +expressing the one by means of a verb, and the other by means of a noun and +participle agreeing with each other. _The door being open, the horse was +stolen._ + +Considering the nature of the connection between the two actions, we find +good grounds for expecting _à priori_ that the participle will be in the +instrumental case, when such exists in the language: and when not, in some +case allied to it, i.e., the ablative or dative. + +In Latin the ablative is the case that is used absolutely. _Sole orto, +claruit dies._ + +In Anglo-Saxon the absolute case was the dative. This is logical. + +In the present English, however, the nominative is the absolute case. _He +made the best proverbs, him alone excepted_, is an expression of +Tillotson's. We should now write _he alone excepted_. The present mode of +expression is only to be justified by considering the nominative form to be +a dative one, just as in the expression _you are here_, the word _you_, +although an accusative, is considered as a nominative. A real nominative +absolute is as illogical as a real accusative case governing a verb. + + * * * * * + + +PART VI. + +PROSODY. + +§ 520. The word _Prosody_ is derived from a Greek word (_prosodia_) +signifying _accent_. It is used by Latin and English grammarians in a wider +sense, and includes not only the doctrines of accent and quantity, but also +the laws of metre and versification. + +§ 521. Observe the accents in the following lines:-- + + Then fáre thee wéll, mine ówn dear lóve, + The wórld hath nów for ús + No greáter griéf, no paín abóve + The paín of párting thús.--MOORE. + +Here the syllables accented are the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, +16th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 28th; that is, every other +syllable.--Again, + + At the clóse of the dáy, when the hámlet is stíll, + And the mórtals the sweéts of forgétfulness próve, + And when nóught but the tórrent is heárd on the híll, + And there's nóught but the níghtingale's sóng in the gróve.--BEATTIE. + +Here the syllables accented are the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th, 21st, +24th, 27th, 30th, 33rd, 36th, 39th, 42nd, 45th, 48th; that is, every third +syllable. + +§ 522. _Metre is a general term for the recurrence within certain intervals +of syllables similarly affected._ The syllables that have just been +numbered are similarly affected, being similarly accented. Accent is not +the only quality of a syllable, which by returning at regular intervals can +constitute metre. It is the one, however, upon which English metre depends. +English metre essentially consists in the regular recurrence of syllables +similarly _accented_. + + _Abbot._--And whý not líve and áct with óther mén? + + _Manfred._--Becaúse my náture wás avérse from lífe; + And yét not crúel, fór I woúld not máke, + But fínd a désolátion:--líke the wínd, + The réd-hot breáth of thé most lóne simoóm, + Which dwélls but ín the désert, ánd sweeps o'ér + The bárren sánds which beár no shrúbs to blást, + And révels ó'er their wíld and árid wáves, + And seéketh nót so thát it ís not soúght, + But béing mét is deádly: súch hath beén + The páth of mý exístence.--BYRON. + +§ 523. _Measures._--For every accented syllable in the following line, +write the letter a, and for every unaccented one, the letter x, so that a +may stand for an accent, x for the absence of one-- + + The wáy was lóng, the wínd was cóld.--SCOTT. + +or expressed symbolically + + x a x a x a x a, + +where x coincides with _the_, a with _way_, &c. + +§ 524. Determine the length of the line in question.--It is plain that this +may be done in two ways. We may either measure by the syllables, and say +that the line consists of eight syllables; or by the accents, and say that +it consists of four accents. In this latter case we take the accented +syllable with its corresponding unaccented one, and, grouping the two +together, deal with the pair at once. Now, a group of syllables thus taken +together is called a _measure_. In the line in question _the way_ (x a) is +one measure, _was long_ (x a) another, and so on throughout; the line +itself consisting of four measures. + +§ 525. _Trisyllabic measures._--The number of measures consisting of two +syllables, or dissyllabic measures, is necessarily limited to two, +expressed a x and x a respectively. But beyond these there are in the +English language measures of three syllables, or trisyllabic measures. The +number of these is necessarily limited to three. + +The first of these is exhibited in the word _mérrily_ (a x x). + + Mérrily, mérrily sháll I live nów, + Únder the blóssom that hángs on the boúgh.--SHAKSPEARE. + +The second is exhibited by the word _disáble_ (x a x). + + But vaínly thou wárrest, + For thís is alóne in + Thy pówer to decláre, + That ín the dim fórest + Thou heárd'st a low moáning, + And sáw'st a bright lády surpássingly faír.--COLERIDGE. + +§ 526. The third is exhibited by the word _cavaliér_ (x x a). + + There's a beaúty for éver unfádingly bríght, + Like the lóng ruddy lápse of a súmmer-day's níght.--MOORE. + +When grouped together according to certain rules, measures form lines and +verses; and lines and verses, regularly arranged, constitute couplets, +triplets, and stanzas, &c. + +§ 527. The expression of measures, lines, &c., by such symbols as a x, x a, +&c., is _metrical notation_. + +§ 528. _Rhyme._--We can have English verse without _rhyme_. We cannot have +English verse without _accent_. Hence accent is an _essential_; rhyme an +_accessory_ to metre. + +§ 529. _Analysis of a pair of rhyming syllables._--Let the syllables _told_ +and _bold_ be taken to pieces, and let the separate parts of each be +compared. Viewed in reference to metre, they consist of three parts or +elements: 1. the vowel (o); 2. the part _preceding_ the vowel (t and b +respectively); 3. the parts _following_ the vowel (ld). Now the vowel (o) +and the parts following the vowel (ld) are alike in both words (_old_); but +the part preceding the vowel is different in the different words (_told_, +_bold_). This difference between the parts preceding the vowels is +essential; since, if it were not for this, the two words would be +identical, or rather there would be but one word altogether. This is the +case with _I_ and _eye_. Sound for sound (although different in spelling) +the two words are identical, and, consequently, the rhyme is faulty. + +Again--compared with the words _bold_ and _told_, the words _teeth_ and +_breeze_ have two of the elements necessary to constitute a rhyme. The +vowels are alike (ee), whilst the parts preceding the vowels are different +(br and t); and, as far as these two matters are concerned, the rhyme is a +good one, _tee_ and _bree_. Notwithstanding this, there is anything rather +than a rhyme; since the parts following the vowel (th and ze) instead of +agreeing, differ. _Breathe_ and _beneath_ are in the same predicament, +because the th is not sounded alike in the two words. + +Again--the words _feel_ and _mill_ constitute only a false and imperfect +rhyme. Sound for sound, the letters f and m (the parts preceding the vowel) +are different. This is as it should be. Also, sound for sound, l and ll +(the parts following the vowel) are identical; and this is as it should be +also: but ee and i (the vowels) are different, and this difference spoils +the rhyme. _None_ and _own_ are in the same predicament; since one o is +sounded as o in _note_, and the other as the u in _but_. + +From what has gone before we get the notion of true and perfect rhymes as +opposed to false and imperfect ones. For two (or more) words to rhyme to +each other, it is necessary + + a. That the vowel be the same in both. + b. That the parts following the vowel be the same. + c. That the parts preceding the vowel be different. + +Beyond this it is necessary that the syllables, to form a full and perfect +rhyme, should be accented syllables. _Sky_ and _lie_ form good rhymes, but +_sky_ and merri_ly_ bad ones, and _merrily_ and _silly_ worse. Lines like +the second and fourth of the following stanza are slightly exceptionable on +this score: indeed, many readers sacrifice the accent in the word _mérrily_ +to the rhyme, and pronounce it _merrilý_. + + The wítch she héld the haír in her hánd, + The réd flame blázed hígh; + And roúnd aboút the cáldron stoút, + They dánced right mérri_lý_.--KIRKE WHITE. + +§ 530. In matters of rhyme the letter h counts as nothing. _High_ and _I_, +_hair_ and _air_, are imperfect rhymes, because h (being no articulate +sound) counts as nothing, and so the parts before the vowel i and a are not +different (as they ought to be) but identical. + + Whose generous children narrow'd not their hearts + With commerce, giv'n alone to arms and arts.--BYRON. + +§ 531. Words where the letters coincide, but the sounds differ, are only +rhymes to the eye. _Breathe_ and _beneath_ are both in this predicament; so +also are _cease_ and _ease_ (_eaze_). + + In the fat age of pleasure, wealth, and ease, + Sprang the rank weed, and thrived with large increase.--POPE. + +§ 532. If the sounds coincide, the difference of the letters is +unimportant. + + Bold in the practice of mistaken rules, + Prescribe, apply, and call their masters fools. + They talk of principles, but notions prize, + And all to one loved folly sacrifice.--POPE. + +§ 533. _Single rhymes._--An accented syllable standing by itself, and +coming under the conditions given above, constitutes a single rhyme. + + 'Tis hard to say if greater want of _skill_ + Appear in writing or in judging _ill_; + But of the two, less dangerous is the of_fence_ + To tire the patience than mislead the _sense_. + Some few in that, but thousands err in _this_; + Ten censure wrong, for one that writes a_miss_.--POPE. + +§ 534. _Double rhymes._--An accented syllable followed by an unaccented +one, and coming under the conditions given above, constitutes a double +rhyme. + + The meeting points the sacred hair dis_sever_ + From her fair head for ever and for _ever_.--POPE. + + Prove and explain a thing till all men _doubt it_, + And write about it, Goddess, and _about it_.--POPE. + +§ 535. An accented syllable followed by two unaccented ones, and coming +under the conditions given above, constitutes a treble rhyme. + + Beware that its fatal a_scéndancy_ + Do not tempt thee to mope and repine; + With a humble and hopeful de_péndency_ + Still await the good pleasure divine. + Success in a higher be_átitude_, + Is the end of what's under the Pole; + A philosopher takes it with _grátitude_, + And believes it the best on the whole.--BYRON. + +§ 536. Metres where there is no rhyme are called blank metres. + + Of man's first disobedience and the fruit + Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste + Brought death into the world and all our woe, + With loss of Eden, till one greater Man + Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, + Sing, Heavenly Muse!--MILTON. + + The quality of mercy is not strained. + It droppeth as the gentle dew from heaven + Upon the place beneath; it is twice bless'd, + It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes + 'Tis mightiest of the mighty, it becomes + The throned monarch better than his crown. + His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, + The attribute of awe and majesty, + Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings: + But mercy is above this sceptred sway; + It is enthroned in the hearts of kings: + It is an attribute to God himself; + And earthly power doth then show likest God's, + When mercy seasons justice.--SHAKSPEARE. + +§ 537. _The last measure in a line or verse is indifferent as to its +length._--By referring to the section upon single rhymes, we shall find +that the number of syllables is just double the number of accents; that is, +to each accented there is one unaccented syllable, and no more. Hence, with +five accents, there are to each line ten syllables. This is not the case +with all verses. Some rhymes are double, and the last accented syllable has +two unaccented ones to follow it. Hence, with five accents there are to +each line eleven syllables. Now it is in the last measure that this +supernumerary unaccented syllable appears; and it is a general rule, that, +in the last measure of any verse, supernumerary unaccented syllables can be +admitted without destroying the original character of the measure. + +§ 538. See the verses in the section on double rhymes. Here the original +character of the measure is x a throughout, until we get to the words +_disséver_ and _for éver_, and afterwards to _men doúbt it_, and _aboút +it_. At the first view it seems proper to say that in these last-mentioned +cases x a is converted into x a x. A different view, however, is the more +correct one. _Disséver_ and _for éver_, are rather x a with a syllable +over. This extra syllable may be expressed by the sign _plus_ ( + ), so +that the words in point may be expressed by x a +, rather than by x a x. It +is very clear that a measure whereof the last syllable is accented (that +is, measures like x a, _presúme_, or x x a, _cavalíer_), can only vary from +their original character on the side of excess; that is, they can only be +altered by the addition of fresh syllables. To subtract a syllable from +such feet is impossible; since it is only the last syllable that is capable +of being subtracted. If that last syllable, however, be the accented +syllable of the measure, the whole measure is annihilated. Nothing remains +but the unaccented syllable preceding; and this, as no measure can subsist +without an accent, must be counted as a supernumerary part of the preceding +measure. + +§ 539. With the measures a x, a x x, x a x, the case is different. Here +there is room for syllable or syllables to be subtracted. + + Queén and húntress, cháste and faír, + Nów the sún is laíd to sléep, + Seated ín thy sílver chaír, + Státe in wónted spléndour keép. + Hésperús invókes thy líght, + Góddess, éxquisítely bríght.--BEN JONSON. + +In all these lines the last measure is deficient in a syllable, yet the +deficiency is allowable, because each measure is the last one of the line. +The formula for expressing _faír_, _sléep_, _chaír_, &c. is not a, but +rather a x followed by the _minus_ sign (-), or a x-. + +A little consideration will show that amongst the English measures, x a and +x x a naturally form single, a x and x a x double, and a x x treble rhymes. + +§ 540. The chief metres in English are of the formula x a. It is only a few +that are known by fixed names. These are as follows:-- + +1. _Gay's stanza._--Lines of three measures, x a, with alternate rhymes. +The odd (i.e. the 1st and 3rd) rhymes double. + + 'Twas when the seas were roaring + With hollow blasts of wind, + A damsel lay deploring, + All on a rock reclined. + +2. _Common octosyllabics._--Four measures, x a, with rhyme, and (unless the +rhymes be double) eight syllables (_octo syllabæ_).--Butler's Hudibras, +Scott's poems, The Giaour, and other poems of Lord Byron. + +3. _Elegiac octosyllabics_.--Same as the last, except that the rhymes are +regularly alternate, and the verses arranged in stanzas. + + And on her lover's arm she leant, + And round her waist she felt it fold, + And far across the hills they went, + In that new world which now is old: + Across the hills and far away, + Beyond their utmost purple rim, + And deep into the dying day + The happy princess follow'd him.--TENNYSON. + +4. _Octosyllabic triplets._--Three rhymes in succession. Generally arranged +as stanzas. + + I blest them, and they wander'd on; + I spoke, but answer came there none; + The dull and bitter voice was gone.--TENNYSON. + +5. _Blank verse._--Five measures, x a, without rhyme, Paradise Lost, +Young's Night Thoughts, Cowper's Task. + +6. _Heroic couplets._--Five measures, x a, with pairs of rhymes. Chaucer, +Denham, Dryden, Waller, Pope, Goldsmith, Cowper, Byron, Moore, Shelley, &c. +This is the common metre for narrative, didactic, and descriptive poetry. + +7. _Heroic triplets._--Five measures, x a. Three rhymes in succession. +Arranged in stanzas. This metre is sometimes interposed among heroic +couplets. + +8. _Elegiacs._--Five measures, x a; with regularly alternate rhymes, and +arranged in stanzas. + + The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, + The lowing herds wind slowly o'er the lea, + The ploughman homewards plods his weary way, + And leaves the world to darkness and to me.--GRAY. + +9. _Rhymes royal._--Seven lines of heroics, with the last two rhymes in +succession, and the first five recurring at intervals. + + This Troilus, in gift of curtesie, + With hauk on hond, and with a huge rout + Of knightes, rode, and did her company, + Passing all through the valley far about; + And further would have ridden out of doubt. + Full faine and woe was him to gone so sone; + But turn he must, and it was eke to doen.--CHAUCER. + +This metre was common with the writers of the earlier part of Queen +Elizabeth's reign. It admits of varieties according to the distribution of +the first five rhymes. + +10. _Ottava rima._--A metre with an Italian name, and borrowed from Italy, +where it is used generally for narrative poetry. The Morgante Maggiore of +Pulci, the Orlando Innamorato of Bojardo, the Orlando Furioso of Ariosto, +the Gierusalemme Liberata of Tasso, are all written in this metre. Besides +this, the two chief epics of Spain and Portugal respectively (the Auraucana +and the Lusiados) are thus composed. Hence it is a form of poetry which is +Continental rather than English, and naturalized rather than indigenous. +The stanza consists of eight lines of heroics, the six first rhyming +alternately, the last two in succession. + + Arrived there, a prodigious noise he hears, + Which suddenly along the forest spread; + Whereat from out his quiver he prepares + An arrow for his bow, and lifts his head; + And, lo! a monstrous herd of swine appears, + And onward rushes with tempestuous tread, + And to the fountain's brink precisely pours, + So that the giant's join'd by all the boars. + _Morgante Maggiore_ (LD. BYRON'S _Translation_.) + +11. _Terza rima._--Like the last, borrowed both in name and nature from the +Italian, and scarcely yet naturalized in England. + + The Spirit of the fervent days of old, + When words were things that came to pass, and Thought + Flash'd o'er the future, bidding men behold + Their children's children's doom already brought + Forth from the abyss of Time which is to be, + The chaos of events where lie half-wrought + Shapes that must undergo mortality: + What the great seers of Israel wore within, + That Spirit was on them and is on me: + And if, Cassandra-like, amidst the din + Of conflicts, none will hear, or hearing heed + This voice from out the wilderness, the sin + Be theirs, and my own feelings be my meed, + The only guerdon I have ever known. + +12. _Alexandrines._--Six measures, x a, generally (perhaps always) with +rhyme. The name is said to be taken from the fact that early romances upon +the deeds of Alexander of Macedon, of great popularity, were written in +this metre. One of the longest poems in the English language is in the +Alexandrines, viz. Drayton's Poly-olbion, quoted above. + +13. _Spenserian stanza._--A stanza consisting of nine lines, the first +eight heroics, the last an Alexandrine. + + It hath been through all ages ever seen, + That with the prize of arms and chivalrie + The prize of beauty still hath joined been, + And that for reason's special privitie; + For either doth on other much rely. + For he meseems most fit the fair to serve + That can her best defend from villanie; + And she most fit his service doth deserve, + That fairest is, and from her faith will never swerve.--SPENSER. + +Childe Harold and other important poems are composed in the Spenserian +stanza. + +14. _Service metre._--Couplets of seven measures, x a. This is the common +metre of the Psalm versions. It is also called common measure, or long +measure. In this metre there is always a pause after the fourth measure, +and many grammarians consider that with that pause the line ends. According +to this view, the service metre does not consist of two long lines with +seven measures each; but of four short ones, with four and three measures +each alternately. The Psalm versions are printed so as to exhibit this +pause or break. + + The Lord descended from above, | and bow'd the heavens most high, + And underneath his feet He cast | the darkness of the sky. + On Cherubs and on Seraphim | full royally He rode, + And on the wings of mighty winds | came flying all abroad. + STERNHOLD AND HOPKINS. + +In this matter the following distinction is convenient. When the last +syllable of the fourth measure (i.e. the eighth syllable in the line) in +the one verse _rhymes_ with the corresponding syllable in the other, the +long verse should be looked upon as broken up into two short ones; in other +words, the couplets should be dealt with as a stanza. Where there is no +rhyme except at the seventh measure, the verse should remain undivided. +Thus: + + Turn, gentle hermit of the glen, | and guide thy lonely way + To where yon taper cheers the vale | with hospitable ray-- + +constitute a single couplet of two lines, the number of rhymes being two. +But, + + Turn, gentle hermit of the dale, + And guide thy lonely way + To where yon taper cheers the vale + With hospitable ray--(GOLDSMITH) + +constitute a stanza of four lines, the number of rhymes being four. + +15. _Ballad stanza._--Service metre broken up in the way just indicated. +Goldsmith's Edwin and Angelina, &c. + +16. _Poulterer's measure._--Alexandrines and service metre alternately. +Found in the poetry of Henry the Eighth's time. + + * * * * * + + +PART VII. + +THE DIALECTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. + +§ 541. Certain parts of England are named as if their population were +preeminently _Saxon_ rather than _Angle_; viz., Wes-sex ( = West _Saxons_), +Es-sex ( = East _Saxons_), Sus-sex ( = South _Saxons_), and Middle-sex, ( = +Middle _Saxons_). + +Others are named as if their population were preeminently _Angle_ rather +than _Saxon_; thus, the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk once constituted +the kingdom of the East Angles, and even at the present moment, are often +spoken of as _East Anglia_. + +§ 542. It is safe to say that the dialects of the English language do _not_ +coincide with the distribution of these terms. That parts of the Angle +differ from parts of the Saxon districts in respect to the character of +their provincialisms is true; but it is by no means evident that they +differ on that account. + +Thus, that the dialect of Hampshire, which was part of Wes-sex, should +differ from that of Norfolk, which was part of East _Anglia_, is but +natural. There is a great space of country between them--a fact sufficient +to account for their respective characteristics, without assuming an +original difference of population. Between the _Saxons_ of Es-sex and the +_Anglians_ of Suffolk, no one has professed to find any notable difference. + +Hence, no division of the English dialects into those of _Saxon_ or those +of _Angle_ origin, has been successful. + +Neither have any peculiarities in the dialect of Kent, or the Isle of +Wight, verified the notion of the population for those parts having been +originally _Jute_. + +Nor yet has any portion of England been shown by the evidence of its +dialects, to have been _Frisian_. + +§ 543. Yet the solution of such problems is one of the great objects of the +study of provincial modes of speech. + +§ 544. That _Jute_ characteristics will be sought in vain is the inference +from §§ 7-13. + +That differential points between the _Angles_ and _Saxons_ will be sought +in vain is also probable. + +On the other hand, differential points between the _Frisians_ and _Angles_ +are likely to be discovered. + +§ 545. The traces of the Danes, or Northmen, are distinct; the following +forms of local names being _primâ facie_ evidence (at least) of Danish or +Norse occupancy. + +a. The combination Sk-, rather than the sound of Sh-, in such names as +Skip-ton, rather than Ship-ton. + +b. The combination Ca-, rather than Ch-, in such names as Carl-ton rather +than Charl-ton. + +c. The termination -by ( = _town_, _habitation_, _occupancy_,) rather than +-ton, as Ash-by, Demble-by, Spills-by, Grims-by, &c. + +d. The form _Kirk_ rather than _Church_. + +e. The form _Orm_ rather than _Worm_, as in _Orms-head_. + +In _Orms-kirk_ and _Kir-by_ we have a combination of Danish +characteristics. + +§ 546. In respect to their distribution, the Danish forms are-- + +At their _maximum_ on the sea-coast of Lincolnshire; i.e., in the parts +about Spills-by. + +Common, but less frequent, in Yorkshire, the Northern counties of England, +the South-eastern parts of Scotland, Lancashire, (_Ormskirk_, _Horn-by_), +and parts of South Wales (_Orms-head_, _Ten-by_). + +In Orkney, and the northern parts of Scotland, the Norse had originally the +same influence that the Anglo-Saxon had in the south.--See the chapter of +the Lowland Scotch. + +This explains the peculiar distribution of the Norse forms. Rare, or +non-existent, in central and southern England, they appear on the opposite +sides of the island, and on its northern extremity; showing that the stream +of the Norse population went _round the island rather than across it_. + +§ 547. Next to the search after traces of the original differences in the +speech of the Continental invaders of Great Britain, the question as to the +origin of the _written_ language of England is the most important. + +Mr. Guest has given good reasons for believing it to have arisen out of a +Mercian, rather than a West-Saxon dialect--although of the _Anglo-Saxon_ +the West-Saxon was the most cultivated form. + +This is confirmed by the present state of the Mercian dialects. + +The country about Huntingdon and Stamford is, in the mind of the present +writer, that part of England where provincial peculiarities are at the +_minimum_. This may be explained in various ways, of which none is +preferable to the doctrine, that the dialect for those parts represents the +dialect out of which the literary language of England became developed. + +Such are the chief problems connected with the study of the provincial +dialects of England; the exhibition of the methods applicable to their +investigation not being considered necessary in a work like the present. + +NOTE. + + That _Saxon_ was the _British_ name of the Germanic invaders of Great + Britain is certain.--See § 45. + + The reasons which induce me to consider it as _exclusively_ British, + i.e., as foreign to the Angles, are as follows,-- + + a. No clear distinction has ever been drawn between, e.g., an _Angle_ + of Suffolk, and a _Saxon_ of Essex. + + b. The Romans who knew, for some parts at least, every inch of the land + occupied by the Saxons of Germany, as long as there is reason for + believing that they took their names from German sources, never use the + word. It is strange to Cæsar, Strabo, Pliny, and Tacitus. Ptolemy is + the first who uses it. + + c. Ecbert, who is said to have attached the name of _Engl_and, or Land + of _Angles_, to South Britain, was, himself, no _Angle_, but a + West-Saxon.[66] + + * * * * * + + +QUESTIONS ON PARTS IV. V. VI. and VII. + + PART IV. + + 1. What is Johnson's explanation of the word _Etymology_? Into what + varieties does the study fall? What is the difference between + _Etymology_ and _Syntax_? + + 2. How far are the following words instances of gender--_boy_, + _he-goat_, _actress_, _which_? Analyze the forms _what_, _her_, _its_, + _vixen_, _spinster_, _gander_, _drake_. + + 3. How far is there a dual number in the Gothic tongues? What is the + rule for forming such a plural as _stags_ from _stag_? What are the + peculiarities in _monarchs_, _cargoes_, _keys_, _pence_, _geese_, + _children_, _women_, _houses_, _paths_, _leaves_? Of what number are + the words _alms_, _physics_, _news_, _riches_? + + 4. To what extent have we in English a dative, an accusative, and + instrumental case? Disprove the doctrine that the genitive in -s (_the + father's son_) is formed out of the combination _father his_. + + 5. Decline _me_, _thee_, and _ye_. + + 6. How far is there a true reflective pronoun in English? + + 7. What were the original powers and forms of _she_, _her_, _it_? What + case is _him_? What is the power and origin of _the_ in such + expressions as _all the more_? Decline _he_ in Anglo-Saxon. Investigate + the forms _these_ and _those_, _whose_, _what_, _whom_, _which_, + _myself_, _himself_, _herself_, _such_, _every_. + + 8. What is the power (real or supposed) of the -er in _over_, and in + _either_? + + 9. What words in the present English are explained by the following + forms--_sutiza_ in Mœso-Gothic, and _scearpor_, _neah_, _yldre_, in + Anglo-Saxon? Explain the forms, _better_, _worse_, _more_, _less_. + + 10. Analyze the words _former_, _next_, _upmost_, _thirty_, + _streamlet_, _sweetheart_, _duckling_. + + 11. Translate _Ida wæs Eopping_. Analyze the word _Wales_. + + 12. Exhibit the extent to which the noun partakes of the character of + the verb, and _vice versâ_. What were the Anglo-Saxon forms of, _I can + call_, _I begin to call_? + + 13. Investigate the forms, _drench_, _raise_, _use_ (the verb), + _clothe_. + + 14. _Thou speakest_. What is the peculiarity of the form? _We loven_, + _we love_, account for this. + + 15. _Thou rannest_ = (_tu cucurristi_). Is this an unexceptionable + form? if not, why? + + 16. What are the _moods_ in English? What the _tenses_? How far is the + division of verbs into weak and strong tenses natural? Account for the + double forms _swam_ and _swum_. Enumerate the other verbs in the same + class. Explain the forms _taught_, _wrought_, _ought_, _did_, (from + _do_ = _facio_), _did_ (from _do_ = _valeo_), _minded_. + + 17. Define the term _irregular_, so as to raise the number of irregular + verbs, in English, to more than a hundred. Define the same term, so as + to reduce them to none. Explain the form _could_. + + 18. What is the construction of _meseems_ and _methinks_? Illustrate + the _future_ power of be. _Werden_ in German means _become_--in what + form does the word appear in English? + + 19. _To err is human_,--_the rising_ in the North. Explain these + constructions. Account for the second -r in _forlorn_; and for the y in + y_cleped_. + + 20. Explain the difference between _composite_ and _de-composite_ + words, _true_ and _improper compounds_. Analyze the word _nightingale_. + + 21. How far are adverbs inflected? Distinguish between a _preposition_ + and a _conjunction_. + + 22. Explain the forms _there_, _thence_, _yonder_, and _anon_. + + 23. What part of speech is _mine_? + + 24. What is the probable origin of the -d in such preterites as + call-ed. + + PART V. + + 1. Explain the terms _Syntax_, _Ellipsis_, _Pleonasm_, _Zeugma_, _Pros + to semainomenon_, _Apposition_, and _Convertibility_, giving + illustrations of each. + + 2. What is the government of adjectives? + + 3. What is the construction in-- + + a. Rob _me_ the Exchequer.--SHAKSPEARE. + b. Mount _ye_ on horseback. + c. _His_ mother. + d. If the salt have lost _his_ savour. + e. Myself _is_ weak. + f. This is _mine_. + + 4. What are the concords between the relative and antecedent? How far + is, _whom_ do they say that I am, an exceptionable expression? + + 5. _Eteocles and Polynices killed each other._ What is the construction + here? _Ils se battaient, l'un l'autre_--_Ils se battaient, les uns les + autres._ Translate these two sentences into English. _My wife and + little ones are well._ What is the origin of the word _ones_ here? _It + _was_ those who spoke_. _These _was_ those who spoke_. Why is one of + those expressions correct, and the other incorrect? + + 6. What is the difference between-- + + _The_ secretary and treasurer, + and + _The_ secretary and _the_ treasurer? + + What is that between-- + + The first two-- + and + The two first? + + 7. What is the construction of-- + + He sleeps the sleep of the righteous? + + 8. Whether do you say--It is I your master who command you, or It is I + your master who commands you! + + 9. Barbican it _hight_. Translate this into Latin. + + 10. Explain in full the following constructions-- + + a. I have ridden a horse. + b. I am to blame. + c. I am beaten. + d. A part of the body. + e. All fled but John. + + 11. What is meant by the _Succession of Tenses_? Show the logical + necessity of it. + + 12. Or _hear'st_ thou rather pure ethereal stream, + Whose fountain _who can_ tell?--MILTON. + + Give the meaning of this passage, and explain the figure of speech + exhibited in the words in Italics. + + 13. The _door_ being open the steed was stolen.--In what case is + _door_? + + PART VI. + + 1. The way was long, the wind was cold. Express the metre of this + symbolically. + + 2. Define _rhyme_. + + 3. Give instances of _Service metre_, _Blank heroics_, _Alexandrines_. + + PART VII. + + 1. How far do the present dialects of England coincide with the parts, + that took their names from the _Angles_ and the _Saxons_ respectively. + + 2. What traces of Danish or Norse occupancy do we find in local names? + + * * * * * + + +NOTES. + + * * * * * + +[1] The immediate authority for these descents, dates, and localities is +Sharon Turner. They are nearly the same as those which are noticed in Mr. +Kemble's _Saxons in England_. In the former writer, however, they are given +as historical facts; in the latter they are subjected to criticism, and +considered as exceptionable. + +[2] It is from Beda that the current opinions as to the details of the +Anglo-Saxon invasion are taken; especially the threefold division into +Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. These migrations were so large and numerous that +the original country of the Angles was left a desert. The distribution of +the three divisions over the different parts of England was also Beda's. + +The work of this important writer--the great luminary of early England--is +the _Historia Ecclesiastica_, a title which prepares us for a great +preponderance of the ecclesiastical over the secular history. + +Now Beda's date was the middle of the eighth century. + +And his locality was the monastery of Wearmouth, in the county of Durham. + +Both of these facts must be borne in mind when we consider the value of his +authority, i.e., his means of knowing, as determined by the conditions of +time and place. + +Christianity was introduced among the Anglo-Saxons of Kent A.D. 597. For +the times between them and A.D. 740, we have in Mr. Kemble's _Codex +Diplomaticus_ eighty-five charters, all in Latin, and most of them of +uncertain authenticity. They are chiefly grants of different kings of Kent, +Wessex, the Hwiccas, Mercia, and Northumberland, a few being of Bishops. + +[3] Gildas was a _British_ ecclesiastic, as Beda was an _English_ one. His +locality was North Wales: his time earlier than Beda's by perhaps one +hundred years. + +He states that he was born the year of the _pugna Badonica_, currently +called the _Battle of Bath_. + +Now a chronological table called _Annales Cambrenses_, places that event +within one hundred years of the supposed landing of Hengist. + +But there is no reason for believing this to be a cotemporary entry. Hence, +all that can be safely said of Gildas is that he was about as far removed +from the seat of the Germanic invasions, in locality, as Beda, whilst in +point of time he was nearer. + +As a writer he is far inferior, being pre-eminently verbose, vague, and +indefinite. + +_Gildas_, as far as he states facts at all, gives the _British_ account of +the conquest. + +No other documents have come down to our time. + +Beda's own authorities--as we learn from his introduction--were certain of +the most learned bishops and abbots of his cotemporaries, of whom he sought +special information as to the antiquities of their own establishments. Of +cotemporary writers, in the way of authority, there is no mention. + +For the times between the "accredited date of Hengist and Horsa's landing +(A.D. 449) and A.D. 597 (a period of about one hundred and fifty years) the +only authorities are a few quotations from Solinus, Gildas, and a Legendary +Life of St. Germanus."--_Saxons in Engl._ i. 27. + +[4] This account is from Jornandes, who is generally considered as the +chief repertory of the traditions respecting the Gothic populations. He +lived about A.D. 530. The Gepidæ were said to be the _laggards_ of the +migration, and the vessel which carried them to have been left behind: and +as _gepanta_ in their language meant _slow_, their name is taken therefrom. + +[5] Widukind was a monk of Corvey in Flanders, who wrote the +Ecclesiastical History of his monastery. + +[6] Geoffry of Monmouth, like Gildas, is a _British_ authority. His date +was the reign of Henry II. The _Welsh_ traditions form the staple of +Geoffry's work, for which it is the great repertory. + +[7] The _date_ of this was the reign of Marcus Antoninus. Its _place_, the +Danubian provinces of Rhætia, and Pannonia. It was carried on by the +Germans of the _frontier_ or _march_--from whence the name--in alliance +with the Jazyges, who were undoubtedly Slavonic, and the Quadi, who were +probably so. Its details are obscure--the chief authority being Dio +Cassius. + +[8] The reign of Valentinian was from A.D. 365 to A.D. 375. + +[9] The date of this has been variously placed in A.D. 438, and between +A.D. 395 and A.D. 407. Either is earlier than A.D. 449. + +[10] The Saxon Chronicle consists of a series of entries from the earliest +times to the reign of King Stephen, each under its year: the year of the +Anglo-Saxon invasion being the usual one, i.e., A.D. 449. The value of such +a work depends upon the extent to which the chronological entries are +cotemporaneous with the events noticed. Where this is the case, the +statement is of the highest historical value; where, however, it is merely +taken from some earlier authority, or from a tradition, it loses the +character of a _register_, and becomes merely a series of dates--correct or +incorrect as the case may be. Where the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle really begins +to be a cotemporaneous register is uncertain--all that is certain being +that it _is_ so for the _latest_, and is _not_ so for _earliest_ entries. +The notices in question come under the former class. The Anglo-Saxon +Chronicle had been edited by the Master of Trinity College, Oxford (Dr. +Ingram), and analyzed by Miss Gurney. + +[11] Asserius was a learned Welsh ecclesiastic who was invited by King +Alfred into Wessex, and employed by that king as one of his associates and +assistants in civilizing and instructing his subjects. Several works are +mentioned as having been written by Asserius, but the only one extant is +his history of King Alfred, which is a chronicle of various events between +the year of Alfred's birth, A.D. 849, to A.D. 889. + +Asserius is supposed to have died Bishop of Sherborne, A.D. 910. + +[12] The compounds of the Anglo-Saxon word _ware_ = _occupants_, +_inhabitants_, are too numerous to leave any doubt as to this, and several +other, derivations. _Cant-ware_ = _Cant-icolæ_ = _people of Kent_: +_Hwic-ware_ = _Hviccas_ = _the people_ of parts of Worcestershire,[67] +Glostershire, and (to judge from the name) of _War-wick_shire also. + +[13] The Annales Saxonici, or Saxon Chronicles, embrace the history of +Britain, between the landing of Cæsar and the accession of Henry II. They +are evidently the work of various and successive writers, who were Saxon +ecclesiastics. But nothing certain can be affirmed of the authors of their +respective portions.--See Note 10. + +[14] See Note 2. + +[15] Adam of Bremen was a Minor Canon of the Cathedral of Bremen, about +the years 1067-1077. He travelled in Denmark, and was in great favour with +King Sweyn of that country. He wrote an Ecclesiastical History of the +spread of Christianity in the North, to which he appended a description of +the geography, population, and archæology of Denmark and the neighbouring +countries. + +[16] Ethelward was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman, who wrote a chronicle of +events from the creation of the world to the death of King Edgar, A.D. 875. + +[17] The following is a specimen of the Frisian of Gysbert Japicx, in +metre. It is part of a rustic song, supposed to be sung by a peasant on his +return from a wedding feast. Date about A.D. 1650. + + "Swíet, ja swíet, is't oer 'e míete, + 'T boáskiere fóar é jonge lie, + Kreftich swíet is't, sizz ik jiette, + As it giet mei alders ríe. + Mai óars tiget 'et to 'n pléach, + As ik óan myn geafeunt seach." + +Translation of the same from Bosworth's _Anglo-Saxon Dictionary_, p. +lxxiii. + + "Sweet, yes, sweet is over (_beyond_) measure, + The marrying for the young lede (_people_); + Most sweet is it, I say yet (_once more_), + When (_as_) it goes with the rede (_counsel_) of the elders. + But otherwise it tends to a plague, + As I saw on (_by the example of_) my village fellow." + +[18] Of the early constitution of states of East Friesland, we have a +remarkable illustration in the old Frisian Laws. These are in the native +Frisian tongue, and, except that they represent republican rather than +monarchical institutions, are similar in form, in spirit, to the Saxon. + +[19] The great blow against the sovereignty of Rome, and the one which +probably prevented Germany from becoming a Roman province, was struck by +the Cheruscan Arminius against Quintilius Varus, in the reign of Augustus. +The date of the organized insurrection of Arminius was A.D. 9; the place, +the neighbourhood of Herford, or Engern, in Westphalia. Drawn into an +inpracticable part of the country, the troops of Varus were suddenly +attacked and cut to pieces--consisting of more than three legions. "Never +was victory more decisive, never was the liberation of an oppressed people +more instantaneous and complete. Throughout Germany the Roman garrisons +were assailed and cut off; and, within a few weeks after Varus had fallen, +the German soil was freed from the foot of an invader. + +"Had Arminius been supine or unsuccessful, our Germanic ancestors would +have been enslaved or exterminated in their original seats along the Eyder +and the Elbe. This island would never have borne the name of England, and +we, this great English nation, whose race and language are now overrunning +the earth, from one end of it to the other, would have been utterly cut off +from existence."[68] + +[20] _Heliand_ is the gerund from _helian_ = _heal_, and means _the +Healer_ or _Saviour_. It is the name of an old Saxon poem, in alliterative +metre, of the tenth or eleventh century, in the dialect supposed to have +belonged to the parts about Essen, Cleves, and Munster in Westphalia. It is +a sort of Gospel Harmony, or Life of Christ, taken from the Gospels. It has +been edited by Schmeller. + +[21] Hildubrand and Hathubrant, father and son, are two legendary heroes +belonging to that cycle of German fiction of which Theodoric of Verona is +the centre. A fragment containing an account of their hostile meeting, +being mutually unknown, in alliterative metre, represents the _fictional_ +poetry of the old Saxons in the same way (though not to the same extent) +that the Heliand represents their sacred poetry. The "Hildubrand and +Hathubrant" have been edited by Grimm. + +[22] In a language which for a long time was considered to be the Dutch of +Holland in its oldest known form, there is an imperfect translation of the +Psalms; referred by the best writers on the subject to the reign of +Charlemagne, and thence called the Carolinian Psalms. The best text of this +is to be found in a Dutch periodical, the _Taalkundig Magazijn_. + +[23] _Beowulf_ is by far the most considerable poem, not only in +Anglo-Saxon, but in any old Gothic tongue. It has been admirably edited and +translated by Mr. Kemble. The subject is the account of Beowulf, an Angle +hero--Angle but not English, as the scene of the poem is on the Continent. +In its present form it shows traces of the revision of some Christian +writer: the basis, however, of its subject, and the manners it describes, +are essentially Pagan. The most remarkable feature in the poem is the fact +that no allusion is made to England--so that, _Anglo_-Saxon as the work +is--it belongs to the Anglo-Saxons of Germany before they became English. + +[24] A Gospel Harmony translated from the one of Tatian, exists in a +dialect too little purely High German, to pass absolutely as such, yet less +_Low_ German than the Dutch of Holland. This belongs to the _Middle_ Rhine, +and is called _Frank_. + +[25] The Alemannic is the German of the _Upper_ Rhine; the dialect out of +which the Bavarian and Swiss grew. Its chief specimens occur in-- + + a. _The Glosses of Kero_-- + b. _The Psalms_ by a monk named _Notker_. + c. A life of _Anno_ of Cologne. + d. The Song of Solomon, by Willeram. + e. _Musrpilli_, an alliterative poem. + f. _Krist_, a life of Christ, by Otford, and others less important. + +Most of these (along with Tatian), are to be found in Schilter's +_Thesaurus_. + +(Original footnotes) + +[26] In Hampshire. + +[27] In Northern Germany. + +[28] The Eyder. + +[29] See §§ 21-29. + +[30] Saxons _North of the Elbe_ (_Albis_). + +[31] See Notes 17 and 18. + +[32] De Mor. Germ. 40. + +[33] Meaning _ditch_ + +[34] This list is taken from Smart's valuable and logical English Grammar. + +[35] As in _Shotover Hill_, near Oxford. + +[36] As in _Jerusalem artichoke_. + +[37] A sort of silk. + +[38] _Ancient Cassio_--"Othello." + +[39] + + Be she constant, be she fickle, + Be she flame, or be she _ickle_.--SIR C. SEDLEY. + +[40] Or _periphrastic_. + +[41] That of the verb substantive, _if I were_, subjunctive, as opposed to +_I was_, indicative. + +[42] This by no means implies that such was the power of σ, ζ, γ, κ, in +Greek. They are merely convenient symbols. + +[43] As a _name_, _Sigma = Samech_. + +[44] Of the Hebrew and Greek tables. + +[45] In _thin_. + +[46] In _thine_. + +[47] Write one letter twice. + +[48] This explains the words, "Whatever they may have been originally," and +"to a certain extent," in § 212. + +[49] Used as adverbs. + +[50] Used as the plurals of _he_, _she_, and _it_. + +[51] Different from _ilk_. + +[52] Or _call-s_. + +[53] _Thou sangest_, _thou drankest_, &c.--For a reason given in the +sequel, these forms are less exceptionable than _sungest_, _drunkest_, &c. + +[54] The forms marked thus * are either obsolete or provincial. + +[55] Obsolete. + +[56] Sounded _wun_. + +[57] Pronounced _ment_. + +[58] Pronounced _herd_. + +[59] Pronounced _sed_. + +[60] So pronounced. + +[61] Pronounced _leevd_, _cleevd_, _bereevd_, _deeld_, _feeld_, _dreemd_, +_lernd_. + +[62] Pronounced _delt_. + +[63] Found rarely; _bist_ being the current form.--"Deutsche Grammatik," i. +894. + +[64] Notwithstanding the extent to which a relative may take the appearance +of a conjunction, there is always one unequivocal method of deciding its +true nature. The relative is always a _part_ of the second proposition. A +conjunction is _no part_ of either. + +[65] "Latin Prose Composition," p. 123. + +[66] This is worked out more fully in the "Germany of Tacitus, with +Ethnological Notes," by the present author. + +[67] Preserved in the name of the town Wick-war. + +[68] "The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World," by Professor Creasy. + + * * * * * + + +Elements of Moral Philosophy: + +ANALYTICAL, SYNTHETICAL, AND PRACTICAL. + +BY HUBBARD WINSLOW. + +12mo. 480 pages. Price $1 50. + +This work is an original and thorough examination of the fundamental laws +of Moral Science, and of their relations to Christianity and to practical +life. It has already taken a firm stand among our highest works of +literature and science. From the numerous commendations of it by our most +learned and competent men, we have room for only the following brief +extracts: + + _From the _REV. THOMAS H. SKINNER, D.D._, of the Union Theol. Sem., + N.Y._ + + "It is a work of uncommon merit, on a subject very difficult to be + treated well. His analysis is complete. He has shunned no question + which his purpose required him to answer, and he has met no adversary + which he has not overcome." + + _From _REV. L. P. HICKOK_, Vice-President of Union College._ + + "I deem the book well adapted to the ends proposed in the preface. The + style is clear, the thoughts perspicuous. I think it calculated to do + good, to promote the truth, to diffuse light and impart instruction to + the community, in a department of study of the deepest interest to + mankind." + + _From _REV. JAMES WALKER, D.D._, President of Harvard University._ + + "Having carefully examined the more critical parts, to which my + attention has been especially directed, I am free to express my + conviction of the great clearness, discrimination, and accuracy of the + work, and of its admirable adaptation to its object." + + _From _REV. RAY PALMER, D.D._, of Albany._ + + "I have examined this work with great pleasure, and do not hesitate to + say that in my judgment it is greatly superior to any treatise I have + seen, in all the essential requisites of a good text-book." + + _From _PROF. ROUSSEAU D. HITCHCOCK, D.D._, of Union Theol. Sem., N.Y._ + + "The task of mediating between science and the popular mind, is one + that requires a peculiar gift of perspicuity, both in thought and + style; and this, I think, the author possesses in an eminent degree. I + am pleased with its comprehensiveness, its plainness, and its fidelity + to the Christian stand-point." + + _From _PROF. HENRY B. SMITH, D.D._, of the Union Theol. Sem., N.Y._ + + "It commends itself by its clear arrangement of the topics, its + perspicuity of language, and its constant practical bearings. I am + particularly pleased with its views of conscience. Its frequent and + pertinent illustrations, and the Scriptural character of its + explanations of the particular duties, will make the work both + attractive and valuable as a text-book, in imparting instruction upon + this vital part of philosophy." + + _From _W. D. WILSON, D.D._, Professor of Intellectual and Moral + Philosophy in Hobart Free College._ + + "I have examined the work with care, and have adopted it as a text-book + in the study of Moral Science. I consider it not only sound in + doctrine, but clear and systematic in method, and withal pervaded with + a prevailing healthy tone of sentiment, which cannot fail to leave + behind, in addition to the truths it inculcates, an impression in favor + of those truths. I esteem this one of the greatest merits of the book. + In this respect it has no equal, so far as I know; and I do not + hesitate to speak of it as being preferable to any other work yet + published, for use in all institutions where Moral Philosophy forms a + department in the course of instruction." + + * * * * * + + +A History of Philosophy: + +AN EPITOME. + +BY DR. ALBERT SCHWEGLER. + +TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL GERMAN, BY JULIUS H. SEELYE. + +12mo. 365 pages. Price $1 50. + +This translation is designed to supply a want long felt by both teachers +and students in our American colleges. We have valuable histories of +Philosophy in English, but no _manual_ on this subject so clear, concise, +and comprehensive as the one now presented. Schwegler's work bears the +marks of great learning, and is evidently written by one who has not only +studied the original sources for such a history, but has thought out for +himself the systems of which he treats. He has thus seized upon the real +germ of each system, and traced its process of development with great +clearness and accuracy. The whole history of speculation, from Thales to +the present time, is presented in its consecutive order. This rich and +important field of study, hitherto so greatly neglected, will, it is hoped, +receive a new impulse among American students through Mr. Seelye's +translation. It is a book, moreover, invaluable for reference, and should +be in the possession of every public and private library. + + _From _L. P. HICKOK_, Vice-President of Union College._ + + "I have had opportunity to hear a large part of Rev. Mr. Seelye's + translation of Schwegler's History of Philosophy read from manuscript, + and I do not hesitate to say that it is a faithful, clear, and + remarkably precise English rendering of this invaluable Epitome of the + History of Philosophy. It is exceedingly desirable that it should be + given to American students of philosophy in the English language, and I + have no expectation of its more favorable and successful accomplishment + than in this present attempt. I should immediately introduce it as as a + text-book in the graduate's department under my own instruction, if it + be favorably published, and cannot doubt that other teachers will + rejoice to avail themselves of the like assistance from it." + + _From _HENRY B. SMITH_, Professor of Christian Theology, Union + Theological Seminary, N.Y._ + + "It will well reward diligent study, and is one of the best works for a + text-book in our colleges upon this neglected branch of scientific + investigation." + + _From _N. PORTER_, Professor of Intellectual Philosophy in Yale + College._ + + "It is the only book translated from the German which professes to give + an account of the recent German systems which seems adapted to give any + intelligible information on the subject to a novice." + + _From _GEO. P. FISHER_, Professor of Divinity in Yale College._ + + "It is really the best Epitome of the History of Philosophy now + accessible to the English student." + + _From _JOSEPH HAVEN_, Professor of Mental Philosophy in Amherst + College._ + + "As a manual and brief summary of the whole range of speculative + inquiry, I know of no work which strikes me more favorably." + + * * * * * + + +A Digest of English Grammar. + +BY L. T. COVELL. + +12mo. 219 pages. 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Corwine, Principal Kentucky +Liberal Institute._ + +"It is a most delightful volume, and, were I teaching a dozen classes in +United States History, I would use no other book but yours."--_Rev. Charles +Reynolds, Rector of Trinity Church, Columbus, Ohio._ + + * * * * * + + QUACKENBOS'S FIRST LESSONS IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION. Intended for + beginners in Grammar and Composition. 12mo. 182 pages. Price 63 cts. + + * * * * * + + QUACKENBOS'S ADVANCED COURSE OF COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC. 12mo. 450 + pages. Price $1 25. A Series of Practical Lessons on the Origin, + History, and Peculiarities of the English Language, Punctuation, Taste, + the Pleasures of the Imagination, Figures, Style and its essential + Properties, Criticism, and the various departments of Prose and + Poetical Composition. + + * * * * * + + QUACKENBOS'S ILLUSTRATED NATURAL PHILOSOPHY for Schools and Academies: + which unfolds the Laws of the Material World, treats of the various + branches of Physics, exhibits the Application of their Principles in + every day life and embraces the most recent Discoveries in each. 12mo. + 450 pages. Price $1 25. + + * * * * * + +Confident as to the result of an impartial examination of the above works, +the Publishers will mail a copy of either of them, post-paid, to any +teacher or school officer remitting one-half of its price. + + * * * * * + + +ADVANCED COURSE OF + +Composition and Rhetoric. + + A SERIES OF PRACTICAL LESSONS ON THE ORIGIN, HISTORY, AND PECULIARITIES + OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, PUNCTUATION, TASTE, THE PLEASURES OF THE + IMAGINATION, FIGURES, STYLE AND ITS ESSENTIAL PROPERTIES, CRITICISM, + AND THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF PROSE AND POETICAL COMPOSITION. + ILLUSTRATED WITH COPIOUS EXERCISES. + +BY G. P. QUACKENBOS, A. M. + +12mo. 450 pages. Price $1 25. + +This work is an eminently clear and practical text-book, and embraces a +variety of important subjects, which have a common connection, and mutually +illustrate each other; but which the pupil has heretofore been obliged to +leave unlearned, or to search for among a number of different volumes. +Claiming to give a comprehensive and practical view of our language in all +its relations, this "Advanced Course" views it as a whole, no less than +with reference to the individual words composing it; shows how it compares +with other tongues; points out its beauties; indicates how they may best be +made available; and, in a word, teaches the student the most philosophical +method of digesting his thoughts, as well as the most effective mode of +expressing them. + +It teaches Rhetoric not merely theoretically, like the old textbooks, but +_practically_, illustrating every point with exercises to be prepared by +the student, which at once test his familiarity with the principles laid +down, and impress them on his mind so vividly that they can never be +effaced. + +Hon. A. CONSTANTINE BARRY, State Superintendent of the Common Schools of +Wisconsin, in a Report to the Legislature of that State, uses the following +strong language in relation to QUACKENBOS'S works on Composition: + + "It would be difficult to point out in these admirable books any thing + that we would desire to have altered; they meet our wants in every + respect, making no unreasonable draft on the time or patience of the + teacher, and leaving him no excuse for neglecting to make composition a + regular study, even with his younger classes. It is unnecessary to + compare these books with others on the subject, for THERE ARE NONE THAT + APPROACH THEM in clearness, comprehensiveness, excellence of + arrangement, and above all, in direct practical bearing. Affording an + insight into the mechanism of language, they will hardly fail to impart + facility and grace of expression, and to inspire a love for the + beauties of literature." + + _From _PROF. JOHN N. PRATT_, of the University of Alabama._ + + "I have been using QUACKENBOS on Composition and Rhetoric in the + instruction of my classes in the University, and I am persuaded of its + GREAT EXCELLENCE. The First Lessons in Composition, by the same author, + I regard as very useful for beginners. Of these two books, I can speak + with the greatest confidence, and I do MOST HEARTILY RECOMMEND THEM to + all." + + * * * * * + + +Illustrated School History + +OF THE UNITED STATES, + +FROM THE EARLIEST DISCOVERIES TO THE PRESENT TIME: EMBRACING A FULL ACCOUNT +OF THE ABORIGINES, BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF DISTINGUISHED MEN, AND NUMEROUS +MAPS, PLANS OF BATTLE-FIELDS, AND PICTORIAL ILLUSTRATIONS. + +BY G. P. QUACKENBOS, A. M. + +12mo. 473 pages. Price $1 25. + + The Author has aimed to be _simple_, that youth of lower as well as + advanced classes may understand him; _clear_, that no indistinct or + erroneous impressions may be conveyed; _accurate_ in the recital of + facts; and _interesting_ as regards both matter and style. Avoiding + fragmentary statements, he has gone into detail sufficiently to show + events in their connections, convinced that a fairer idea of them is + thus imparted, and that facts otherwise dry may in this way be made + attractive and indelibly impressed on the mind. He has tried throughout + to be fair and national. He has neither introduced offensive allusions, + nor invidiously attempted to bias the minds of the young on + controverted questions connected with politics or religion. + + The pronunciation of all difficult and foreign names is given in + brackets; and appropriate illustrations have been liberally provided. + Maps are as useful in history as in geography, and plans are often + essential to the lucid delineation of military movements. Both are here + presented wherever it was thought they would be of service. + + In elegance of style, accuracy clearness, interest of narrative, + richness of illustration, and adaptation to the school-room, this + History is pronounced far in advance of every similar work heretofore + published. + + _From _PROF. H. D. LATHROP_, Gambier, Ohio._ + + It seems to me admirably adapted to the purpose intended. The style is + simple and attractive, the narrative accurate and sufficiently minute, + the illustrations appropriate and elegant, and the typographical + execution all that could be desired. + + _From _J. D. H. CORWINE_, Principal Kentucky Liberal Institute._ + + I shall at once introduce it as _the best-work of the kind_ on this + important branch of education. + + _From _REV. JOSEPH SHACKELFORD_, Principal Institute, Moulton, Ala._ + + I think it superior to many that I have examined as a school-book. I + have been using Wilson's, but I think this is a much better book for + schools. + + _From _REV. CHARLES REYNOLDS_, Rector of Trinity Church, Columbus, + Ohio._ + + It is a most delightful volume, and were I teaching a dozen classes in + United States History, I would use no other book but yours. + + * * * * * + + +Corrections made to printed original. + +Contents 83--90. "Miscellaneous elements": 'Miscellaneons' in original. + +Contents 366. "Peacock, peahen": 'peahern' in original. + +Contents 416. "Zeugma": 'Leugma' in original. + +§ 29. "rather than the Anglo-Saxon itself": 'than' missing in original. + +§ 40. Sing. Gen. "Túngunnar": 'Túngunnor' in original (this doesn't match +the previous table, also checked in Cleasby & Vigfusson's Icelandic-English +Dictionary). + +§ 74. "They relate chiefly": 'The relate' in original. + +§ 87. "The history of the language of the United States is the history of a +Germanic language.": 'languages of the United States' in original, but the +sense seems to need the singular, viz. American English. + +§ 87. "gadus lota, or eel-pout": 'ell-pout' in original. + +§ 100. 1. "Of the dative singular the e is retained": 'sing-gular' in +original across line break. + +§ 135. "or thus, riv-er, feve-r": 'fe-ver' in original (cannot be right as +it is being contrasted to the previous 'fe-ver'). + +§ 136. "Let, however, the n and the t of note": 'not' in original but is +being contrasted to the 'not' in the previous sentence. + +§ 155. "it may be replaced by k": 'is may be ...' in original. + +§ 159. "The letters x and q": 'The letter ...' in original. + +§ 161. (Table of names) "17. Pe ... Pi": '17. Pi ... Phi' in original, but +compare the preceding table and § 175. + +§ 163. 16. (Hebrew) "Pe": 'Phi' in original, but compare § 175. + +"§ 176." '§ 175' in original. + +§ 199 c. "as if written peace": 'as is ...' in original. + +§ 222. "it is me = it is I": 'it is me it = is I' in original. + +§ 235. Compound pronouns. 3. "some such word as ei": 'some such wore ...' +in original. + +"§ 259." '§ 250' in original. + +§ 267. "the words lambkin, ...": 'the works ...' in original. + +§ 272. "the termination -ing": 'terminations ...' in original. + +§ 290. Anglo-Saxon. "Swang ... swungon": 'Swang ... swangon' in original. + +§ 308. "Þencan, þóhte.": 'Þeecan, þóhte.' in original. + +§ 316. "the Latin word audeo": 'auedo' in original. + +§ 322. 4. "As early as A.D. 1085": 'nearly' in original. + +§ 324. "The current rule of the common grammarians is ...": 'is' missing in +original. + +§ 354. "by the word rose prefixed.": 'the word tree' in original. + +§ 383. "The full amount of change in this respect": 'repect' in original. + +§ 397. a. "Anglo-Saxon mec and þec": 'mec and pec' in original. + +§ 408. "sôk-idêdun, from sôk-ja": 'sôk-iddêun' in original. + +§ 418. "the words Roman emperor": 'word' in original. + +§ 421. "the word speak is an infinitive": 'in an infinitive' in original. + +§ 433. "villainouser": 'villanouser' in original. + +§ 455. "4.": '3.' in original. + +§ 508. 2. "lest he fall upon us with pestilence.": 'us' missing in original +(KJV Exod. v. 3.) + +§ 540. 5. "Blank verse.--Five measures": 'Pive measures' in original. + +§ 540. 8. "leaves the world to darkness and to me": 'leaves the word ...' +in original. + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Handbook of the English Language, by +Robert Gordon Latham + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HANDBOOK OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE *** + +***** This file should be named 28436-0.txt or 28436-0.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/2/8/4/3/28436/ + +Produced by Colin Bell, Keith Edkins and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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