English Grammar in Familiar Lectures Part 6

_False Orthography_.--Knowledge is desireable.--Misconduct is inexcuseable.--Our natural defects are not chargable upon us.--We are made to be servicable to others as well as to ourselves.

RULE X. When _ing_ or _ish_ is added to words ending in silent _e_, the _e_ is almost always omitted; as, _place, placing; lodge, lodging; slave, slavish; prude, prudish_.

_False Orthography_.--Labor and expense are lost upon a droneish spirit.--An obligeing and humble disposition, is totally unconnected with a servile and cringeing humor.

Conscience antic.i.p.ateing time, Already rues th' unacted crime.

One self-approveing hour, whole years outweighs Of stupid starers, and of loud huzzas.

RULE XI. Compound words are generally spelled in the same manner as the simple words of which they are compounded; as, _gla.s.shouse, skylight, thereby, hereafter_. Many words ending in double _l_, are exceptions to this rule; as, _already, welfare, wilful, fulfil_; and also the words, _wherever, christmas, lammas, &c_.

_False Orthography_.--The Jew's pasover was inst.i.tuted in A.M.

2513.--They salute one another by touching their forheads.--That which is some times expedient, is not allways so.

Then, in the scale of reasoning life 'tis plain, There must be, somwhere, such a rank as man.

Till hymen brought his lov-delighted hour, There dwelt no joy in Eden's rosy bower.

The head reclined, the loosened hair, The limbs relaxed, the mournful air:-- See, he looks up; a wofull smile Lightens his wo-worn cheek awhile.

You may now answer the following

QUESTIONS.

What is language?--How is language divided?--What is natural language?--What are the elements of natural language in man?--Wherein consists the language of brutes?--What is artificial language?--What is an idea?--What are words?--What is grammar?--What does Universal grammar explain?--Wherein does Particular grammar differ from universal?--What is the standard of grammatical accuracy?--What is Philosophical grammar?--What is Practical grammar?--What is a principle of grammar?--A definition?--A rule?--What is English grammar?--Into how many parts is grammar divided?--What does Orthography teach?

ETYMOLOGY AND SYNTAX

LECTURE II

OF NOUNS AND VERBS.

ETYMOLOGY treats of the different sorts of words, their various modifications, and their derivation.

SYNTAX treats of the agreement and government of words, and of their proper arrangement in a sentence.

The word ETYMOLOGY signifies the _origin_ or _pedigree of words_.

_Syn_, a prefix from the Greek, signifies _together_. _Syn-tax_, means _placing together_; or, as applied in grammar, _sentence making_.

The rules of syntax, which direct to the proper choice of words, and their judicious arrangement in a sentence, and thereby enable us to correct and avoid errors in speech, are chiefly based on principles unfolded and explained by Etymology. Etymological knowledge, then, is a prerequisite to the study of Syntax; but, in parsing, under the head of Etymology, you are required to apply the rules of Syntax. It becomes necessary, therefore, in a practical work of this sort, to treat these two parts of grammar in connexion.

Conducted on scientific principles, Etymology would comprehend the exposition of the origin and meaning of words, and, in short, their whole history, including their application to things in accordance with the laws of nature and of thought, and the caprice of those who apply them; but to follow up the current of language to its various sources, and a.n.a.lyze the springs from which it flows, would involve a process altogether too arduous and extensive for an elementary work. It would lead to the study of all those languages from which ours is immediately derived, and even compel us to trace many words through those languages to others more ancient, and so on, until the chain of research would become, if not endless, at least, too extensive to be traced out by one man. I shall, therefore, confine myself to the following, limited views of this part of grammar.

1. Etymology treats of the _cla.s.sification_ of words.

2. Etymology explains the _accidents_ or _properties_ peculiar to each cla.s.s or sort of words, and their present _modifications_. By modifications, I mean the changes produced on their _endings_, in consequence of their a.s.suming different relations in respect to one another. These changes, such as fruit, fruit_s_, fruit'_s_; he, h_is_, h_im_; write, write_st_, write_th_, write_s_, wr_ote_, writ_ten_, writ_ing_, write_r_; a, a_n_; ample, ampl_y_, and the like, will be explained in their appropriate places.

3. Etymology treats of the _derivation_ of words; that is, it teaches you _how one word comes from_, or _grows out of_ another. For example, from the word speak, come the words speak_est_, speak_eth_, speak_s_, speak_ing_, sp_oke_, spo_ken_, speak_er_, speak_er's_, speak_ers_.

These, you perceive, are all one and the same word, and all, except the last three, express the same kind of action. They differ from each other only in the termination. These changes in termination are produced on the word in order to make it correspond with the various _persons_ who speak, the _number_ of persons, or the _time_ of speaking; as, _I_ speak, _thou_ speak_est_, the _man_ speak_eth_, or speak_s_, the _men_ speak, _I_ sp_oke_; The speak_er_ speak_s_ another speak_er's_ spe_ech_.

The third part of Etymology, which is intimately connected with the second, will be more amply expanded in Lecture XIV, and in the Philosophical notes; but I shall not treat largely of that branch of derivation which consists in tracing words to foreign languages. This is the province of the lexicographer, rather than of the philologist. It is not the business of him who writes a practical, English grammar, to trace words to the Saxon, nor to the Celtic, the Greek, the Dutch, the Mexican, nor the Persian; nor is it his province to explain their meaning in Latin, French, or Hebrew, Italian, Mohegan, or Sanscrit; but it is his duty to explain their properties, their powers, their connexions, relations, dependancies, and, bearings, not at the period in which the Danes made an irruption into the island of Great Britain, nor in the year in which Lamech paid his addresses to Adah and Zillah, but _at the particular period in which he writes_. His words are already derived, formed, established, and furnished to his hand, and he is bound to take them and explain them as he finds them _in his day_, without any regard to their ancient construction and application.

CLa.s.sIFICATION. In arranging the parts of speech, I conceive it to be the legitimate object of the practical grammarian, to consult _practical convenience_. The true principle of cla.s.sification seems to be, not a reference to essential differences in the _primitive_ meaning of words, nor to their original combinations, but to the _manner in which they are at present employed_. In the early and rude state of society, mankind are quite limited in their knowledge, and having but few ideas to communicate, a small number of words answers their purpose in the transmission of thought. This leads them to express their ideas in short, detached sentences, requiring few or none of those _connectives_, or words of transition, which are afterwards introduced into language by refinement, and which contribute so largely to its perspicuity and elegance. The argument appears to be conclusive, then, that every language must necessarily have more parts of speech in its refined, than in its barbarous state.

The part of speech to which any word belongs, is ascertained, not by the _original_ signification of that word, but by its present _manner_ of meaning, or, rather, _the office which it performs in a sentence_.

The various ways in which a word is applied to the idea which it represents, are called its _manner of meaning_. Thus, The painter dips his _paint_ brush in _paint_, to _paint_ the carriage. Here, the word _paint_, is first employed to _describe_ the brush which the painter uses; in this situation it is, therefore, an _adjective_; secondly, to _name_ the mixture employed; for which reason it is a _noun_; and, lastly, to _express the action_ performed; it therefore, becomes a _verb_; and yet, the meaning of the word is the same in all these applications. This meaning, however, is applied in different ways; and thus the same word becomes different parts of speech. Richard took _water_ from the _water_ pot, to _water_ the plants.

ETYMOLOGY.

Etymology treats, first, of the _cla.s.sification_ of words.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE is derived chiefly from the Saxon, Danish, Celtic, and Gothic; but in the progressive stages of its refinement, it has been greatly enriched by accessions from the Greek, Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, and German languages.

The number of words in our language, after deducting proper names, and words formed by the inflections of our verbs, nouns, and adjectives, may be estimated at about _forty thousand_. There are ten sorts of words, called parts of speech, namely, the NOUN or SUBSTANTIVE, VERB, ARTICLE, ADJECTIVE, PARTICIPLE, ADVERB, PREPOSITION, p.r.o.nOUN, CONJUNCTION, and INTERJECTION.

Thus you perceive, that all the words in the English language are included in these ten cla.s.ses: and what you have to do in acquiring a knowledge of English Grammar, is merely to become acquainted with these ten parts of speech, and the rules of Syntax that apply to them. The _Noun_ and _Verb_ are the most important and leading parts of speech; therefore they are first presented: all the rest (except the interjection) are either appendages or connectives of these two. As you proceed, you will find that it will require more time, and cost you more labor, to get a knowledge of the noun and verb, than it will to become familiar with all the minor parts of speech.

The princ.i.p.al use of words is, to _name_ things, _compare_ them with each other, and _express their actions_.

_Nouns_, which are the names of ent.i.ties or things, _adjectives_ which denote the comparisons and relations of things by describing them, and expressing their qualities, and _verbs_, which express the actions and being of things, are the only cla.s.ses of words necessarily recognised in a philosophical view of grammar. But in a treatise which consults, mainly, the _practical_ advantages of the learner, it is believed, that no cla.s.sification will be found more convenient or accurate than the foregoing, which divides words into ten sorts. To attempt to prove, in this place, that nothing would be gained by adopting either a less or a greater number of the parts of speech, would be antic.i.p.ating the subject. I shall, therefore, give my reasons for adopting this arrangement in preference to any other, as the different sorts of words are respectively presented to you, for then you will be better prepared to appreciate my arguments.

OF NOUNS.

A noun is the name of any person, place, or thing; as, _man, Charleston, knowledge_.

Nouns are often improperly called _substantives_. A substantive is the name of a _substance_ only; but a noun is the name either of a _substance_ or a _quality_.

_Noun_, derived from the Latin word _nomen_, signifies _name_. The name of any thing [1] that exists, whether animate or inanimate, or which we can see, hear, feel, taste, smell, or think of, is a noun.

_Animal, bird, creature, paper, pen, apple, fold, house, modesty, virtue, danger_, are all nouns. In order that you may easily distinguish this part of speech from others, I will give you a _sign_, which will be useful to you when you cannot tell it by the _sense_. Any word that will make sense with _the_ before it, is a noun. Try the following words by this sign, and see if they are nouns: tree, mountain, soul, mind, conscience, understanding. _The_ tree, _the_ mountain, _the_ soul, and so on. You perceive, that they will make sense with _the_ prefixed; therefore you know they are _nouns_. There are, however, exceptions to this rule, for some nouns will not make sense with _the_ prefixed. These you will be able to distinguish, if you exercise your mind, by their _making sense of themselves_; as, _goodness, sobriety, hope, immortality_.

[1] The word _thing_, from the Saxon verb _thingian_, to think, is almost unlimited in its meaning. It may be applied to every animal and creature in the universe. By the term creature, I mean that which has been created; as, a dog, water, dirt. This word is also frequently applied to actions; as, "To get drunk is a beastly _thing_." In this phrase, it signifies neither animal nor creature; but it denotes merely an action; therefore this action is the thing.

Nouns are used to denote the nonent.i.ty or absence of a thing, as well as its reality; as, _nothing, naught, vacancy, non-existence, invisibility_.

Nouns are sometimes used as verbs, and verbs, as nouns, according to their _manner_ of meaning; and nouns are sometimes used as adjectives, and adjectives, as nouns. This matter will be explained in the concluding part of this lecture, where you will be better prepared to comprehend it.

NOUNS are of two kinds, common and proper.

A _Common noun_ is the name of a sort or species of things; as, _man, tree, river_.

A _Proper noun_ is the name of an individual; as, _Charles, Ithaca, Ganges_.

A noun signifying many, is called a _collective noun_, or _noun of mult.i.tude_; as, the _people_, the _army_.