of the soar Err. 



1784. 



Dr CULLEN delivered to the Society five volumes written by 

 Dr SAMOILOWITZ of St Peterfburg, prefented at the requeft of 

 the Author, to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. The titles 

 of thefe are to be found in the lift of Donations, at the end of 

 Part I. of this volume. 



Lit. Cl. Dr JAMES ANDERSON read obfervations on a pecu- 

 liarity in the Englifh language, ufually called a Genitive Cafe. 



Dr ANDERSON is of opinion, that the Englifh noun admits 

 of no inflection by cafes, and therefore that the term genitive 

 cafe is improper. He contends that the addition of the letter s 

 with an apoftrophe, to a noun, as Johnsflaff, is not an inflection 

 of the noun, and therefore cannot be termed a Cafe. He afErms 

 that when a noun undergoes a change of this fort, it ceafes to be 

 itfelf a noun, and becomes immediately a definitive ; the office 

 of which is to limit and render more precife the general mean- 

 ing of another noun, with which it is neceflarily connected. 

 Thus the general word Jtaff has its meaning limited, by the 



prefixing 



Books from Dr 

 Samoilowitz. 



April i p. 

 Dr Anderfon 

 on the Englifh 

 genitive. 



