THEORY OF LANGUAGE^ 405 



son addressed. If, is by examining these modifications that we 

 may expect to make the most successful advances in acquiring 

 a philosophical knowledge of the parts of speech. They may 

 be distributed in the followino; manner : 



1. We desire another to perform some voluntary motion. 

 This gives rise to Imperatives in their acknowledged form. 



2. We direct his attention to objects that are independent of 

 himself. This gives rise to words that designate External Ob- 

 jects, and to words which connect these with imperatives. 

 Under this head we shall probably be obliged to rank not only 

 substantive and adjective nouns, but participles, adverbs, pre- 

 positions, and some conjunctions. 



3. We direct him to combine and arrange his ideas in a de- 

 finite manner. This gives rise to those parts of speech which 

 are subservient to Affirmation. 



Lastly, We desire him to give us information. This "rives 

 rise to Interrogatives. 



Perhaps it would be rash to assert tliat the different parts of 

 speech would be most advantageously treated in the order now 

 mentioned. It is probable tliat the analogy subsistino- be- 

 twixt the inflections and uses of the imperative and the indica- 

 tive of the verb, would render it advisable to consider them in 

 conjunction. Similar considerations might perhaps justly in- 

 duce us to give the other parts of speech an arrangement near- 

 er to that which they receive in our common grammars. We 

 shall find, however, that when we trace the prevalent etymolo- 

 gies among each of those kinds of words which are referred to 

 different parts of speech, the radical importance of tlie impera- 

 tive of the verb every where af>pears. This fact will, be illus- 

 trated Ijy a few observations on the progress of etymolotrv. 



YoL. VII. P. ir. 3F 



Ai? 



