90 On Figurative Language. 
From this explanation of the origin of 
verbs, he draws the following conclusion : 
“ Verbs were originally the names of things, 
and received their character as verbs from 
association.” (p. 133.) What Mr, Jones calls 
association, 1 call translation, or change of 
meaning, because it appears to me to approach 
as near as possible to what the rhetoricians 
have so denominated. 
It is scarcely necessary to exemplify how 
actions can be indicated by gestures; for who 
can be ignorant of the inder, &{3>; of the 
sign of silence, the finger on the lip, &c.? Ina 
poor language it is well known how much 
gesture assists communication. 
If m the primitive state of a language a 
person wished to inform another that a certain 
man (Thomas) had escaped him, (John) by 
running or starting swiftly from him, he 
would, probably, for this purpose, select the 
name of some well-known animal, remark- 
able for the habitual practice of the action he 
wished to express—we will suppose a fly— 
and with appropriate gestures, express himself 
thus: Thomas fly John. This is probably a 
true history of the origin of the English verb 
to fly. Thus, by peculiarity of utterance, or 
greater intonation of voice, the name of any 
object would be made to represent the action 
