98 On an Universal Character. 
fal ideas, which become particular when connected 
with individual signs. z 
In order to give you a slight notion of what is 
meant, and the manner in which it may be done, I 
send you inclosed a small schedule containing the 
personal pronouns only, and the manner in which 
they might be denoted, according to the mode of 
notation I had thought of.* In these you will ob- 
serve, that this mark *, always denotes the mascu- 
line,—this mark ’, the feminine,—and no mark at 
all, the neuter gender ;—-that a point above the cha- 
racter, denotes the plural;—that this mark’ at the 
right hand side denotes the definitive, commonly 
called the genitive or possessive case ;—-and that the 
same mark with the cross in the middle (which is the 
sign of the accusative case)\ denotes the possessive, 
properly so called. 
You will now see somewhat of what is meant by 
the accuracy of ideas that would be thus conveyed, 
in comparison of what can be done by spoken lan- 
guage. For instance, the plural of he, she, and 2é, are 
all equally they; but it is certain that in language, to 
speak with precision, there is as much want of a 
plural for the different genders as of a singular, 
A writer then, when he had occasion to discriminate 
these ideas would do it; and when ¢hey denoted 
males, he would write it thus -{j; when the same 
* See the annexed Scheme, page tot. 
