•1792« on the personal pronouns. 721: 



case, It has teen called the pronoun of the third per- 

 son. 



As these circumstances must occur in all lan- 

 guages, so we find these different clafses of pronouns 

 in every language ; and it is these clafses of words 

 which have been denominated, in general, personal 

 pronouns. 



But though all languages agree in having these 

 three clafses of pronouns, they differ infinitely as to 

 the variations they admit of, and other circumstances 

 affecting them. 



The pronouns of the Jirst and second persons are 

 afTected by circumstances so much in the same way, 

 that we fhall find it convenient to consider them to- 

 gether, and the pronouns of the third person, whioh 

 differ from them in several respects, by itself. 



As nouns, in most of the languages we have been 

 accustomed to study grammatically, admit of a three- 

 fold variation, in respect to GENDER, NUMBES, and 

 CASE *, we have naturally been disposed to consider 

 the pronouns^ which become their substitutes, as be- 

 ing capable of the same variations. But here the 

 general analogy fails us. In the languages usually 

 taught grammatically, we find no variation in the 

 pronouns of the Jirst or second person respecting ^(r«- 

 der i and, therefore, it has heenconclnded, generally, 

 that these two clafses of pronouns cannot with pro« 

 priety admit of any variation in respect to gender. 

 Our grammarians have even gone so far as to invent 

 ft reason why this rule Ihould not be transgrefsed. 

 "Without being influenced by these reasons, which I- 



* Sec Bee, ¥ol. x. pi 241 ettrf. 

 ^OL. xi. <^ f 



