igS on personal pronouns. Oct. la. 



language becomes cramped beyond measure by this 

 defect ; and in every page instances occur, either of 

 ambiguity, improprieties, and inelegancies because of 

 this ; or of circumlocutions, and forced turns of ex- 

 prefsion, that are necefsary to avoid it. The phrase 

 " a true friend is one of tlie greatest blefsings in 

 life," is natural, and the truth of the proposition is 

 readily recognised. But fliould it be proposed to 

 follow out the thought, by adding several particular 

 instances of the blefsings it bestows, we feel an em- 

 barrafsment. And we must either repeat the word 

 friend, or substitute an improper pronoun in its 

 stead, thus — " a true friend is one of the greatest 

 blefsings in life: a true friend heightens all our 

 joys : a true friend alleviates all our misfortunes, 

 and soothes the mind to peace j" or, " a true friend 

 is one of the greatest blefsings in life ; he heightens 

 all our joys ; he alleviates all our misfortunes, and 

 soothes our mind to peace." But in this last case the 

 proposition is not fairly rendered. The effect is con- 

 fined to the fimle, which ought equally to include the 

 female. The proposition which ought to have been 

 general, is thus rendered partial only. 



The pronoun indefinite is wanted also as the sub- 

 stitute of all such words as denote a whole genus of 

 animals, without regard to age, sex, or condition. In 

 a perfect language there would be at least three dis- 

 tinct words for each genus of animals : one to de- 

 note the whole, indefinitely, zsfjeep ; another to de- 

 note males only, as ram ; and the third to denote the 

 female, as ewe. When thus employed, the word 

 ^leep would be supplied by the pronoun indefinite ; 



