2^7© €n personal pronoutis, Oct, i^* 



remains, that we Ihould point out the cause of some 

 anomalies that are observable in the EngHfh langu- 

 age, with regard to the composition of that word se/f 

 with its definitive. 



We find, that in the pronouns of the first and se- 

 cond persons, the word self, with its plural selves, re- 

 gularly afsun>es the proper definitive pronoun in com- 

 position. Thus we say MY-self, rejecting, alike, the 

 accusative me and the pofsefsi^ mine ; for we can nei- 

 ther say me-seU, nor mine-self*. In like manner we 

 take, in the plural, the proper definitive our, and 

 say oar-selves ; and not z^z-selves, or owr.c-selves. 

 The same rule is observed in regard to the pronoun 

 of the second person ; for we say, thj-stlf, using the 

 proper definitive, and not thee-seU, or thine-sclf ; and 

 f oar-selves, and not joa-self, or j/owr j-selves. In all 

 these cases, our pronoun admits of a distinct word 

 for the definithe, difierent from either the accusative 

 or the pofsefsive, and therefore no difficulty occurs. 

 But when we come to the pronoun of the third per- 

 son, we are at a stand ; for, with regard to that pro- 

 noun, we find, that, in the masculine gender, there is 

 no particular word appropriated as a definitive +, the 

 word ^'j being obviously the />o/}f/};W only, andnot the 

 definitive. In this embarrafsment, whatfhallbe done? 

 No alternative seems to remain, but either to employ 

 in this case the accusative him, by way of a definitive^ 

 or the. pofsefsive HIS. Custom has establiftied the first, 

 and we say him-st\i, and not his-stli. Some critics, 

 however, observing that the word his, has been for- 



• See table, p. 244. •{• Ibid, 



