REQUISITES OF LANGUAGE. 249 



Stewart, adopting an expression from Mr. Payne Knight, 

 calls its transitive applications ; and after briefly illus- 

 trating such of them as are the result of local or 

 casual associations, he proceeds as follows*: 



" But although by far the greater part of the tran- 

 sitive or derivative applications of words depend on 

 casual and unaccountable caprices of the feelings or 

 the fancy, there are certain cases in which they open 

 a very interesting field of philosophical speculation. 

 Such are those, in which an analogous transference of 

 the corresponding term may be remarked universally, 

 or very generally, in other languages ; and in which, 

 of course, the uniformity of the result must be ascribed 

 to the essential principles of the human frame. Even 

 in such cases, however, it will by no means be always 

 found, on examination, that the various applications 

 of the same term have arisen from any common 

 quality or qualities in the objects to which they relate. 

 In the greater number of instances, they may be 

 traced to some natural and universal associations of 

 ideas, founded in the common faculties, common 

 organs, and common condition of the human race. 



. According to the different degrees of intimacy 

 and strength in the associations on which the transi- 

 tions of language are founded, very different effects 

 may be expected to arise. Where the association is 

 slight and casual, the several meanings will remain 

 distinct from each other, and will often, in process of 

 time, assume the appearance of capricious varieties 

 in the use of the same arbitrary sign. Where the 

 association is so natural and habitual, as to become 

 virtually indissoluble, the transitive meanings will 

 coalesce into one complex conception; and every new 



* P. 2267- 



