Chap. XVI. J PhilosopJu) of Language. 335 



as good judges have asserted, *' by a single flash 

 of hght" he has done more to explain tiie whole 

 theory of language than any, or than all his j)re- 

 decessors. He seems at length, indeed, to have 

 terminated the dispute^ and to have dispelled the 

 darkness which for so many ages had rested on 

 the subject. 



The leading doctrine of Mr. Tooke is, that there 

 are only two necessary ])arts of speech, riz, the 

 Noun and the Verb, and that all other words, whe- 

 ther adverbs, conjunctions, prepositmis, &c. are to 

 be considered as corruptions or abbreviations of 

 these two ; and, of course, that the latter classes 

 of words, instead of being in themselves, as both 

 Mr. Harris and lord Monboddo had taught, mere 

 unmeaning sounds, might be traced to a distinct 

 and sensible signification. In dividing all words 

 into tw^o grand classes Mr. Tooke agrees with the 

 plan which lord Monboddo adopted from Plato 

 and Aristotle ; but with respect to the remaining 

 details of his system he is original, and j)resents a 

 much more consistent and philosophical view of 

 the subject than any preceding writer. In a few 

 small particulars also, the doctrines of the Dive)- 

 sio7is of Pur ley had been anticipated by the learn- 

 ed Dutch etymologists before-mentioned ; but the 

 points of coincidence between them are so i't:\y and 

 vmiiiiportant as to take away nothing material from 

 Mr. Tooke of the honour of originality *. 



* The author of ETTfa Urs^csvla, lately published tJie first vo- 

 lume i»f a iiew and enlarged edition of this work, intended to con- 

 sist cf three vols. 4to. This volume is a republication of tlie 

 forw. ; edition in octavo, with additional examples and illustra- 

 tio. But the two remaining volumes (the second is now in tliQ 

 Vol. II. Y 8 



