Universal 
Grammar. 
—_—— 
Concrete 
nouns, 
Names of 
habitual 
groups of 
qualities. 
Abstract 
nouns. 
Controversy 
on the sub- 
ject. 
400 
be firmly ‘conjoined; hence the name concrete, by 
which their nature is expressed, is derived from the La- 
tin words con and cretus, signifying “ grown together.” 
Though the hypothesis of a substratum is rejected; the 
term concrete is ectly well adapted to represent a con- 
geries of qualities which have become associated in the 
mind in’ consequence of certain specimens of them in na- 
ture being habitually found in conjunction. The name 
of a person well known to us suggests some or all of the 
qualities by which he is distinguished, such as his ap- 
earance, the sound of his voice, and the particulars of 
is mal character. The name of any well-known 
river, hamlet, field,-or other inanimate object, suggests, 
in like manner, the distinguishing characters. of each, 
The same thing is even done, though in a different 
way, by concrete terms of more general application, 
such as the words “ river,” “ mountain,” and “ city.” 
Sometimes one quality of the object, and sometimes 
several, occur to the mind as associated with the word ; 
sometimes merely a vague impression of a scene in 
which we expect to find certain qualities which are the 
objects of our remembrance. | The limits within which 
the expectations connected with words of this sort are 
confined constitute their precise meaning; or mental 
definition. : 
The scene by which we are continually surrounded 
consists of groups of sensible qualities, which are vari+ 
ous in extent, and variously combined. This diversity 
gives origin to a diversity of terms. Terms are render 
ed necessary on account of the subserviency of many 
surrounding objects to our first wants, and their import 
ance as instruments of mutual assistance among men. 
When they are present, we may, by merely Joaking or 
pointing at them, direct to them the attention of one 
another, and; when they are absent, we may: think of 
them independently of any names. But, when one man 
wishes to execute any purpose regarding them jin their 
absence by exciting the ideas of them in the mind of 
another, he requires signs to represent them ; and from. 
the familiarity of the mind with these objects the con- 
trivance of names becomes a very early operation of the 
social individual. 
Abstract nouns are those which signify qualities sepa- 
rately conceived, such as ‘ whiteness,’’ « roundness,’? 
* softness,” “ form,” “magnitude,” beauty.” The na 
ture of these nouns, and of the objects which they desig- 
nate, has given rise to controversy. Some have denied that 
they express definite or separate ideas, because qualities 
never exist by themselves, but. are always attached’ to 
some substance; and becauseitis impossible even to think 
of the qualities without thinking of the substance. It has, 
for example, been declared impossible to think of whites 
ness, blackness, redness, straightness, or hardness, ‘with- 
out thinking ofa thing or substance whieh is white, black,’ 
red, straight orvhard. In so far as this doctrine ims 
plies the impossibility of thinking of qualities without! 
the substrata, it has been already discussed, and must 
be laid aside by every person who recollects that the 
substratum is regarded, even by those who believe most 
firmly in its existence, as the most difficult to be appre- 
hended of all material objects. Those who imagine that 
they think about substances to which such qualities as 
have now been mentioned belong, merely think more 
or less obscurely of other qualities. with which they 
have a strong inclination to connect those which happen 
to be named. Each quality isan independent object of 
knowledge ; but the ideas of different qualities are 
strongly associated in the mind, and the activity and 
versatility of its operations produce a pronenéss to ‘con« 
join each one that comes into. view with others conceis 
GRAMMAR | 
Season oot mnowodgs inacneestlby aaiealanreciogie 
senses, our kno is acqu to si : 
qualities... Persons who are born blind or deaf, and ™ 
consequently have none of the ideas imparted by that 
sense whi aga rs to mingle with their other 
ideas, retain ife a separate conception of cer- 
tain material qualities which, by the greater part of ~ 
mankind, are constantly associated with 1 When 
a person, under these circumstances, happens to recover __ 
the deficient faculty, the ideas which it conveys: are at 
first separate, and it is only by experience 
that the 
of them with Caesar produced. 
ae been illustrated in th pers scm ; 
born ro om: an opacity in the crystalline lens of the 
eye, and cured by sarin operation, at a period of life . 
when their mental faculties were so far unfolded as to 
enable them to describe their sensations. In mankind 
at large, the combinations of sensible ideas are formed 
long before lan; is attended to; and on this acc 
the structure o: bguageatonds no analytical view of 
process: If'it did, the names of single qualities would be 
the simplest words, and the names of the’ assemblages 
which wé denominate matteror substance would be com~ 
atively compound.» The reverse of this is the case. 
The names of tual wre iW: of objects are less 
compound, because the utility of assigning names to 
them is of prior suggesti le ies are la- 
ter in becoming | g subjects of discourse, and hence 
their names are later in assuming the form of substantive 
nouns. “Whiteness,? “ blackness,”? “ redness,” “ hard<« 
ness,” “straightness,” “ roundness,” are not so short as 
many names of objects, which comprehend one of these 
qualities in conabination with several others.  ¢ Eee" 
is. a shorter word rental esse cel reviy ss 
« blackness.” Even the names of single qualities; com . 
prehend in their original:formation a general mark of © 
reference to some congeries princi are supposed 
to form a part, and the name is subord nn ot 
72 i ‘is. 
name ofa quality, and contains a reference to some con~ 
to the name of some such’ congeries. 
geries to which it is described as belonging. The sepa~ 
rate consideration of the quality is a'su ent object of 
interest ; therefore the term for it is of subsequent crea- 
tion, and an additional sign to denote this separate con- 
sideration is attached to it. ‘This sign is the termination 
“ness.” From “ white,” we have “ whiteness ;’ from 
“ red,” «“e redness id soe (Dilton langoee a a 
‘“* great,” “greatness.”?~ Di t e di 
hii sotubegplia adapted to the same purpose. From 
the Latin magnus, we have magnitudo in Latin, and 
‘* magnitude” in English. me 
Some have denied that we can have any ideas of sepa~ (oy 
peaks errigr e re es gone oar darre Se3 ties be 
served, e human a strong propensity to rated 
conjoin different qualities mutually as objects ppt h 
anil thus form conceptions of compound individuals, We 
mentioned, however, that it ought to be recollected that: 
a person whose sensibilities are only as yet beginning to! 
be unfolded has separate perceptions of the different 
qualities. It'is now further to be observed that any 
person, even one’ whose habits of association -are most 
inveterate, may direct his chief attention’to one particu 
lar quality. Others may indeed involuntarily intrude in 
combination with it, or he may lave'oceasion to think of 
the relations in which it stands'to others; but this one 
in particular is distinguished as the chief object of his at« 
tention, and is'also thought of with'constaney, while the 
others with which it is accidentally associated are both. 
less attended to and in themselves'varying. We therefore 
see no impropriety in saying that this is a separate obe 
