Wniversal 
Grammar. 
——\) 
Etymology 
of nume- 
rals, 
Decimal 
numeration, 
The article 
in all re- 
spects an 
adjective, 
One of its 
uses, 
Another 
use, 
418 
the mind in» which an idea is repeated with the same 
frequency. i 
The general words expressive of numbers are de- 
rived from the names of particular objects; though, 
perhaps, we can seldom succeed in tracing them. 
As the two sides of the body exhibit pairs of organs, 
two eyes, for example, and two hands, the word for 
“two” might arise from the most interesting of these 
irs. Perhaps the numeral tres, “three,” has been 
fohewe! from the idea of vibration, and owes its ety- 
mology to the verb éremo, or some older verb of the same 
meaning. The two words are at least evidently akin. 
The words first used to express the succeeding numbers 
might be suggested by the first two or three, with the 
help of a sign intimating reduplication, as in “ two,” 
« four,” and “ eight,” or addition, as in “ five,” “ six,” 
« seven,” and “ nine.” 
Numeration by tens has, with very few exceptions, 
taken place in every part of the world. This has been 
suggested by the numbering of the fingers, which form 
an assemblage familiar to us from our childhood. The 
word for ten” would therefore be borrowed from the 
word signifying “‘ hand,” or “ fingers.” Asx in Greek, 
and decem in Latin, evidently spring from the same root 
with daxrvacs and digitus, a finger. The combinations 
of tens with one another, and the addition of the words 
for the different units, are prominent processes in the 
words employed among the ancients as well as the mo- 
derns for the higher numbers, and in the marks in- 
vented to express them compendiously in writing. 
Sect. V. The Article. 
Tuer is one adjective which, from some peculiarity, 
has been generally reckoned a separate part of pon 
under the title of “the definite article,” The English 
words an and a have been called indefinite articles, 
but their nature has been shown to be that of nu- 
meral adjectives. The words ¢, 4, +o, in Greek, the 
in English, le and la in French, and the corresponding 
words in other languages, have been called the definite 
artieles ; but they have every characteristic of the ad- 
jective. They have even corresponding inflexions in’ 
those languages in which adjectives are inflected. .Their 
general meaning, and the purpose of the speaker in 
using them, are the same with those of the adjective. 
They represent an idea or quality subordinate to an 
object expressed by a substantive noun. This quality 
consists in a reference to some previous mention, or to 
some knowledge previously possessed of an object. A 
historian, after having named and described a: variety 
of objects, speaks familiarly of them by using their ge- 
neral names preceded by the adjective the, as, ‘ the 
army,” “the town,” “the battle,” “the siege,” and 
“¢ the truce.” 
Another use of it is, for attaching a speciality by 
means of a genitive case, or another adjective, or some 
of those phrases which we shall afterwards show to be 
equivalent ; as, “the King of Prussia,” the governor of 
Malta,” and also, “ the French nation,” “ the Italian 
territory,” *‘ the Christian religion.” Where no speciality 
is attached, it means, “ known by forrher mention,” or, 
«mutually understood betwixt the speaker and the 
hearer.” Where it is followed by the genitive or ano+ 
ther adjective, it means, “ to be known or distinguish- 
ed by this mark.” 
Some classes of objects are never mentioned without 
the use of this adjective, as, « the French,” « the Eng- 
lsh,” ‘This phraseology has arisen from the habit of 
GRAMMAR. : 
prefixing the words French and lish to more 
neral oo te as, “the French or English people.” We : 
say, ‘the French are gay;” ‘the English love the . 
pleasures of the table.” e have, indeed, equivalent 
expressions without.the article in the words, * French. 
men,’ and ‘+ Englishmen,” mar per 
. The only circumstances which have led to the idea 1; ao, 
that the article was a distinct part of speech, seem: to of its 
be the same which we have mentioned of the pronoun, ™ak 
viz. its brevity, and its frequency. It isamistaken notion ™ 
to consider it as possessing the power of distinguishing frit, 
the application of a generic name to an individual from — 
the use of that name in a less definite acceptation, : It 
has not this power in a greater d than other ads 
jectives. If we speak of “the man,” we no more dis« 
em any individual than when we say “‘a man,? © 
and not so much as when we say, “a wise man.” It — 
is only after an individual has already been distinguish- 
ed that the adjective * the’ characterises him, by re« 
ferring to that description. It is of very al and 
familiar application; because any object may be men« 
tioned as already known, or may be introduced with a 
view of being characterised by some special mark. Like 
every other ive, it becomes fitted to particularise 
the intended object in proportion as it is used with skill 
and propriety. . : F 
Mr Tooke (vol. ii. p. 60.) derives “the” from the Etyn 
Saxon verb the-an, “ to take,” of which he supposes it of 
to be the imperative. ‘ The man,” accordingly, means ~ 
* take man ;”’ and implies a direction to the to 
select an individual from the rest of the class. This is 
its meaning when the.object is first introduced for the 
purpose of being described. When afterwards used 
for reference, it must mean “ talsen” or * selected.” * t 
Very nearly allied to the adjective “the” are the Ana 
words “ this” and “ that,’? which have been denomi- 
nated by grammarians adjective pronouns. ‘That’? is 
prec i by Mr Tooke as also derived from the-an, 
“to take;” and as, in fact, its past participle. In 
actual application ‘this’? means “near,” and ‘ that” 
“ at a distance.’ Another adjective « yonder,’ signi- 
fies, “* at a considerable distance,” or on the other side 
of something referred to. ** This’? and “ that” are eis 
ther prefixed to nouns, as‘ this man,” “ that thing,’ 
or are used by themselves, as ‘ this is ,”” © that is 
indifferent.”? In the last form. of there is a subs 
audition of the noun ; or the adjective may be consi« 
dered as converted into a substantive noun, in the same 
manner as we have shown that many substantives aré 
created. Like them, it expresses one quality, with a 
subaudition of the rest. An adjective used with the 
subaudition of a substantive, is very nearly akin to a 
substantive formed from an adjective by subaudition. 
CHAP. VI. 
Of Verbs. 
Sect. I. The Nature of the Verb. 
Tue verb, as exhibited in eleme’ grammars, Comp 
especially those of the Greek and Latin, is much more ted ap 
varied than any of the other parts of speech. Some ance¢ 
ingenious attempts have been made to trace its com- verb. 
plications, and to analyse its different forms. We find 
the offices performed by words called verbs to be va~ 
rious, and it would be satisfactory to discover the cause’ 
of the = ee oe of one common term to words so dix) _ 
versifie - : 
