440 
Universal nitive case is in Latin ; but such phrases as “‘ Newcastle- 
Grammar. 9-Tyne,” and « Ashton-under-line,” are in very small 
number. The prepositions ‘ on,” “ under,” and all the 
others except ‘* of,” subjoin a noun to an adjective, a 
participle, or a verb; as “ fit for use,” “ good at singing,” 
© depending on his fidelity,” ‘* connected with the 
government.” ** He has gone from home, along the road, 
to a distant place.” ’ 
Mr Tooke has shewn great learning and ingenuity in 
Mr Tooke’s Proving that the prepositions, both in ancient and mo- 
etymologies. dern languages, are derived from nouns or verbs. Chez 
he derives from casa, ‘‘ a house.” | Avec from avez que, 
«you have that :”’ Sens in French, and senza in Italian, 
from assenza“ absence :” The Latin sine from sit ne, i.e. 
ne sit “let it not be:” The Italian fuori, the Spanish af 
fuera, the French hors, (formerly fors,) from the Latin 
Joris ; and this from the Greek word évgz, in the Doric 
dialect Qogu, a door or gate.’ ** Through” is derived 
from a Teutonic word thuruh, signifying “a door or pas- 
sage.’ Ad he derives from the past participle of the 
verb agere, by these steps of transmutation, agitum, ag- 
tum, agd, ad. He considers the English “to” as the same 
word with the verb “do ;’’ and “ till’ as derived from 
‘to while.” “For” comes from a Gothic word signifying 
«© a cause ;” “of” from afora, “ progeny ;” “ by” from 
be-on, * to be ;” * with” trom mithan, * to join ;” * be- 
twixt’” from the imperative “ be,” and twos, the Gothic 
word for “two.” “ Before,” “ behind,”’ “ besides,” are 
from the same imperative conjoined with nouns which 
are either still separately used, or have left familiar traces 
in’ different forms. < Beneath” is from an old word 
neath, signifying “ bottom; “ under” from on and 
neder; “ beyond” from geond, which has the same mean- 
ing with “ gone” or “ past.” The termination “ ward,” 
which is used both in forming adverbs and ‘prepo- 
sitions, is from the Saxon verb weardian, “to look 
at,” which also gives origin to the word “ regard,” 
*« Athwart” comes from thweorvian, “ to wrest or twist ;” 
** among”’ is from gemengan, “ to mix ;” “ along” means 
“on long,” i.e. “on length ;” “ round” and “ around” 
come-from a word signifying “ a circle ;” “ near” from 
neahg, * neighbouring ;” “ instead” is “ in station,” or 
“in place ;” “ down” is from dufen, “ to dive or dip ;” 
“up,” “ upon,” “ over,” “ above,” he derives from ufa, 
“high.” The same sort of investigation has been with 
considerable success applied to the Greek prepositions 
by Mr Bonar, in the 5th volume of the Transactions of 
the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and by Professor Dun- 
bar in a separate work on the subject. 
The grammatical system founded on these etymolo- 
gies is In a great measure the contrivance of Mr Tooke. 
Some of his etymologies have been called in question by 
Mr Bonar and others. The author of the article Gram- 
mar in Dr Rees’s Cyclopedia attempts to controvert 
the greater part of them.in support of a different sys- 
tem in which he traces the modern languages of Eu- 
rope to an Oriental origin. Some of Mr Tooke’s ety- 
mologies, however are unquestionable ; and it is. of 
great, Importance to observe, that the author has shewn 
that all prepositions are resolvable, with regard to their 
Prepositions meaming into nouns or verbs. The same ideas may 
an, Sn be expressed by all these parts of speech. This pro- 
into nouns, Petty is independent of any opinion that may be 
formed regarding their particular etymology. From,” 
for example, may have its place sineaied by the noun 
“beginning.” “ The figs came from Turkey,” means 
« The figs came beginning Turkey.” “ The lamp fell 
from the ceiling,” ‘* The lamp fell beginning the ceiling. 
«©The lamp hangs from the ceiling,” « The lamp hangs 
beginning the ceiling.” 
3 
GRAMMAR. 
Mr Tooke’s opinion was, that prepositions represent U 
objects in the sume manner a8 nouns. This is denied @ 
by other authors, who proceed on the presumption that 
ia are the names of things, but fe Do | 
names of the relations of things. And some have derid- P* 
ed the absurdity of pronouncing things and their re- ™ 
lations to be the same. It might however be main- 
tained that, as variety is essential to the existence of 
human knowledge, its objects wholly consist in rela- 
tions. If there should be any difficulty in conceding 
that point, it ought to be remembered, even in a — 
grammatical view, that the ‘relations of things 
be expressed by nouns as well as by. pepasion 8, 
that therefinie no distinction betwixt: two parts of 
speech can. be founded on such data. Mr Tooke, hows 
ever, is not content with observing this coincidence be« — 
twixt nouns and prepositions.» He considers 
tions as invariably derived from concrete nouns, or verbs _ 
containing these, and insists that they are the names of _ 
substantial material objects. Thepreposition “through,” 
for example, being according to him derived from a 
word signifying “ a door,” carries along with it the 
full meaning of that concrete noun. is statement 
has been supposed to favour the system of material« 
ism, and perhaps it was so intended ; but itis in it- 
self too inaccurate, or at least imperfect, to lead to 
any general conclusion. If the whole meaning of the 
conerete noun is retained in the prepositions thus 
derived, it is only in the form of allusion. A lan- | 
is not pure and perfect till the allusion itself 
popsanaoe ae till the word is employed to an 
appropriate and well-defined degree of generality, ins 
dependently of the concomitant ideas contained in 
the subject from the name of which it has been bor 
rowed. ‘ Through” expresses only one property of © 
a door, anda property in which it resembles many other 
objects which have different names. This preposition _ 
is indeed equivalent to a noun, but it isto a more. 
neral one than that which suggested the term. 
noun to which it is nearly equivalent is “passage” 
« medium.” an - , ! 
It is from-its properties in syntax e preposi- Proper 
tion must take ie ai among the parts of speech. | In of the 
this respect it deviates from the noun, When, instead of Po*! 
the preposition, we employ simply a substantive noun, 
as in the examples formerly mentioned, in which 
the noun “ beginning” was substituted for the preposi- 
tion “ from,” the sentence labours under an awkw: 
chasm. The meaning may be fully understood, but 
it appears to be imperfectly expressed. There seems 
to be as great a deficiency as if in an affirmative sen~ 
tence we should omit the copula, perenne a lisping 
er, “ T. 
.” In order to complete 
he 
or 
& 
has the regimen of an active verb. 
apply to all the prepositions of the English lan i 
as they all govern the noun in the same form. Those 
Latin prepositions which govern. the ablative must be 
considered as less transitive in theirregimen, (See our 
observations on the Ablative Case, at p. 414.) : 
The part of speech to which. the preposition is most gq 
nearly allied in the mode in which it is introduced, will reser 
differ according to the sort of words to which it is t 
immediately subjoined. When it is subjoined toa verb, 8° 
the verb will govern it nearly in the same manner as it 
