Universal Terms. 25 



differences in classes of objects, such as their size and position, rela- 

 tive to man, the observer. 



This question arises in the conjectural history of language ; were, 

 or were not, particular terms invented before general? Adam Smith 

 has asserted that they were. Mr. Stewart, Professor Hedge and 

 others have followed him, adopting his sentiments as expressed in 

 the following quotation. 



"The assignation of particular names to denote particular objects-; 

 that is the institution of nouns substantive, would probably be one 

 of the first steps towards the formation of language. The par- 

 ticular cave whose covering sheltered the savage from the weather; 

 the particular tree whose fruit relieved his hunger; the particular 

 fountain whose water allayed his thirst; would first be denominated 

 by the words, cave, tree, fountain ; or by whatever other appellations 

 he might think proper, in that primitive jargon, to mark them. Af- 

 terwards, when the more enlarged experience of this savage, had led 

 him to observe, and his necessary occasions obliged him to make 

 mention of other caves, and other trees, and other fountains ; he 

 would naturally bestow on each of those new subjects, the same name 

 by which he had been accustomed to express the similar objects he was 

 first acquainted with. And thus, those words, which were original- 

 ly the proper names of individuals, would each of them insensibly 

 become the common name of a multitude." 



Remark here the examples given by Mr. Smith; a cave, a tree, 

 a fountain. Caves and fountains are objects of unfrequent recur- 

 rence. Seldom are two of them seen together. It is doubtful 

 whether they should be considered among natural or artificial- class- 

 es. The one is a cavity from which water flows ; the other (more 

 clearly a nonentity) a fissure in the rock or an irregular subterra- 

 nean chasm ; and though, from these resembling features, they a^-e 

 ranked under the same name, yet they have so many points of dissimil^ 

 itude, that the savage inventor of language might well give names 

 to each cave, or fountain as a particular object; and if he generalized 

 them at all, the process would probably proceed as stated by Mr. 

 Smith. A tree is an object usually much larger than a man, and 

 may be conceived as standing by itself, and if so, this example would 

 not contradict the theory. But let us state other examples. A blade 

 of grass, a peach, an ear of corn ; all these are individuals as much as 

 a cave, a fountain, or a tree. Let us substitute them for these ex^ 

 amples, and see how Mr. Smith's theory will then appear. 



Vol. XXm.— No. 1. 4 



