On Definitions. 93 



Those parts of this extensive department, however, which fall 

 under the general denomination of Grammar, have, for reasons 

 which will presently be seen, been reduced to a more definite form. 

 The rules of Grammar are all arbitrary, for the subject admits o^ 

 no other; and they resemble the arbitrary rules, laws and statutes 

 of the Jurist ; while the precepts and directions of the Critic, are, 

 as Dr. Smith justly observes,* like the ethical maxims that enjoin 

 benevolence and humanity. The former mark out for us a precise 

 line ; the latter, import general principles, but leave the precise 

 mode of application to ourselves. 



There are two reasons why the rules of grammar have, in all lan- 

 guages, been reduced to a precise form. The one is the vanity of 

 man, the other is his necessities or his interest. Men are led by 

 their vanity to seek and to study precise rules both of construction 

 and grammatical pronunciation. When a person is introduced into 

 a society whose language he but imperfectly understands, or under- 

 stands without being able to practice with facility, his first awkward 

 attempts to communicate his sentiments, are ungraceful, and attend- 

 ed with some degree of ridicule. However the polished part of 

 mankind may repress this sentiment, it is undoubtedly natural and 

 unavoidable. Even those who are well acquainted with a language, 

 whenever, either from inadvertence or affectation, they deviate 

 from the accustomed tones of pronunciation, or the usual forms of 

 speech, they are received with some degree of contempt, or at 

 least excite a smile. To avoid these inconveniences, to escape with 

 greater certainty from the mortification of such situations, certain 

 rules come to be followed, which, when they become considerable 

 in number, are denominated the rules of grammar. 



But whenever and however introduced, these rules are found to 

 be not less useful than ornamental. They are found to serve a 

 much higher purpose than at first supposed. They are found to be 

 eminently subservient to perspicuity. From the view that has been 

 given, it must evidently be originally a matter of no small difficulty 

 to convey the sentiments of one man's mind into that of another. 

 Nor is it ever done with perfect precision. To promote this impor- 

 tant end, to convey our ideas with all the perspicuity that is possible, 

 since it is never perfect, the best and most effectual means that can 



* Theory of Moral Sentiments. 



