The Theory and Structure of Language. 95 



II. Nouns Substantive. 



The second class of words consists of those, which in their simplest 

 state suggest but one idea, as the word man ; but which by two changes 

 of termination in our language suggest one secondary idea of number, 

 as the word men; or another secondary idea of the genitive case, as 

 man's mind, or the mind of man. These words by other changes of 

 termination in the Greek and Latin languages suggest many other 

 secondary ideas, as of gender, as well as of number, and of all the 

 other cases described in their grammars; which in English are ex- 

 pressed by prepositions. 



This class of words includes the NOUNS SUBSTANTIVE, or names 

 of things, of common grammars, and may be conveniently divided 

 into three kinds. 1. Those which suggest the ideas of things believed 

 to possess hardness and figure, as a house or a horse. 2. Those which 

 suggest the ideas of things, -which are not supposed to possess hardness 

 and figure, except metaphorically, as virtue, wisdom; which have 

 therefore been termed abstracted ideas. 3. Those which have been 

 called by metaphysical writers reflex ideas, and mean those of the 

 operations of the mind, as sensation, volition, association. 



Another convenient division of these nouns substantive or names 

 of things may be first into general terms, or the names of classes of 

 ideas, as man, quadruped, bird, fish, animal. 2. Into the names of 

 complex ideas, as this house, that dog. 3. Into the names of simple 

 ideas, as whiteness, sweetness. 



A third convenient division of the names of things may be into 

 the names of intire things, whether of real or imaginary being; these 

 are the nouns substantive of grammars. 2. Into the names of the 

 qualities or properties of the former; these are the nouns adjective of 

 grammars. 3. The names of more abstracted ideas as the conjunc- 

 tions and prepositions of grammarians. 



These nouns substantive, or names of intire things, suggest but 

 one idea in their simplest form, as in the nominative case singular of 

 grammars. As the word a stag is the name of a single complex idea; 

 but the word stags by a change of termination adds to this a secondary 



