The Theory and Structure of Language. 97 



something having acted upon the object of that primary idea; as felis 

 edit mureni, the cat eats the mouse. This is thus effected in the 

 Greek and Latin by a change of termination of the noun acted upon, 

 but is managed in a more concise way in our language by its situation 

 in the sentence, as it follows the verb. Thus if the mouse in the 

 above sentence was placed before the verb, and the cat after it, in 

 English the sense would be inverted, but not so in Latin; this neces- 

 sity of generally placing the accusative case after the verb is incon- 

 venient in poetry; though it adds to the conciseness and simplicity 

 of our language, as it saves the intervention of a preposition, or of a 

 change of termination. 



The vocative case of the Latin language, or Domine, besides the 

 primary idea suggests a secondary one of appeal, or address; which 

 in our language is either marked by its situation in the sentence, or 

 by the preposition O preceding it. Whence this interjection O con- 

 veys the idea of appeal joined to the subsequent noun, and is there- 

 fore properly another noun, or name of an idea, preceding the prin- 

 cipal one like other prepositions. 



The ablative case in the Latin language, as Domino, suggests a 

 secondary idea of something being deducted from or by the primary 

 one. Which is perhaps more distinctly expressed by one of those 

 prepositions in our language; which, as it suggests somewhat concern- 

 ing the adjoined noun, is properly another noun, or name of an idea, 

 preceding the principal one. 



When to these variations of the termination of nouns in the 

 singular number are added those equally numerous of the plural, and 

 the great variety of these terminations correspondent to the three 

 genders, it is evident that the prepositions of our, own and other 

 modern languages instead of the changes of termination add to the 

 simplicity of these languages, and to the facility of acquiring them. 



Hence in the Latin language, besides the original or primary idea 

 suggested by each noun substantive, or name of an entire thing, there 

 attends an additional idea of number, another of gender, and another 

 suggested by each change of termination, which constitutes the cases; 

 so that in this language four ideas are suggested at the same time by 

 one word; as the primary idea, its gender, number, and case; the 



O 



