LANGUAGE. 
tcrnal similarity) and local connection, are 
those principles of association which are 
known to be most active in the minds of 
the illiterate and uncultivated, and that 
they must also have been the most active 
in the minds of all men in the rude states of 
society. A peculiar colour (which would 
furnish one criterion of distinction) would, 
therefore, suggest the idea of some object 
remarkable for that colour ; and the name 
of this second object, joined with the name 
which the first had in common with others, 
would confine this general term to the par- 
ticular object which it was intended to spe- 
cify. This is a procedure so simple, that 
we may expect to find some traces of it 
still remaining to us; and accordingly, 
among others, we have the expression, an 
orange ribbon, which will exemplify what 
has been said ; if we wish to distinguish a 
ribbon by its colour, we are in this case 
able, agreeably to the custom of our lan- 
guage, to connect with the word ribbon, tlie 
name of an object remarkable for that co- 
lour, It must however be observed, when 
tracing out other examples of this contriv- 
ance, and the application of it to other qua- 
lities, tliat sensible qualities were tliose, 
and those only, which would be first noticed 
and most requisite to be noticed. Local 
situation, or vicinity to some object, would 
furnish another ground for distinction ; the 
fountain near the cave, for instance. Now 
to express this, the procedure would be 
simple and intelligible if, immediately pre- 
ceding or following the term denoting/ou«- 
tain, the term denoting cave were added ; 
in like manner as we at present use the ex- 
pressions, barn-yard, &c. This juxta-posi- 
tion of the signs to signify the contiguity or 
similarity of the objects which they denote, 
is natural, and, in a language little extend- 
ed, sufficiently adequate for all the pur- 
poses of common life: but it is obvious 
ffiat it would allow of great latitude of 
interpretation ; and hence as languages be- 
came more copious, contrivances were 
used to denote tlie nature of the connec- 
tion which existed between objects de- 
noted by the signs employed. Tlie chief 
of these is the employment of preposi- 
tions; and these, in the outset, furnish 
additional proof that the procedures we 
have spoken of were in reality tliose of the 
rally framers of language, see Grammar 
§ 41, particularly respecting /rom); but 
these were contrivances of a later date than 
those of which we here speak. By degrees 
It was by some tribes found convenient to 
designate those names which were em- 
ployed in connection with other names to 
point out some quality or restricling cir- 
cumstance of the thing signified, by some 
note that they were so employed. They 
might without any disadvantage have left the 
inference to simple juxta-position ; but this 
appears to have been done in few languages 
after improvements began to take place : 
and to effect such designation, words (in 
some cases denoting add, join, See. ) were 
subjoined to the particularizing names, and 
they then became adjectives. (See Gham- 
MAR, J 22.) The Chinese, however, make 
no distinction between words when em- 
ployed as nouns and as adnouns ; the same 
word when placed first being an adjective, 
and when placed last, a substantive. We 
do the same in many instances ; but a large 
proportion of our simple adjectives are 
formed as above, and are never employed 
as substantives : tlie Chinese, on the other 
hand, when a substantive is not to be used 
adjectively, add a designating syllable to it. 
9. As far as respects sensible objects and 
their connections, all seems very plain : in 
order to express objects which were not 
sensible, so as to convey to others the feel- 
ings which existed in the mind of the 
speaker, words were used which had pre- 
viously been appropriated to objects, to 
which those objects of the miiufs eye ap- 
peared to have some resemblance or other 
connection. This resemblance or connec- 
tion was frequently forced, and to tliose 
whose situation was different would not be 
at all striking: in other cases it was cor- 
rect, and the justness of the application is 
proved by a similar procedure of uncon- 
nected inventors. We may derive great 
light here from the hieroglypliics ; for there 
cannot be a doubt that where the visible 
sign, which originally represented only a sen- 
sible object, was applied to denote some 
quality discovered by reasoning and obser- 
vation, that the audible sign or word was ap- 
plied in like manner. Several instances will 
be adduced when we come to consider the 
hieroglyphical mode of communication : at 
present we shall adduce one or two exam- 
ples as illustrations of the principles here 
stated. The term used to denote the 
mouth would also denote speech ; this con- 
neeted with the word dog, would signify 
the dog’s voice; and this compound the 
Egyptians employed to signify lamentation, 
and the sorrow which produced it. In the 
imcuUivated periods of society grief is 
loud and clamorous ; and we need not be 
