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220 
insolence is unbounded, and must bring 
down his Catholic Highness to the meri- 
dian of a beggar, or raise him to the 
honour of a scatiold or a gallows. 
—— SAI 
To the Ediior of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, Z 
F no other correspondent than myself- 
trouble you on the subject, and you 
should think the following conjectures 
and remarks, by way of reply to. “ Scru- 
tator,” worth notice, you will please to 
permit their insertion. | With respect to 
many grammatical queries, it behoves us 
tosveak with difidence, especially those 
in which the decision must, in a consi- 
derable degree, be influenced by the ety- 
nology of words, which is often remote 
‘and not easily ascertained. But I feel 
little hesitation to. say, that your cor- 
‘respondent seems to have somewhat mis- 
taken the true and original character of 
other ; and this has led him into those 
doubts which he entertains, about the 
propriety of using than after it. Other 
1s not, as he considers it, a pronoun. A 
pronoun is, strictly speaking, the full and 
complete representative of some noun, 
without ellipsis or reservation. Thus; 
T represents my name; and my denotes 
whatever may belong to this representa- 
tive. And, therefore, those grammarians 
who are not inclings to allow such words 
as my, thy, &c. to be pronouns, because 
they admit (rather require) a noun after 
them, greatly err in their idea of what 
should be considered as the basis of their 
pronominal character, since the word 
admitted after them is not the word which 
is supposed to be represented. Some of 
these grammarianssay, ‘“ that such words 
as our, their, your, his, &c. are pronouns, 
when they ave used separately, from the 
gouns to which they eelate ; but that, when 
they are joined to those nouns, they are 
not to be considered as belonging to this 
species of words, (pronouns;) because, 
in this association, they rather ascertain 
a substantive, than supply the place of 
one.” Others, again, say, ‘‘ that none of 
-these forms of speech can properly be 
called pronouns; as the genuine pronoun 
stands by itself, without the aid of a noun 
expressed or understood.”. In the latter 
opinion there is some sense; it is only 
rather sfratt-laced, bat those who enter- 
tain or countenance such opinions as the 
former, which contain not a little ab- 
surdity, seem to overlook real distine- 
tions, and to interpose their own fanciful 
and imaginary cues, Fou represents 
Remarks on Proncuns, and on the 
* [Oct. 1, 
your name, person, or character; ‘‘ your 
book” denotes the book belonging to you; 
and if you be a pronoun, so is your to be 
considered, with this difierence between 
them, that the one is a substantive,-and, 
as such, is said to stand by itself, while 
the latter has the nature of an ad- 
jective, inasmuch as it requires the ad- 
dition of a ncun, in order to complete 
the sense. That such words are. not, 
strictly, used as substantive pronouns, 
words standing expressly pro nominibus, 
is most certain; so far they are net the 
genuine pronoun, indeed such was never 
represented to be their precise character; 
and although they do not-represent the 
nouns which are jomed with them, te 
which they refer only syntactically, like 
adjectives, yet, as, etymologically, or im 
sense, they always refer to, or rather ime 
ply, a pronqun, ex. gr. your implies you, 
their, they, ovr, us, &c. they are by no 
means wiaplly characterized as adjective 
prououns, possessive pronouns, or pro- 
nominal adjectives; pronominal, because, 
in sense, they imply a pronoun, and, like 
if, render unnecessary the mention of a 
correspondiiy name or noun; -adjcctive, 
because, syntactically considered, they 
are explanatory of some noun; and pos- 
sessive, because they denote possession. 
On the contrary, other, this, that (the 
demonstrative), several, some, one, or (the 
other ),nor (not the other ), ecther, neither, 
sundry, both, and the like, some of which, 
grammarians choose to denominate pro- 
nouns, and some, conjunctions, and some, 
both, are, in reality, neither pronouns, 
nor conjunctions, since they refer, in 
sense, to no pronoun whatever, and-since, 
to complete the meaning, some noun is 
invariably expressed or understoeed ; 
but definitives, respectively, of num- 
ber, place, order, or the like. Other 
and one are, indeed, used substantively, 
making in the plural others, and ones. So 
much for the nature of pronouns, and for 
the character of other. _ iit 
_ The Saxon er or ere, denoting priority, 
is the termination generally used to indi- 
cate comparison, and, although | am not 
fully prepares speak decisively, I feel 
littie hesitation to advance, that other, 
which is said to be a Saxon word, is as 
much to be considered a comparative, 
as the Greek trsese, demoting ‘‘ the other 
of two,” is to be deen he comparative 
of gic, one. Were we disposed to go fare 
therinto the field of conjecture, we might 
perhaps discover a similar analogy in 
other languages ; thus, in Latin, unus one, 
Be Bs me wler, 
