Page images
PDF
EPUB

or the gay Lacqueys of the pleasant Abbé Girard: who, after providing his Substantive with Running Footmen to announce his approach (in the Article) could do no less for a word of such importance than furnish him, when occasion offered, with a numerous train in livery to support the eclat of his appearance'.

If, in what I have said of the Adjective, I have expressed myself clearly and satisfactorily; you will easily observe that Adjectives, though convenient abbreviations, are not necessary to language; and are therefore not ranked by me amongst the Parts of Speech. And perhaps you will perceive in the misapprehension of this useful and simple contrivance of

à l'objet. Mais, au fond, l'objet n'est bien désigné que par les Noms Substantifs, qui par cet endroit, sont proprement les seuls Noms. Au fond, les Adjectifs sont de vrais Modificatifs des noms; mais nous les regardons ici comme des noms, en tant qu'ils représentent moins une qualité ou circonstance de l'objet, que l'objet même en tant que revêtu de cette qualité ou circonstance.

"C'est une sorte de subtilité que nous indiquons pour prévenir celles qu'on pourroit nous objecter. N'omettons pas une réflexion importante: savoir, qu'un Nom Adjectif devient souvent Substantif. En effet, sa nature étant d'exprimer la qualité d'un objet, si cette qualité est le sujet même dont on parle, alors selon notre principe générale ce sera un Nom Substantif.

[ocr errors]

On demande, si le nom de Roi est Substantif ou Adjectif? l'un et l'autre selon l'emploi qu'on en fait.

Il est

"Au reste, tous les noms qui, d'eux-mêmes sont Adjectifs, ne sont pas censez tels dans l'usage commun de la grammaire; qui depend en ce point, comme en une infinité d'autres, d'un usage arbitraire. Car elle n'appelle ordinairement Adjectifs, que ceux qui sans changer, ou sans presque changer d'inflexions et de terminaison, se joignent indifféremment à des noms substantifs de divers genres; c'est à dire à des noms qui reçoivent avant eux la particule Le, ou la particule La, &c.

"Au contraire les mots Roi, Magistrat, &c. ne sont jamais censez Adjectifs dans l'usage de la grammaire; quoiqu'ils le soient en effet très souvent."

1 "Les Adjectifs ne sont destinés qu'à un service subalterne, consistant à qualifier les dénominations. Ils sont du cortège des Substantifs, en portent les Livrées, et servent à leurs décorations. Voilà pourquoi on leur a donné le nom d'Adjectifs, qu'annonce un personnage de la suite d'un autre. Cependant quoique placés dès leur origine dans l'état de dépendance et de soumission, ils ne laissent pas que d'être par leurs couleurs et par leur magnificence une des plus brillantes parties de la parole, un champ fertile pour la poësie, une ressource délicate pour les grands orateurs, et le point capital des mediocres."

language, one of the foundations of those heaps of false philosophy and obscure (because mistaken) metaphysic, with which we have been bewildered. You will soon know what to do with all the technical impertinence about Qualities, Accidents, Substances, Substrata, Essence, the adjunct Natures of things, &c. &c. and will, I doubt not, chearfully proceed with me, in some future conversation, to "a very different sort of Logick and Critick than what we have been hitherto acquainted with." Of which, a knowledge of the nature of language and of the meaning of words, is a necessary fore

runner.

F. That must be seen hereafter. But, if this be the case with Adjectives, whence arise the different sorts of terminations to different Adjectives; when one sort of termination would have answered the purpose of attribution? Why have we Adjectives ending in ly, ous, ful, some, les, ish, &c.? For you have taught me that terminations are not capriciously or fortuitously employed; though you will not allow them to be often the original and mere productions of art.

H.-Adjectives with such terminations are, in truth, all compound words: the termination being originally a word added to those other words, of which it now seems merely the termination; though it still retains its original and distinct signification. These terminations will afford sufficient matter for entertainment to etymologists, which is not necessary for our present investigation. They are now more numerous in our language than they were formerly: because our authors have not been contented only to supply our defects by borrowing Adjectives which we wanted in our language: but they have likewise borrowed and incorporated many adjective terminations which we did not want, being before in possession of correspondent terminations of our own, which answered the same purpose with those which they have unnecessarily adopted. So that we have now in some words a choice of different terminations by which to express one and the same idea such as, Bountiful and Bounteous, Beautiful and Beauteous, Joyful and Joyous, &c'. Which choice is indeed

["PLAGUE-FULL venomy."

Godfrey of Bulloigne, cant. 4. st. 7. Translated by R. C. 1594.

of advantage to the variety and harmony of the language, but is unphilosophical and unnecessary.

"

F. In the course of our conversation, besides noticing the

Eyed and prayed Armida past the while
Through the DESIREFULL troupes."

Godfrey of Bulloigne, cant. 4. st. 29. Translated by R. C. 1594.

"But none of these, how ever sweet they beene,
Mote please his fancie, nor him cause t' abide :
His CHOICEFULL sense with every change doth flit,
No common things may please a wavering wit."

Spenser's Muiopotmos, st. 20.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

"The honest man that heard him thus complaine,
Was griev'd as he had felt part of his paine;
And, well dispos'd him some reliefe to showe,
Askt if in husbandrie he ought did knowe,
To plough, to plant, to reap, to rake, to sowe,
To hedge, to ditch, to thrash, to thetch, to mowe;
Or to what labour els he was prepar'd?
For husbands life is LABOUROUS and hard." -

Spenser, Mother Hubberds Tale.

"The ape was STRYFULL and ambicious."
"And daylie doth her CHANGEFULL counsels bend
To make new matter fit for tragedies."
"Who all the while, with greedie LISTFULL eares,
Did stand astonisht at his curious skill."

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Ibid.

Spenser, Daphnaida.

Spenser, Colin Clouts come home again. 'Whose grace was great, and bounty most Rewardfull.” Ibid.

Ye TRADEFULL merchants, that, with weary toyle,
Do seeke most pretious things to make your gain."

Spenser, sonnet 15.

"And with the brightnesse of her beautie cleare, The ravisht hearts of GAZEFULL men might reare To admiration." Spenser, Hymne in honour of beautie. "There be other sorts of cryes also used among the Irish, which savour greatly of the Scythian barbarisme, as their lamentations at their buryals, with DISPAIRFULL outcryes, and immoderate waylings."Spenser, View of the State of Ireland.

If his body were neglected, it is like that his languishing soule, being disquieted by his DISEASEFULL body, would utterly refuse and loath all spirituall comfort."-Ibid.

[ocr errors]

"Mischiefful" frequently used, as well as Mischievous," in Bellum Erasmi, by Berthelet, 1534.]

defect of our own antient language, from a paucity of Adjec tives; you have been pleased (I know not on what foundation) to suppose that the want of an adjective termination was originally the case with all terms in the rude state of all languages. But this is only your supposition in order to support your own theory. Does there, from all antiquity, remain a single instance, or even the mention or suspicion of an instance, of any language altogether without Adjectives?

H.-Though nothing of the kind should remain, it will not in the least affect my explanation nor weaken my reasoning.

F. But, if there were such an instance; or even any traditional mention made of such a circumstance; it would very much strengthen your argument in my opinion, and more readily induce my assent.

H.-I suppose you are not so obstinately attached to Antiquity, but that a modern instance would answer the purpose

as well.

F.--Any instance of the fact from sufficient authority.

H.-Then I believe I can suit you.-Doctor Jonathan Edwards, D.D., Pastor of a church in New-haven, in “Observations on the language of the MUHHEKANEEW Indians, communicated to the Connecticut Society of Arts and Sciences, published at the request of the Society, and printed by Josiah Meigs, 1788," gives us the following account.

"When I was but six years of age, my father removed with his family to Stockbridge, which at that time was inhabited by Indians almost solely. The Indians being the nearest neighbours, I constantly associated with them; their boys were my daily school-mates and play-fellows. Out of my father's house, I seldom heard any language spoken beside the Indian. By these means I acquired the knowledge of that language, and a great facility in speaking it it became more familiar to me than my mother-tongue. I knew the names of some things in Indian, which I did not know in English: even all my thoughts ran in Indian; and though the true pronunciation of the language is extremely difficult to all but themselves, they acknowledged that I had acquired it perfectly; which, as they said, never had been acquired before by any Anglo-American."

After this account of himself, he proceeds,

"The language which is now the subject of Observation, is that of the Muhhekaneew, or Stockbridge Indians. They, as well as the tribe at New London, are by the Anglo-Americans called Mohegans. This language is spoken by all the Indians throughout New England. Every tribe, as that of Stockbridge, of Farmington, of New London, &c., has a different dialect; but the language is radically the same. Mr. Elliot's translation of the Bible is in a particular dialect of this language. This language appears to be much more extensive than any other language in North America. The languages of the Delawares in Pennsylvania; of the Penobscots, bordering on Nova Scotia; of the Indians of St. Francis, in Canada; of the Shawanese, on the Ohio; and of the Chippewaus, at the westward of Lake Huron; are all radically the same with the Mohegan. The same is said concerning the languages of the Ottowans, Nanticooks, Munsees, Menomonees, Messisaugas, Saukies, Ottagaumies, Killistinoes, Nipegons, Algonkins, Winnebagoes, &c. That the languages of the several tribes in New England, of the Delawares, and of Mr. Elliot's Bible, are radically the same with the Mohegan, I assert from my own knowledge."

Having thus given an account of himself, and of his knowledge of the language; of the extensiveness of this language; and of a translation of a Bible into this language; he proceeds (in page 10) to inform us, that

"The Mohegans have no Adjectives in all their language. Although it may at first seem not only singular and curious, but impossible, that a language should exist without Adjectives, yet it is an indubitable fact."

CHAPTER VII.

OF PARTICIPLES.

F-LET us proceed, if you please, to the PARTICIPLE; which, you know, is so named because-" partem capit a

« PreviousContinue »