made a part of the words themselves, and was shewn by cases or terminations. This contrivance of theirs, allowing them a more varied construction, made the terminating genders of Adjectives useful, in order to avoid mistake and misapplication. CHAPTER V. OF THE ARTICLE AND INTERJECTION. B. HOWEVER connected with the Noun, and generally treated of at the same time, I suppose you forbear to mention the Articles at present, as not allowing them to be a separate Part of Speech; at least not a necessary Part; because, as Wilkins tells us, 66 the Latin is without them'." Notwithstanding which, when you consider with him that "they are so convenient for the greater distinctness of speech; and that upon this account, the Hebrew, Greek, Sclavonic, and most other languages have them;" perhaps you will not think it improper to follow the example of many other Grammarians: who, though, like you, they deny them to be any part of speech, have yet treated of them separately from those parts which they enumerate. And this you may very consistently do, even though you should consider them, as the Abbé Girard calls them, merely the avant-coureurs to announce the approach or entrance of a NounR. magna est inter authores differentia: non solum in diversis linguis, sed etiam in eadem. In Latina, ne ad alias, recurram, aliter Oratores, et aliter Poetæ aliter veteres, et aliter juniores sentiunt, &c. Iberes in Asia florere dicuntur, et linguam habere elegantem, et tamen nullam generum varietatem agnoscunt."-Caramuel, lxii. 1 Essay, part 3. chap. 3. ? J'abandonne l'art de copier des mots dits et répétés mille fois avant moi; puisqu'ils n'expliquent pas les choses essentielles que j'ai dessein de faire entendre à mes lecteurs. Une étude attentive faite d'après l'usage m'instruit bien mieux. Elle m'apprend que l'Article est un mot établi pour annoncer et particulariser simplement la chose sans la nommer: c'est à dire, qu'il est une expression indéfinie, quoique positive, dont la juste valeur n'est que de faire naitre l'idée d'une espece subsistente qu'on distingue de la totalité des êtres, pour être ensuite H.-Of all the accounts which have been given of the Article, I must own I think that of the very ingenious Abbé Girard to be the most fantastic and absurd. The fate of this very necessary word has been most singularly hard and unfortunate. For though without it, or some equivalent invention', men could not communicate their thoughts at all; yet (like many of the most useful things in this world) from its unaffected simplicity and want of brilliancy, it has been ungratefully neglected and degraded. It has been considered, after Scaliger, as otiosum loquacissimæ gentis Instrumentum; or, at best, as a mere vaunt-courier to announce the coming of his master whilst the brutish inarticulate Interjection, which has nothing to do with speech, and is only the miserable refuge of the speechless, has been permitted, because beautiful and gaudy, to usurp a place amongst words, and to exclude the Article from its well-earned dignity. But though the Article is denied by many Grammarians to be a Part of Speech; it is yet, as you say, treated of by many, separately from those nommée. Cette définition en expose clairement la nature et le service propre, au quel on le voit constamment attaché dans quelque circonstance que ce soit. Elle m'en donne une idée nette et déterminée: me le fait reconnoitre par tout: et m'empeche de le confondre avec tout autre mot d'espece différente. Je sens parfaitement que lorsque je veux parler d'un objet, qui se présente à mes yeux ou à mon imagination, le génie de ma langue ne m'en fournit pas toujours la denomination précise dans le premier instant de l'exécution de la parole: que le plus souvent il m'offre d'abord un autre mot, comme un commencement de sujet proposé et de distinction des autres objets; ensorte que ce mot est un vrai préparatoire à la dénomination, par lequel elle est annoncée, avant que de se présenter elle même: Et voilà l'Article tel que je l'ai défini. Si cet Avant-coureur diminue la vivacité du langage, il y met en récompense une certaine politesse et une délicatesse qui naissent de cette idée préparatoire et indéfinie d'un objet qu'on va nommer: car par ce moyen l'esprit étant rendu attentif avant que d'être instruit, il a le plaisir d'aller au devant de la dénomination, de la désirer, et de l'attendre avant que de la posséder. Plaisir qui a ici, comme ailleurs, un mérite flateur, propre à piquer le gout.-Qu'on me passe cette metaphore; puisqu'elle a de la justesse, et fait connoitre d'une maniere sensible une chose tres-metaphysique."-Disc. 4. For some equivalent invention, see the Persian and other Eastern languages; which supply the place of our Article by a termination to those Nouns which they would indefinitely particularize. This circumstance of fact (if there were not other reasons) sufficiently explodes Girard's notion of Avant-coureurs. 66 parts which they allow. This inconsistency' and the cause of it are pleasantly ridiculed by Buonmattei, whose understanding had courage sufficient to restore the Article; and to launch out beyond quelle fatali colonne che gli antichi avevan segnate col-Non plus ultra. "Dodici," says he, (Tratt. 7. cap. 22, 23.) affermiamo esser le Parti dell' orazione nella nostra lingua. Nè ci siam curati che gli altri quasi tutti non ne voglion conceder piu d' otto; mossi, come si vede, da una certa soprastiziosa ostinazione (sia detto con pace e riverenza loro) che gli autori più antichi hanno stabilito tal numero: Quasi che abbiano in tal modo proibito a noi il passar quelle fatali colonne che gli antichi avevan segnate col-Non plus ultra. Onde perchè i Latini dicevan tutti con una voce uniforme-Partes Orationis sunt octo :-quei che intorno a cent' anni sono scrisson le regole di questa lingua, cominciavan con la medesima cantilena. Il che se sia da commendare o da biasimare non dirò: Basta che a me par una cosa ridicolosa, dire-Otto son le parti dell' orazione, e subito soggiugnereMa innanzi che io di quelle incominci a ragionare, fa mestiero che sopra gli Articoli alcuna cosa ti dica. "Questo è il medesimo che se dicessimo-Tre son le parti del mondo: Ma prima ch' io ti ragioni di quelle, fa mestiero che sopra l'Europa alcuna cosa ti dica." B. As far as respects the Article I think you are right. But why such bitterness against the Interjection? Why do you not rather follow Buonmattei's example; and, instead of excluding both, admit them both to be Parts of Speech ?2 What Scaliger says of the Participle may very justly be applied to this manner of treating the Article. "Si non est Nota, imo vero si nonnullis ne pars quidem orationis ulla, ab aliis separata, judicata est; quo consilio ei rei, quæ nusquam extat, sedem statuunt."-Lib. 7. cap. 140. 2 "Interjectionem non esse partem orationis, sic ostendo. Quod naturale est, idem est apud omnes: sed gemitus et signa lætitiæ idem sunt apud omnes: sunt igitur naturales. Si vero naturales, non sunt partes orationis. Nam ex partes, secundum Aristotelem, ex instituto, non natura, debent constare. Interjectionem Græci adverbiis adnumerant, sed falso: nam neque Græcis literis scribantur, sed signa tristitiæ, aut lætitiæ, qualia in avibus, aut quadrupedibus, quibus tamen nec vocem nec orationem concedimus. Valla interjectionem a partibus orationis rejicit. Itaque Interjectionem a partibus orationis excludi H.-Because the dominion of Speech is erected upon the downfall of Interjections. Without the artful contrivances of Language, mankind would have nothing but Interjections with which to communicate, orally, any of their feelings. The neighing of a horse, the lowing of a cow, the barking of a dog, the purring of a cat, sneezing, coughing, groaning, shrieking, and every other involuntary convulsion with oral sound, have almost as good a title to be called Parts of Speech, as Interjections have. Voluntary Interjections are only employed when the suddenness or vehemence of some affection or passion returns men to their natural state; and makes them for a moment forget the use of speech': or when, from some circumstance, the shortness of time will not permit them to mus: tantum abest, ut eam primam et precipuam cum Cæsare Scaligero constituamus.”—Sanctii Minerva, lib. 1. cap. 2. De partibus orationis, page 17. Edit. Amst. 1714. 1 The industrious and exact Cinonio, who does not appear ever to have had a single glimpse of reason, speaks thus of one interjection :— I varj affetti cui serve questa interiezzione Ah et Ahi, sono piu di venti: ma v' abbisogna d' un avvertimento; che nell' esprimerli sempre diversificano il suono, e vagliono quel tanto che, presso i Latini, Âh. Proh. Oh. Vah. Hei. Pape, &c. Ma questa è parte spettante a chi pronunzia, che sappio dar loro l' accento di quell' affetto cui servono ; e sono d' esclamazione. di dolersi. di svillaveggiare. di gridare minacciando. di minacciare. di sospirare. di sgarare. d' incitare. di sdegno. di reprendere. di vendicarsi. di raccomandazione. di commovimento per allegrezza. di lamentarsi. di beffare. et altri varj." Annotazioni all' trattato, delle Particelle, di Cinonio, capitolo 11. exercise it. And in books they are only used for embellishment, and to mark strongly the above situations. But where Speech can be employed, they are totally useless; and are always insufficient for the purpose of communicating our thoughts. And indeed where will you look for the Interjection? Will you find it amongst laws, or in books of civil institutions, in history, or in any treatise of useful arts or sciences? No. You must seek for it in rhetorick and poetry, in novels, plays and romances. B.—If what you say is true, I must acknowledge that the Article has had hard measure to be displaced for the Interjection. For by your declamation, and the zeal you have shewn in its defence, it is evident that you do not intend we should, with Scaliger, consider it merely as otiosum Instru mentum. H.-Most assuredly not: though I acknowledge that it has been used otiose by many nations'. And I do not wonder that, keeping his eyes solely on the superfluous use (or rather abuse) of it, he should too hastily conclude against this very necessary instrument itself. B. Say you so! very necessary instrument! Since then you have, contrary to my expectation, allowed its necessity, I should be glad to know how the Article comes to be so necessary to Speech and, if necessary, how can the Latin language be without it, as most authors agree that it is?? And when "Il seroit à souhaiter qu'on supprimât l'Article, toutes les fois que les noms sont suffisamment déterminés par la nature de la chose ou par les circonstances; le'discours en seroit plus vif. Mais la grande habitude que nous nous en sommes faite, ne le permet pas : et ce n'est que dans des proverbes, plus anciens que cette habitude, que nous nous faisons une loi de le supprimer. On dit-Pauvreté n'est pas vice: au lieu de dire-La pauvreté n'est pas un vice.”—Condillac, Gram. part 2. chap. 14. Without any injury to the meaning of the passage, the article might have been omitted here by Condillac, twelve or thirteen times. · Ως δοκεί μοι περι Ρωμαίων λεγειν όρω μελλω νυν όμου τι παντες ανθρωποι χρωνται. προθέσεις τε γαρ αφηρηκε, πλην ολίγων ἅπασας, των τε καλουμενων άρθρων, ουθεν προσδέχεται το παραπαν.—Πλατωνικα Ζητήματα θ. "Articulus nobis nullus et Græcis superfluus." "Satis constat Græcorum Articulos non neglectos a nobis, sed eorum usum superfluum.”—J. C. Scaliger de Causis L. L. cap. 72.—131. It is pleasant after this to have Scaliger's authority against himself, D |