GRAMMAR. 1. The grammar of any language is a set of rules and observations, directing to the proper use of the sorts of words composing that language. These rules are founded upon the general usage of good writers ; and after this is ascer tained, it is customary for those, who' are desirous of speaking and writing correct ly, to be uniformly guided by it. Gram marians, then, do not make a language ; but they are formed by an enlightened view of the language, and afterwards di rect the employment of it.
2. The art of grammar is sometimes di vided into four parts : Orthography, Ety mology, Syntax, and Prosody. The first and last of these have nothing to do with grammar, except so far as they relate to the grammatical changes made on diffe rent sorts of words. Etymology refers to the arrangements of the sorts of words, and to the various changes which are made upon them. Syntax directs the employment of those changes, and the situation of the different sorts of words in a sentence.
3. Hitherto grammar has been spoken of as an art, but it is in no way our inten tion to enlarge upon it in this view. Those who wish to study it, in order to guide their use of the English language, we refer to Mr. Murray's " Grammar," and Dr. Crombie's work on " Etymology and Syntax;" and in the latter, many va luable remarks will be found respecting scientific grammar. Considered as a sci ence, grammar has for its object those principles on which its rules are founded. Scientific grammar discusses the grounds of the calassification of words, and inves tigates the reasons of those procedures which the art of grammar lays down for our observance.
4. Grammar, as an art, refers only to particular languages : because it would be impossible to lay down any system of rules which would apply to two lan guages. We may point out in what re spects the grammars of two languages agree ; but we cannot form a common grammar for both. To a certain extent, the principles of scientific grammar are general, and some of them may be said to be universal. The laws of the human mind are the same in all ages, and in all nations ; and of those causes which have called forth its energies, many have oper ated universally. Whatever have been
the variety of terms, and of the modifica tion and arrangement of them, the grand objects of men, in the formation and ex tension of language, have been the same, —to communicate their sensations, their judgments, their reasonings ; to express the objects of their thoughts, and the changes and connections observed among them,—and to do this with dispatch. This has produced great uniformity in the general principles of language. But the connection between words and thoughts is arbitrary, as well as the mode of connecting words themselves. Hence, with much uniformity, we meet with much variety : and hence, universal, or even general grammar must be confined within very narrow limits, till the pheno mena of a variety of languages have been examined, and their correspondence with each other, as well as their diversities, as. certain For some of those more ge neral principles, which may be regarded as the foundation of language in general, we refer our readers to the articles LAN GUAGE, and the Origin of ,Illphabetical WRITING; we shall here content our selves with making the philosophy of our own language our principal object, though we may occasionally be led to state the more general principles of grammar, and derive our illustrations from other languages. Such a mode of procedure may contribute to render the practical use of our own language more clear and certain.
Of the Arrangement of Words.
5. The first object of scientific gram mar is, to form an arrangement of the sorts of words composing a language. In languages which admit of various changes in the form of words to denote changes of meaning, the arrangement, in a great de gree, is pointed out for the grammarian ; and a technical classification will, in such cases, have a decided superiority over one founded purely upon scientific principles. In languages like our own, we are less shackled by the contrivances of art ; yet our arrangements ought to have in view the advantage of practice.