To complete the idea of an action, another part still is wanting—the effect produced—that is, the change occasion ed in the subject. Though this is intimately connected with it, it is by no means to be viewed in the same light with the subject itself. The subject is considered by us as the permanent material, the effect as merely the form which this material is to assume. For the expression of this, then, a class of words must be devised, nearly allied indeed to those which denominate the subject, yet so far differing, that they may be capable of adaptation to many different objects, and easily referred to any one with which, at the time, they happen to be associated. in this manner is formed the class of atiributives, marking a quality or pro perty only, which may be predicated alike of many indivi dual subjects, and thus exhibiting a a.tarked distinction from what is considered as permanent, and possessed of that principium individuationis, which completely separates one object from every other.* Each of these qualities or pro perties might be named at first from the view of some ob ject in which that quality was first produced by sonic par ticular action ; and hence the attributive would still retain the radical part of the primeval word, with particular mo difications to mark its new application ; and each attribu tive, when formed, would, from the natural principle of as be applied to designate the same quality occur ring in any other subject.
The radical and essential parts of language being form ed in the manner described, all the other species or classes of words, as well as all the necessary variations of the ra dical pacts themselves, would gradually follow in the con stant use and habit of speaking. These, in fact, are all no thing more than either modifications immediately attached to the radical words, parts of these radical words them selves put into a new position, or abbreviations for the sake of dispatch, easily resolvable into their constituent parts. The manner in which all of them came to be formed and applied, as well as the particular structure and power of cacti, are subjects which fall properly under the head of GuAatmAtt ; and, accordingly, under that head they have already been treated at considerable length. A few obser vations, however, in regard to them, for the completion of the theoretical history of language, may here be proper.
We have viewed the verb as originally imperative, and, as such, always containing the idea of action ; we have marked also, that in making a return to the command or entreaty conveyed by the imperative, the same term or sound would probably be used, but with such variation of tone, as might imply that the person addressed was willing to concur. This appears to be the fist and most obvious extension of the use of language. It is, in fact, the future tense of the verb, conveying the idea of the action, combin ed with the intention of performing it. Instead, however, of barely signifying a readiness to concur, after a command or entreaty had been used, it is easy to see, that in many cases a simultaneous effort might be agreed upon, which would give rise to the present tense ; and in many cases it might happen, that the action from some other cause had already been done, which would produce such a variation as to form the past tenses. Ad these different meanings, as well as the circumstance of the consent being oniy con ditional and not absolute, or so doubtful as to demand some farther information in regard to it, could easily be marked by the various inflexions of the voice, or by additional sounds annexed to the original radix, and form either time subjunctive mood, or the interrogative form of the indica tive. Hence the various parts of the verb would draw their origin ; and it is easy to explain, from the tendency of men to proceed in the track to which they have been accustomed, how the same variations, which were once used to denote these peculiarities in regard to one action, would be uniformly, or at least generally employed, to de note similar variations in every other, and thus a pretty general uniformity in the form of these several modifica tions would arise.
Nearly connected with the verb, we find what is termed the participle. This seems to have taken rise, met el), from a wish to designate tne action denoted by the vero, as either permanently or occasionally characteristic of some person or object to which the attention is directed. It is easy therefore to conceive, that in a great measure it would re tain the radical part of the verb, modified however in such a manner, as to suit it to assume the form and texture of an attributive.
The origin of the pronoun has been variously stated by writers on grammar ; y et pronouns, in fact, are only, in their real nature, abstract nouns of a peculiar species. It has become fashionable of late, among certain philosopaers; to deny that the mind possesses such a faculty as abstrac tion, and the notion of an abstract noun is treated by them as chimerical. Without stickling for terms, we may ob serve, however, that it cannot surely be denied, that the mind does possess a certain power, when several objects are presented in combination, to fix its attention exclu sively on one of them, and for the time to keep out of sight all the rest. That this is a power every day exercised, experience abundantly testifies. In considering any object therefore, any particular quality possessed by it may be made the sole object of attention ; in viewing a marble globe, we may direct our thoughts entirely to its round ness, without taking into view its other qualities of white ness, smoothness, or hardness; or we may think of its hard ness independent of its roundness or colour. If, then, we find any particular mode in which objects may be placed sufficiently important, and occurring with sufficient fre quency to force much of our attention to that, we shall naturally be led to mark that mode of existence by a pecu liar term applicable to such a special relation, independent of any object in which that relation or position occurs. In the employment of speech, one of the most common tela tions and positions in which persons and objects occur to us, and one which most forcibly arrests our attention, is the situation of the speaker, the person spoken to, and the sub ject spoken of. These peculiar relations perpetually recur ring, would soon fix the attention exclusively upon them, while the constant variations in the subjects would irresis tibly detach from the view any specific object with which they could be associated. Hence the relations alone being kept in sight, terms expressive of the relations merely would be formed, possessing all the characteristics of ab stract nouns, and in the application they are susceptible of the most general of any. To these, the denomination of Personal pronouns has been given ; a denomination not per Imps in all lespects sit icily appropriate, but sufficiently de scriptive for the purposes of language. How these perso nal pronouns were originally formed, is a matter of much uncertainty. Some have conceived, that they were derived from a word designating the hand, pointing with the hand being probably first employed before a specific vocal sign, to denote these separate relations, was introduced. This, however ingenious, is perhaps somewhat too remote a de rivation. A more obvious one, we should think, may be found. Admitting, what we have endeavoured to prove, that the radical part of all language was the verb, and that necessity gradually impelled man to introduce various modifications of that radical sound, by means of accent, emphasis, elongation, or addition, to indicate its various ap plications, whether for assertion, interrogation, supposition, promise, or desire, it may then be easily conceived, that of these variations, some were uniformly employed to mark also the relations of speaker, person addressed, or subject of discourse. As such peculiar modifications would, from the proneness of man to imitation, be similar through the whole community, it was an easy step to detach altogether from the complete verb, that part which had received the variations, and these detached parts, of course, would form the personal pronouns.