Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

'.[ 7«S )
G R A M MAR
-R. AMM A*R is t-be art of /peaking or of •writing
any language nuithpropriety.
Grammar confidered as an rlrt> neceflarily fuppofes
*he previous exirtence of;'language ; and as its defign is
.to teach any language to thole who are ignorant of it, it
^uuft be adapted to the genius of that particular language
<«f which it treats.—A juft method of grammar, there¬
fore, fuppofmg a language introduced by cuftom, with¬
out attempting any alterations in it, furnilhes certain ob-
iervations called rules, to which the methods of {peaking
aifed in this language may be reduced; this collection
.of rules is what is called a grammar of any, particular
language. For the greater diliinftnefs with regard to
thefe rules, grammarians, have .ufually divided this £ub-
jedt into four diftindt heads, tvs. Orthography, or
the art of combining letters into fyllabler, and fyllables
dntowords; QT'ita.QLQ&sthe art of deducing one
Of U N I V E 11 S
T is not oeceffary here to inquire how language was
originally invented, to trace the various changes it
may have undergone, or to examine whether any one
language may be confidered as the original from which all
others have been derived : it is fufficient for our purpofe
to obferve, that a‘Fmankind,iiowever diveffified in other
refpedts, agree in the common ufe of language4 from
which it appears, that language is not merely accidental
and arbitrary, but founded in the nature of things, and
within the reacli of all mankind. It is therefore an ob-
jedt worthy of a philofbphic inquiry to difcover the
foundations upon which this univerfal fabric has been
raifed.
The defign of fpeech is to publtfh to others the thoughts
and perceptions of our mind. The moft acute feelings
of man, as well as of every other animal, are exprefled
by fimple inarticulate founds, which, as they tend to the
prefervatton of the individual, are univerfally underftood.
Thefe inarticulate but fignificant founds, therefore, con-
ftitute a natural and univerfal language, which man, as a
mere fenfitive being, partakes in common with the other
>animals. But as man is not only endowed with fenfation,
but with the faculty of reafoning, dimple inarticulate
•founds are infuficienrfor expreffing all the various modi¬
fications of thought, or for communicating «> others a
chain of argumentation: it was therefore neceflary to call
in the aid of articulation ; which by modifying thefe fim¬
ple founds, and by fixing a particular meaning to thefe
modifications, forms the language peculiar to man, and
which diftinguifhes him from all other animals, and
enables him to communicate with facility all that diver¬
sity of ideas with which his mind is ftored. Thefe founds,
thus modified and having a determinate meaning, are cal¬
led Words ; and as all language is compofed of fignifi¬
cant words varioufly combined, a knowledge of them
is neceflary previous to our acquiring an adequate idea of
-language.
•word from another, and the various modifications fy
•which the fenfe of any one •word ran be divcrfified ;
Syntax, or what relates to the conjlruttion or due dif-
pofition of the •words of a language into fentences or
phrafes ; and Prosody, or that which treats of the
quantities and accents of fyllables, and the art of ma¬
king verfes.
But grammar confidered as a Science, views language
in itfelf: negledtiog particular modifications, or the ana¬
logy which •words may bear to each other, it examines
the analogy and relation between -words and things; di-
ftinguifties between tiiofe particulars which are ejfential
to language, and titofe'which are only accidental-, and
thus furnifhes a certain ftandard by winch dififerent lan¬
guages may be compared, and v^eir feveral excellencies
or defefts pointed out. This is what is called Philo¬
sophic or Universal Grammar.
A L GRAMMAR.
But, as it is by words that we exprefs the various
ideas which occur to the mind, it is neceflary to examine
how ideas themfdves are fuggefted, before we can afeer-
tain the various clafles into which words may be diftri-
buted. With this view, therefore, let us fuppofe a rea-
fonable being, devoid of every prepofleflion whatever,
placed upon this globe. His attention would, in the firft
place, be dire&ed to the various obje<fts which he faw
exifting around him: thefe he would naturally endeavour
to diftinguiflt from one another, and give them names,
by means of which the idea of them might be recalled
when the objefis themfelves were abfent. This is one
copious fource of words, and forms a natural clafs which
muft be common to every language ; and which is diftin-
guifhed by the name of Nouns. And as thefe nouns are
the names of the feveral fubftances which exift, they have
likewife been called Substantives.
It would likewife be early difeovered, that every one
of thefe fubftances were endov/ed with certain qualities or
attributes, to exprefs which another clafs of words would
be requifite. Thus, to be •weighty, is a quality of mat¬
ter; /o is an attribute of man Therefore, in every
language, words have been invented toexprefs the various
qualities of the feveral objeds which.exift. Thefe may
all be comprehended under the general denomination of
Attributives,
Thefe two claffes of words muft comprehend all things
that exift; for whatever exifts, muft of neceflity be ei¬
ther a fubftance, or the attribute of fome fubftance ; and
hence thefe two clafles muft comprehend all thofe words
which are fignificant of themfelves, and may be called
words significant of themselves. If any other
words occur, they can only be fignificant in fo far as they
tend to explain or conned the words of the two former
clafles.
But, although thefe words form the balls or matter of
a language, in the fame manner as ftones form the matter