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

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of a building; yet, as (tones cannot be arranged into a re¬
gular ftrudture without a cement to bind and conne<9:
them, fo thefe original words Hand in need of others to
conned them, before they can be made to exprefs all the
variety of our ideas. Another order of words, there¬
fore, were neceffary, which, although not of themfelves
lignificant, yet, when joined with others, might acquire a
meaning. Thefe form a fecond general clafs of words
that may be called words not V1 themselves signi¬
ficant, and which cannot acquire any meaning but fo
far as they ferve either to explain or connect the
others.
Hence, therefore, all words which can poflibly be in¬
vented, may be divided into two general clafles; thofe
that are significant of themselves, and thofe that
are not. Words which are lignificant of themfelves, are
either expreflive of the names of fubftances, and therefore
called substantives; or, of qualities, which we call
attributives. Words which are not fignificant of
themfelves, mull: acquire a meaning either as defining or
conneding others, which we lhall arrange under the two
clafles of definitives and connectives, each of which
ihall be examined in their order.
Chapter I.
Of SUBSTANTIVES.
Substantives may be divided into two clafles, viz.
thofe which are primary, commonly called nouns ; and
thofe of a fecondary order, which are often fubftituted
for nouns, and are fience called pronouns : each of
which we lhall confider feparately.
Section I. Of Subftantives of the Fir/i Order,
called Nouns.
Nouns are all thofe ’words by •which ohjcSls or fub-
Jlances are denominated, and •which diflinguijh them
from one another, by names applicable to each, •without
marking either quantity, quality, aftion, or relation.
And as all the objeds which exift mult be either in the
fame ftate that they were produced by nature, or changed
from their original date by art, or abjlratted from fub-
dances by the powers of imagination, this naturally fug-
j*eds a divifion of nouns into natural, as man, vege¬
table, tree, &c.; artificial, zs, houfe, fhip, •watch,
&c.; or abstract, as •whitenefs, temperance. See.
But the diverfity of objeds being fo great as to render
it impoflible for any perfon to know the didind names of
every individual, therefore it has been found expedient
to arrange them under certain general clafles, the names
of which may be more eafily acquired, fo that by re¬
ferring any unknown objed to the clafs' to which it be¬
longs, we in fome meafure fupply the want of proper
names. Hence, therefore, each of the above fpecies of
nouns are divided into thofe which denote genera, fpecies,
.and individuals. Thus, in natural fubdances, animat,
vegetable, and fojfile, denote genera; man, dog, tree,
ametal, are fpecies; and Alexander, Carfar, oak, gold,
Vol. II. N° 57. 2
1 M A R. 729
are individuals. In artificial fubfiances, edifice is a ge¬
nus ; houfe, tower, church, are fpecies ; and iht Vati¬
can, Tron-church, and Herriot's hfpital, are indivi¬
duals. In abftraO fubllances, motion is a genus; flight
and courfe, are fpecies ; the flight of Mahomet, the courft
of a greyhound, are individuals. Each of thefe general
dalles might be fubdivided into many fmaller; but as
tfeefe lefler divilions can only relate to the particular ge¬
nius of different languages, it does not fall within our
plan to confider them. We therefore proceed to take
notice of the accidents which accompany nouns. Of
which kind may be reckoned number and gender.
As nouns are the names of fubdances, and as there
may be many fobdances of the fame kind, therefore
nouns mud be adapted to exprels whether there is one
or more of thofe obje&s of which we fpeak. Nouns,
therefore, in every language, admit of a certain variation
to denote this circumltance, which is called number.
Thus, in the Englilh language, when we fpeak of a (ingle
place of habitation, we call it a houfe; but if of more,
we call them houfes. In the fird of thefe cafes the noun
is faid to be in the fingular, and in the laft cafe, the
plural number: nor does the Englilh, or any other lan¬
guage except the Greek, admit of any other variation
but thefe two : and although the Greek language admits
of a particular variation of the noun called the i&W num¬
ber, which is a plural limited to two objefts; yet this
cannot be confidered as to language; and it is perhaps
doubtful whether this variation ought to be conlidered as
ao elegance or a defe6t in that language.
But although number be a natural accident of nouns,
it can only be conlidered as effential to thofe which de¬
note genera or fpecies, as. it does not defeend to indivi¬
duals. Thus we fay, animal, or animals, vegetables,
and foflils ; as alfo, man, or men, dogs, trees, &c. But
we only fay, Xenophon, Cefar, Bucephalus, See. in the
lingular. Nor do thefe admit of a plural, excepting
when we confider any proper name,- as a general appella¬
tive under which many others are arranged,-when it is no
longer the name of an individual, but that of a fpecies,
and as fuch admits of a plural; as the Alexanders, the
Ptolemies, the Howards, the Pelhams, the Montagues,
See. The reafonof all which will be obvious, if we con¬
fider, that every genus may be found whole and entire
in each of its fpecies ; for man, horfe, and dog, are each
of them an entire and complete animal: and every fpe¬
cies may be found whole and entire in each of its indivi¬
duals ; for Socrates, Plato, and Xenophon, are each of
them compleatly and entirely a man. Hence it is, that
entry genus, though one, is multiplied into man y ; and
every fpecies, though one, is alfo multiplied into many,
by reference to thofe beings which are their fuberdinates.
But as no individual has any fuch fubordinates, it can
never in ftridlnefs beconfidered as many, and fo is truly
an individual as well in nature as in name, and
therefore cannot admit of number.
Befides number, another accident of nouns is gendlr,
the nature of which may be thus explained : As nouns are
the names of the various objeffs in nature; and as the
diftindlions of fex is perceptible among all thofe objedls
which are animated; and as thole which are inanimate
7 X canno