Note A.

In his Grammar of Grammars,' Goold Brown defines 'Modifications' to mean 'inflections or changes in the terminations, forms, or senses of some kinds of words.' He then gives the following definitions :—

'Nouns have modifications of four kinds, viz. Persons, Numbers, Genders, and Cases.'

'Pronouns have the same modifications as Nouns.'

'Verbs have modifications of four kinds, viz. Moods, Tenses, Persons, and Numbers."

'Numbers in Grammar are modifications that distinguish unity and plurality.' 'Genders in Grammar are modifications that distinguish objects in regard to

sex.'

'Cases in Grammar are modifications that distinguish the relations of Nouns and Pronouns to other words.'

With respect to Gender, Latham writes:-'as terms to be useful must be limited, it may be laid down as a sort of definition that there is no gender where there is no affection of the declension; consequently, that, although we have in English words corresponding to 'genitor' and 'genitrix,' we have no true gender until we find words corresponding to dominus and domina.'-Vol. ii. p. 154, English Language:

Again, with reference to Case, he observes:- -In order to constitute a case there must be not only a change of form, but also a change of meaning. There is no change of case unless there be a change of form.'—Vol. ii. p. 173.

Of Numbers, he says: They are restricted to Nouns and Pronouns.'

Most Grammarians adopt these or similar definitions, which limit Number, Gender, Case to inflexions or variations in the forms of words.

Such definitions do not suit our language. The following facts strongly oppose them.

1. Many words, deer, sheep, trout, salmon, &c., have the same form for both singular and plural.

2. Adjectives have no inflections whatever for number, gender, case; yet are said to agree with nouns in number, gender, and case.

3. Verbs have no inflexions to distinguish the first person singular, and the three persons plural, &c.

4. We can ascertain the gender of such words as parent, child, &c., only by their grammatical relation to other words.

5. A large class of nouns indicate gender by compounds; such as 'he-goat,' 'she-goat.'

6. Another class distinguish sex by a totally different word; as, bull, cow. 7. We have no inflexions to distinguish the nominative from the objective case, yet all admit we have an objective case.

Grammatical Relation, and not any peculiarity of form, enables us to distinguish the one from the other.

Thus, as has been well said, 'Gender, Number, and Case are very imperfectly shown in our language by inflexions.'

Logic teaches us that the first great requisite of a correct definition is, that it should be adequate ;" and, as Whately remarks, 'it should admit no arbitrary exceptions.'

The question is simply to reconcile such facts with the requirements of Logic. If Logic and Grammar are at variance, Grammar must give way.

This reconciliation will be easily effected by altering the 'genus' of these definitions, and selecting one more suitable and more exact. Such a 'genus' is found in the expression grammatical form. It is sufficiently comprehensive to embrace the peculiarities above-mentioned, whether of number, or gender, or case, indicated as they may be by variation of termination, by change of form, by compounds, or by grammatical relation. It will enable us also with more propriety to make use of certain classical terms which we cannot altogether afford to dispense with.

Dr. Angus has a very appropriate remark on this subject, he says:

'Strictly speaking, therefore, Number, Case, Gender are, as applied to words, grammatical forms expressive of the number, the condition, or relation to something else named in the sentence, and the sex of the things to which the words, whether nouns, pronouns, adjectives, or verbs, are applied.'-Handbook of the English Tongue, p. 148.

CHAPTER II.

§ 1. INTRODUCTORY.

1. LANGUAGE is the expression of Thought.

2. THE EXPRESSION OF A SINGLE THOUGHT is called a WORD; of incomplete thought, a PHRASE; of complete thought, a SENTENCE.

3. The PRINCIPLES by which Language is guided form the SCIENCE of Grammar.

As an ART, Grammar is concerned with the right application (in speech and writing) of Rules deduced from these Principles.

4. The difference between an ART and a SCIENCE is this:-
:-

A SCIENCE Concerns itself with Principles alone.

To an ART three things are requisite, (i) Principles; (ii) Rules deduced from these Principles; (iii) Production. Hence an ART is defined to be an APPLIED SCIENCE.

5. GRAMMAR is divided into three parts, (i) ETYMOLOGY, (ii) SynTAX, (iii) PROSODY.

(i) ETYMOLOGY is that part of Grammar which treats of the

true matter or meaning and form of words.

(ii) SYNTAX is that part of Grammar which treats of the right arrangement of words in a sentence.

(iii) PROSODY is that part of Grammar which treats of Accent, Metre, Rhyme, and Rhythm.

§ 2. WORD ACCORDING TO FORM AND MEANING. Word according to Form.

1. A WORD, according to its form, is either simple or compound. 2. A SIMPLE WORD possesses a distinct meaning, and consists of one or more syllables.

A COMPOUND WORD is a combination of two or more simple words. 3. A SYLLABLE consists of one or more letters possessing one vowel sound.

A MONOSYLLABLE is a word of one syllable.

4. A LETTER is the symbol of a sound. LETTERS are divided into 2 classes; Vowels, and Consonants.

(i) A VOWEL is a full, open sound. The vowels are 5, a, e, i, o, u.

(ii) A CONSONANT is a letter which cannot be sounded without the aid of a vowel.

(iii) THE CONSONANTS are divided into:

(a) Liquids, so called because they most easily combine with other letters: l, m, n, r.

(b) Mutes, because they cannot be sounded at all without a vowel.

(iv) W, Y are called Semivowels; X, J, double Consonants. (v) W and Y are called Consonants when they precede a

vowel in the same syllable; as in wine, twine, yet,

youth in all other cases these letters are vowels; as in Ystadt, newly, dewy.

(vi) DIPHTHONGS consist of two vowels sounded together. Generally, the sound is that of a single vowel, but in some cases they have a sound of their own; as House, new. These are called proper diphthongs. When only one of the vowels is sounded, the diphthong is called improper; as, oa in loaf, eo in people.

The diphthongs in English are 29; embracing all but 6 of the 35 possible combinations of two vowels. The six rejected are ii, iu, iw, iy, uu, uw.

Ten of these diphthongs being variously sounded may be either proper or improper: to wit, ay, ie, oi, ou, ow, ua, ue, ui, uo, uy.

The proper diphthongs appear to be 13: ay, ia, ie, io, oi, ou, ow, oy, ua, ue, ui, uo, uy, of which combinations only 3, ia, io, and oy are invariably of this class.

(vii) TRIPHTHONGS consist of 3 vowels sounded together, as buoyant.

When all the vowels are sounded the triphthong is called proper; as uoy in buoy.

When only one or two of the vowels are sounded the triphthong is called improper; as eau in beauty.

The only proper triphthong in English is uoy, as in buoy, buoyant, unless uoi in quoit may be considered a parallel instance.

The improper triphthongs are 16.

5. The whole system of Letters may be thus represented in tabular form:

H-is simply a breathing, possessing no articulate sound of its own.