CHAPTER VII. IRREGULARITIES. 191 REGULARITY means that which is like a ruled line, for "regular" means "ruled." Irregularity, therefore, means that which is not like a ruled line. Language is said to be regular when it follows straight fixed rules.1 192 Irregularity of Idioms. For example, it is regular to say, "I have a score of sheep." Here" score is a Noun, and therefore is regularly followed by "of." "of." On the other hand, it is irregular to say, "I have a dozen marbles," leaving out" of.” Now bear in mind Whenever language is irregular, there is some cause for the irregularity. 1 For a Summary of the Rules of Syntax, see "RULES AND DEFINITIONS," p. xxviii. 193 194 Language does not bend away from its straight fixed rules for nothing; there is some cause that makes it bend. In the last example there are perhaps two causes : (1) when we say, “I have a dozen," we confuse this with "I have twelve," that is to say, we confuse the use of a Noun with the use of an Adjective. So we treat "dozen" partly as though it were an Adjective, leaving out the "of" after it, and partly as though it were a Noun, keeping the "a" before it. We do the same thing in "I have a hundred sheep; " we ought to say, by rule, "I have a hundred (Noun) of sheep," or, "I have hundred (Adjective) sheep; " but we keep the "a," as though "hundred" were a Noun, and yet leave out "of " as though "hundred" were an Adjective. Thus we mix or confuse two constructions. (2) Another reason why the "of" is omitted after "dozen" and "hundred" is probably the desire to be brief. Here then there are two causes, and they are very common causes, of irregularity: (1) Con. fusion of two constructions, (2) the desire to be brief. (3) The desire to avoid harshness of sound or of construction, and (in Poetry more especially) the desire to give special emphasis to certain words, are also causes of irregularity. 195 196 197 Irregularity of Words. The "confusion of two constructions," or rather the "reduplication of constructions," affects the formation of words, as well as of idioms. It is very common for an Inflection to become obsolete and forgotten, and then to receive a second Inflection as an appendage, the two being blended or "confused" together. For example (1) the old Genitive in 's, which is now retained only in our "Possessive Inflection," had once a wider use, so that it represented our "at" or "by," and was used for an Adverbial termination. Hence were formed: 99 66 (1) "One-s" or once ; unaware-s; door-s;" "day-s;" i.e. "by day." In time, the Adverbial use of the Inflection becoming obsolete, a Preposition was inserted, but the old useless Inflection was retained: (2) "At once; " " 'at unawares (Spenser); "in In the same way (1) "near was recognized as a Comparative form, from "neah" nigh: (2) " songster" was recognized as a Feminine, with the old Feminine termination -ster. But, as the sense of 1 Occasionally there is found "by littles and littles." the Inflection in each word became lost, new Inflec tions were added: (1) "Near-er." (2) "Song-stress." in 66 In this way may be explained the use of "yours' a friend of yours." (See Par. 434). The use of "yours" for "your," is in part explained by "confusion," and in part by Law III. Law III., the "Desire to avoid harshness," accounts for the irregular retention of the following old forms for emphasis:— (1) "I want a book, give me one (emphatic form of a, an, ane)." (2) (3) 66 Give me a book, for I have no(ne).” Keep my book, and I will keep your(s),1 till you have done with mi(ne).” 198 How to Explain Irregularities. Just as the attraction of the earth makes a bullet deviate from the straight line in which it is discharged, so some attracting cause makes language deviate from the straight path, i.e. from regularity, into a path that is not straight, i.e. into irregularity. 1 "Yours 99 was early used in the Northern Dialects. This may be illustrated by a diagram IRREGULAR CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION -------------- Attracting force : I. Desire of Brevity. II. Influence of some other construction. III. Desire to avoid harshness of sound or of construction, &c., &c. First, therefore, ascertain the regularity from which the irregularity in question has deviated. Secondly, ascertain the cause of deviation, whether it be (i) desire of brevity; (ii) confusion of two constructions; (iii) desire to avoid harshness of sound or of construction. (1) "He loved her as his own daughter," i.e., "as (he would have loved her, if she had been) his (2) "All of us remonstrated," i.e., confusion cf the 1 Compare" All we, like sheep, have gone astray." |