Dissertations moral and critical; On memory and imagination. On dreaming. The theory of language. On fable and romance. On the attachments of kindred. Illustrations on sublimity - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1783 Excerpt: ...nor are they, perhaps, so essential to human speech as the former: but they are so convenient, that we have no reason to think there is any language without them. They are called by the Greeks Antonumiai, and by the Latins Pronomina. And the name well expresses their nature they being put-f anti tou onomatos, pro nomine, instead of the noun or name. Their use, and the occasion of introducing them into language, may be thus illustrated. Suppose me to meet with a person, whose name I know not, and to whom I am equally unknown; and that we find It necessary to talk together. I want to give some information concerning myself, and to address that information to him. But how is this to be done? He knows not my name, and I know not his. I might point to myself, when I meant to speak of myself, and to him when I would speak of him; but this would be inconvenient in the dark, and awkward in any circumstances. Shall I begin with informing him of my name, and myself of his j and afterwards repeat my own name when I speak of myself, and his when I speak of him? Perhaps he might not choose to tell me his name, and I might be equally shy in regard to mine. But suppose this difficulty got over, and that I want to ask him the road. If I confine myself to proper and substantive names, I say, " James begs as a favour of "Alexander, that Alexander would inform James, which is the X x "road "road to such a place;" and, all the while, I must be pointing to myself and to him alternately, to signify, that I was speaking of him and of myself, and not of any other persons of the same names. If in so short and simple an address there is so much difficulty, it may well be imagined, that in a continued dialogue there would be a great deal more. Now for removin...