CHAPTER V.

THE PRONOUN.

§ 288. A PRONOUN is a word which can be used instead of a noun, either as the subject or the predicate of proposition; as, "The man is happy; he is benevolent." Here he is used instead of man as the subject of the proposition. "I am he." Here he is used as the predicate of the proposition.

Or, a Pronoun is a word used instead of a noun; as, “I went to London;" "thou hast done a good action ;"*" he will return."

The term pronoun is derived from the Latin word pronomen, which signifies for a noun. Pronouns have been called substitutes, inasmuch as some of them stand not only for nouns, but also for adjectives, for a sentence or part of a sentence, or a series of propositions.

Pronouns are relational words, or form-words, according to Becker's classification. They do not, like substantives, express the idea of an object, but only the relation of an object to the speaker, since they show whether the object is the speaker himself (the first person), or the person or thing addressed (the second person), or the person or thing spoken of (the third person); e. g., I (the teacher) give to you (the scholar) it (the book).

CLASSIFICATION.

§ 289. I. A PERSONAL PRONOUN is a pronoun whose form shows of what person it is without reference to the construction in which it is used.

The personal pronouns are I, of the first person; thou, of the second person; he, she, and it, of the third person. It should be remembered that nouns are naturally of the third person.

II. A DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN is a pronoun which eminently points out the objects to which it relates.

The demonstrative pronouns are this and that, with their plurals, these and those, and perhaps such and same.

III. A RELATIVE PRONOUN is a pronoun which stands for some preceding word or phrase called the antecedent, and performs the office of a conjunction in connecting sentences.

The relative pronouns are who, which, that, and what.

IV. An INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN is a pronoun used in asking questions.

The interrogative pronouns are who, which, and what.

V. An ADJECTIVE PRONOUN is a pronoun which partakes of the nature of the adjective. See § 266.

VI. AN ADVERBIAL PRONOUN is a pronoun which partakes of the nature of an adverb. See § 363.

THE EXTENT OF PRONOUNS.

$290. The extent of this part of speech in different languages has been variously defined. Thus, unus, totus, solus were regarded as pronouns by the ancient Latin grammarians, while the corresponding words in Greek, ɛiç, ñàç, 820s, and μóvos, are considered merely as adjectives. Same, in English, is considered as an adjective, while idem, in Latin, is ranked among pronouns. In Sanscrit grammar, the number of pronouns is especially great, embracing such words as nemas, half; alpas, a little; êkas, one; dakshinas, on the right or southern; awaras, behind, &c. That these words have a plausible claim to be regarded as pronouns might easily be shown; and grammarians, in receiving them, have probably been influenced by the irregularity of inflection which naturally attaches to the pronoun.

THE VALUE OF PRONOUNS.

§ 291. Pronouns act a very important part in etymology, and have a great influence upon the grammatical form of other parts of speech. The pronominal roots enter into the personal inflections of verbs, and into the cases of nouns, and give rise to many adverbs, and to a large proportion of the conjunctions.

It has been said that pronouns are employed to prevent the tiresome repetition of nouns. But they do something more. For, as there is hardly any name peculiar to one individual, the employment of a name belonging to more persons than one would not so clearly specify the object as the appropriate pronoun; nor would it have that simplicity and energy which accompany the

pronoun. If, instead of saying "I am the God," Moses had said, "The Lord is the God," or, instead of saying "Thou art the man,” Nathan had said, "David is the man," the energy of the expression would have been destroyed.

"They are strange and mighty words, these two little pronouns I and Thou, the mightiest, perhaps, in the whole compass of language. The word pronoun is not quite strictly appropriate to them; for, as the great master of the philosophy of language, William Humboldt, observes, 'They are not the mere substitutes of the names of the persons for whom they stand, but involve the personality of the speaker and of the person spoken to, and the relation between them.' I is the word which man has in common with God, the eternal, self-existing I AM. Thou is the word with which God and his conscience speak to man, the word with which man speaks and communes with God and his neighbor. All other words without these two would belong to things. I and thou are inseparable from personality, and bestow personality on whatsoever they are applied to. They are the two primary elements and conditions of all speech, which implies a speaker and a person spoken to; and they are indispensable complements each of the other, so that neither idea could have been called forth in man without the help of its mate."-Guesses at Truth, first series, p. 189.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS.

§ 292. A PERSONAL PRONOUN is a pronoun whose form shows of what person it is, without reference to the construction in which it is used. There are five pronouns called PERSONAL, namely, I, THOU, HE, SHE, IT. They are so called because they denote only the relation of personality. They are substitutes for nouns, and are sometimes called substantive pronouns.

The reasons for including the pronoun it with the personal pronouns are historical rather than logical. Strictly, it is applied to things rather than to persons. The reasons for not including the pronoun who, which denotes persons, in this class, are found in its distinctive office of connecting sentences, in which it agrees with the relative pronouns, and is classed with them. Personal pronouns admit of person, number, gender, and case. Variety of form to distinguish the sex is confined to the third

person.

He is masculine; she is feminine; it is neuter.

Pro

nouns of the first and second person are either masculine or feminine, according to the sex of the speaker or of the person addressed.

COMPARATIVE ETYMOLOGY.

§ 294. The current declension of the English personal pronouns has been given from a regard to convenience, and not because it is an exhibition of true etymological relations. This may be the better understood from an inspection of the declensions of the personal pronouns and of the demonstrative pronouns in the Anglo-Saxon. See § 295 and § 308.

§ 295. DECLENSION OF PERSONAL PRONOUNS IN

PRONOUNS OF THE FIRST PERSON.

§ 296. I. For I in English we have ic in Anglo-Saxon, ich in the German, ek in the Icelandic, ik in the Maso-Gothic, jag in the Swedish, eyw in the Greek, ego in the Latin. These words in these several languages grew out of a root which is not the same as that from which the oblique cases in these several languages sprang. They are etymologically defective in the oblique cases, but not practically. The words in actual use in these cases are from another root.

MINE and MY. These words sprang from the same root as me. For their etymological relations, see § 302.

ME. For me in English we have in the Anglo-Saxon me, meh, mec, in German mich, in Danish mig, in Moso-Gothic mik, Latin me, Greek με. These words all grew out of the same root, but they are all defective in the nominative case. Me, in colloquial discourse, is often used for I; as, "Who is at the door ?" "It is me." This form of expression, arising from an objective view of one's self, should not be encouraged.

WE. For we in English we have we in the Anglo-Saxon, wir in the German, vi in the Danish, nos in the Latin.

OUR and OURs. For our and ours in English we have ure, user in the Anglo-Saxon, unser in the German, vor in the Danish. Ours, yours, and theirs have been characterized as having double inflections. In popular language, the pronouns take another double inflection, which seems to be governed by the same laws as ours, yours, and theirs. People in common life say our'n, your'n, their'n, his'n, her'n, using them absolutely just as the German dessen, deren are used. In WICLIF's translation we have the following forms: "Blessyd be poure in spirit, for the kingdom of hevenes is herun."-Matthew, v. "And some ouren wentin to the grave, and thei founden so as the wymmen seiden, but thei founden not hym."-Luc, chap. xxiv. is not easy to say when the forms ours, yours, theirs first made their appearance in the language. The present difference between them and our, your, their, consists in this, that the former can be used absolutely or independently; as, “Yours is the best book." Formerly, namely, in the old English stage, the latter class also could be used absolutely; as,

It