Elements of Criticism, Volume II.Kames, Henry Home, Lord
Philosophy
Elements of Criticism, Volume II.
Kames, Henry Home, Lord
Criticism; Literary style
Words that import a relation, must be distinguished from those that do
not. Substantives commonly imply no relation, such as _animal_, _man_,
_tree_, _river_. Adjectives, verbs, and adverbs, imply a relation. The
adjective _good_ must be connected with some substantive, some being
possessed of that quality. The verb _write_ must be applied to some
person who writes; and the adverbs _moderately_, _diligently_, have
plainly a reference to some action which they modify. When in language a
relative term is introduced, all that is necessary to complete the
expression, is, to ascertain that thing to which the term relates. For
answering this purpose, I observe in Greek and Latin two different
methods. Adjectives are declined as well as substantives; and declension
serves to ascertain the connection that is betwixt them. If the word
that expresses the subject be, for example, in the nominative case, so
also must the word be that expresses its quality. Example, _vir bonus_.
Again, verbs are related, on the one hand, to the agent; and, on the
other, to the subject upon which the action is exerted. A contrivance
similar to that now mentioned, serves to express this double relation.
The nominative case is appropriated to the agent, the accusative to the
passive subject; and the verb is put in the first second or third
person, to correspond the more intimately with both. Examples: _Ego amo
Tulliam_; _tu amas Semproniam_; _Brutus amat Portiam_. The other method
is by juxtaposition, which is necessary with respect to words only that
are not declined, adverbs for example, articles, prepositions, and
conjunctions. In the English language there are few declensions; and
therefore juxtaposition is our chief resource. Adjectives accompany
their substantives[89]; an adverb accompanies the word it qualifies; and
the verb occupies the middle place betwixt the active and passive
subjects to which it relates.
It must be obvious, that those terms which have nothing relative in
their signification, cannot be connected in so easy a manner. When two
substantives happen to be connected, as cause and effect, as principal
and accessory, or in any other manner, such connection cannot be
expressed by contiguity solely; for words must often in a period be
placed together which are not thus related. The relation betwixt
substantives, therefore, cannot otherwise be expressed than by particles
denoting the relation. Latin indeed and Greek, by their declensions, go
a certain length to express such relations, without the aid of
particles. The relation of property, for example, betwixt Cæsar and his
horse is, expressed by putting the latter in the nominative case, the
former in the genitive; _equus Cæsaris_. The like in English, _Cæsar’s
horse_. But in other instances, declensions not being used in the
English language, relations of this kind are commonly expressed by
prepositions.
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