Was it in accordance with the design of these lectures, it would give me pleasure to go into a minute examination of the origin, changes and meaning of these words till they came to be applied as specific words of exceeding limited character.  Most of them might be traced thro all the languages of Europe; the Arabic, Persic, Arminian, Chaldean, Hebrew, and, for ought I know, all the languages of Asia.  But as they are now admitted a peculiar position in the expression of thought from which they never vary; and as we are contending about philosophic principles rather than verbal criticisms, I shall forbear a further consideration of these words.

In the proper place I shall consider those words formerly called “Adjective Pronouns,” “Pronoun Adjectives,” or “Pronominal Adjectives,” to suit the varying whims of those grammar makers, who desired to show off a speck of improvement in their “simplifying” works without ever having a new idea to express.  It is a query in some minds whether the seventy-two “simplifiers” and “improvers” of Murray’s grammar ever had any distinct notions in their heads which they did not obtain from the very man, who, it would seem by their conduct, was unable to explain his own meaning.

LECTURE VI.

ON ADJECTIVES.

Definition of adjectives.—­General character.—­Derivation.—­How understood.—­Defining and describing.—­Meaning changes to suit the noun.—­Too numerous.—­Derived from nouns.—­Nouns and verbs made from adjectives.—­Foreign adjectives.—­A general list.—­Difficult to be understood.—­An example.—­Often superfluous.—­Derived from verbs.—­Participles.—­Some prepositions.—­Meaning unknown.—­With.—­ In.—­Out.—­Of.

The most important sub-division of words is the class called Adjectives, which we propose to notice this evening. Adjective signifies added or joined to.  We employ the term in grammar to designate that class of words which are added to nouns to define or describe them.  In doing this, we strictly adhere to the principles we have already advanced, and do not deviate from the laws of nature, as developed in the regulation of speech.

In speaking of things, we had occasion to observe that the mind not only conceived ideas of things, but of their properties; as, the hardness of flint; the heat of fire; and that we spoke of one thing in reference to another.  We come now to consider this subject more at large.

In the use of language the mind first rests on the thing which is present before it, or the word which represents the idea of that thing.  Next it observes the changes and attitudes of these things.  Thirdly, it conceives ideas of their qualities and relations to other things.  The first use of these words is to name things.  This we call nouns.  The second is to express their actions.  This we call verbs.  The last is to define or