A Handbook of the English Language Part 27

_Hers_.--The r is no part of the original word, but the sign of the dative case. These formations are of value in the history of cases.

-- 230. _Theirs_.--In the same predicament with _hers_ and _its_; either the case of an adjective, or a case formed from a case.

_Than_ or _then_, and _there_.--Although now adverbs, they were once demonstrative p.r.o.nouns, in a certain case and in a certain gender, viz., _than_ and _then_ masculine accusative and singular, _there_ feminine dative and singular.

-- 231. An exhibition of the Anglo-Saxon declension is the best explanation of the English. Be it observed, that the cases marked in italics are found in the present language.

I.

_Se, seo_ ( = _she_).

Of this word we meet two forms only, both of the singular number, and both in the nominative case; viz., masc., _se_; fem. _seo_ ( = the). The neuter gender and the other cases of the article were taken from the p.r.o.noun _aet_ ( = that).

II.

_aet_ ( = that, the), and _is_ ( = this).

_Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._ _Neut._ _Masc._ _Fem._

_Sing. Nom._ _aet_ -- -- _is_ es eos.

_Acc._ _aet_ _one_ a is isne as.

_Abl._ _y_ _y_ _?re._ _ise_ ise isse.

_Dat._ am am _?re._ isum isum isse.

_Gen._ aes aes _?re._ ises ises isse.

__________ _________/ _________ _________/ / / _Plur. Nom. Acc._ _a._ _as._ _Abl. Dat._ _am._ isum.

_Gen._ _ara._ issa.

III.

_Hit_ ( = it), (_he_ = he), _heo_ ( = she).

_Sing. Nom._ _hit_ _he_ heo.

_Acc._ _hit_ hine hi.

_Dat._ _him_ _him_ _hire._ _Gen._ _his_ _his_ _hire._ _________ __________/ / _Plur. Nom. Acc._ hi _Dat._ him (heom).

_Gen._ hira (heora).

IV.

_e_ (the)--Undeclined, and used for all cases and genders.

-- 232. _These_.--Here observe--

1st. That the s is no inflection, but a radical part of the word, like the s in _geese_.

2nd. That the Anglo-Saxon form is _as_.

These facts create difficulties in respect to the word _these_. Mr. Guest's view is, perhaps, the best; viz., that the plural element of the word is the final -e, and that this -e is the old English and Anglo-Saxon adjective plural; so that _thes-e_ is formed from _this_, as _G.o.de_ ( = _boni_) is from _G.o.d_ ( = _bonus_).

The nominative plural in the Old English adjective ended in -e; as,

_Singular._ _Plural._ _M._ _F._ _N._ _M._ _F._ _N._ _G.o.d_, _G.o.d_, _G.o.d_, _G.o.de_.

In Old English MSS. this plural in -e is general. It occurs not only in adjectives and p.r.o.nouns as a regular inflection, but even as a plural of the genitive _his_, that word being treated as a nominative singular; so that _hise_ is formed from _his_, as _sui_ from _suus_, or as _eji_ might have been formed from _ejus_; provided that in the Latin language this last word had been mistaken for a nominative singular. The following examples are Mr. Guest's.

1. In these lay a gret mult.i.tude of _syke_ men, _blinde_, crokid, and _drye_.--_Wicliffe_, Jon. v.

2. In all the orders foure is non that can So much of dalliance and faire language, He hadde ymade ful many a marriage-- His tippet was ay fa.r.s.ed ful of knives, And pinnes for to given _faire_ wives.--_Chau._, Prol.

3. And _al_ the c.u.n.tre of Judee wente out to him, and _alle_ men of Jerusalem.--_Wicliffe_, Mark i.

4. He ghyueth lif to _alle_ men, and brething, and _alle_ thingis; and made of von _al_ kynde of men to inhabit on _al_ the face of the erthe.--_Wicliffe_, Dedis of Apostlis, xvii.

5. That fadres sone which _alle_ thinges wrought; And _all_, that wrought is with a skilful thought, The Gost that from the fader gan procede, Hath souled hem.--_Chau._, The Second Nonnes Tale.

6. And _alle_ we that ben in this aray And maken _all_ this lamentation, We losten _alle_ our husbondes at that toun.--_Chau._, The Knightes Tales.

7. A _good_ man bryngeth forth _G.o.de_ thingsis of _good_ tresore.--_Wicliffe_, Matt. xii.

8. So every _good_ tree maketh _G.o.de_ fruytis, but an yvel tree maketh yvel fruytes. A _good_ tree may not mak yvel fruytis, neither an yvel tree may make _G.o.de_ fruytis. Every tree that maketh not _good_ fruyt schal be cut down.--_Wicliffe_, Matt. vii.

9. Men loveden more darknessis than light for her werkes weren _yvele_, for ech man that doeth _yvel_, hateth the light.--_Wicliffe_, John iii.

10. And _othere_ seedis felden among thornes wexen up and strangliden hem, and _othere_ seedis felden into good lond and gaven fruyt, sum an hundred fold, _another_ sixty fold, an _other_ thritty fold, &c.--_Wicliffe_, Matt. xiii.

11. Yet the while he spake to the puple lo _his_ mother and _hise_ brethren stonden withoute forth.--_Wicliffe_, Mat. xii.

12. And _hise_ disciplis camen and taken _his_ body.--_Wicliffe_, Matt., xiv.

13. When _thise_ Bretons tuo were fled out of _this_ lond Ine toke his feaute of alle, &c.--_Rob Brunne_, p. 3.

14. _This_ is thilk disciple that bereth witnessyng of _these_ thingis, and wroot them.--_Wicliffe_, John xxi.

15. Seye to us in what powers thou doist _these_ thingis, and who is he that gaf to thee _this_ power.--_Wicliffe_, Luke xx.

-- 233. _Those_.--Perhaps the Anglo-Saxon _a_ with s added. Perhaps the _as_ from _is_ with its power altered. Rask, in his Anglo-Saxon Grammar, writes "from _is_ we find, in the plural, _aes_ for _as_. From which afterwards, with a distinction in signification, _these_ and _those_." The English form _they_ is ill.u.s.trated by the Anglo-Saxon form _age_ = _a_.

The whole doctrine of the forms in question has yet to a.s.sume a satisfactory shape.

The present declension of the demonstrative p.r.o.nouns is as follows:--

A.

_She_.--Defective in the oblique cases.

B.

_He_.

_Masc._ _Neut._ _Fem._ _Nom._ He It (from _hit_) -- _Acc._ Him It Her.

_Dat._ Him -- Her.