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Pour expliquer ce qu'on appelle communément nominatif absolu, terme technique tout-à-fait étranger à la Grammaire Hébraïque, &c.

My answer is, I am surprised to hear M. de Sacy say so; for I find this term applied to the Hebrew Grammar, I think, unanimously by later writers, and by the elder commentators as far back as the time of Piscator.2 Mr. Ewald, it is true, has not used the term, but then he has treated the subject under another (§ 349. 353.); and M. de Sacy himself has allowed the operation of the rule, which is all I am anxious to contend for, in his own translation of the very passage adduced, Et pour nous, &c. (p. 95.) I am inclined to believe, therefore, that M. de Sacy's assertion here is a little rash. The term is certainly not unknown to the Hebrew Grammar, nor is the doctrine it involves incompatible with it, as M. de Sacy's own application of it may be cited to show. I will now say, however, with M. de Sacy, that I am induced to believe that the translation given of this passage in the Vulgate, and cited by him, is the correct one.

As this article is growing beyond the extent I could wish, I shall offer only a few observations more. Speaking of certain constructions of the infinitive or verbal noun, M. de Sacy says, (p. 96.)

Je suis fort porté à y voir, comme M. Lee, de véritables rapports d'annexion. Mais je ne saurois admettre la comparaison qu'il fait avec

دل بر داشتن کاریست مشکل ces deux expressions Persanes

ارادت بي چون دل و ارادت

et

car dans la première il faut lire Jɔ, et non ju,

et il n'y a point de rapport d'annexion; et dans la seconde, est un véritable nom, &c.

بي چون

I answer, true, if we writes Jo, there will be no construction involving a genitive case, or what M. de Sacy calls rapport d' annexion; but if we write there will;

بر داشتن because

داشتی
بر

will then be considered as qualifying terms, (See Sir Wm. Jones's Pers. Gram. Edit. 9. artt. 201, 202, 203.) and the preceding word must necessarily take the kesrah. M. de Sacy

Schroeder, rule 33. syntax nom. Storr, Observationes ad Analogiam, &c. p. 292. Jahn, Gram. Heb. § 37. 105. Lehrgebäude of Dr. Gesenius, p. 723. Stewart's Heb. Gram. p. 334. &c. edit. 2.

2

My reply to Dr. Laurence, Cambridge, 1822. p. 76.

cannot surely be ignorant, that Persian infinitives will govern nouns in the state of construction, no less than stand in their own

دل بر داشتن .verbal character without exerting any such power

بر

to take up or elevate, the heart, is, I have no doubt, correct Persian; so is the elevating of the heart: and this is the construction which, I argued, regulated the examples adduced, (Heb. Gram. p. 317-318.) and to which M. de Sacy agrees. But why he should have woven this web to catch himself withal, is a most marvellous thing to me. He thinks the Persian verb might be otherwise construed, and he is right; but he should have shown, which I maintain he cannot, that the construction proposed by me is not Persian; for the fact is, it is both regular and common. With regard to this phrase

بر داشتن

چوان ارادت بي

I have said just what M. de Sacy has, viz. "In these cases both and ự may also be considered as nouns.” Then why does our savant object? I suppose, because he is determined to do so, and for no other reason. Nevertheless, both

بر

and

بي

preceding these words act as prepositions; and my opinion was, and still is, that even in these characters, like their equivalents in Hebrew, they really have the power of placing the preceding noun in the "rapport d'annexion," or the genitive case. But this M. de Sacy has not noticed.

In the next paragraph, (p. 97.) and the last which I shall notice, M. de Sacy is if possible still less happy. The passage N NY, he says, ought to be considered as containing what is usually termed a pregnant construction, (see my Gram. pp. 335-7.) like "de même," continues

قام وقدم اليه for قام اليه the Arabic ou יצא ואתה את העיר est une ellipse pour יצא את העיר ",he

پای رفتنم 120 2001 Gulistan B. ii. tale وقت رفتن So 1 where in the last بید خواستنت خون يختنت . . .

two instances the measure requires the kesrah.

2 In a Ms. critique of M. de Sacy, on the usage of the Persian s of intimation, which some time ago came to my hands; it was affirmed, that this put such noun into an indefinite state, as to signification, although followed by the particle 5, i. e. that the phrase

did not mean the land which, but, a land which! See the 9th edit. of Sir W. Jones's Persian Grammar, art. 71. &c. I only ask, is not this more than strange from such a writer as M. de Sacy?

TYM MX NA NY', exivit et venit urbem pour in urbem," &c. I remark, this doctrine of supplying ellipses is a very convenient thing to help us out of difficulties when every thing else fails, as will be beautifully exemplified in this instance. For first, NY

יצא

means, he went out of the city, and not, he went out INTO the city, as M. de Sacy has so ingeniously made out. The passage occurs in Exodus ix. 33. as mentioned in my Grammar; and there the reader may examine it for himself. The truth seems to be, M. de Sacy has been puzzled by the particle N, which the grammarians have generally supposed marked the accusative case, although no such case exists in Hebrew, as our reviewer himself confesses. Out of this notion, I suppose, grew his Latin urbem; and then to make this good, he has had recourse to his favourite doctrine of the ellipsis; and so we get "exivit et venit urbem pour in urbem!" My remark went to show, that possesses, in reality, no such power; but that its signification is, with respect to, as to, or the like; and that the passage should be rendered, he went out, (i. e.) WITH RESPECT TO the city, or the like. So Neh. ix. 19. лN TONS DITT TIDY, AS TO the pillar of a cloud, it passed not away, where it is impossible that can point out an accusative case. Here then we have a trifling technicality implicating one of the greatest savans in Europe in a most ridiculous mistake: but his system is more in fault than he; and I shall now only remark that technicalities are dangerous things. People are apt to imagine, that under every name there must necessarily be couched some reality; and, if they can frame a particular rule on a given example, and give this a name, that they have formed a principle, grounded on the very nature of things, and which will, therefore, never fail them. A further insight, however, into the real nature of things, may convince them that no such principle exists, and that the whole is a mere delusion; that the whole is governed by laws of a totally different description, much more simple in their nature, and far more extensive in application. Such were the laws developed by the mighty discoveries of Newton in science; and such, I believe, are those which regulate language, and which ought to be investigated, and laid down in the construction of Grammars. Mr. Ewald (as well as myself) has endeavored to do this; and I am surprised to find the number of instances in which our results perfectly agree. We have, for the first time, for instance, investigated and laid down the laws for the rejection of the N letters, and the contractions of the vowels; which, I argue, enables us to reduce every apparent anomaly in the forms of nouns and verbs, to the measures of the regular triliteral paradigm of p, as I have shown in my Grammar. We have, in the next place, áccounted for, or attempted to account for, the augments in nouns, in every case where a word exceeds three letters. This, too, I have applied to the forms of the verbs, arguing, that not only the principle, but the very words themselves are identical in every case.

We both have determined the nature of syllables, which, with this knowlege of the analogy, reduces the changes of the vowels, a subject formerly scarcely approachable, to a mere bagatelle. The doctrine of the tenses I have reduced to principles the most simple possible, and to those very principles, which in some degree prevail in our own language, and are fully recognised by the grammarians of the East. In this case Mr. Ewald has failed, although he has cordially recognised the facts on which my rules have been built. It would be too much here to enlarge; I must, therefore, as M. de Sacy has done, refer the readers to the works themselves. I was certainly anxious to hear what would be said on this subject; and, I must say, after carefully and impartially, as I trust, weighing the objections of M. de Sacy, who has not been accus. tomed to view grammar in this light, I am convinced that this is the legitimate method of constructing grammars; and that although in some instances, neither Mr. Ewald, nor myself, may have succeeded to the utmost, yet, that in the main we have been successful; and have shown that the Hebrew language is not that chaotic and disorderly mass, which some, and particularly M. de Sacy, would have us believe; but that it may be reduced to a few general rules, and those rules easy to be acquired and retained. In conclusion, I must say, I trust that what has here been advanced will not be construed as arising from any animosity or envy entertained by me against my learned reviewer. Certainly I entertain no such feelings: on the contrary, I most heartily congratulate the learned Baron in the celebrity which he has so deservedly acquired; and shall ever be amongst the foremost to acknowlege that Europe will never be able to discharge the debt which it owes to him for his multifarious and valuable works. In a question of science, however, every consideration of this kind must give way; and where the highest deserved celebrity appears to be advocating what is not true, the love of truth will, I hope, always be a sufficient plea for raising and advancing such objections as may appear in this article. This I avow to have been my motive, and this must suffice.

W

THE MANDARIN TONGUE AT

LOO-CHO0.

HEN I visited Macao, in the year 1827, as naturalist to the expedition under the command of Captain Beechey, I was requested by Dr. Morrison to ascertain the dialectical variation of the Kevan-heva, or Mandarin tongue, at Loo-choo, as it was expected we should call at that group of islands on our way to Kotzebue's Sound. For some time after our arrival I had rea

son to despair of being able to fulfil my friend's wishes, owing to the eager curiosity which these people exhibited to scrutinise the novelties on board the Blossom; so that out of many hundreds who honored us with their presence, I could seldom obtain the attention of any one more than a few minutes, who, if he chanced to be possessed of a competent skill, had not patience enough to separate the general from the peculiar by casting his eye over a cluster of characters, and in this way educe what is sometimes represented to be their leading denomination: instead of this, they gave me the provincial readings of such characters as happened to be recognised within the range of their grammatical attainments, which, in consequence, conduced very little towards advancing the object I had in view. A learned man, who accompanied the mandarin, showed great readiness to assist me, by compromising the canons of a ceremonious behaviour, and doing only an occasional justice to the viands of a board which was garnished for our entertainment, that he might have leisure to inspect a list of characters, which I had copied out for the purpose of availing myself of any accidental assistance. But, unfortunately, he mistook my meaning, and taught me the Loo-chooan pronunciation of all the characters that were shown him, as the rest of his countrymen, whom I had previously consulted, had of a few. From the copy of a letter written to Dr. Morrison, soon after our departure from Loochoo, I will make the following extract, as it briefly shows what the reader is to expect from this communication, and the mode in which it was obtained :

119

"They had always shown much reluctance in suffering us to pass through their villages, uniformly appointing one or more natives to accompany our officer as soon as he landed, who never quitted his side till they had conducted him back to the sea-side. Having one day taken your book on shore with me, I easily yielded to my guide's admonitions, consented to shorten the extent of my herbarising excursions, and return to the hostelry, or house of entertainment, where, among many others, I encountered two or three old men, who, willing to sacrifice their curiosity to their quiet, patiently sat by me during that day, and very soberly went through nearly all the characters in the dictionary; and it was from them that I obtained the symbolical orthoëpy, or nomenclature, which pertains to the dialect of Loo-choo. I confess, indeed, that I could perceive nothing of that nice discrimination of sounds, which you tell me exists among the Chinese. Extreme accuracy was not to be expected, when I observed that in their articulation they did not agree among themselves, and that the facility with which I imitated their peculiarities confounded them; which I took to be an indication, that precision in vocal sounds was looked on as something beyond the compass of ordinary attainment. But a decision would require a better warrant, than so short an acquaintance could furnish; besides, these old men might not be a good sample of the

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