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Title: A Handbook of the English Language
Author: R. G. Latham
Release date: March 29, 2009 [eBook #28436]
Most recently updated: January 4, 2021
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Colin Bell, Keith Edkins and the Online
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A HANDBOOK OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ***
| Transcriber's note: | A few typographical errors have been corrected. They appear in the text like this, and the explanation will appear when the mouse pointer is moved over the marked passage. |
A HAND-BOOK
OF
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE,
FOR THE USE OF
STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITIES AND
HIGHER CLASSES OF SCHOOLS.
BY
R. G. LATHAM, M.D., F.R.S.,
LATE PROFESSOR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE,
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON.
NEW-YORK:
D. APPLETON & COMPANY,
443 & 445 BROADWAY.
M.DCCC.LXIV.
CONTENTS.
PART I. | |
| GENERAL ETHNOLOGICAL RELATIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. | |
| CHAPTER I. | |
| GERMANIC ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.—DATE. | |
| SECTION | PAGE |
| 1. English language not British | 1 |
| 2. Real origin German | 1 |
| 3. Accredited immigrations and settlements | 2 |
| 4, 5. Criticism | 4, 5 |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| GERMANIC ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.—THE GERMANIC AREA OF THE PARTICULAR GERMANS WHO INTRODUCED IT.—EXTRACT FROM BEDA. | |
| 6, 7. Jutes, Angles, and Saxons | 6 |
| 8, 9. Extract from Beda | 6, 7 |
| 10—13. Criticism | 8—11 |
| 14, 15. Angles | 11, 12 |
| 16. Saxons of Beda | 12, 13 |
| 17. Anglo-Saxon area | 13 |
| 18, 19. The Frisians | 13, 14 |
| 20. Anglo-Saxon area | 14 |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| OF THE DIALECTS OF THE SAXON AREA, AND OF THE SO-CALLED OLD SAXON. | |
| 21—29. Old Saxon and Anglo-Saxon | 16, 17 |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| AFFINITIES OF THE ENGLISH WITH THE LANGUAGES OF GERMANY AND SCANDINAVIA. | |
| 30, 31. Gothic languages | 18 |
| 32—34. Divisions of the Gothic stock | 18 |
| 35. Mœso-Gothic | 19 |
| 36. Old High German | 19 |
| 37. Low German | 19 |
| 38. Frisian and Dutch | 19 |
| 39. Platt-Deutsch | 20 |
| 40, 41. Comparison | 21—23 |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.—GERMANIC ELEMENTS.—THE ANGLES. | |
| 42. Analysis | 24 |
| 43—54. Angles—their relations | 24—28 |
| 55, 56. The Frisians | 29, 30 |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| THE CELTIC STOCK OF LANGUAGES AND THEIR RELATIONS TO THE ENGLISH. | |
| 57. Branches of the Celtic stock | 31 |
| 58—60. Structure of Celtic tongues | 31—33 |
| 61—63. The Picts | 33—35 |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| THE ANGLO-NORMAN, AND THE LANGUAGE OF THE CLASSICAL STOCK. | |
| 64. The classical languages | 36 |
| 65—67. Latin branch | 36—40 |
| 68, 69. Norman French | 40, 41 |
PART II. | |
| HISTORY AND ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. | |
| CHAPTER I. | |
| HISTORICAL AND LOGICAL ELEMENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. | |
| 70. Celtic elements | 45 |
| 71. Latin of first period | 46 |
| 72. Anglo-Saxon | 47 |
| 73. Danish or Norse | 47 |
| 74. Roman of second period | 49 |
| 75. Anglo-Norman element | 49 |
| 76. Indirect Scandinavian elements | 50 |
| 77. Latin of third period | 51 |
| 78. Latin of fourth period | 51 |
| 79. Greek | 52 |
| 80—82. Tables | 53—55 |
| 83—90. Miscellaneous elements | 55—60 |
| 91—94. Hybridism and new words | 60—62 |
| 95. Historical and logical analysis | 63 |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| THE RELATION OF THE ENGLISH TO THE ANGLO-SAXON, AND THE STAGES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. | |
| 96. Ancient and modern tongues | 64 |
| 97. Details | 65—68 |
| 98. Stages of the English language | 68 |
| 99. Semi-Saxon | 69 |
| 100—103. Old English, &c. | 70—72 |
| 104. Present tendencies | 73 |
PART III. | |
| SOUNDS, LETTERS, PRONUNCIATION, SPELLING. | |
| CHAPTER I. | |
| GENERAL NATURE AND CERTAIN PROPERTIES OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS. | |
| 105. Spelling and speaking | 77 |
| 106. Sounds and syllables | 79 |
| 107. Vowels | 79 |
| 108. Divisions | 80 |
| 109. Sharp and flat sounds | 80 |
| 110. Continuous and explosive | 80 |
| 111. General statements | 81 |
| 112. The sound of h | 81 |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| SYSTEM OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS. | |
| 113. Certain foreign sounds | 82 |
| 114. System of mutes | 82 |
| 115. Lenes and aspirates | 83 |
| 116. Fourfold character of mutes | 84 |
| 117. Y and w | 84 |
| 118, 119. Diphthongs | 84 |
| 120. Compound sounds | 85 |
| 121. Ng | 85 |
| 122, 123. Broad, slender; long, short; dependent, independent | 85, 86 |
| 124—126. System of sounds | 86, 87 |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| OF CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS. | |
| 127. Sharp and flat mutes | 88 |
| 128. Unstable combinations | 89 |
| 129. Effect of y | 89 |
| 130, 131. Double consonants rare | 89 |
| 132. True aspirates rare | 90 |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| EUPHONY AND THE PERMUTATION OF LETTERS. | |
| 133. Euphony | 92 |
| 134. Permutation | 93 |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| ON THE FORMATION OF SYLLABLES. | |
| 135. Syllabification | 95—97 |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| ON QUANTITY. | |
| 136. Long and short sounds | 98 |
| 137. Quantity of vowels—of syllables | 98 |
| 138. Classical and English measurements | 99 |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| ON ACCENT. | |
| 139. Place of accents | 101 |
| 140. Distinctive accents | 101 |
| 141. Emphasis | 102 |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| ORTHOGRAPHY. | |
| 142. Orthoepy | 103 |
| 143—146. Principle of an alphabet | 103—105 |
| 147. Violations of it | 105 |
| 148. Rules | 107 |
| 149—151. Details of English | 107—109 |
| 152. Insufficiency | 109 |
| 153. Inconsistency | 109 |
| 154. Erroneousness | 110 |
| 155. Redundancy | 110 |
| 156. Unsteadiness | 110 |
| 157. Other defects | 111 |
| 158. Historical propriety | 113 |
| 159. Conventional spelling | 113 |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
| HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE ENGLISH ALPHABET. | |
| 160—166. Phœnician, Greek, Roman stages | 116—124 |
| 166—172. Anglo-Saxon alphabet | 124—126 |
| 173. Anglo-Norman alphabet | 126 |
| 174. Extract from Ormulum | 127 |
| 175. Order of alphabet | 128 |
PART IV. | |
| ETYMOLOGY. | |
| CHAPTER I. | |
| ON THE PROVINCE OF ETYMOLOGY. | |
| 176—179. Meaning of term | 131—133 |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| ON GENDER. | |
| 180. Boy and girl | 134 |
| 181. Man-servant and maid-servant | 134 |
| 182, 183. Forms like genitrix | 135 |
| 184. Forms like domina | 136 |
| 185—189. Genders in English | 136, 137 |
| 190—192. The sun in his glory; the moon in her wane | 138 |
| 193. Miscellaneous forms | 139—142 |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| THE NUMBERS. | |
| 194—197. Numbers in English | 143, 144 |
| 198. Rule | 145 |
| 199. Remarks | 145 |
| 200. Addition of -es | 146 |
| Pence, alms, &c. | 147 |
| Mathematics | 147 |
| 201. Children | 149 |
| 202. Form in -en | 150 |
| 203. Men, feet, &c. | 150 |
| 204. Brethren, &c. | 150 |
| 205. Houses | 152 |
| 206. Wives, &c. | 152 |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| ON THE CASES. | |
| 207—211. Nature of cases | 154—156 |
| 212. Accusatives | 156 |
| 213. Datives | 157 |
| 214. Genitives | 157 |
| 215. Instrumental | 158 |
| All the better | 158, 159 |
| 216. Determination of cases | 159 |
| 217. Analysis of cases | 160 |
| 218. Form in -s | 160 |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| THE PERSONAL PRONOUNS. | |
| 219, 220. I, we, us, &c. | 162 |
| 221. You | 162 |
| 222. Me | 163 |
| 223—225. Cautions | 163, 164 |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| ON THE TRUE REFLECTIVE PRONOUN IN THE GOTHIC LANGUAGES, AND ON ITS ABSENCE IN ENGLISH. | |
| 226. How far found in English | 165 |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS, ETC. | |
| 227. He, she, it | 166 |
| 228. She | 166 |
| 229. Her, him, his, its, &c. | 167 |
| 230. Theirs | 167 |
| 231. Table | 168 |
| 232. These | 169 |
| 233. Those | 171 |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| THE RELATIVE, INTERROGATIVE, AND CERTAIN OTHER PRONOUNS. | |
| 234. Who, what, &c. | 173 |
| 235. Same, &c. | 173 |
| 236. Other, whether | 177 |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
| ON CERTAIN FORMS IN -ER. | |
| 237—239. Idea expressed by -er | 179—181 |
| CHAPTER X. | |
| THE COMPARATIVE DEGREE. | |
| 240. Form in -s | 182 |
| 241. Elder, &c. | 183 |
| 242. Rather | 183 |
| 243, 244. Excess of expression | 183 |
| 245—247. Better | 183—185 |
| 248. Worse | 185 |
| 249. More | 185 |
| 250. Less | 185 |
| 251—253. Near, &c. | 186 |
| 254. Origin of superlative | 186 |
| CHAPTER XI. | |
| THE SUPERLATIVE DEGREE. | |
| 255, 256. Former | 188 |
| 257. Nearest | 188 |
| 258. Next | 188 |
| 259, 260. Upmost, &c. | 189, 190 |
| CHAPTER XII. | |
| THE CARDINAL NUMBERS. | |
| 261. How far undeclined | 191 |
| CHAPTER XIII. | |
| THE ORDINAL NUMBERS. | |
| 262—264. Seven, nine, ten | 192 |
| 265, 266. Thirteen, thirty | 193 |
| CHAPTER XIV. | |
| THE ARTICLES. | |
| 267. A, an, the | 194 |
| CHAPTER XV. | |
| DIMINUTIVES, AUGMENTATIVES, AND PATRONYMICS. | |
| 268—270. Diminutives | 197—199 |
| 271. Augmentatives | 200 |
| 272. Patronymics | 200, 201 |
| CHAPTER XVI. | |
| GENTILE FORMS. | |
| 273. Wales | 202 |
| CHAPTER XVII. | |
| ON THE CONNEXION BETWEEN THE NOUN AND VERB, AND ON THE INFLECTION OF THE INFINITIVE MOOD. | |
| 274—281. The verb, how far a noun | 203—206 |
| CHAPTER XVIII. | |
| ON DERIVED VERBS. | |
| 282. Divisions of verbs | 207 |
| 282. Derivation | 208, 209 |
| CHAPTER XIX. | |
| ON THE PERSONS. | |
| 283. Persons in English | 210 |
| 284, 285. Historical view | 211 |
| 286. Form in -t | 212 |
| 287. Thou spakest, &c. | 212 |
| 288. We loves | 213 |
| CHAPTER XX. | |
| ON THE NUMBERS OF VERBS. | |
| 289. Numbers in English | 214 |
| 290. Ran, run, &c. | 215 |
| CHAPTER XXI. | |
| ON MOODS. | |
| 291—292. Moods in English | 216 |
| CHAPTER XXII. | |
| ON TENSES IN GENERAL. | |
| 293. Strike, struck | 217 |
| 294—296. Ἔτυπτον, &c. | 217, 218 |
| 297. Reduplication | 219 |
| 298. Weak or strong | 220 |
| CHAPTER XXIII. | |
| THE STRONG TENSES. | |
| 299. Sing, sang, sung | 221 |
| 300—303. Tables | 222—225 |
| CHAPTER XXIV. | |
| THE WEAK TENSES. | |
| 304. Stabbed, &c. | 226 |
| 305—307. Divisions | 227, 228 |
| 309. Bought, sought | 228 |
| 309. Forms in -te and -ode | 229 |
| 310—312. Bred, beat, &c. | 230 |
| 313. Leave, left | 231 |
| 314. Made, had | 231 |
| 314. Would, should, could | 231 |
| 315. Aught | 231 |
| 316. Durst, must, &c. | 232 |
| 317. This will do | 233 |
| 318. Mind | 234 |
| 319. Yode | 234 |
| 320. Did | 234 |
| CHAPTER XXV. | |
| ON CONJUGATION. | |
| 321, 322. Weak and strong conjugations natural | 235—237 |
| CHAPTER XXVI. | |
| DEFECTIVENESS AND IRREGULARITY. | |
| 323—325. Irregularity | 238 |
| 326. Vital and obsolete processes | 240 |
| 327. Processes of necessity, &c. | 241 |
| 328. Ordinary processes | 241 |
| 329. Positive | 242 |
| 330. Normal | 242 |
| 331. Could | 243 |
| 332. Quoth | 244 |
| 333. Real irregular verbs few | 244 |
| CHAPTER XXVII. | |
| THE IMPERSONAL VERBS. | |
| 334, 335. Me-seems, me-listeth | 246 |
| CHAPTER XXVIII. | |
| THE VERB SUBSTANTIVE. | |
| 336. Not irregular | 247 |
| 337. Was | 247 |
| 338—341. Be | 248, 249 |
| 342. An | 249 |
| 343. Worth | 250 |
| CHAPTER XXIX. | |
| THE PRESENT PARTICIPLE. | |
| 344. Forms in -ing | 251 |
| 345. Forms in -ung | 252 |
| CHAPTER XXX. | |
| THE PAST PARTICIPLE. | |
| 346. Forms in -en | 254 |
| 347, 348. Drunken | 254 |
| 349. Forlorn | 255 |
| 350. Forms in -ed | 255 |
| 351. The prefix Y | 256 |
| CHAPTER XXXI. | |
| COMPOSITION. | |
| 352—357. Nature of compounds | 258—261 |
| 358—361. Accent | 261—266 |
| 362. Obscure compounds | 266 |
| 363—365. Exceptions | 266, 267, 268 |
| 366. Peacock, peahen | 269 |
| 367. Nightingale | 269 |
| 368. Improper compounds | 270 |
| 369. Decomposites | 270 |
| 370. Combinations | 270, 271 |
| CHAPTER XXXII. | |
| ON DERIVATION AND INFLECTION. | |
| 371—373. Their nature | 272—275 |
| CHAPTER XXXIII. | |
| ADVERBS. | |
| 374, 375. Their division | 276 |
| 376—379. Adverbs of deflection | 277 |
| 380. Darkling | 278 |
| CHAPTER XXXIV. | |
| ON CERTAIN ADVERBS OF PLACE. | |
| 381—384. Hither, thither, &c | 279 |
| 385. Hence, &c. | 280 |
| 386. Yonder | 280 |
| 387. Anon | 281 |
| CHAPTER XXXV. | |
| ON WHEN, THEN, AND THAN. | |
| 388, 389. Their origin | 282 |
| CHAPTER XXXVI. | |
| PREPOSITIONS AND CONJUNCTIONS. | |
| 390. Prepositions | 283 |
| 391. Conjunctions | 283 |
| 392. Yes, No | 283 |
| 393. Particles | 283 |
| CHAPTER XXXVII. | |
| ON THE GRAMMATICAL POSITION OF THE WORDS mine AND thine. | |
| 394—407. Equivalent to meus and tuus, rather than possessive cases | 284—290 |
| CHAPTER XXXVIII. | |
| ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE WEAK PRÆTERITE. | |
| 408. Grimm's view | 291 |
| 409, 410. Remarks of Dr. Trithen | 291—293 |
PART V. | |
| SYNTAX. | |
| CHAPTER I. | |
| ON SYNTAX IN GENERAL. | |
| 411, 412. Syntax | 294 |
| 413. Personification | 294 |
| 414. Ellipsis | 295 |
| 415. Pleonasm | 295 |
| 416. Zeugma | 295 |
| 417. Pros to semainomenon | 296 |
| 418. Apposition | 296 |
| 419. Collectiveness | 297 |
| 420. Reduction | 297 |
| 421. Determination of part of speech | 298 |
| 422—424. Convertibility | 298, 299 |
| 425. The Blacks of Africa | 299 |
| 426. None of your ifs | 300 |
| 427. Convertible words numerous in English | 300 |
| CHAPTER II. | |
| SYNTAX OF SUBSTANTIVES. | |
| 428. Rundell and Bridge's | 301 |
| 429. Right and left | 301 |
| CHAPTER III. | |
| SYNTAX OF ADJECTIVES. | |
| 430. Pleonasm | 302 |
| 431. Collocation | 302 |
| 432. Government | 302 |
| 433. More wise, wiser | 303 |
| 434. The better of the two | 304 |
| 435. Syntax of adjectives simple | 304 |
| CHAPTER IV. | |
| SYNTAX OF PRONOUNS. | |
| 436. Pleonasm | 305 |
| 437. Father's, not father his | 305 |
| 438. Pleonasm and ellipses allied | 306 |
| CHAPTER V. | |
| THE TRUE PERSONAL PRONOUNS. | |
| 439. Pronomen reverentiæ | 307 |
| 440. Dativus ethicus | 307 |
| 441. Reflected pronoun | 307 |
| 442. Reflected neuters | 308 |
| 443. Equivocal reflective | 308 |
| CHAPTER VI. | |
| ON THE SYNTAX OF THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS, AND THE PRONOUNS OF THE THIRD PERSON. | |
| 444, 445. His and its | 310, 311 |
| CHAPTER VII. | |
| ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WORD self. | |
| 446, 447. Myself, himself, &c. | 312, 313 |
| CHAPTER VIII. | |
| ON THE POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS. | |
| 448—451. My and mine | 314—316 |
| CHAPTER IX. | |
| THE RELATIVE PRONOUNS. | |
| 452—456. Their concord | 317, 318 |
| 457. Ellipsis | 318 |
| 458. Equivocal antecedent | 319 |
| CHAPTER X. | |
| ON THE INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN. | |
| 459, 460. Direct and oblique questions | 320 |
| CHAPTER XI. | |
| THE RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS. | |
| 461, 462. Their construction | 322, 323 |
| CHAPTER XII. | |
| THE INDETERMINATE PRONOUNS. | |
| 463—466. Use of it | 324, 325 |
| 467, 468. Use of them | 325 |
| CHAPTER XX. | |
| ON THE TENSES. | |
| 486. Present | 342 |
| 486, 487. Preterite | 342 |
| CHAPTER XXI. | |
| SYNTAX OF THE PERSONS OF VERBS. | |
| 488, 489. Their concord | 344 |
| CHAPTER XXII. | |
| ON THE VOICES OF VERBS. | |
| 490. Hight | 345 |
| CHAPTER XXIII. | |
| ON THE AUXILIARY VERBS. | |
| 491. Their classification | 346—348 |
| 492. I have ridden | 348 |
| 493. I am to speak | 351 |
| 494. I am to blame | 351 |
| 495. I am beaten | 351 |
| CHAPTER XXIV. | |
| OF ADVERBS. | |
| 496, 497. Their syntax simple | 353 |
| 498. Termination -ly | 354 |
| 499. To walk and ride | 354 |
| 500. From whence, &c. | 354, 355 |
| CHAPTER XXV. | |
| ON PREPOSITIONS. | |
| 501. Climb up a tree | 356 |
| 502. Part of the body | 356 |
| CHAPTER XXVI. | |
| ON CONJUNCTIONS. | |
| 503, 504. Their nature | 357—359 |
| 505. Their government | 359 |
| 506—511. The subjunctive mood | 359—364 |
| 512. Use of that | 364 |
| 513. Succession of tenses | 364 |
| 514. Disjunctives | 365 |
| CHAPTER XXVII. | |
| THE SYNTAX OF THE NEGATIVE. | |
| 515. Its place | 366 |
| 516. Its distribution | 366 |
| 517. Two negatives | 367 |
| 518. Questions of appeal | 367 |
| CHAPTER XXVIII. | |
| ON THE CASE ABSOLUTE. | |
| 519. Its participial character | 369 |
PART VI. | |
| PROSODY. | |
| 520. Derivation of the word | 371 |
| 521, 522. Importance of accent | 371 |
| 523—526. Measures | 372, 373 |
| 527. Metrical notation | 374 |
| 528—535. Rhyme | 374—377 |
| 536. Blank verse | 377 |
| 537, 538. Last syllable indifferent | 378 |
| 539, 540. Names of common English metres | 379—384 |
PART VII. | |
| DIALECTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. | |
| 541. Saxons and Angles | 385 |
| 542—544. Dialects not coincident | 385, 386 |
| 545, 546. Traces of the Danes | 386, 387 |
| 547 Mercian origin of the written English | 387 |
| Notes | 393 |