or tia is the full or original form of the ablative affix, from which, of course, these possessives are derived. This termination is also found in the Greek adjectives of quality οἷος (ότιος), ποῖος (πο-ιος), τοῖος (TO-10s), the d or 8 having dropt out, just as the s has been absorbed in the cognate genitives in -oo, in which we should expect -σio on the analogy of the Sanscrit genitive ending -sya; compare edidoσo, edidov, didoiro, didoio (Bopp, Vergl. Gramm. p. 220). Indeed, as we shall show hereafter,dios and -σios are by-forms of the genitive or ablative case. The d is preserved in "dos from the pronoun. The force of this termination in Greek is invariably to denote derivation, kind, or quality we might, if we liked, consider the Sanscrit termination as compounded of the demonstrative and relative, and signifying "that which;" but it is better to refer this form to the genitive or ablative ending *. The Greek pronominal adjectives signifying quantity are ὅ-σος, πόσος, τότσος, &c. We have elsewhere pointed out that the termination -oos signifies "a collection" or "aggregate," even when found as a part of nouns, and it obviously bears the same sense in these pronominal words. But how did it get that sense? It cannot be doubted that -oos has the same termination. Now it is well known that this word was originally pronounced ovos, and even Fío Fos, as appears from the necessities of the metre in Homer, and from the gloss vío you, toov in Hesychius. The labial was, however, dropt in the course of time, and "oos appears in all the later poets with the first syllable short, so that this is no reason for denying its connexion with o-oos, &c. in point of termination. As ἴ-σοs and τόσοs are synonyms, both signifying "so great," i. e. "equal,” an examination of the common part in these words will lead to a proper interpretation of the affix Fos após. This word implies "all that belongs to the person near us," a meaning which includes in it the idea of a collection or aggregation; and this is just what we want. There is no occasion therefore to connect this ending with the Sanscrit -vat, or -vant, though this is of course the origin of the Latin quantus, tantus, &c. ; for tantus is connected with the Sanscrit távant, just as malo is with mavolo. We do not think Bopp is right in deriving from this stem the Latin adjectives opulentus, &c. by a de-vocalization of the 7, because conversely the French have turned the Italian al into au (über den Einfluss der Pronomina, &c. p. 7); it is clear that these adjectives are true compounds with lentus, which signifies "heavy," i. e. "slow from weight;" nor do we concur with the same eminent philologer in σος Ξ = In like manner the relative stem xo- expresses a quality in such adjectives as γραμματικός. connecting the terminations of ἡ-λίκος, πηλίκος, τη-λίκος, immediately with the Sanscrit verb driç-" to see" (Greek dépкw). It is true that the Sanscrit ta driça, &c., are perfectly synonymous with τn-Xíkos, &c., but it is more in accordance with the general analogies of the Greek language to consider -Aí-kos as a compound of two terminations la-, ka-, each of which is found separately at the end of words. The second part of the compound is omitted in the Latin -lis, as in tá-lis (τñ-λ-¿), qva-lis (πñ-λ-E), &c. It is possible that the syllable - may be connected with the root of a Greek verb (Adw) synonymous with dépкo, but dépko is itself a compound verb as well as the Sanscrit ending dri-ça, and though, as we shall see hereafter, the root - may be of the same origin with part of the root d-ri-ç, this does not justify Bopp's mode of proceeding with regard to these terminations. At one time he bases his argument on the interchange of the d and 7, as in dákpuμa, lacryma (über den Einfluss, &c. p. 8), at another time on the interchange of r and I (Vergleich. Gramm. p. 599); but we have both d and r in driç-, and are we to suppose that they can both be turned into an /?* The Greek termination -λíkos or -MĘ (ŷλę, Óμŋriέ) runs through most of the sister-languages. Thus we have in Gothic sraleiks, heê-leiks, Anglo-Saxon thy-lic, German ähn-lich, so-lcher (so-like, such), and in English like. In Latin many very common adjectives are formed with this termination: e. g. a-qua-lis (from a-quus, Sanscrit é-kas "that which"), rega-lis, viri-lis, missi-lis, humi-lis, simi-lis, fame-licus, &c. The word fe-lix also contains this termination; the first part of the word is connected, as Bopp suggests (Vergleich. Grammatik, p. 606), with the Sanscrit bháj, not, as others have supposed, with fe-tus, fe-tura, fe-mina, &c. It is related to fau-stus, fav-or, &c., and the Greek φάρος (ὑπο-φαν-σις). It might be written φαῦλιξ in Greek characters †, like pau-λos "light," "blown about by every breeze" (FáƑw, Fav-onius), and signifies literally "light-like," i.e. "brilliant," "splendid." The Prâcrit corruptions târisô, &c. prove nothing. We are aware that the surname of Claudius Felix is written λ in Josephus, XX. 6. Act. Apostol. XXIV. Suidas s. v. Kλaúdios. This is not, however, an etymological transcription, but only an attempt, like the wк dye (hoc age) of Plutarch, to represent the sound of the Latin word. On the connexion of "light" and "air," see Book IV. Ch. 5. CHAPTER II. THE NUMERALS. 153 Why numerals have lost their original signification. 154 Connexions of the first numeral with the first personal pronoun. 155 Similar affinities of the second numeral and second pronoun. 156 Origin and explanation of deís and deiva. 157 The third numeral and its use as a comparative affix. 158 The fourth numeral compounded of the first and third. 159 Why the first four numerals are declined in Greek, and the others undeclined: eight the dual of four. 160 The sixth and seventh numerals how related. 161 The fifth, ninth, and tenth numerals are to be referred to a decimal system of computation. 162 Views of Lepsius on this subject, and on the higher numbers. 163 Vague expressions for large numbers. 164 Ordinals, and their connexion with comparatives and superlatives. 165 General comparison expressed by the affix -twv. 166 Comparative words, such as μov, μé-σos, äλλos. 167 Superlatives in -to-Tos derived from adverbs in -is, or from nouns in -vs, -eus. 153 SINCE INCE it is the tendency of inflected languages to become more and more abstract, as they develope themselves syntactically by means of writing, and, by striving after generalization, to lose the immediately perceivable meaning of their individual words, we might expect that this tendency would soonest be realized in the numerals*. The use of numerals at all is an abstraction, and one of the highest kind; it is stripping things of all their sensible properties and considering them as merely relations of number, as members of a series, as perfectly general relations of place. Hence it is, that the shorthand of written language has arrived at its completion in nu *There have been many important treatises on the subject of the numerals. The most valuable are those by Lepsius (über d. Ursprung u. d. Verwandtschaft der Zahlwörter in der indogermanischen, semitischen, u. d. koptischen Sprache, Zwei Sprachvergl. Abh. Berlin, 1836) and by Pott (die quinare u. vigesimale Zählmethode bei Völken aller Welttheile, nebst ausführl. Bemerkungen über die Zahlwörter Indogerm. Stammes u. einem Anh. über Fingernamen, Halle 1847). The second of these treatises is to a certain extent controversially opposed to the former; and though we are indebted to Dr Lepsius for many interesting details in the present chapter, we think his leading principles (p. 92 sqq.) untenable, and we have here followed up the views respecting the classification of the pronominal elements, which we have set forth in the preceding chapter. We have made the Hebrew numerals the subject of a special investigation in a tract entitled Maskil le-Sopher, London, 1848. pp. 41 sqq. merals sooner than in any other words; for while all other words are expressed by combinations of letters, the words. expressing abstract number have, in all languages, a set of distinct symbols or cyphers for their expression. In the language of Algebra the same method has been carried so far, that we can now, by a systematic combination of single letters, carry on the most complicated analytical reasonings in all sciences based upon one or other of our primary intuitions of space and time. 154 It was hinted in the last chapter, that the first three numerals are the three personal pronouns: this we shall now endeavour to prove by considering them in detail. The root of the first personal pronoun is ma; it signifies "that which is here." The natural connexion between the ideas of here, that which is near to the here, and there, and the numbers "one," "two," "three," needs no formal exposition: the vulgarism "number one" as a synonym for the first person, and the proximus sum egomet mihi of the Latin comedian, speak in the plainest terms for this identity. Our business is to establish the etymological fact. The Greek word expressing the number one was a regularly inflected adjective; in the ordinary writers we find eîs, pía, ev, but in Homer the feminine is written a (Iliad, IV. 437. XIII. 354. XXI. 569), in which, as well as in the ordinary masculine and neuter, we discern no traces of the first pronominal root μα. Döderlein (Lat. Synon. IV. p. 52) supposes that 'a is connected with uía as eo is with meo, and oλai with mola. The following investigation will show that there is no connexion between 'a, or, as it should be written, ia, and uía. Man is naturally led to adopt one of two methods of arithmetical reckoning: the decimal, suggested by his own hands and feet, and the duodecimal, derived from the twelve moons. The latter system was of more frequent use in ancient times than it is now, though we still have our dozen as a distinct term, and still divide the day into two portions of 12 hours each, and carry the same division into our tables of weights and measures. Among the Greeks, the prevalence of this system is more strongly shown by the 12 gods, most of them clearly connected with the months, and by the frequent occurrence of the number 12 in political subdivisions. We find that most ancient states had some regulative number which was the basis of their social organization. "Twelve," says Niebuhr, "was the fundamental number of the Ionians, which appears in their towns in the Peloponnesus and in Asia, as well as in the Attic TρɩTTúes. Their primary number was four; then each quarter was subdivided into three" (Hist. of Rome, II. p. 20). He should rather have stated that the primary number was twelve, a number suggested by the changes of the moon, and that this number was divided into three tetrads. The influence of this subdivision upon the formation of the numerals will be seen by and by. But if twelve was the regulative number of the Ionians, and if this number was, as is highly probable, suggested by the number of the moons or months, should we not expect that the words for an "unit" and a "month" would be identical? Now the Ionian word for a month or moon is μeis (Homer, Iliad, XIX. 117. Hymn. Merc. 11. Hes. e. K. n. 559. Herod. II. 82), and this is also found in Eolic (Pindar, Nem. V. 82. comp. Suidas and Zonaras under the word eis). The feminine uía therefore perfectly corresponds with this form. We shall now show that the common particle μèv is the regular neuter of μείς = μένος. A full discussion of all the usages of uèv, as a conjunction, belongs rather to the syntax of the conjunctions than to the present subject*. We shall now insist only on those of its uses which most strikingly show that it means "the first thing," "in the first place." This amounts almost to a certainty when it is considered, that, in its regular use, it is always opposed to dé, which can be proved to mean "in the second place." It is also proved by this circumstance, that uèv never stands alone without suggesting the idea of something that is to follow. Thus, when Socrates is going to catechize Meno's slave, he asks the master, "EXλny μév éσTI Kai éλλnvile; "he is a Greek, I suppose, and Ἕλλην μέν ἐστι ἑλληνίζει talks Greek" (Plato, Meno, p. 82 B). Here an εἰ δὲ μή is ob viously implied: "if he is not, he will not serve my purpose of questioning him :" so also in the answer πávu pèv ovv, which is so common in Plato's dialogues, there is a manifest suspension of part of the sentence: "you are right, but what then ?” (Tí ♪ *See Greek Grammar, Art. 559-568. |