Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue eBook

Alexander Hume

7.  This for apostrophus.  Hyphen is, as it wer, a band uniting whol wordes joined in composition; as, a hand-maed, a heard-man, tongue-tyed, out-rage, foer-warned, mis-reported, fals-deemed.




LIB. 2.


Cap. 1.

1.  Al wordes q_uhi_lk we use to expresse our mynde are personal or impersonal.

2.  A personal word is q_uhi_lk admittes diversitie of person.

3.  Person is the face of a word, quhilk in diverse formes of speach it diverselie putes on; as, I, Peter, say that thou art the son of God.  Thou, Peter, sayes that I am the son of God.  Peter said that I am the son of God.

4.  Quherupon person is first, second, and third.

5.  The first person is of him that speakes; as, I wryte.

6.  The second person is of him that is spoaken to; as, thou wrytes.

7.  The third person is of him that is spoaken of; as, Peter wrytes.


Cap. 2.

1.  Number is distinction of person be one and moe; and soe is singular and plural.

2.  The singular speakes of one; as, a hand, a tree, a sheep, a horse, a man.

3.  The plural speakes of moe then one; as, handes, trees, sheep, horses, men, tuo, three, foure, or moe, or how manie soever.

4.  This difference is com_m_onlie noted with es at the end of the word singular; as, a house, houses; a windoe, windoes; a doore, tuo doores.

5.  Sum tymes it is noated be changing a letter; as, a man, men; a woman, wemen; a goose, geese.

6.  Sum tyme be changing noe thing; as, a sheep, a thousand sheep; a horse, an hundred horse; a noute, ten noute.


Cap. 3.

1.  A personal word is a noun or a verb.  A noun is a word of one person w_i_th gender and case; as, I is onelie of the first person; thou is onelie of the second; and al other nounes are onelie the third person; as, thou, Thomas, head, hand, stone, blok, except they be joined with I or thou.

2.  The person of a noun singular is determined or undetermined.

3.  The determined person is noated with the, and it is determined either be an other substantive; as, the king of Britan; or be an adjective; as, the best king in Europ; or be a relative; as, God preserve the king quhom he hath geven us.

4.  The undetermined noun is noated with an befoer a voual; as, an ald man sould be wyse; and with a befoer a consonant; as, a father sould com_m_and his son.


Cap. 4.

1.  Gender is the affection of a noun for distinction of sex.

2.  Sex is a distinction of a noun be male and female, and these are distinguished the one from the other, or both from thinges without sex.

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