A Comparative Grammar of the Teutonic Languages: Being at the Same Time a Historical Grammar of the English Language (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from A Comparative Grammar of the Teutonic Languages: Being at the Same Time a Historical Grammar of the English Language

Grammar describes the organisms of languages as natural history describes the organisms of natural objects. What plants and animals are to the natural philosopher, words are to the grammarian. The naturalist may satisfy himself with taking notice merely of the outward characteristics represented by any particular object; or he may enter upon a dissection of its organism, lay open the peculiar structure of each organ, show its connection with the whole and the functions it has to per form in this connection. Thus then one and the same object may receive a different treatment, viewed either from the stand point of natural history or from that of anatomy and physiology. Thus again the grammarian may view the particular word laid before him in its merely outward garb, classify it to its proper sphere, record the changes it may incur under certain condi tions - in short, give the natural history of the word; this is Descriptive Grammar.' Or he may dissect the word into its component parts, or let us boldly say its organs, show the structure of these organs and their functions in the whole, trace the word back to its first origin, show how it grew and gave birth to a progeny, which, though displaying all the diversity of varieties, nevertheless preserve the type of the species.' This anatomical and physiological handling of the word belongs to the sphere of the science of language.'

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