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Chapter VII
Of Particles
1. Particles connect parts, or whole sentences together. Besides
words which are names of ideas in the mind, there are a great many
others that are made use of to signify the connexion that the mind
gives to ideas, or to propositions, one with another. The mind, in
communicating its thoughts to others, does not only need signs of
the ideas it has then before it, but others also, to show or
intimate some particular action of its own, at that time, relating
to those ideas. This it does several ways; as Is, and Is not, are
the general marks, of the mind, affirming or denying. But besides
affirmation or negation, without which there is in words no truth or
falsehood, the mind does, in declaring its sentiments to others,
connect not only the parts of propositions, but whole sentences one to
another, with their several relations and dependencies, to make a
coherent discourse.
2. In right use of particles consists the art of well-speaking.
The words whereby it signifies what connexion it gives to the
several affirmations and negations, that it unites in one continued
reasoning or narration, are generally called particles: and it is in
the right use of these that more particularly consists the clearness
and beauty of a good style. To think well, it is not enough that a man
has ideas clear and distinct in his thoughts, nor that he observes the
agreement or disagreement of some of them; but he must think in train,
and observe the dependence of his thoughts and reasonings upon one
another. And to express well such methodical and rational thoughts, he
must have words to show what connexion, restriction, distinction,
opposition, emphasis &c., he gives to each respective part of his
discourse. To mistake in any of these, is to puzzle instead of
informing his hearer: and therefore it is, that those words which
are not truly by themselves the names of any ideas are of such
constant and indispensable use in language, and do much contribute
to men's well expressing themselves.
3. They show what relation the mind gives to its own thoughts.
This part of grammar has been perhaps as much neglected as some others
over-diligently cultivated. It is easy for men to write, one after
another, of cases and genders, moods and tenses, gerunds and
supines: in these and the like there has been great diligence used;
and particles themselves, in some languages, have been, with great
show of exactness, ranked into their several orders. But though
prepositions and conjunctions, &c., are names well known in grammar,
and the particles contained under them carefully ranked into their
distinct subdivisions; yet he who would show the right use of
particles, and what significancy and force they have, must take a
little more pains, enter into his own thoughts, and observe nicely the
several postures of his mind in discoursing.
4. They are all marks of some action or intimation of the mind.
Neither is it enough, for the explaining of these words, to render
them, as is usual in dictionaries, by words of another tongue which
come nearest to their signification: for what is meant by them is
commonly as hard to be understood in one as another language. They are
all marks of some action or intimation of the mind; and therefore to
understand them rightly, the several views, postures, stands, turns,
limitations, and exceptions, and several other thoughts of the mind,
for which we have either none or very deficient names, are
diligently to be studied. Of these there is a great variety, much
exceeding the number of particles that most languages have to
express them by: and therefore it is not to be wondered that most of
these particles have divers and sometimes almost opposite
significations. In the Hebrew tongue there is a particle consisting of
but one single letter, of which there are reckoned up, as I
remember, seventy, I am sure above fifty, several significations.
5. Instance in "but. " "But" is a particle, none more familiar in our
language: and he that says it is a discretive conjunction, and that it
answers to sed Latin, or mais in French, thinks he has sufficiently
explained it. But yet it seems to me to intimate several relations the
mind gives to the several propositions or parts of them which it joins
by this monosyllable.
First, "But to say no more": here it intimates a stop of the mind in
the course it was going, before it came quite to the end of it.
Secondly, "I saw but two plants"; here it shows that the mind limits
the sense to what is expressed, with a negation of all other.
Thirdly, "You pray; but it is not that God would bring you to the
true religion."
Fourthly, "But that he would confirm you in your own." The first
of these buts intimates a supposition in the mind of something
otherwise than it should be: the latter shows that the mind makes a
direct opposition between that and what goes before it.
Fifthly, "All animals have sense, but a dog is an animal": here it
signifies little more but that the latter proposition is joined to the
former, as the minor of a syllogism.
6. This matter of the use of particles but lightly touched here.
To these, I doubt not, might be added a great many other
significations of this particle, if it were my business to examine
it in its full latitude, and consider it in all the places it is to be
found: which if one should do, I doubt whether in all those manners it
is made use of, it would deserve the title of discretive, which
grammarians give to it. But I intend not here a full explication of
this sort of signs. The instances I have given in this one may give
occasion to reflect on their use and force in language, and lead us
into the contemplation of several actions of our minds in discoursing,
which it has found a way to intimate to others by these particles,
some whereof constantly, and others in certain constructions, have the
sense of a whole sentence contained in them.
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