An Etymological Dictionary Of The Scottish Language Volume Ii

Author : John Jamieson
Publisher : Forgotten Books
ISBN 13 : 9780656012213
Total Pages : 664 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (122 download)

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Download or read book An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, Vol. 1 (Classic Reprint) written by John Jamieson and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-02-07 with total page 664 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from An Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language, Vol. 1 Some affect to despise all etymological researches, because of their uncertainty. But many other branches of science are equally liable to this objection. Was it a clear proof of the wisdom conferred on our common parent, that he gave names to all the inferior creatures, according to their peculiar natures 9 And may we not discern a considerable vestige of his primeval state, in the propriety of many of the names imposed on things, even in modern languages? An inquiry into the reasons of these is not, therefore, a matter of mere unprofitable curiosity. It is no contemptible mean of investigating the operations of our intellectual powers. The structure of language is, indeed, one important branch of that philosophy which so nearly interests man, - the philosophy of his own mind - a branch which, although less attended to than many others, and often more obscured than elucidated by system, extends its influence through all nations; is, practically at least, as well known to the peasant as to the prince, to the savage as to the man of letters; in the most lively manner, in many instances, delineates the objects with which we are conversant, exhibiting to others a faithful copy of the im pressions which these make on our own minds forcibly illustrates, as far as the oblique signification of words are concerned, the singular associations of our ideas; appears, by its striking analogies, as a grand link among the various individuals of the same species, how remote soever from each other as to situation; frequently affords a proof of the near affinity of particular nations and, by the general diffusion of certain primitive terms, or by certain rules of formation universally adopted, assigns a common origin to mankind, although scattered on the face of the whole earth. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.