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Ou-r, you-r (O.E. ur-e, eow-er.)

These forms contain a suffix -r, which belongs also to the genitive plural of adjectives. See note on Alderliefest, § 111, p. 88.

Thei-r has this genitival suffix -r, which also appears in O.E. hi-re, heo-re; M.E. he-r. See table, p. 106.

IV. Independent or Absolute Possessives.

134. Mine, thine, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs, are used without a following noun.

"Be thine despair and sceptred care;

To triumph and to die are mine."

GRAY, The Bard.

Ours, yours, theirs are double genitives, containing a genitive plural suffix -r a singular suffix Hers is also a double genitive.

-S.

These genitives in -s are not found in the oldest English; they made their first appearance in the Northern dialects of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and are due to Scandinavian influence. Cp. Swed. (old style) mins, dins, mine, thine; värs = ours, ers, = yours.

=

The more ordinary forms in the Southern dialects were hire, hir (hers), oure, our (ours), &c. Sometimes we find ouren = ours, heren

=

theirs.

II. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS.

135. The Demonstratives are the, that, this, such, so, same, yon, (yond, yonder).

The (usually called the Definite Article), was formerly declined like an adjective for number, gender, and case; it is now indeclinable.

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Gen.

the

Dat.

Acc.

thai)

thâ

tha-re, the-re, the-r thâ-ra, thæ-ra the, (tha, tho, tha-re, the-re, the-r thâ-m, thæ-m tha, tho, the

thâ

In the second period the article is flexionless in Northern writers.

The old form tho, the plural of the, is used as late as Warner's time. They is occasionally found in Tudor English as the plural of the.

The, before comparatives, as, "the more the merrier," is a remnant of the old instrumental case thi. Cp. O.E. thî mare = Lat. eo magis. It must be parsed as an adverb when used in this way.

136. That was originally the neuter of the. In Northern dialects it replaced the demonstrative thilk, and was used before nouns of all genders. Its plurals were (1) tho (or tha) the pl. of the def. art.; (2) thos (or thas) the old plural of this.

The t in that is the old neuter suffix. Cp. it, what.

Those (O.E. thâs), was at first the plural of this. It had established itself, as early as the middle of the fourteenth century, as the plural of that.

137. This was originally neuter. As late as 1387 we find thes (masc.), theos (fem.), this (neuter), Lat. hic, hæc, hoc.

This is more emphatic than the, and was originally equivalent to the-the. Cp. Fr. ce-ci, ce-la.

These (O.E. thes, thâs, E.E. thas, theos, thos, thes, these, M.E. thes, thees, thise, these).

The final e in these, marks the length of the preceding vowel; it is not an inflexion.

The form these in M. E. may have been a new plural formed from this, and therefore commonly spelt thise.

This and that sometimes replace the former and the latter (O.E. se arra and se aftera) see § 116, p. 95.

This usually refers to the latter of two things mentioned, that to the former.

"Two principles in human nature reign;
Self-love to urge, and Reason to restrain;

Nor this a good, nor that a bad we call."

POPE, Essay on Man, ii. 2.

138. Such (O.E. swilc, E.E. swilch, M.E. swilk, swich, swuch, sich, such) is a compound of so (O.E. swa), and like (O.E. lic). Such like is pleonastic.

We find compounds of such in some such and none such. 139. Thilk (O. E. thylc)

=

the like. Cp. Lat. ta-lis.

The like is used often as a substitute for the older thilk.

140. Ilk (O. E. ylc) that like, same.

141. Otherlike and other the like are found in the seventeenth century.

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Chaffe, straw and otherlike mullocke."

HOLLAND, Pliny, 601. 142. So (O.E. swâ), is often used as a substitute, for such.

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"I am wiser than so i.e. a baby.-Ford.

143. Same (M.E. same, Gothic sama). In the oldest period same is a conjunction, as swa same sw'a the same as; sam-sam whether-or.

Same is joined to the, this, that, and self (e.g. self-same. See § 132, p. 112).

144. Yon, yond, yonder (O.E. geon, Goth. jains, Ger. jener) = that, ille.

"Near yonder copse."

GOLDSMITH, Deserted Village, 1. 136. "Beside yon straggling fence."—Ib. 1. 193.

Yon is a derivative from the demonstrative root ge (or ja).

In O.E. geon

=

ille; geond illic and trans.

Yonder (adv.) is in Gothic jaindre.

In M.E. we find yon a like such a, each a, &c., from which probably has arisen yond-er.

The Scotch still use yon substantively.

"Yonder's a bad man.'

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BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER, II. p. 400.

"Yon er theves."-C. Mundi, C. 1. 4890.

"30nder ar theves."--Ib. F.

"bondir be theves."-Ib. T.

"Bote take we him ute of son den,
And selle we him to 30ne chapmen."

C. Mundi, G. ll. 4185–6.

"Take we him out of 3onder den
And sel him forth to 3one chapmen."-Ib. F.
"Take we him out of that den

And selle we him to those chapmen.”—sb. T.

III. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS

145. The Interrogatives are who, which, what, whether, with their indefinite compounds whoever, whatever, whichever.

146. Who (masc. and fem.) is only used of persons. Its neuter is what.

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Who-se was originally of all genders.

what, wat,

huet

as masc.

as masc.

what, wat, huet

It can
The

be used absolutely, as,
66 whose is the crime?"
s in whose is a genitive suffix, as in hi-s.

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