Chapter 133

ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WORD SELF.

§ 446. The undoubted constructions of the word _self_, in the present state of the cultivated English, are threefold.

1. _Government._--In _my-self_, _thy-self_, _our-selves_, and _your-selves_, the construction is that of a common substantive with an adjective or genitive case. _My-self_ = _my individuality_, and is similarly construed--_mea individualitas_ (or _persona_), or _mei individualitas_ (or _persona_).

2. _Apposition._--In _him-self_ and _them-selves_, when accusative, the construction is that of a substantive in apposition with a pronoun. _Himself_ = _him_, _the individual_.

3. _Composition._--It is only, however, when _himself_ and _themselves_, are in the _accusative_ case, that the construction is appositional. When they are used as _nominatives_, it must be explained on another principle. In phrases like

_He himself_ was present _They themselves_ were present,

there is neither apposition nor government; _him_ and _them_, being neither related to _my_ and _thy_, so as to be governed, nor yet to _he_ and _they_, so as to form an apposition. In order to come under one of these conditions, the phrases should be either _he his self_ (_they their selves_), or else _he he self_ (_they they selves_). In this difficulty, the only logical view that can be taken of the matter, is to consider the words _himself_ and _themselves_, not as two words, but as a single word compounded; and even then, the compound will be of an irregular kind; inasmuch as the inflectional element -m is dealt with as part and parcel of the root.

§ 447. _Her-self_.--The construction here is ambiguous. It is one of the preceding constructions. Which, however it is, is uncertain; since _her_ may be either a so-called genitive, like _my_, or an accusative like _him_.

_Itself_--is also ambiguous. The s may represent the -s in _its_, as well as the s- in _self_.

This inconsistency is as old as the Anglo-Saxon stage of the English language.

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