CHAPTER VII.

ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE WORD SELF.

s. 515. The undoubted constructions of the word _self_, in the present state of the cultivated English, are three-fold.

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. _Him-self_=_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.

s. 516. _Her-self._--The construction here is ambiguous. It is one of the preceding constructions. Which, however it is, {417} 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.

s. 517. In the exhibition of the second construction of the word _self_ it was assumed that the case was a case of apposition, and that _self_ was substantival in character. Nevertheless, this is by no means a necessary phenomenon. _Self_ might, as far as its power is determined by its construction alone, in words like _himself_ as easily be an adjective as a substantive. In which case the construction would be a matter, not of apposition, but of _agreement_. To illustrate this by the Latin language, _himself_, might equal either _eum personam_ (_him, the person_), or _eum personalem_ (_him personal_). The evidence, however, of the forms like _myself_, as well as other facts adduceable from comparative philology, prove the substantival character of _self_. On the other hand, it ought not to be concealed that another word, whereof the preponderance of the adjectival over the substantival power is undoubted, is found in the Old English, with just the same inconsistency as the word _self_; _i.e._, sometimes in government (like a substantive), and sometimes in either concord or apposition, like a word which may be _either_ substantive or adjective. This word is _one_; the following illustrations of which are from Mr. Guest.--_Phil. Trans. No. 22._

In this world wote I no knight, Who durst _his one_ with hym fight.

_Ipomedon_, 1690.

thah ha _hire ane_ were Ayein so kene keisere and al his kine riche.

_St. Catherine_, 90.

Though she _alone_ were Against so fierce a kaiser, and all his kingdom.

Here _his one_, _her one_, mean _his singleness_, _her singleness_.

He made his mone Within a garden all _him one_.

GOWER, _Confess. Amant._

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Here _him one_ = _himself_ in respect to its construction.

s. 518. As to the inflection of the word _-self_, all its compounds are substantives; inasmuch as they all take plural forms as far as certain logical limitations will allow them to do so--_ourselves_, _yourselves_, _themselves_.

_Myself_, _thyself_, _himself_, _itself_, and _herself_, are naturally singular, and under no circumstances can become plural.

_Themselves_ is naturally plural, and under no circumstances can become singular.

_Ourselves_ and _yourselves_ are naturally plural; yet under certain circumstances they become singular.

_a._ Just as men say _we_ for _I_, so may they say _our_ for _my_.

_b._ Just as men say _you_ for _thou_, so may they say _your_ for _thy_.

In respect to the inflection in the way of case, there are no logical limitations whatever. There is nothing against the existence of a genitive form _self's_ except the habit of the English language not to use one, founded on the little necessity for so doing.--_Are you sure this is your own?_ _Yes, I am sure it is my own self's._ Such an expression is both logic and grammar.

When an adjective intervenes between _self_ and its personal pronoun the construction is always in the way of government; in other words, the personal pronoun is always put in the genitive case.

His own self, _not_ him own self. Their own selves, _not_ them own selves.

s. 519. The construction of _self_ and a personal pronoun with a verb may be noticed in this place. It is only in the case of the two pronouns of the singular number that any doubt can arise.

1. When _myself_ or _thyself_ stands alone, the verb that follows is in the third person--_myself is_ (not _am_) _weak_, _thyself is_ (not _art_) _weak_. Here the construction is just the same as in the proposition _my body is weak_.

2. When _myself_ or _thyself_ is preceded by _I_ or _thou_, the verb that follows is in the first person--_I, myself, am_ (not _is_) _weak_; _thou, thyself, art_ (not _is_) _weak_.

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