332

The Loom of Language

Latin was embarrassingly rich in demonstratives There were w ea- td,
for referring to something previously mentioned; hie- haec- hoc, for
this near me, iste- ista- istud, for that near you, or that of yours, and tile-
ilia- illud, for that yonder The first survives in our abbreviation, i e. for
id est (that is)
Though the literati may have striven to make a real distinction

ROMANCE PRONOUNS OF THE THIRD PERSON

(UNSTRESSED FORMS)

FRENCH
PORTUGUESE
SPANISH
ITALIAN

HE
ll
ele
el
egli3 esso

HIM
le
0
le (or lo)
lo

(to) HIM
lui
Ihe
le
gli

SHE
elle
ela
ella
ella, essa

HER
la
a
la

(to) HER *
lui
Ihe
le

f(masc)
ils
eles
ellos,
essij loro

THEY \(fem)
f (masc ) THEM J; ' \(fem )
elles les
elas os (or les) as (or las)
ellas los las
esse, loro h le

(to) THEM
leur
Ihes
les
loro

Reflexive (himself, herself, itself., themselves)
SE
SI

between the four demonstratives^ it is more than doubtful whether the
fine shades of meaning which grammarians assign to them played any
part in living speech. At least this is certain When Latin spread beyond
Italy and was imposed upon conquered peoples^ a distinction ceased to
exist. Two of them (is and hie) completely disappeared. Through use
and abuse the meaning of the other pair (ilk and tste) had changed
considerably Pe'ople used them with less discrimination in the closing
years of the Empire They had lost their full power as pointer-words
Except in Ibenan Latin iste disappeared The same period also gave
birth to the indefinite article (a or an in English) of which the primary
function is to introduce something not yet mentioned. For this pur-