25 Aug. 1814

Logic

Language

Ch. 1. Operations performable

2

Teaching, learning, practising - by /on the occasion of the use made of/ the names by which these several operations {considered as having language for their common subject} are designated, the state in which language is tacitly and impliedly considered as being taken in hand, and made the subject of the operation, is the exact state in which it happens to be at the time: by improvement, in so far as it is considered as having /taking/ place, the language is considered as being brought out of that state into a better.

A language, like any other work or subject, a language is good in proportion as the several qualities, which, on any account, are desirable in it, are found to be in it.

In the instance of language, what those qualities are, it will be the business of the next chapter /section/ to endeavour to show.

As to improvement, it has two distinguishable subjects: 1. The work itself, language; 2. The several other operations, viz. teaching, learning, and employing performable in relation to that work.

Of these operations, teaching and learning are correlative; and, for the reception of any improvement, of which the mode of performing them is susceptible, they must wait hand in hand. But, in both these instances, improvement considered as applied to the instrument itself, and improvement considered as applied to the mode of teaching and learning, are perfectly distinguishable.

In regard to employing, on the occasion of improvements, relative to the employing the work, improvements considered as made in the work itself, and improvements considered as made in relation to the mode of employing it in the character of an instrument of discourse, will be apt to coincide, and become difficultly, if at all distinguishable.

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