§ 303. Why 'leur,' and not 'leure' in feminine. Leurs yeux étaient enflammés et leurs bouches étaient fumantes. (FÉNELON, 17th cent.) It will be seen by the above example that leur agrees in number with the noun, but not in gender. The reason is this : Leur is derived from illorum. In the absence of agreement the influence of the Latin idiom (illorum oculi) still shows itself. Till the 15th century, leur correctly agrees neither in gender nor in number. Toutes leur aventures. (Berte, 13th cent.) In the 15th and 16th centuries some authors write leurs; some leur. Les princes en leurs jeunesses. (COMMINES, 15th cent.) Le peuple donnant de bon cœur la disme de leur fruits et le quint de leur butins. (D'AUBIGNÉ, 16th cent.) § 304. Cet, cette, ces, and celui, celle, ceux, celles. 1. The adverb ça (in Old French iça) in deça, ça et là, is derived from ecce and hac; the adverb ici or ci from ecce and hic. Similarly from ecce and iste are derived icist or cist; from ecce and istius, icettui or cettui; from ecce and ille, icil or cil; from ecce and illius, icelui or celui. 2. Cist or icest and cil or icil were declined with two cases like Substantives. To these cestui or icestui, cettui or icettui, celui or icelui seem to have been complementary objective forms. En cest pays (il) nous est venus confondre. (Ch. de Rol., 11th cent.) Cist out (eut) dous fiz (fils). (BENOIT, 12th cent.) Car tous les autres ne nageaient que sous le vent de cettui. (COMMINES, 15th cent.) Et de cestui fontaine avoit grand soif li profete. (ST. BERNARD, 12th cent.) N (Berte, 13th cent.) Ilec (là) (ils) trouverent Guillaume de Braiecuel et ce qui avec lui etoient. (VILLEH., 13th cent.) 4. In the 14th century the subjective forms disappeared as in the Substantives, etc., and to the remaining objective cases we owe the modern words. 305. Cet, cette, ces, celle, celles, celui, ceux,-their uses in Old, Middle, and Modern French, etc. A. In the 15th century the forms celle, celles, ceux, celui, derived from ecce, ille, which till then had been employed either adjectively or substantively (see above), began to have their modern distinctive substantive use assigned to them, ex.: Comme celle qui ne savoit a qui ni en quel pays trouver confort. (FROISSART, 15th cent.) Ils etoient proches parents comme ceux qui estoient enfants de deux cousins. (AMYOT, 16th cent.) Rare instances of the use of celui as an adjective still occur in the 16th century. (RABELAIS, 16th cent.) Les hommes de celui temps. In the 17th century it is no longer thus employed. purposely imitates the older French in the "Plaideurs." Racine Témoin trois procureurs dont icelui Citron a déchiré la robe. B. On the other hand, the forms cet, ces, derived from ecce iste, which had likewise been employed adjectively or substantively (see above), were greatly confined to their modern adjective use. Their double employment is still seen in the 16th century; then it ceases. Que ceste soit la premiere reigle. (CALVIN.) (DU BELLAY.) § 306. Ce: its adjectival and substantival uses. In Modern French, ce is— 1. SUBSTANTIVAL. C'est beau; c'était le beautemps, ce qui est vrai doit être dit. Qu'est-ce que c'est ? ceci est fini, mais cela reste à faire, etc. 2. ADJECTIVAL. Ce roi, ce bel homme, ce héros. Ce is derived from ecce and hoc (ço, iço, ice, in Old French). 1. In Old French ce was always substantival; it was not declined. It was virtually neuter. When substantival, it may be said to be so still. Que pourra-ce estre. (Ch. de Rol., 11th cent.) Ce dist li rois. (Ronciv., 12th cent.) Bien il croit que ce soit elle. (Berte, 13th cent.) 2. At the end of the 14th or beginning of the 15th century, ce began to combine with the various adjectival forms cet, ces, etc., given above, but it retained its former indefinite substantival character side by side with this adjectival use. Compare from FROISSART (15th cent.) : Les archers anglois avoient laisse en leur logis ce de harnois qu'ils avoient and Ce terme pendant vint Messire d'Artois en Angleterre. Also from COMMINES (16th cent.) : La cour, c'est a entendre le prince and Mais Dieu ne lui voulait consentir ceste grace que de recevoir ce sage conseil. 3. In the 17th century the use of the adjectival ce is fully established, side by side with the substantival: Ces flambeaux, ce bucher, cette nuit enflammée Qui tous de mon amant empruntaient leur éclat, Et ces lauriers encor témoins de sa victoire. (RACINE.) Vous avez fait de grandes choses; mais avouez la vérité, ce n'est guère vous par qui elle ont été faites. (FENELON.) § 307. Ci and là. in ceci, celui-ci, etc. It is not easy, in Old French, to trace the correct force of hoc, iste and ille in Latin, but thus much seems certain :-ce, cist, cettui, etc., indicated the nearer object (this); cil, celui, etc., the more distant one. This distinction disappeared by degrees in the 15th and 16th centuries, and the adverbs ci and là were then gradually introduced in all the forms when necessary to prevent ambiguity. MONTAIGNE writes with ci: Vraiement ceulx-ci ont je ne scay quoy de plus vif. RABELAIS writes without là: Les hommes de celui temps. The following sentence illustrates well the origin of their use : On fait cecy, on fait cela, on va par cy, on va par la. (COQUILLART, 15th cent.) § 308. Declension of qui in Old French. Till the 12th century it is possible to trace distinctions of gender in qui, but such distinctions seem to have been but feebly maintained; the declensions commonly followed ran thus: Both Genders and Numbers. SUBJ.: qui (Lat. qui) OBJ.: cui indirect object of verb and also objective of preposition (Lat. cui). que direct object of verb (Lat. quem, quam, quod). Subjective. Qui mult est las, il se dort contre terre. (Ch. de Rol., 12th cent.) La dame fu au bois qui durement plora. (Berte, 13th cent.) Dites qui vaut mieux loïal folie ou sage traïson. (Coucy, 12th cent.) Objective. Mesmement les povres gens cui (à qui) elle donnait vestimens furent plain de doleur et d'ire. (Roman de la Manekine.) Devers le roi de Hongrie cui (= de qui) sereur il avait a feme. (VILLEHARD., 13th cent.) Perisset le jors en cui je fui neiz. (Mor. s. Job.) Pour le bien que il voient que Diex leur a rendu. (Berte.) § 309. Qui subjective, and qui objective. Hence Cui is the regular objective form till the 13th century. In the 14th, cui is no longer found, qui is always written. in Modern French we find in respect to persons: * 1. In RELATIVE sentences, qui as a subjective and as an objective, except as a direct objective of the verb, where que (quem, quam) is preferred. SUBJ. L'homme qui est là. ОвJ. : L'homme que vous voyez là. L'homme avec qui vous avez voyagé. L'homme à qui vous parlez. 2. In INTERROGATIVE sentences, qui as a subjective and as an objective under all circumstances. SUBJ. Qui est là? l'homme. OBJ.: Qui voyez-vous là? l'homme. Avec qui avez-vous voyagé? avec l'homme. A qui parlez-vous? à l'homme. § 310. Que, whom; and que, what. 1. Que may be derived from quem, quam; both in Old and Modern French it is often their exact equivalent. 2. On the other hand, its more constant employment as (so to speak) a Neuter pronoun what, with an indeterminate rela tion, points to a derivation from quod.† Ce dist Rolans compainz que faites vous. (Chanson de Roland.) Que feit-il? que il feit mes bonnes gens, ecoutez. (RABELAIS.) 3. In this use it is closely allied to que the conjunction; also from quod. In Old French, moreover, occur examples in which the d is found both in the pronoun and in the conjunction. * For animals and inanimate objects there is a strong tendency to use lequel. See lequel and qui compared, § 314. A more indefinite employment would necessitate a return to que or quoi, (see que, quoi), but then 'what' would be the equivalent in English. + Quid and quæ are also found in the Oaths,' ninth century. (See § 27.) |