Chap. VI. IRREGULAR CONSTRUCTION, Section IV. GALLICISMS. This is the reason why Racine, Corneille, Voltaire, Bossuet, Buffon, Fénelon, &c., seldom employ them; they are, however, of frequent occurrence in comedy, and in such poems and other productions as are of a pleasant, satirical, or simple nature, where they are not only permitted, but sought after. Madame de Sevigné in her letters, La Fontaine in his fables, Gresset in his light poems, and Voltaire in his playful productions, have employed them in the happiest manner.

The Gallicism is so characteristic of the French tongue, that the habitual employment of those Gallicisms remarkable for their elevation or meanness, almost always denotes the character of him by whom they are used. For instance, the man of genius and virtuous dispositions employs such as impart majesty, grace, and dignity to the style. The designing man employs those that have a double meaning, a playful turn, or some other property tending to familiarity. The man of limited education and vulgar habits, never fails to use such as, by their burlesque construction and unpolished meaning, are banished from respectable society.

A Gallicism may be expressed in four different ways in French. 1st, In the sense of a simple word. 2d, In the association of several words. 3d, In the employment of a figure. 4th, In the construction of a phrase.

1st, If the word galant, (civil,) for instance, were applied in French in the same sense as in English, when speaking of a military man, as the gallant officer, the gallant general, which, in this case, means brave, this would be a Gallicism.

2d, Whenever an adjective is associated with a substantive, the difference of its position, whether before or after, produces a Gallicism. Un homme bon, une femme sage, des gens honnêtes, &c., being according to the regular construction, are easily understood; but un bon homme, une sage femme, des honnêtes gens, are

Chap. VI. IRREGULAR CONSTRUCTION, Section IV. GALLICISMS.

quite different in their meaning, for the latter construction, instead of signifying good man, wise woman, honest people, means, a silly man, a midwife, and rich people.

3d, Those belonging to the idiom are of the following kind. Comment vous portez-vous? for, comment êtes-vous?—J'ai beau parler il ne m'écoute pas; for, je parle en vain il ne m'écoute pas. Je vais lui parler ; for, je lui parlerai.-Je viens de diner; for, j'ai dîné. -Je dois dancer ce soir; for, je dancerai ce soir.—ll ne tient qu'à moi; for, il est en mon pouvoir.—Il faut vous mettre en quatre; for, il faut faire tous vos efforts, and an immense number of other words and phrases of the same nature, which are independent of the rules of grammar.

4th, Gallicisms belonging to the construction, are those which are subject to rules; as, Chacun a son humeur; for, chacun a sa humeur.-Je me lave les mains; for, je lave mes mains. J'ai chaud aux pieds ; for, mes pieds sont chauds.—La voiture lui passa sur le corps; for, la voiture passa sur son corps.-Je m'en vas; for, je sors.—C'en est fait; for, c'est fini.—Il y a vingt ans ; for, c'est vingt ans.-Qu'est-ce que c'est ? for, quoi est-ce?—On dit; for, tout le monde dit.-Je crains qu'elle ne meure; for, je crains qu'elle meure, &c. The above examples appear quite irregular in their construction, it must be admitted; but all phrases attached to the idiomatical construction of a language, are liable to the same irregularity. Hence the reason why this construction is called irregular or indirect in grammar.

EXERCISE ON GALLICISMS.

The learner will expunge all the Gallicisms in the following phrases, and replace them by other words, having the same meaning, according to the regular construction.

Chap. VI. IRREGULAR CONSTRUCTION, Section IV. GALLICISMS.

Example.

With Gallicisms.-" Je fus hier chez le ministre, il m'a dit qu'il avait un secretaire dont il faisait beaucoup de cas." Without Gallicisms." Je fus hier à l'hôtel du ministre, il m'a dit qu'il avait un secretaire qu'il estimait beaucoup.”

Exercise in Prose.

"Il me faut un cheval de service, et je n'en saurais avoir un, tant soit peu raisonnable, à moins de soixante pistoles.”MOLIERE, Les Fourberies de Scapin.

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Quand je suis à St. Maur, je puis écrire parce que j'ai plus de tête et de loisir: mais je n'ai pas celui d'y être." MADAME LA FAYETTE, à Madame Sévigné.

"Vous dites tant que vous n'êtes pas le fait de votre jeune maîtresse, que si elle trouvait un autre mari je crois qu'elle le prendrait."-MADAME DE SEVIGNE, à Madame de Coulange.

"Je ferai tout ce que je pourrai pour écrire une lettre aussi bonne que la vôtre, et vous verrez qu'il s'en faut beaucoup que j'aie autant d'esprit que vous."-SCARRON, à Mademoiselle d'Aubigné.

Exercise in Poetry.

"Il n'est pas bien honnête, et pour beaucoup de causes, Qu'une femme étudie et sache tant de choses."

MOLIERE, les femmes savantes.

"Un sergent s'est chargé de la remercier,

Et je lui vais servir un plat de mon métier."
RACINE, Les Plaideurs.

"Le porc à s'engraisser coûtera peu de son,
Il était, quand je l'eus, de grosseur raisonnable."
LA FONTAINE, La laitière et le pot au lait.

"Je viens, dit-il, pour rire et pour m'ébattre

Me rigolant, menant joyeux déduit,

Et jusqu'au jour faisant le diable à quatre."

VOLTAIRE, Temple du goût.

Exhibiting a Synoptical View of the Matter in Chapter VII. on VICIOUS CONSTRUCTION.

CHAPTER VII.

VICIOUS CONSTRUCTION.

THERE is a material difference between an Irregular and a Vicious Construction. In the former, the style, although containing a Pleonasm, an Ellipsis, or Gallicism, may still possess many essential qualities, as elegance, purity, perspicuity, and propriety, all tending to the perfection of the composition; but in the latter, these qualities disappear, as soon as a barbarism, solecism, tautologism, amphibologism, or a discordance, finds its way into the construction. The learner, therefore, must be upon his guard against these in composition, and must bear in mind, that however flowing the style may appear, it cannot stand the test of criticism when it wants perspicuity. Boileau, in l'Art Poétique, expresses very happily his opinion of Vicious Construction, when he says,

"Mon esprit n'admet point un pompeux barbarisme,
Ni d'un vers empoulé l'orgueilleux solécisme.
Sans la langue, en un mot, l'auteur le plus divin
Est toujours quoiqu'il fasse un méchant écrivain."

With the view of explaining the dangerous nature of Vicious Construction, the present chapter is divided into six Sections: Barbarism, Solecism, Perissology, Amphibology, Equivocation, and Discordance.

SECT. I.-BARBARISM.

Barbarism* is one of the principal vices of elocution. The word Barbarism is applied to all expres

Barbarism is derived from the Greek Bagbagos, (barbaros, ) speaking in a strange manner.