ABSTRACT
All Things, that exist, being Particulars, it may perhaps be thought reasonable, that Words, which ought to be conformed to Things, should be so too. But yet we find the quite contrary. The far greatest part of Words, that make all Languages, are general Terms. A moderate skill in different Languages, will easily satisfy one of the truth of this, it being so obvious to observe great store of Words in one Language, which have not any that answer them in another. Which plainly chews, that those of one Country, by their customs and manner of Life, have found occasion to make several complex Ideas, and give names to them, which others never collected into specific Ideas. The common Names of Substances, as well as other general Terms, stand for Sorts: which is nothing else but the being made signs of such complex Ideas.
