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# Title: An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding (shelfmarks Leibn. Marg. 38; ZEN Leibn. Marg. 38)
# Folio 189, page id 778263916:0205
# Original at the GWLB: https://digitale-sammlungen.gwlb.de/resolve?id=778263916&page=205
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# Model: FoNDUE-GD_v2_ft_Leibniz, run 74, 2026-09-06T16:05:13Z — 48 lines, status machine
# Lines: 48 recognised, mean confidence 0.89
# Machine transcription. Not an edition. Errors are expected: about 8% character error rate on Latin and French lines, higher on German.
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# After the first blank line: the recognised lines in reading order, one per line.

Generat Termo
versectIr, it often happens, that Men, eren when they vould appl
Themlelres to an attentire Consideration, do set their Thouxhes more
on Nords than Thines. Naz, because Words are many of thiem learnd,
betore the Ldeas are knomn For Which they Ctand: Theretore IOme, noc
onty Children. bur Men, speak several Words, no ochervile than
Parrots do, only because ther have learnd them, and have been ac-
cultomed to thole Sounds. But (0 far as Nords are oF VsC and
Significarion, 10 far is there a constane connexion between thie Sound
and the Ldea; and a Designation, thar the one Cand for the orher: with.
out erhich application of them, thes are nothine, but so much in-
Signiticant Noise.
6. 8. Woras by lors and familiar use, as has been Caid, come eo
excire in Nen certain Ldeas LO constantty and readily, THaL they
are apE tO suppole a natural connexion between cheM. BUL thaE
they sienifie only Mens peculiar Ideas, aud that by a perfectlr arbitrary
Imposition, is evident, in that they otten fail ro excite in others (even
thât ule the same Languase) the lame Ideas ve tale them to be the
Sionsot: And erery Man has lo inviolable a Liberty, to malre Words
Stand For Wrhat Ldeas he pleales, that no one hach the Pouer eo mate
others have the same Ideas in their Minds, that hehas, Wrhen thes use
the same Norcis, that he docs. And theretore the oreat Aueustus him-
TCl(, in the Possession oF that Pover, irtich ruled the Worid, actenON-
ledeed he could not malce a nem Latin Word: Wtrich iras as muck
a5 to lay, char he coula noc arbirrarily appoine, whac Idea any
Sound Mould bea Sien oP, in the Mouths and common Language oF nis
Subjects. Tistrue, common ule, by a cacie Consent, appropriates cer-
tain Sounds ro certain Ideas in all Languages; Which lo Par limits che
sonification os that Sound, that unless a Man applies ie tothe same Idea,
he cannor speake proverir. And ir is alsotrue, that unless a Nan S Nords
excite the lame Ideas in the FPearer, Which he males them stand for in
speattins, he cannor speake intellisibly. But Wrhateverbe theconsequences
othisule of any Words, different cither from ehe Dublick, or thât Per-
Con to whom he addresses them: This is certain, their significarion in
his use otchem, is limited to his Ldeas, and cher can be Sisns of no-
etl C.
6) Generao Lermo.
B. T. A LL Thines chat exist, Beins Parriculars, il may, pertaps, be
a thoushit realonable, cal nroico, inen ouxur ce de centermed
eo Things, Bould be(0 t00, lmeals sit citent enacon. vut fel me
Lauguases, are generat Terms: Wrtuch hias not been che uttest ol Neslect,
Or Charice, but of Reason, and Necestuy.
distinet reculiar Name. For ene limedcoaa ueol notas, depenamE
on that connection, Wrhichthe Mind malies berween its Ideas, and ttie
Sounds ic uses, as Siens ol them, it is necestury in che Aeplication ol
NVAMES
tindhe quilecenars. Li ac stenest part os troras, lac Make ail
6. L. L Et is impossible that every particular Thine Mould have a