in some words has only the sound of o long, as in soul, borul, sow, grow. These different sounds are used to distinguish different significations; as botu, an instrument for shooting; boru, a depression of the head: soze, the she of a boar; sow, to scatter seed: bowl, an orbicular body; bozul, a wooden vessel. Ou is sometimes pronounced like o soft, as court; sometimes like o short, as cough, sometimes like a close, as could; or u open, as rough, tough; which use only can teach. Ou is frequently used in the last syllable of words which in Latin end in or, and are made English; as honour, labour, favour, from honor, labor, favor. Some late innovators have ejected the without considering that the last syllable gives the sound neither of or nor ur, but a sound between them, if not compounded of both; besides that they are probably derived to us from the French nouns in eur, as honneur, faveur, U. It is mute in debt, debtor, subtle, doubt, lamb, limb, dumb, thumb, climb, comb, womb. It is used before / and r, as black, brown. C. Chas before e and i the sound of s; as sincerely, centrick, century, circular, cistern, city, siccity before a, o, and u, it sounds like &, as calm, concavity, copper, incorporate, curiosity, concupiscence. C might be omitted in the language without loss, since one of its sounds might be supplied bys, and the other by ; but that it preserves to the eye the etymology of words, as face from facies, captive from captivus. Ch has a sound which is analyzed into tsb, as church, chin, crutch. It is the same sound which the Italians give to the c simple before i and e, as citta, cerro. Chis sounded like in words derived from the Greek, as chymist, scheme, choler. Arch U is long in use, confusion; or short, as is, is commonly sounded ark before a vowel, as concussion. It coalesces with a, e, i, o; but has rather in these combinations the force of the zu, as quaff, quest, quis, quite, languish; sometimes in withe i loses its sound, as in juice. It is sometimes mute before a, e, i, y, as guard, guest, guise, buy. U is followed by e in pirtue, but the e has no sound. Ue is sometimes mute at the end of a word, in imitation of the French, as prorogue, synagogue, plague, vague, harangue. Y. Yis a vowel, which, as Quintilian observes of one of the Roman letters, we might want without inconvenience, but that we have it. It supplies the place of i at the end of words, as by; before an i, as dying; and is commonly retained in derivative words where it was part of a diphthong in the primitive; as destroy, destroyer; betray, betrayed, betrayer; pray, prayer; say, sayer; day, days. r being the Saxon vowel y, which was commonly used where is now put, occurs very frequently in all old books. GENERAL RULES. A vowel in the beginning or middle syllable, before two consonants, is commonly short, as opportunity. In monosyllables a single vowel before a single consonant is short, as stag, frog. Many is pronounced as ifit were written manny. OF CONSONANTS. B. B has one unvaried sound, such as it ob. ains in other languages. archangel; and with the English sound of ch before a consonant, as archbishop. Ch, in some French words not yet assimilated, sounds like sh, as machine, chaise. C, having no determinate sound, according therefore we write stick, block, which were orito English orthography, never ends a word; ginally sticke, blocke. In such words C is now mute. G has two sounds; one hard, as in gay, go, gun, the other soft, as in gem, giant. At the end of a word it is always hard, as ring, snug, song, frog. Before e and the sound is uncertain. G before e is soft, as gem, generation, except in gear, geld, geese, get, gewgaw, and deriv atives from words ending in g, as singing, stronger, and generally before er at the end of words, as finger. Gis mute before n, as gnash, sign, foreign. G before is hard, as give, except in giant, gigantick, gibbet, gibe, giblets, Giles, gill, gilliflower, gin, ginger, gingle, to which may be added Egypt and gypsy. Gb, in the beginning of a word, has the sound of the hard g, as gbosily; in the middle, and sometimes at the end, it is quite silent, as though, right, sought, spoken tho', rite, soute. It has often at the end the sound of f, as laugh, whence laughter retains the same sound in the middle, cough, trough, sough, rough, enough, slough. It is not to be doubted, but that in the original pronunciation gh had the force of a consonant deeply guttural, which is still continued among the Scotch. G is used before k, l, and r. Khas the sound of hard c, and is used before e and i, where, according to English analogy, c would be soft, as kept, king, skirt, skeptick, for so it should be written, not seep tick, because sc is sounded like s, as in scene. It is used before, as knell, knot, but totally loses its sound in modern pronunciation. K is never doubled; but c is used before it to shorten the vowel by a double consonant, as cuckle, pickle. L has in English the same liquid sound as in other languages. The custom is to double the at the end of monosyllables, as kill, will, full. These words were originally written kille, wille, fulle; and when the first grew silent and was afterward omitted, the // was retained, to give force, according to the analogy of our language, to the foregoing vowel. Lis sometimes mute, as in calf, balf, balves, calves, could, would, should, psalm, talk, salmon, falcon. The Saxons, who delighted in guttural sounds, sometimes aspirated the at the beginning of R has the same rough snarling sound as in other tongues, before at the beginning of words. The Saxons used often to put & before it, as Rh is used in words derived from the Greek, as myrrh, myrrhine, catarrheus, rheum, rheumatick, 1 hyme. Re, at the end of some words derived from the Latin or French, is pronounced like a weak er, as theatre, sepulchre. S. S has a hissing sound, as sibilation, sister. A single seldom ends any word, except in the third person of verbs, as loves; grows; and the plurals of nouns, as trees, bushes, distresses the pronouns this, his, ours, yours, ; the adverb thus; and words derived from Latin, as rebus, surplus; the close being always either in re, as house, horse, or in si, as grass, dress, bliss, less, anciently grasse, dresse. S single, at the end of words, has a grosser sound, like that of z, as trees, eyes; except this, ibus, us, rebus, surplus. It sounds like z before ion, if a vowel goes before it, as intrusion; and likes, if it follows a consonant, as conversion. It sounds like before e mute, as refuse, and before y final, as rosy; and in those words bosom, desire, wisdom, prison, prisoner, prisent, present, damsel, casement. It is the peculiar quality of 1, that it may be tounded before all consonants, except x and x, in which is comprised, x being only is, and ≈ a hard or gross. This is therefore termed by grammarians ma potestatis litera; the reason of which the learned Dr. Clarke erroneously supposed to be, that in some words it might be doubled at pleasure. Thus we find in several languages: So, scatter, sdegn, strucciolo, sfavellare, ely, sgombrare, sgranare, shake, slumber, smell, impe, spare, splendour, spring, squeeze. shrew, stefi, strength, stramen, strife, sventura, sivell. Sis mute in isle, island, demesne, viscount. Ti before a vowel has the sound of si, as salvation, except ans goes before, as question; excepting likewise derivatives from words ending in ty, as mighty, mightier. To has two sounds; the one soft, as thus, whether; the other hard, as thing, think: The sound is soft in these words, then, thence, and there, with their derivatives and compounds; and in that, these, thor, thee, thy, thine, their, they, this, those, them, though, thus, and in all words between two vowels, as father, tubether; and between r and a vowel, as burtben., In other words it is hard, as thick, thunder, fanb, faithful. Where it is softened at the end of a word, an e silent must be added, as breath, breathe; cloth, clothe. Of w, which in diphthongs is often an undoubted vowel, some grammarians have doubt ed whether it ever be a consonant; and not rather, as it is called, a double x, or ou, as water may be resolved into oualer: but letters of the same sound are always reckoned consonants in other alphabets and it may be observed, that cu follows a vowel without any hiatus or difficulty of utterance, as frosty winter. Wb has a sound accounted peculiar to the English, which the Saxons better expressed by hp, bw, as what, whence, whiting; in wtore only, and sometimes in wholesome, ob is sounded like a simple b. Y. Y, when it follows a consonant, is a vowel when it precedes either a vowel or a diphthong, is a consonant, ye, young. It is thought by some to be in all cases a vowels but it may be observed of y as of w, that it, follows a vowel without any hiatus, as rosy youth. The chief argument by which wu and y ap pear to be always vowels is, that the sounds which they are supposed to have as consonants, cannot be uttered after a vowel, like that of alf other consonants; thus we say, ru, u; do, odd; but in wed, dew, the two sounds of to have no resemblance to each other. Z. Z begins no word originally English; it has the sound, as its name izzard or s bard pression of the palate by the tongue, as freeze, expresses, of an s uttered with a closer comfroze. In orthography I have supposed orthocpy, or just utterance of quers, to be included; orthography, being only the art of expressing certain sounds by proper characters. I have therefore, observed in what words any of the letters are mute. Most of the writers of English grammar have given long tables of words pronounced other wise than they are written; and seem, not suf ficiently to have considered, that of English, as, of all living tongues, there is a double pronunciation, one cursory and colloquial, the other regular and solemn. The cursory pronunciation is always vague and uncertain, being mades different in different mouths by negligence, una skilfulness, or affectation. The solemn pronunciation, though by no means immutable and permanent, is yet always less remote from the ori tion. They have however generally formed thography, and less liable to capricious innova their tables according to the cursory speech of those with whom they happened to converse; and concluding that the whole nation combines to vitiate language in one manner, have often established the jargon of the lowest of the peo ple as the model of speech. For pronunciation the best general rule is, to consider those as the most elegant speakers who deviate least from the written words. There have been many schemes offered for the emendation and settlement of our ortho graphy, which, like that of other nations, being! formed by chance, or according to the fancy of the earliest writers in rude ages, was at first very various and uncertain, and is yet suffi ciently irregular. Of these reformers "some have endeavoured to accommodate orthogra phy better to the pronunciation, without considering that this is to measure by a shadow, to take that for a model or standard which is changing while they apply it. Others, less absurdly indeed, but with equal unlikelihood of success, have endeavoured to proportion the number of letters to that of sounds, that every sound may have its own character, and every begins no English word; it has the character a single sound. Such would be the sound of ks, as axle, extraneous. X. orthography of a new language to be formed At length Erasmus, that great injur'd name, At lengo Erasmus, dat grët ïngurd nâm, After him another mode of writing was offered by Dr. Gill, the celebrated master of St. Paul's school in London; which I cannot represent exactly for want of types, but will approach as nearly as I can by means of characters now in use, so as to make it understood, exhibiting two stanzas of Spenser in the reformed orthography. Spenser, book iii. canto 5. Unthankful wretch, said he, is this the meed, With which her sovereign mercy thou dost quite? Thy life she saved by her gracious deed; Deem of her high desert, or seem so light. But if to love disloyalty it be, Shall I then hate her, that from deathes door Me brought? ah! far be such reproach from me. What can I less do, than her love therefore, Sith I her due reward cannot restore? Die, rather die, and dying do her serve, Dying her serve, and living her adore. Thy life she gave, thy life she doth deserve; Die, rather die, than ever from her service swerve. Vnhankful wrɔ, sid hj, iz ðís de mjd, But if tu luy disloialtj it bj, Sih I her du reward kanot restur? Dr. Gill was followed by Charles Butler, a man who did not want an understanding which might have qualified him for better employment. He seems to have been more sanguine than his predecessors, for he printed his book according to his own scheme; which the fol lowing specimen will make easily understood. ble their patience, or to come among them beBut whensoever you have occasion to trouing troubled, it is better to stand upon your guard than to trust to their gentleness. For the safeguard of your face, which they have most mind unto, provide a pursehood, made of coarse boultering, to be drawn and knit about your collar, which for more safety is to be lined against the eminent parts with woollen cloth. First cut a piece about an inch and a half broad, and half a yard long, to reach round by the temples and forehead, from one ear to the other; which being sowed in his place, join unto it two short pieces of the same breadth under the eyes, for the balls of the cheeks, and then set another piece about the breadth of a shilling against the top of the nose. At other times, when they are not angered, a little piece half a quarter broad, to cover the eyes and parts about them, may, serve, though it be in the heat of the day. Bet pensoever you hav' occasion to trubble Beir patienc', or to com among dem being trubled, it is better to stand upon your gard dan to trust to deir gentlenes. For de saf' gard of your fac', piɔ dey hav' most mind' unto, provid' a pursehed, mad' of cerse boultering, to bee drawn and knit about your collar, pio for mor' saf'ty is to bee lined against ' eminent 'parts wir wollen clor. First cut a peec' about an ino and a half broad, and half a yard long, to reaɔ round by de temples and for head, from one ear to de ofer; pio being sowed in his plac', join unto it two rort preces of the sam breadz under de eys, for the bals of de cheeks, and then set anoder pac' about de breade of a rilling against the top of de nose. At oder tim's, pen bey ar' not angered, a little piec' half a quarter broad, to cover be eys and parts about them, may serve, dowg it be in the heat of e day. Butler on the Nature and Properties of Bees, 1634. In the time of Charles I. there was a very prevalent inclination to change the orthogra phy; as appears, among other books, in such editions of the works of Milton as were pub lished by himself. Of these reformers, every man had his own scheme; but they agreed in one general design of accommodating the letters to the pronunciation, by ejecting such as they thought superfluous. Some of them would have written these lines thus: All the erth Shall then be paradis, far happier place Bishop Wilkins afterwards, in his great work of the philosophical language, proposed, without expecting to be followed, a regular orthography; by which the Lord's prayer is to be written thus: Yer Fádher haitsh art in héven, helloed bi dhyi nám, dhyi cingdym cym, dhy vill bi dyn in erth as it is in héven, &c. We have since had no general reformers; but some ingenious men have endeavoured to deserve well of their country, by writing honor and labor for honour and labour, red for read in the preter-tense, sais for sy, repete for repeat, explane for explain, or declame for declaim. Of these it may be said, that as they have done no good, they have done little harm; both because they have innovated little, and because few have followed them. The English language has properly no dialeets; the style of writers has no professed diversity in the use of words, or of their flexions and terminations, nor differs but by different degrees of skill or care. The oral diction is uniform in no spacious country, but has less variation in England than in most other nations of equal extent. The language of the northern counties retains many words now out of use, but which are commonly of the genuine Teutonick race; and is uttered with a pronunciation which now seems harsh and rough, but was probably used by our ancestors. The northern speech is therefore not barbarous, but obsolete. The speech in the western provinces seems to differ from the general diction rather by a depraved pronunciation, than by any real difference which letters would express. A has an indefinite signification, and means one, with some reference to more; as, This is a good book, that is, one among the books that are good. He was killed by a sword, that is, some sword. This is a better book for a man iban a boy, that is, for one of those that are men than one of those that are Loys. An army might enter without resistance, that is, any army. In the senses in which we use a or an in the singular, we speak in the plural without an article: as, these are good books. I have made an the original article, because it is only the Saxon an, or æn, one, applied to a new use, as the German ein, and the French un; The fruit Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste Brought death into the world. Milion. That is, that particular fruit, and this world in which we live. So, He giveth fodder for the cattle, and green berbs for the use of man; that is, for those beings that are cattle, and bis use that is man. The is used in both numbers. I am as free as nature first made man, Many words are used without articles; as, 1. Proper names, as Jobn, Alexander, LonLondon. GOD is used as a proper name. ginus, Aristarchus, Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, 2. Abstract names, as blackness, witchcraft, ger, good-nature, kindness. virtue, vice, beauty, ugliness, love, batred, an 3. Words in which nothing but the mere being of any thing is implied: as, This is not beer, but water; this is not brass, but steel. |