50. From this table of consonants we have omitted (1) c, because, when used before a consonant or a, o, u, it has the sound of k, and when used before e, i, y, it has the sound of s (in rice); (2) the soft sound of g (in gem), because this is represented by j; (3) q, because this is equivalen to kw; (4) x, because it is equivalent to ks or gs.

51. On the Number of Elementary Sounds in the spoken English Alphabet.

In addition to the twenty-four consonants already enumerated we e fourteen single vowels and five diphthongs, making altogether y-three sounds.

CHAPTER VII.

ORTHOGRAPHY.

52. ORTHOEPY deals with the proper pronunciation of words; Orthography with the proper representation of the words of the spoken language. The one deals with words as they are pronounced, the other with words as they are written.

A perfect alphabet must be based upon phonetic principles, and (1) every simple sound must be represented by a distinct symbol; (2) no sound must be represented by more than one sign.

(a) The spoken alphabet contains forty-three sounds, but the written alphabet has only twenty-six letters or symbols to represent them therefore in the first point necessary to a perfect system of orthography the English alphabet is found wanting.

The alphabet, as we have seen, is redundant, containing three superfluous letters, c, q, x, so that it contains only twenty-three letters wherewith to represent forty-three sounds. So that it is both imperfect and redundant. Again, the five vowels, a, e, i, o, u, have to represent no less than thirteen sounds (see § 51).

The same combinations of letters, too, have distinct sounds, as ough in bough, borough, cough, chough, hough, hiccough, though, trough, through, Sc. sough; ea in beat, bear, &c.

(b) In regard to the second point, that no sound should be represented by more than one sign, we again find that the English alphabet fails. The letter (in note) may be represented by oa (boat), oe (toe), eo (yeoman), ou (soul), ow (sow), ew (sew), au (hautboy), eau (beau), owe (owe), oo (floor), oh (oh !). The alphabet is therefore inconsistent as well as imperfect.

Many letters are silent, as in psalm, calf, could, gnat, know, &c. (c) The English alphabet is supplemented by a number of double letters called digraphs (oa, oo, &c.), which are as inconsistently employed as the simple characters themselves.

(d) Other expedients for remedying the defects of the alphabet

are

(1) The use of a final e to denote a long vowel, as bite, note, &c. But even with regard to this e the orthography is not consistent: it will not allow a word to end in v, although the preceding vowel is short, hence an e is retained in live, give, &c.

(2) The doubling of consonants to indicate a short vowel, as folly, hotter, &c.

It must be recollected that the letters a, e, i, o, u, were originally devised and intended to represent the vowel sounds heard in far, prey, figure, pole, rule, respectively. In other languages that employ them they still have this value.

During the written period of our language the pronunciation of the vowels has undergone great and extensive changes at different periods, while the spelling has not kept pace with these changes, so that there has arisen a great dislocation of our orthographical system, a divorcement of our written from our spoken alphabet. The introduction of foreign elements into the English language during its written period has brought into use different, and often discordant, systems of orthography (cp. ch in church, chivalry, Christian, &c.). In addition to this there are peculiarities of the orthographical usages of the Old-English dialects.

53. The following letter-changes are worth recollecting :

LABIALS-B, P, F, V, W.

B. This letter has crept into many words, as O.E. slumer-ian, = slumber; thum-a thumb; lim = limb.

=

Cp. humble from humilis, number from numerare.

B has changed to

(1) pin gossip, from O.E. godsib; purse from O. Fr. borse (cp. bursar, disburse); apricot, Fr. abricot.2

(2) To v in have from O. E. habban, heave from O.E. hebban.

P. Pis represented by

(1) b in lobster dropian, cobweb = (2) v in knave

= O.E. loppestre; dribble from drip, drop=O.E. O.E. copreb.

=

О.Е. спара.

It is often inserted between m and t, as empty gleam and glimpse, sempster and seamster); tempt Lat. tentare.

1 Whitney.

2 We sometimes find in O.E. apricock = apricot.

F. Anƒfrequently becomes v, as vat, vetches, vixen = fat, fetches, fixen.

Cp. five and fifty, twelve and twelfth.

F has disappeared from many words, as head, lord, hawk, hath, woman = O.E. heâfod (heved), hlâford (loverd), hafoc, hafath (hafth), wifman (wimman).

Cp. O. Fr. jolif, O.E. jolif= jolly.

The O.E. efeta, an eft, has become (1) evet; (2) ewt; (3) newt (the n belongs to the indefinite article).

V in some Romance words represents ph, as vial = phial, O.E. visnomy physiognomy.

=

It has been changed to (1) w in periwinkle Lat. perivinca; (2) to m in malmsey

=

Fr. pervenche,

= O.E. malvesic, from O.Fr.

= O.E. wlisp.

=

W has crept into whole and its derivatives O.E. hal (hol); so whoop, O.E. hoop (Fr. houper).

The w has disappeared in certain combinations (tw, thw, sw), as

(2) th, as (a) O.E. hider, thider, hwider have become hither, thither, whither; (b) Lat. fides, O.Fr. feid = faith.

It has become th in author (Lat. auctor) and lant-horn1 (Lat. laterna; Fr. lanterne).

It has fallen away (before s) in best = O.E. betst, last = O.E. latst; Essex = Eastsexan (Estsex).

At the end of a word it has disappeared in—

It has crept in (a) after an s, as in behest = O.E. behas; also in amongst, against, midst, amidst, whilst, betwixt, and O.E. onest, alongst, anenst, &c.

• A corrupt spelling arising from a mistaken etymology.

F