A Handbook of the English Language, Robert Gordon Latham [some good books to read txt] 📗

"Clay, not dead but soulless,

Though no mortal man would choose thee,

An immortal no less

Deigns not to refuse thee."

In the following words, all of which are compounds, we have true specimens of the doubled consonant.

n  is doubled in  unnatural, innate, oneness. l — soulless, civil-list, palely. k — book-case. t — seaport-town.

It must not, however, be concealed, that, in the mouths even of correct speakers, one of the doubled sounds is often dropped.

§ 132. True aspirates rare.—The criticism applied to words like pitted, &c., applies also to words like Philip, thin, thine, &c. There is therein no sound of h. How the so-called aspirates differ from their corresponding lenes has not yet been determined. That it is not by the addition of h is evident. Ph and th are conventional modes of spelling simple single sounds, which might better be expressed by simple single signs.

In our own language the true aspirates, like the true reduplications, are found only in compound words; and there they are often slurred in the pronunciation.

We find p and h  in the words  haphazard, upholder. — b and h — abhorrent, cub-hunting. — f and h — knife-handle, off hand. — v and h — stave-head. — d and h — adhesive, childhood. — t and h — nuthook. — th and h — withhold. — k and h — inkhorn, bakehouse. — g and h — gig-horse. — s and h — race-horse, falsehood. — z and h — exhibit, exhort. — r and h — perhaps. — l and h — wellhead, foolhardy. — m and h — Amherst. — n and h — unhinge, inherent, unhappy.

CHAPTER IV.

EUPHONY AND THE PERMUTATION OF LETTERS.

§ 133. 1. Let there be two syllables of which the one ends in m, and the other begins with r, as we have in the syllables num- and -rus of the Latin word numerus.

2. Let an ejection of the intervening letters bring these two syllables into immediate contact, numrus. The m and r form an unstable combination. To remedy this there is a tendency to insert an intervening sound.

In English, the form which the Latin word numerus takes is number; in Spanish, nombre. The b makes no part of the original word, but has been inserted for the sake of euphony; or, to speak more properly, by a euphonic process. The word euphony is derived from εὖ (well), and φώνη (fônæ, a voice).

§ 134. In the words give and gave we have a change of tense expressed by a change of vowel. In the words price and prize a change of meaning is expressed by a change of consonant. In clothe and clad there is a change both of a vowel and of a consonant. In the words to use and a use there is a similar change, although it is not expressed by the spelling. To the ear the verb to use ends in z, although not to the eye. All these are instances of the permutation of letters.

Permutation of Vowels.

a to ĕ, as man, men. a to oo, as stand, stood. a to u, as dare, durst. a to ē, as was, were. ea to o, as speak, spoken. ea = ĕ to ea = ē, as breath, breathe. ee to ĕ, as deep, depth. ea to o, as bear, bore. i to a, as spin, span. i to u, as spin, spun. ī = ei to o, as smite, smote. i = ei to ĭ, as smite, smitten. i to a, as give, gave. i = ei. to a, as rise, raise. ĭ to e, as sit, set. ow to ew, as blow, blew. o to e, as strong, strength. oo to ee, as tooth, teeth. o to i, as top, tip. o to e, as old, elder; tell, told. ŏ to e, as brother, brethren. ō = oo to i, as do, did. o = oo to o = ŭ, as do, done. oo to o, as choose, chose.

Permutation of Consonants.

f to v, life, live; calf, calves. þ to ð, breath, to breathe. þ to d, seethe, sod; clothe, clad. d to t, build, built. s to z, use, to use. s to r, was, were; lose, forlorn.

In have and had we have the ejection of a sound; in work and wrought, the transposition of one.

Permutation of Combinations.

ie = i to ow, as grind, ground. ow to i = ei, as mouse, mice; cow, kine. ink to augh, as drink, draught. ing to ough, as bring, brought. y (formerly g), ough, as buy, bought. igh = ei to ough, as fight, fought. eek to ough, as seek, sought.

It must be noticed that the list above is far from being an exhaustive one. The expression too of the changes undergone has been rendered difficult on account of the imperfection of our orthography. The whole section has been written in illustration of the meaning of the word permutation, rather than for any specific object in grammar.

CHAPTER V.

ON THE FORMATION OF SYLLABLES.

§ 135. In respect to the formation of syllables, I am aware of no more than one point that requires any especial consideration.

In certain words, of more than one syllable, it is difficult to say to which syllable an intervening consonant belongs. For instance, does the v in river, and the e in fever, belong to the first or the second syllable? Are the words to be divided thus, ri-ver, fe-ver? or thus, riv-er, feve-r?

The solution of the question lies by no means on the surface.

In the first place, the case is capable of being viewed in two points of view—an etymological and a phonetic one.

That the c and r in become, berhymed, &c., belong to the second syllable, we determine at once by taking the words to pieces; whereby we get the words come and rhymed in an isolated independent form. But this fact, although it settles the point in etymology, leaves it as it was in phonetics; since it in nowise follows, that, because the c in the simple word come is exclusively attached to the letter that succeeds, it is, in the compound word become, exclusively attached to it also.

To the following point of structure in the consonantal sounds the reader's attention is particularly directed.

1. Let the vowel a (as in fate) be sounded.—2. Let it be followed by the consonant p, so as to form the syllable āp. To form the sound of p, it will be found that the lips close on the sound of a, and arrest it.