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tact. This reduced a change on one side or the other to a matter of necessity. Liquid and vowel sounds, though vocal or flat, will combine with aspirated or sharp consonant sounds. If this were not the case, the combinations ap, at, alp, art, would be unpronounceable. The law exhibited above may be called the Law of Accommodation. Combinations like bt, kd, &c., may be called Incompatible Combinations."-PROFESSOR LATHAM's English Grammar, p. 29.

THE ACCUMULATION OF CONSONANTAL ELEMENTS.

§ 88. Combinations are also unpronounceable from the accumulation of consonantal elements. This is evident from the nature of these elements. It is only saying that there is a limitation to the number of consonantal elements which can be brought together in one syllable.

The consonantal elements have the power of blending with each other in the same syllable in very different degrees. The elements represented by land r have this power of blending with others in a very eminent degree. The element represented by s is distinguished among the surds for its power of blending with the other consonantal elements. The word restraints affords an instance, it is said, of as great a number of consonantal elements pronounceable in the same syllable as can be found in the language. Perhaps the possible number may be somewhat greater.

COMBINATIONS NOT IN THE LANGUAGE.

§ 89. The English, like every other language, has its characteristic combinations. It has but few Nasal sounds in comparison with the French; but few Guttural sounds in comparison with the Hebrew; but few Rough-breathing or true aspirates in comparison with the Greek, and those mostly confined to compound words like off-hand, withhold, knife-handle; but few Reduplications of sound, and those confined to compound words like soulless, book

case.

In the Greek there are combinations of the elements indicated by phth, as in poious. In the Armenian there are syllables like stzges; in the Choctaw, like yummak; in the Welsh, like yspryd; in the Gaelic, like dhaibk;

What is said of an accumulation of consonants? What consonantal elements have eminently the power of blending with others? What is said of the English in comparison with other languages in respect to combinations?

in the Erse, like ndcanadh; in the Icelandic, like njala; in Wendish, like szvetloszti.

Combinations like these are altogether undesirable, it would seem, in any language; at least, we can felicitate ourselves that they are not found in the English language.

CHAPTER III.

COMBINATIONS IN SYLLABLES.

§ 90. CERTAIN combinations of the phonetic elements form SYLLABLES. A syllable, in the spoken language, is one or more elementary sounds pronounced by a single impulse of the voice, and constituting a word or a part of a word.

A syllable, in the written language, is a letter, or a combination of letters, which represent a syllable in the spoken language, as, an, wis-dom.

In the word man there are three elementary sounds, constituting one syllable in the spoken language. These three sounds are represented by the three letters m, a, n, which together constitute one syllable in the written language. The word syllable is from the Greek words syn, with, and labein, to take.

Every syllable in the spoken language contains at least one vocal element. This element is either a vowel or a liquid; as, Pat, prism, pronounced priz-m, in two syllables.

Every syllable in the written language has at least one vowel, but this is not always sounded in pronunciation; as, in the last syllables of table, rea-son, e-vil, nev-er.

NAMES OF WORDS FROM THEIR DIVISION INTO SYLLABLES.

§ 91. Words consisting of single syllables are called monosyllables, from the Greek word monos, alone; as, man, he. Words consisting of two syllables are called dissyllables, from the Greek word dis, twice; as, o-ver, un-der. Words consisting of three syllables are called

Are difficult combinations, like those found in some languages, desirable? What is a syllable in the spoken language? What is a syllable in the written language? Give an example of each. What is an essential part of a syllable in the spoken language? What is an essential part of a syllable in the written language? Give the names of the different classes of words from their division into syllables.

trisyllables, from the Greek word tris, thrice; as, dis-able, fa-ther-less. Words consisting of more than three syllables are called polysyllables, from the Greek word polus, many; as, fer-men-ta-tion.

PRINCIPLES OF DIVISION.

§ 92. The first principle for dividing words into syllables is etymological. A word made up of two words is naturally so divided as to keep the simple words separate in the pronunciation; as, cut-water, turn-spit, break-fast. So, also, a word formed by the addition of a grammatical suffix to the primitive is naturally so divided as to separate the suffix in the pronunciation; as, call-ing, love-ly, hunt-er. This principle is very extensive in its application.

2. The second principle is phonetical. Ease of pronunciation or melody of sound often determines the division of a word, in accordance with the phonology of the language. (See § 95.) In the application of these principles, certain general rules of syllabication have been laid down, which are subject to many exceptions.

RULES OF SYLLABICATION.

§ 93. 1. Compound words must be divided into the words which compose them; as, Over-power, foot-man, con-template.

2. Grammatical terminations are generally separated from the primitive word; as, Teach-er, teach-est, vain-ly.

3. Two vowel elements coming together, and not forming a diphthong, are divided into separate syllables; as, Li-on, cru-el, de-ist.

To this rule

4. In dissyllables, a single consonantal element between two vowel elements is joined to the latter; as, Pa-per, Ca-to, ro-ses. there are many exceptions; as, Ep-ic, pref-ace, up-on.

5. Two consonantal elements pronounceable in combination between two vowels must not be separated if the vowel of the preceding syllable is long; as, Fa-ble, sti-fle. But when they are unpronounceable in combination, they must be divided; as, Ut-most, un-der, in-sect.

6. In trisyllables, a single consonantal element between the penult and the antepenult (the last syllable but one and the last syllable but two) goes to the antepenult when accented; as, Mem-o-ry, sep-a-rate. The etymological principle is of very extensive application, and yet,

What are the principles upon which words are divided into syllables? How are compound words and grammatical terminations treated in syllabication? What is said of the etymological principle in its application?

in settling the comparative value of the two principles in particular cases, the phonetic principle prevails over it; as, Orthog-raphy, epiphany, wri-ter, pref-ace, instead of Ortho-graphy, epi-phany, writ-er, pre-face. The objects aimed at in syllabication:

1. To enable the learner to discover the sounds of the words they are unacquainted with; or,

2. To show the etymology of the words; or,

3. To exhibit the exact pronunciation of them.

The maker of a spelling-book has the first object in view, an etymologist the second, an orthoepist the third, as in the preceding rules.

COMBINATIONS IN WORDS.

§ 94. A word in the spoken language is a syllable, or a combination of syllables, uttered by the human voice, expressing an idea, or the relation of an idea. A word in the written language is the letter, or the combination of letters which represent these sounds in the spoken language; as, a, ärt, under.

Words are divided by grammarians into PRIMITIVE and DERIVATIVE, SIMPLE and COMPOUND.

A primitive word is one which is not traceable to any other word in the language for its origin; as, Love, strong.

A derivative word is one which is traceable to some other word in the language for its origin; as, Lovely, stronger.

A simple word is one which is not made up of other words; as, Good, wiser, York.

A compound word is one which is made up of other words; as, Good-man, wise-acre, York-shire.

THE MONOSYLLABIC CHARACTER.

§ 95. The English language is eminently MONOSYLLABIC, as may be seen by a comparison with the Latin of terms in common use.

[blocks in formation]

What are the several objects aimed at in syllabication? What is a word in the spoken language? in the written language? Into what classes are words divided? What is a primitive word? a derivative word? a simple word? a compound word? Give a specimen of each. What is the character of the English language in respect to syllables?

Here we have fifteen syllables in Latin to express what is expressed in English by eight.

The same monosyllabic principle is carried out in the construction of our verbs; as, to see, to hear, to taste, to touch, to walk, to run, to leap. Fire is said to burn, to glow, to scorch. Water is said to flow, to glide, to rush, to foam. In the sky we have the sun, moon, and stars. The earth yields grass, corn, trees, wheat. Our ordinary food is bread, flesh, fish. Our fuel is wood, coal. To mourn, to sigh, to weep, to laugh, express affections of the mind. These, and words like these, form the staple of the

English language.

In contrast to this, we have the two following polysyllabic words from the language of the Massachusetts Indians: Noowantammoonkanunonnash our loves; Kummogkodonattoottummooetiteaongannunnonash= our question.

CHAPTER IV.

ACCENT.

CLASSICAL ACCENT.

§ 96. ACCENT, from the Latin ad, and cano, to sing (accentus), in the Classic sense, has reference to certain inflections of the voice, like musical notes, which distinguish certain syllables of a word, called the acute accent, the grave, and the circumflex. It signified a musical modulation of the voice.

The precise manner in which these distinctions were made by the voice in the Greek language it is impossible for us to know, now that it has ceased to be a living language. We still, however, see the visible marks on the page, and we know that the acute accent ( ́) can stand only on one of the last three syllables of a word; the circumflex (*) on one of the last two; the grave (`) only on the last.

ENGLISH ACCENT.

§ 97. Accent, in the English sense, is a particular stress or ictus of voice upon certain syllables of words, which distinguishes them from others. In the word tyrant there is a stress on the first syllable. In the word presume there is a stress on the second syllable.

This

How many syllables are there severally in the two Indian words? What is classical accent, and what is the derivation of the word accent? Mention the three different kinds of accent, and in what places in a word they are severally employed? What is English accent?

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