Crawfou). — < >n the Mann Lancjudyet 51 



"Can't you let it alone;" but if a change is to be made, I would 

 suggest sion. The admixture of French words has been most 

 damaging to the reform of English orthography. 



The English mode of pronouncing Scriptural names no doubt 

 has come about from the mode of pronouncing Latin. It is 

 melancholy to see the loss of euphony which is brought about by 

 this plan. I call to mind the archdeacon, with ore rotunda giving 

 out the text from Aisaiah, without the smallest conception that 

 i and ai should have a different sound. When I hear Hebrew 

 words pronounced from the pulpit in English style the effect on 

 my mind is neither sacred nor solemn, but, on the contrary, 

 ludicrous. When I hear Sinai called Sainaeai, the effect passes 

 the ludicrous, and the speaker seems silly. It is surely too bad 

 to burlesque sacred things from the pulpit. There would really 

 be no difficulty in bringing about a correct pronunciation 

 of Scripture names. Forty years ago every one in church 

 responded Actum. The High Church decided upon Amen, and 

 it has carried the day. 



The spelling reformers wouid retain the present absurd pro- 

 nunciation of Scripture names and alter the spelling. Thus 

 Isaac is to be changed to Eisak ; it should more properly be 

 Aisak. Abraham is to become Aebraham. 



If anyone cannot see the loss of force and of cadence which 

 the English pronunciation of Scripture names involves, he 

 must be very deficient in perception. 



It is astonishing what small attention is given in England to 

 the study of the Teutonic languages in comparison with that 

 devoted to French. No doubt more attention has of late been 

 given to the study of German, but few know anything of Dutch 

 or Danish, languages closely related to English. I do not 

 remember ever meeting an Englishman who spoke Dutch, 

 except my own father, and he learnt it almost accidentally when 

 commanding a frigate for several years off Java and in the 

 Eastern Archipelago. I would strongly recommend every spell- 

 ing reformer to read up Dutch and Danish, as well as German, 

 and then he would see the correct lines to go upon. 



I think it was Huxley who told the parsons to read up bio- 

 logy before he would take the trouble to argue with them, 

 An English spelling reformer must remain thoroughly incom- 

 petent until he has obtained some knowledge of the other 

 Teutonic languages. 



Great uncertainty of pronunciation is caused by the use of 

 the letter y, it having in English two different sounds. In the 

 Scandinavian languages it seems to represent the sound of the 

 English e, the y grec, and therefore we get an idea of how 

 Danish names in England such as Whitby, Appleby, &c, should 

 be pronounced. As pronounced in English there is a loss of 

 euphony. Thus if we take the name of an island in the Eastern 



