312 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



tions is 24,346. Apart, however, from its consonantal usages, it must be 

 taken into consideration that N is classified by grammarians as a liquid, or 

 semi-vowel ; and this has a real bearing on its utility as a word-maker in 

 general. Though a letter of high numerical value, it is not the initial letter 

 of many words. In this respect it agrees with the five vowels, which are 

 barren in generative force but rich in nutritive qualities. For instance, the 

 joint numerical values of P 17 -f B 16 = 33 are less than one-half of the 

 value of N = 80, yet in the number of words of which P and B form the 

 initial letters they surpass N by nearly sevenfold. Ogilvie ^ gives 153 columns 

 of words beginning with P and B, but only 23 columns under N. It therefore 

 necessarily follows that N is most largely used up in union with the five vowels 

 in the medial and terminal positions of word-building, for which reason it 

 will be found on our keyboard so closely associated with the vowels as to 

 form a series of variable combinations (uncombed out) that enter into 

 thousands of words. Its semi-vowel character is clearly evident in them, 

 being similar herein to L and R, which are also by philological classification 

 liquids or semi-vowels. Too much space would be needed to illustrate the 

 richness of all the variations of N with all the vowels. A dictionary or page 

 of any book may be scrutinised for its varied medial and terminal combinations 

 with the vowels, but words like, e.g., union, none, inane, onion, noun, nine, 

 neon, aeon, etc., are wholly composed of N -j- vowels ; other very numerous 

 words, e.g. anneal, alone, annul, sane, anoint, announce, opinion, minion, 

 annual, main, pain, rain, etc., being, with the exception of one other letter, 

 likewise wholly so composed. But this is not all. The letters L R M S in 

 several of the words just given are themselves of the same nature as N in 

 being liquids or semi-vowels, — the full list of the semi- vowels being L M N R S 

 and Y.' Until the habits of our Language are closely looked into, it is 

 impossible to realise the predominant part that these six semi-vowels play 

 in union with the five pure vowels in building up the structure of words. 

 They are ubiquitous. These eleven letters, constituting the vowels and 

 semi-vowels, are all grouped together on the new keyboard and form one of 

 its most indispensable endowments. Taken as a group, they represent a 

 word-making power of 712 units out of 1,070 units for the whole Language, 

 which fact alone is in itself enough to confirm their wide-spread usage ; and, 

 we may add, they contribute the chief elements of euphony to our tongue. 

 The considerations just stated make it quite clear that the position of N 

 must be next the leading vowels, while at the same time it must not be 

 dissevered from its important fixed consonantal combinations. 



There is yet a third letter that demands special notice in regard to its 

 combinational relationships. The letter S combines with six other consonants, 

 ST, SH, SP, SC, SM, SW (and in a number of words with L, N, K, Q), but, 

 like N, does not draw the whole of its significance from its purely consonantal 



^ Our dictionary statistics are drawn from Ogilvie's Smaller English- 

 Dictionary, 468 small quarto pages, three columns of closely printed matter 

 to each page — a handy, yet full volume. The Editor's Preface says : " All 

 English words in general use are given ; at least none are omitted which 

 are likely to occur in the common run of literature." 



Ogilvie displays for the whole Language 1,404 columns of words, of which 

 only 278 columns represent words beginning with the five vowels ; and even 

 these are not all root-words, since about 75 columns out of the 278 are used 

 up in repeating words from other letters of the dictionary merely prefixed 

 by the negatives in- and un-. 



* " L M N R are liquids which, with the sibilant S, are also termed semi- 

 vowels." {Edinburgh Academy Greek Grammar. Ed. 1878, p. 10.) 



" The liquids L M N NG and R, and the sibilants S SH Z ZH, are all 

 continuous sounds approaching in this respect to the vowels." (Prof. Alex. 

 Bain, English Composition and Rhetoric. Ed. 1880, vol. ii, p. 280.) 



