Tafel.] ;3]^Q [October. 



tion. Hence the origin of the vowel-consonants w and y, to which I 

 have adverted above. This property of becoming consonants is 

 always developed in these two vowels, when they are immediately 

 followed by another vowel. Hence, in the French words huitj huitre, 

 &c., the vowel u is pronounced like lo, and when they are pronounced 

 hurriedly like v ; hence, also, u in qu is pronounced like lo in English, 

 and like v in German. Another evidence of the close relationship ex- 

 isting between ic and v is furnished by the orthography of our old 

 books, in which ii and v are used indiscriminately; moreover, our lo 

 is nothing else but an initial u. When the vowel i in machine is 

 followed by another vowel and its consonant nature is thus developed, 

 it is spelled in some languages, in the beginning of words, with ^, 

 and in others withj, but in the middle of words its original spelling 

 of i is retained. The sound of the vowel-consonants w and y or i is 

 different from that of any of the sonorous consonants or semi-vowels ', 

 inasmuch as the sonorous element animating the latter is identical 

 with the primitive or unmodified vowel-sound, while the former, at 

 least in the English language, are each imbued with the sound of 

 the respective vowel-sounds from which they are generated. Thus 

 the sound of lo is a labial breathing, imbued with the vowel-sound of 

 11 m flute, and that of the vowel-consonant y or i a guttural or palatal 

 breathing, tinctured with the vowel-sound of i in machine; they are 

 thus strictly consonants animated by vowels, or consonants generated 

 from vowels, so that they may be called justly vowel-consonants. In 

 most languages, the English excepted, lo forfeits its claim to a vowel- 

 consonant; for in them it is not animated by the sound of u m flute, 

 but by the primitive or unmodified vowel, as is the case with all 

 other sonorous consonants and semi-vowels, or else it is found en- 

 tirely mute. In the case of the vowel-consonant i or y, we find, that 

 under some conditions it loses its sonorous element even in the Eng- 

 lish language, and becomes a consonant proper ; for, in unaccented 

 syllables, when it is preceded by the consonants t, c, s, or z, it re- 

 duces every one of them into the rough sibilant sh, and, losing its 

 sonorous quality, it is either merged itself into this sibilant, as in 

 nation, partial, patient, special, proficient, yracious, vision, glazier, 

 &c., or, else, retaining its sound of i, it simply assibilates these conso- 

 nants, as in associate, satiate, &c., and also when it precedes the 

 accented syllable, as in negotiation, pronunciation, association, &c. 

 The compound consonant y, also, was originally nothing else but the 

 vowel-consonant i or y. The influence exerted by this vowel-conso- 

 nant on any preceding consonants will be investigated more minutely 

 in a subsequent chapter (Chap. X). 



