1861.] 333 [Semi-vowels. 



breathing sonant before exploding the station with it, the English 

 soft consonant g. Some of the fluid guttural consonants are wanting 

 in the English language ] they are produced by leaving the guttural 

 door ajar, and either blowing or breathing the air through it. The 

 fluid consonants of the first series are obtained by pressing the middle 

 of the tongue against the hard palate, in such a manner as to allow 

 an egress to the air. By blowing through the aperture thus obtained, 

 we get the German consonant rl) or;j^ in Nacl]t. By pressing the middle 

 of the tongue against the soft palate in a like manner, and blowing 

 through this aperture, we get the German consonant z\\ or y '^^ uicljt; 

 this is the fluid consonant of the second series. In addition to these, if, 

 in the pronunciation of i in machine^ we press the middle of the tongue 

 more towards the palate, we get the vowel- 



consonajit i/, which is nothing else but a gut- guttural station. 



tural fluid consonant, animated by the vowel 

 I in machine, as has been shown above. In 

 the guttural station we thus obtain : 1, the 

 hard consonant k; 2, the German and En- 

 glish soft consonants g and g ; and 3, the 

 German fluid consonants (1)^ in Nacljt, and 

 clf in nicljt, to which may be added the 

 vowel-consonant y. 



By most linguists the letter h is classed among the guttural con- 

 sonants, because, etymologically, it is closely related to them ; but 

 physiology teaches us that it is nothing else but the unmodified, non- 

 sonant breath, passing out of the glottis and striking against the 

 surface of the pharynx and the outside air. Dr. Briicke, on this 

 account, separates it entirely from the consonants proper, and classes 

 it among the laryngal sounds. The letter A, therefore, represents 

 nothing else but the unmodified breath. 



[Hem. — In addition to the laryngal and guttural sounds described 

 above. Dr. Briicke notices some others which are found in the Orien- 

 tal and Slavonic languages, but as they are foreign to our subject, I 

 do not deem it necessary to enter into their discussion.] 



CHAPTER VI. 



ON THE SEMI-VOWELS. 



§ 15. The semi-vowels may be divided into two classes, very dis- 

 similar apparently, but which have the leading characteristics of this 



VOL. Till. — 2t 



