J861.] 3^9 [Semi-vowel Diphthongs. 



clearly manifest, and relieves them from the surrounding consonants. 

 In the former case, they enter into diphthongal relations with the con- 

 sonants, and act as mediums between the consonants and the vowels^ 

 but in the latter case they refuse doing so. In the French language 

 it is different. There the semi-vowels, when they close a word after 

 a consonant, are pronounced with mute breath, as in nut tire, pen pic, 

 litre, and these words are thus essentially monosyllables, although 

 the semblance of dissyllables is impressed upon them by the final 

 mute e with which they are spelled. The mode of spelling these 

 final semi-vowels is various in English. When the words end in m, 

 and are preceded by s, the semi-vowel is simply added to s, as in 

 chasm, spasm, schism, &.O., or else it is preceded by o, as in bosom; 

 when r or I are the final serai-vowels, they are either followed by a 

 mute e, as in mitre, acre, bible, bridle, earjie, or else they are pre- 

 ceded by a, e, or o, as in bridal, model, gambol, sugar, wafer ; n 

 is usually preceded by o or e, as in nation, mutton, maiden. 



§ 25. After having fully discussed the semi-vowel diphthongs as 

 initials and finals, we have now to consider them as medials. In the 

 beginning of words, when semi-vowels combine with consonants, the 

 semi-vowels are always in the second, and, at the end of words, in 

 the first place, but in the middle of words both combinations occur. 

 Still, we notice a remarkable distinction in their use; when an initial 

 combination occurs as a medial, there is a decided break between the 

 preceding consonant and the following semi-vowel, as in cit-ron, 

 fab-ric, ug-ly, at-las, dog-ma, &c.; but when a final combination is 

 found medial, their diphthongal relation continues unimpaired, as in 

 certain, harvest, murder, furbish, vulgar, pilfer, halter, anthem, &c. 

 § 2G. I shall now present the reader with a synopsis of the various 

 combinations which the semi-vowels undergo, both among themselves 

 and with the consonants; those which are printed in capitals are 

 regular diphthongs and occur in single syllables, while those which 

 are printed in common type, denote that they do not combine, and 

 are only found in compositions, and those in italics that one of the 

 two members of the combinations is quiescent. 



I. 

 Combinations of the Semi-vowels among themselves. 



a. The semi-vowels R and L: 



RL (snarl), Ir (hill-road). 



b. TIlc semi-voKcls R and L, and the Nasals : 

 i?J/(arm), RN (harn), 



VOL. VIII. — 2v 



