1861.] ggg [Combination!'- 



the French assibilated form of s. T is assibilated in French in all 

 those words where it precedes i followed by another vowel, as in 

 nation, pdtient, essentiel ; except where it is preceded by .s and x, as 

 in celeMlel, mixture: there it has the hard sound of t, «nd this it 

 was which was imported by the Normans into England in these words. 

 The former t, viz., t in nation, in English, therefore, conies under 

 the head of s, while the latter, viz., t in cehMiaJ, mixture, comes under 

 that of/; under this last head, also, comes t m nature, which is hard 

 in French, but together with celestial, question, mixture, is assibilated 

 in English. "With regard to the peculiar process by which s is thick- 

 ened into sh and zh, this is again owing to the following i hardened 

 into//. With s we ^nd fusion, cession, treasure, nauseous, sensuous, 

 usual, transient; with t, mi/if ia, nation, tertian, initial, 2'>^fienf, se- 

 ditious; with c, acacia, social, logician, ocean, ancient, species, 2>i'e- 

 cious, cretaceous. In sure, s is thickened even in an accented sylla- 

 ble. The only instances where s is not thickened when followed by 

 I or e, are enthusiasm, yaseous, yi/pseous, exosseous. In calceated, 

 halcyon, cynosure, caseous, the authorities are divided. 



With regard to the complete absorption or partial retention of the 

 vowel i or e, after assibilating the preceding t, d, or g, or thickening 

 the preceding s, as in social and associrftf, amhrosia and cassia, theo- 

 logian and Siygian, &c., it will be discussed fully in a subsequent 

 part. 



§ 35. There now only remains fir me to present in a synopsis the 

 results of our preceding investigation : 



I. Combinations of W and the Consonants and Semi- 

 Vowels. 



a. After Consonants : 



hw (white), tw (twang), dio (dwarf), kw (quarter), gw (language), 

 thvj (thwart), sw (sweet). 



b. Bf'fore Consonants and Semi- Vowels ; v:here w is mute: 

 wh (who), wr (write). 



II. Combinations of Y with the Consonants and Semi- 

 Vowels. 



Combinations acknowledged by Orthoepists generally, 

 ty (Christian), dy (Indian). 

 ly (bullion), ny (onion), ry (clarion). 



III. Combinations obtained by Assibilation. 

 1. Anglo-Saxon Assibilation. 

 a. Assibilation of C, K : 

 tsh (check, fetch, bench). 



