Tafel.] 355 [October. 



mistress, &.C., sj^i' in osprej/, stl in restless, &q., ctr in victress, actress, 

 dfr in Godfrey. Triphthongs composed of consonants alone are pst 

 in capstan, hst in lobster, hst in huckster. The triphthongs of the 

 second class which end in consonants, are also found at the end of 

 words, as rst in hurst, hhh in huhje, mps in lamps, mpt in contempt. 

 But the triphthongs of the first and third class, when placed at the 

 end of words, lose their character as triphthongs, and the last semi- 

 vowel is pronounced in such a manner as to seem to constitute a 

 syllable by itself, as in centre, crumble, &c. Among those combina- 

 tions which are spelled as triphthongs, we find a few ending in r, as 

 ntr in centre, antre, nkr in chancre, ptr in sceptre, str in lustre, ktr 

 in spectre. All other combinations terminate in I. ^yith ;• as their 

 first member, we find rpl in purple, rbl in marble, rtl in turtle, rdl 

 in curdle, rhl in circle, sparkle, rgl in gargle. Among those com- 

 binations beginning with the nasals, we see their afiinity for their 

 respective consonants demonstrated. So we find mpl in ample, 

 pimple, temple, mbl in amble, crumble, nimhle, &c., ntl in mantle, 

 pintle, ndl in bundle, candle, fondle, nld in ankle, rankle, ngl in 

 angle, dangle, &c. T, when it is the second member of a triphthong, 

 becomes quiescent, as in btl in subtle, in stl in hostler, castle, bustle, 

 bristle, ichistle, &c., k in muscle, p in empty. 



§ 37. Combinations of four consonants and semi-vowels occur in 

 compositions of two nouns, as in feldspar, palsgrave, spendthrift, 

 kQ. ] by prefixes, we get abstract, adscript, conscript, explcdn, ex- 

 press, extra, instruct, abstract, and by sufifixes, minstrel, temjJtress, 

 seamstress, songstress, dextral. 



§ 38. In the following scheme are exhibited the various triph- 

 thongal combinations : 



I. Triphthongs in Monosyllables. 



a. At the Beginning of ^yords : 



spl (spleen), spr (spring), str (string), skr (screw), ski (sklere), 

 skw (squall). 



b. At the End of Words: 



rid (world), rst (worst), rtsh (march), rd::h (large). 

 1st (whilst), Ifth (twelfth), Ikt (mulct). 

 mjot (contempt), mps (glimpse). 

 ntsh (bench), 7idzh (fringe). 

 nJcs (minx). 



c. Triphthongs composed of Consonants only : 

 kst (text). 



