296 GA By. M eo: 
the language of man, was originally formed by imitating — 
the objects of nature; and the names of many animals 
were given by imitating the voice of the individual: we 
find this even at prefent in all languages, but particularly 
in the lefs refined. Man, in a favage ftate, imitates 
birds and beafts to decoy them, and by imitation alone he 
forms a very extenfive fcate of founds. The founds of 
the common vowels, with /, m, n,n, we hear-daily among 
cattle and domeftic beafts; the y,z, 7, v, B, are like the 
buzzing of beetles; 4 f, s, 5, like the hifling of ferpents, 
particularly the s, which might with propriety have figni- 
fied the Generic name, till it became part of another ap- 
pellative, and confequently a letter. Inthe moft ancient al- 
phabets the Phoenicians, Etrufcans, Latins and Goths, 
adopted the form of the ferpent for the character of s, which 
would have been a very expreffive Hieroglyphic. The * 
of the Greeks, as pronounced by the Englifh, is exa&ly 
like the forcible hiffing of a goofe, and is found in very 
few languages: the Englifh contains fo many of thefe 
buzzing and hiffing founds, that fome Foreigners have cal- 
led it the language of {nakes. 
r imitates the fnarling of dogs, and we find nations 
where there are no dogs that have not the letter r in their 
lancuages. ‘The afpirate of 7* imitates the flight of the 
partridge and fome other birds, as well as the voice of fome 
locufts: Gutturals imitate the croaking of frogs or 
toads: the ftopt vocals and their afpirates are generally 
joined to fome of thecommon vowels by animals: bce, 
the fheep—dou, the dog—kuu, the dove, rook, the 
raven---kuaak, the duck---p7u, the buzzard---t7u-zt, 
the lapwing; kuk-ku, the cuckoo, &c. Thereare alfo 
a great variety of founds among animals, which man 
has had no occafion toadopt, in forming a language of his 
own wants, as their articulation is too difficult for com- 
mon 
* See Page 283. 
