38 BROOMALL : 



As Verb As Noun or Adjective 



To thieve The thief 



teethe teeth 



use "^e 



waive waif 



wive wife 



wreathe wreath 



In most of the specimens addticed, the verb has the older 

 phonetic form. Decrease', the verb, has a more original accent 

 than de' crease, the noun. The sonant /// in breathe is the old 

 sound, of which th in breath is a later variation. Thus the 

 phonetic change has occurred in the words when used as 

 nouns and adjectives. The recession of the accent and the 

 conversion of sonant /// and .y to surd th and s are phonetic 

 changes regularly made in the development of English. The 

 accent and sonancy of the verb, therefore, are instances of 

 persistence against the general tendency of the language. 

 Such persistence implies a condition requiring modification of 

 the language and its evolutionary response. 



That there is a real correlation between these phonetic 

 characteristics and the verbal idea is evidenced not only bj^ 

 the number of the foregoing specimens, but also by the fact 

 that these phonetic contrasts are never reversed. If there is a 

 difference of accent, the verb has it at or nearer the end of the 

 word. If there is a variation of surd and stmant consonant, 

 the verb always has it sonant. 



Tliere must, therefore, be something a])otit final accent and 

 sonancy that says "verb" to the Knglish liugtiistic sense. 

 There must be some analogy between the action of a verb in 

 the sentence, as apprehended mentally, and these phonetic 

 peculiarities. In seeking this analogy, we first note that 

 record' is a longer word in titterance than record, mod 'crate" 

 than inod'eratc, and breathe than breath. To utter the words 

 is sttfficient to prove this statement withotit appealing to the 

 details of the vocal apparatus which explain the fact. The 



