SYLLABUB SYMBOL. 



497 



of words into syllables. We may then say, with 

 Adelung, a syllable is a sound produced by a single 

 opening or closing of the mouth, and, consequently, 

 consists of one vowel or diphthong, or of either to- 

 gether with one or more consonants. This defini- 

 tion has some few exceptions, according to the 

 artificial divisions of some languages: in general it 

 is perfectly correct. A vowel is always necessary 

 for a syllable, though it may not always be written, 

 nor even be supposed, by particular nations, to 

 exist. It is evident that it would be impossible to 

 pronounce such a word as Srb, the native name for 

 Servia, without supplying some vowel sound. 

 Syllabic alphabets are such as have signs for all the 

 syllables composing the language, and for the syl- 

 lables only. Such is the Cherokee alphabet, which 

 has eighty-five signs, or characters, for its element- 

 ary syllables, and which has been spoken of in the 

 article Indian Languages. 



SYLLABUB ; a kind of drink, ordinarily made 

 of white wine and sugar, into which some new milk 

 is thrown by a syringe. 



SYLLOGISM (o-oXJiay/s/ia,-), in logic; an argu- 

 ment or form of reasoning, consisting of three pro- 

 positions, having this property, that the conclusion 

 necessarily follows from the two premises, so that 

 if the first and second propositions be granted, the 

 conclusion must be also granted. If the premises 

 be only probable, or contingent, the syllogism is 

 said to be dialectical ; if they be certain, apodictical; 

 if false, under an appearance of truth, sophistical, 

 or paralogistical. As often as the mind observes 

 any two notions to agree with a third, which is 

 done in two propositions, it immediately concludes 

 that they agree with each other ; or, if it finds that 

 one of them agrees, and the other disagrees, which 

 is likewise done in two propositions, it immediately 

 pronounces that they disagree with each other; 

 and such is a syllogism. Of the three propositions 

 of which a syllogism consists, the first is, by way of 

 eminence, called the proposition, as being the basis 

 of the argument ; the second, the assumption, as 

 being assumed to assist in inferring the third; and 

 both, the premises, as being antecedent to it. The 

 first is called the major, the second the minor, the 

 third the conclusion. As the conclusion is the princi- 

 pal part, it hence arises that though the proposition 

 and assumption have each its subject and attribute, 

 yet the subject and attribute of a syllogism are pro- 

 perly understood of the conclusion. In the constitu- 

 tion of a syllogism we may consider the matter and 

 the form of it. The matter is three propositions 

 made up of three ideas, or terms, variously joined, 

 and called the major, minor and middle. The follow- 

 ing proposition, for instance, forms a syllogism : 

 Every animal lives ; man is an animal ; therefore man 

 lives. The predicate of the conclusion is called the 

 major term, because it is generally of larger extent 

 than the minor term, or subject. The major and 

 minor terms are called the extremes. The middle 

 term, or medium, is the third idea, so disposed in two 

 propositions as to show the connexion between the 

 major and the minor term in the conclusion ; whence 

 the middle term is sometimes called the argument. 

 The proposition which contains the predicate of 

 the conclusion, connected with the middle term, is 

 usually called the major proposition : that which 

 connects the middle term with the subject of the 

 conclusion is called the minor proposition. In a re- 

 gular syllogism, the major proposition is placed first, 

 the minor second, and the conclusion last. Syllo- 

 gisms are distributed, with regard to the question 



to be proved, into universal affirmative, universal 

 negative, particular affirmative and particular nega- 

 tive, and with respect to their nature and composi- 

 tion, into single and compound. Single syllogisms 

 may be divided into simple, complex and conjunc- 

 tive. Simple, or categorical syllogisms, are made 

 up of three plain, single or categorical propositions, 

 in which the middle term is evidently and regularly- 

 joined with one part of the question in the major, 

 and with the other in the minor, whence follows a 

 ! plain, single conclusion. A complex syllogism is 

 1 that in which the whole middle term is not con- 

 nected with the whole subject, or the whole pre- 

 dicate, in two distinct propositions, but is inter- 

 mingled, and compared with them by parts, thus : 

 The sun is a senseless being; the Persians wor- 

 shipped the sun ; therefore the Persians worshipped 

 a senseless being. Conjunctive syllogisms are those 

 in which one of the premises viz. the major has 

 distinct parts joined by a conjunction or some such 

 particle of speech. Compound syllogisms are made 

 up of two or more single ones, and may be resolved 

 into them. The chief kinds are the epichirema, 

 dilemma, prosyllogismus and sorites. A syllogism in 

 which one of the premises is suppressed, but so as 

 to be understood, is called an enthymeme. 



SYLVESTER II., whose true name was Ger- 

 bert, was born of an obscure family in Auvergne, 

 and at an early age entered the monastery of St 

 Gerard, in Aurillac. After laying a foundation for 

 all the sciences cultivated in that age, he travelled 

 into Spain to hear the Arabian doctors, and, at 

 length, became so distinguished, that he was ap- 

 pointed by Hugh Capet preceptor to his son Robert. 

 Otho III., emperor, who had also been his pupil, 

 conferred upon him the archbishopric of Ravenna 

 and on the death of Gregory V., in 999, procured 

 his election to the papacy, when he took the name 

 of Sylvester. He acted with great vigour in this 

 capacity, and maintained the power of the church 

 with a high hand. He was also a great promoter 

 of learning, and a proficient in various branches of 

 science himself. He expended large sums in the 

 collection of books ; composed a number of works, 

 particularly on arithmetic and geometry; and with 

 his own hands made a clock, a globe, and an astro- 

 labe. A number of his letters, on various subjects, 

 were printed at Paris in 1611 ; but the most com- 

 plete collection has been given by Du Chesne. He 

 died in 1003. 



SYLVIUS, ^ENEAS. See Piccolomini. 

 SYMBOL (in Greek <rvp$a\ti ; Latin, symbolum ; 

 from trvp$a\.> ., to suspect, divine, and compare) ; a 

 word of various meaning even with the ancients, 

 who used it to denote a sign, a mark, watchword, 

 signal, token, seal-ring, &c. Its meaning is still 

 more various in modern times. Symbol is generally 

 used as synonymous with emblem. It is not con- 

 fined, however, to visible figures, but embraces 

 every representation of an idea by an image, whe- 

 ther the latter is presented immediately to the 

 senses, or merely brought before the mind by words. 

 Men, in the infancy of society, were incapable of 

 abstract thought, and could convey truths only by 

 means of sensible images. In fact, man at all times 

 has a strong propensity to clothe thoughts and feel- 

 ings in images, to make them more striking and 

 living ; and, in the early periods of our race, when 

 man lived in intimate communion with nature, he 

 readily found, in natural objects, forms and images 

 for the expression of moral truths ; mid even his 

 ' conceptions of the Deity were derived directly from 

 '2 i 



