358 ORIGIN OF LETTERS, 



*' That to ibout twenty plain elementary sounds, we owe that va. 

 riety of articulate voices which have been sufficient (o explain the 

 sentiments of so innumerable a multitude, as all the present and 

 past generations of men." 



As there are but a sm.ill number of marks for sounds, called 

 notes in music, so there are but a small number of distinct articulate 

 sounds in every language. In different languagts their number 

 differs ; and there are but few sounr's in any two languages that are 

 exactly the same; although by the great intercourse between the 

 European nations, the sounds of different languages daily assimilate. 



Mr. Sheridan says, that the number of simple sounds in our 

 tongue is twenty-eight*. Dr. Kcnrick says, we have eleven 

 distinct species of articulate sounds, which even by contraction, 

 prolongation, and composition, are increased only to the number 

 of sixteen ; every syllable or articulate sound in our language, 

 bei g one of this number -f. Bishop Wilkins, and Doctor William 

 Holder, speak of about thirty-two or thirty-three distinct sounds. 



It has been said, that among the Greeks and Romans, their writ, 

 ten alphabet exactly accorded to the several distinct sounds and 

 modes of articulation in their languages ; so that each sound had 

 its distinct mark, by which it was uniformly and invariably repre- 

 sented. Ten simple marks or characters, have been found suffi- 

 cient for all the purposes of numerical calculations, which extend 

 to infinity. 



Seven notes comprise the whole of music : these, by their dif- 

 ferent arrangements, produce thai variety of harmony which we so 

 justly admire. If we would ascend higher than eight notes, we 

 only begin another series of the same distances. Again, the scale 

 doth not admit of a division into equal parts : this must correspond 

 with the laws of sound : as every piece of music is but these notes 

 varied, it must ct.nje to a close in the lowrst note, or its octave. 



It is evident, ih-t, trom the confined natun- of the organs, the 

 simple natural sounds to be distinct roust he fewj and though ar- 

 tiftre or affectation may invent u greater variety, they n;ust be de- 

 ficient in precision as they increase in n m,bT. Indeed, there are 

 several sounds proceeding from inanimate obj. cts ; as the murmur. 



* S - 'is Rhetorical Grammar, prefixed to his Dictionary, printed 



at London in I7*". 



t See Dr. Kenrick's Rhetorical Grammar, prefixed to Irs Dictionary. 



