312 yHItOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1686. 



or in the word scene ; and a in the word ball, or in the word and, or in the 

 word tale; and then whether e, in' either of the two sounds going before, and 

 a in either of the three sounds following, joined together, will make out the 

 true sound of ea in the word teal ; if not, then is it a single sound. If you 

 thus proceed to examine all the others, you will! doubt not find the same event; 

 and I believe the true diphthongs and triphthongs of the Greeks were no 

 other than a true expression of the single vowels they joined together, but in 

 so short a time, as that both or all three were expressed in the time that usually 

 one single vowel is expressed in. 



Of Consonants. — The whole number of consonants are ranged in the following 

 table, in 6 ranks and 1 1 files. 



1 

 1 B bond 

 1 P pond 



3 M mind 



4 = 

 6 = 

 6 



1 



Ddark 

 T tart 

 N name 

 dh this 

 th thing 

 n danse Fr 



J. Jest 

 Ch. Chest, 

 gn Seignior 

 J. Jean 

 sh shall 



IPr. 



4 

 G game 

 K came 

 ng song 



ch dach 



}' 



V valley 

 F folly 



Z zeal 

 S seal 



7 

 L lane 



Ih W 



8 

 Hhand 



9 

 Y yarn 



10 



R rand 



11 

 W wand 



The first file contains 3 consonants, the second 6; the third and fourth 10- 

 the fifth and sixth 4; the seventh 1 ; the remaining four, each one ; in all 20 

 consonants. The second rank in each file contains derivatives, in relation to the 

 first rank, or their primitives, all alike in kind. So also all the derivatives in 

 the third, fourth, and fifth ranks, whence their sounds will be the better com- 

 prehended. 



Those places filled by two strokes, (=), signify that sounds may be expressed 

 by the same position of the mouth with Jheir primitives, answering in kind to 

 those in the same rank in which they stand ; but they would be so alike in pro- 

 nunciation to some others in the table, that the difference would be too nice for 

 common discernment. As those of the fourth and fifth ranks, in the first file, 

 are like those of the fourth and fifth ranks in the fifth file ; and those of the 

 first, second and third ranks in the fifth file, are like those of the same ranks 



