of the Greek Language. 



«77 



lowed by the /3. The learned editor of the manuscript of PliilO' 

 demus states, that v is frequently substituted for fi in that work ; 

 and he gives the following, as one instance of such false orthog- 

 raphy; which must have been occasioned by the similarity of 

 sound in that combination : '^ Scepe enim librarius noster v pro 



F' 



h 



columna videre 



ubi 



QuvQuffiV pro w^oXuM^ocvovcrtv, legitur ; ctsi col. 1. rccte scripserat 

 avTi'ku^Qoe.vov'rcci et xagaXa^.^cAwuffQcti : quod ejus sive imperitiaa 

 sive oscitantise tribuendura."* Here, then, we have another in- 

 stance, where the usage of the Modern Greeks, contrary to the 

 tlieories of ingenious and learned Europeans, is confirmed. 



The I always has the sound of ks, as well at the heginningy 

 as in the other parts of a word ; never, that of gs or gz, and 

 much less, that of simple :z, which 



we are accustomed 



g 



at the beginning of words. The sound of ks perfectly agrees 

 with the description given of this letter by DIonysius of Halicarnas- 

 sus, who says, it is compounded of k and g, but does not intimate 

 that it has any thing of the sound of y in it. 



I 



i 



O. 



The general pronunciation of o is as nearly like 



any sound 



have in English ; but 



D 



may be more exactly described, as a sound between that 



the 



sound of in the word 



The learned make no questio 



the antiquity of this pronunciation 



* Philodem. col. ii. 1. 2r 



37 



