ANALYTIC ORTHOGRAPHY. 289 
CHAPTER VI. 
THE ANGLISH ALPHABET. 
With all the prejudices of an antiquarian taste, and an eye long familiar with the form in which the words had been 
accustomed to be read, in what has been called the Anglo-Saxon character, and with the difficulty of recognising the 
same words when presented in a different dress, it required a strong reason to justify the rejection of the old letters. 
Nothing but a thorough conviction that the Roman character would be the most legible, and would best show the identity 
of the present English with Anglo-Saxon, as well as the clear analogy existing in the words of all the other Germanic 
lancuages, would have led to the adoption of this type. Bosworth, Dictionary of the Anglo-Saxon language, London, 
1838, p. clxxi. . 
§ 183. Anglish orthography is nearly like that of Latin and German. The characters 
differ somewhat from the Roman, which are frequently used instead. The letters are 
Bp 1) G Dy Gy 2p Hep lay thy 1h TNS Ty Wp 995 Vly TPeg Ep VPp Cy WH Vp we ' 
134. A as in arm, art, and probably as in fall, what. Compare smal small; stal a stall; 
fram from; nat not. 
135. Cay always pure, asin Latin. Compare corn corn; cirnel kirnel; cepan keep; 
brocen broken; ceac keg, cag; ece ache; cennan ken; cynn (Irish cine) kin; cyning (old 
German cunince) king; citte kit; cealf calf; cinne, cinn (old German cinni and kinne) 
chin; cild (old German cind, kind,) child. 
136. €, e, in théy, mét; & asin fat. Compare fxtt fat; sat that; xpl apple; habbe 
have; band band; px3n wagon. Care should be taken never to use e for this letter, 
but (if the proper type is not at hand) to file off the right hand side of the Roman letter. 
This would form the basis of a good letter for the vowel in fat; whilst the use of the 
unaltered Roman letter would tend to corrupt Latin. 
137. F, (u at a later period probably as in of, vine (its Welsh power.) Compare ofer, 
ouer, over; efen even; lufe, luue, loue, love; hafe, haue, have; fefer fever; fif five; fers 
a verse; ff as in off, its Welsh power. In Belgian, v often replaces English f, which is a 
Devonshire peculiarity. Compare 
Belgian, Anglish, English, German. 
voet fot foot fuss 
vloer flor floor flur 
vrij freo free frei 
geven gifan give geben. 
138. Gay pure, as in gef, give. In gear year; gearn yarn; geolca yolk; geolo yellow ; 
ciorl churl ; cealf calf; the element after the initial is probably English y, which remained 
in the Eaglish yolk after the g was lost. Some regard ge as equivalent to English y, but 
as ‘guard’ is, (or was) provincially gyard, and ‘cow’ is cyow; Anglish geard (a yard, 
gard-en) was probably gyard, or in Latin letters—@saArp. 
