292 ANALYTIC ORTHOGRAPHY. 
palate, or palatal veil, which bears the uvula, and acts as a valve to close and open the 
nasal passage posteriorly. 
153. The pharynx is the cavity of the throat behind the uvula. It extends up to the 
posterior nasal passages, and is concerned in modifying the vowels. 
CHAPTER VIII. 
THE ELEMENTS. 
At the present day, in physics and chemistry, we have no longer theorists in the sense of the schools of the last cen- 
tury..... Such men are indeed still to be found, but only in those departments of science which have not yet acquired 
a truly scientific foundation; and in which, partly for convenience, partly from a deficiency of logic, such speculations 
are tolerated.—Liebiy, Principles of Agricultural Chemistry, 1855. 
§ 154. This chapter being introductory to the succeeding one on the Phases of Words, 
its subject is not treated fully, but will be resumed farther on. In the mean time, the 
words “diphthong” and “coalescent” will be used, although the English syllables oy, [, ow, 
as a vowel followed by a consonant, have no more right to a special name than the syllable 
odd. Capital letters will be used with their Latin (or Greek) power—others as in English, 
unless there is a statement to the contrary. 
155. The old division of the elements into two classes (vowels and consonants) is philoso- 
phic and proper. Those systems are unphilosophic which make three classes for vowels, 
sonant consonants, and surd consonants; or which separate a class or order of sibilants; 
or include 7, m, in an order of liquids. 
156. Vowels (vocalis vocal, sonorous,) are made of the uninterrupted voice, the distinctions 
between them being due to slight modifications, chiefly of the cavity of the mouth and 
pharynx. Vowels are pure (or normal;) nasal, as some of the French, Portuguese, and 
Polish vowels are; whispered, of which some of the aboriginal American languages afforded 
examples; independent (of expiration, inspiration, or voice,) being a vowel effect succeed- 
ing a clack; and glottal, in which the vowel is accompanied by a scraping effect along the 
rather close glottis. Its type is the Hebrew and Arabic ain. 
157. Consonants are the result of interrupting the vocalised or unvocalised breath. Their 
quality depends upon the point where the interruption is made, and upon the nature and 
extent of the interruption. They are classified according to the points of contact where 
they are modified or interrupted. 
158. The consonants of web, whip, and the vowels in ore, ooze, belong to the labial con- 
tact; those of five to the labio-dental; thin then to the lingui-dental; debé, lean, to the 
