510 ANALYTIC ORTHOGRAPIY. 
CHAPTER XI. 
MUTATION. 
La forme des mots varie, leur essence ne varie jamais. —Baron de Merian. 
§ 229. Anathesis or Mutation is the replacement of one element by another. It is of 
four kinds:—1, Intermutation; 2, Commutation; 3, Permutation; and 4, Transmutation. 
230. Intermutation is the interchange of vowels, which may take place in three modes, 
namely: by 
Precession, a moving forwards, 
Recession, a moving backwards; and 
Transcession, & moving across. 
231. Precession ( > ) is a vowel change from a more open to a closer position of the 
organs, towards the lips or throat. The term is adopted from Crosby’s Greek Grammar. 
232. Recession (marked < ) is the reverse of precession, and is much less common. It 
is the change from one vowel to another on the same side of the vowel scale, as from Latin 
UrsUs (a bear) to Spanish OsO; Latin pIerrUs, Spanish dEdO; Latin mIrasiiis, French 
mErveille, English mArvel; Latin tIneva, Spanish 1Engua, French 1A"gue. 
233. Transcession (marked =) is the interchange of lip and throat vowels across the 
vowel scale, as between U and I in /food, feed; O, EH, in English snow, German schnee 
(=rnE;) Latin BOnus (good) BENz (well.) It may be combined with precession (=> ) 
as in passing from O to I, (a rare phase as in roll, reel; dole, deal; German or, English 
ear;) and from E to U; or with recession (= <) as in passing from I to O, and from U to E, 
these three phases being extremely rare. 
234. Anallaxis is the change from one element to two others, one of which stands on 
each side of it. As E stands between A and I (§ 238) it may happen that in the attempt 
to produce it, the organs may fall successively into the positions on each side of it, pro- 
ducing A-I, or (in case the I is coalesced) AS, as in the German mehr schnee (more snow) 
which becomes mat schnai in low Suabian.* The following are examples from ancient 
and modern geographical names, assuming that the derived forms have been diphthongal 
at some period— 
EBEVLINU™ Baillo, BETasAn Baison, MENTHSA Bentaez. 
235. Upon the labial side, O becomes A-U or AV, as in sonus sound; old Suab. lob, 
German daub; Ger. korn, melone, Austrian kaurn, melaun;* French bo"té, English bounty; 
* Wocher, Allgemeine Phonologie, Stuttgart, 1841, p. 244-6. 
