Observations on Language. iS^ 



Of these, all are found in the pronunciation of the 

 English language, except the two last it's, and the Greek 

 X, or the rough aspirate. The French j is sounded in 

 vision, and other similar words. 



The alphabet; said to have been brought by Cadmus 

 into Greece, consisted of 16 letters. 



From a comparison of these alphabets it will be seen, 

 that, although that of Cadmus may, by making one let- 

 ter the representative of more sounds than one, have 

 been considerably enlarged in its actual effect, yet it 

 must have been comparatively limited. The pronun- 

 ciation of all languages, and dialects, is of course re- 

 stricted to the number of letters, actually in use. 

 These, compared with a perfect alphabet, are, perhaps 

 always, defective in the number of their sounds ; and 

 most of them to a considerable dee'ree. Wherever this 

 is the case ; a nation will be unable to pronounce those 

 sounds in other languages, with respect to which its 

 own language is defective. As many alphabets are se- 

 riously defective ; this fact will produce, in the end, a 

 great diversity of pronunciation. In one nation several 

 sounds will be used, which are omitted by another ; and 

 several will be omitted, which are used by that other. 



The Commutation of letters is another source of chan- 

 ges. The Germans use d where the English use t ; 

 and b, where the English use p ; and vice versa. Thus 

 they say dumplers where the English say tutJiblers, 

 Commutations of this nature, as actually existing in the 

 several nations of mankind, are considerably numerous ; 

 and have a considerable influence in varying pronuncia- 

 tion. The Mojnans, in transferring words from the 

 Greek language into their own, changed 



B into P, e. g. Bocrj^t,) into Pasco, 

 F, BpF^acj into Fremo, 



and V, Tt/ioog into Gilvus. 



They also inverted this order of mutation. 



The Greeks, m making the same transferrence, chan- 

 ged the Roman 



C into r : e.g. Caius into Taiog. 

 The Romans themselves anciently wrote 

 C for G: e. g. Jcnofn for Agimm, and Piicno for Pugno. 

 T 



