Asrauam.—On the Origin of English Vowel Sounds. 73. 
142. Dysporus serrator, Banks. 
143. piseator, Linn. 
144. Fregata aquila, Linn. 
Art. VIL—O» the Celtic Origin of the English Vowel Sounds. By the 
Right Reverend C. J. Asranam, Bishop of Wellington, Vice-President. 
[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 15th September, 1868.] 
Tue English pronunciation of the vowels is unique. The English language 
mainly consists of Saxon words, and yet our pronunciation of those words 
does not accord with that of our Teutonic kinsfolk. Evidently we did not 
get our vowel sounds from the German. I believe that we derived them from 
the Celt, and I arrive at this conclusion through the French mode of pro- 
nouncing Latin words. 
I take the vowels in order, and observe—(1.) That our vowel sound of 
a in “table” corresponds with the French mode of pronouncing the follow- 
ing words, which I give as specimens merely, e.g. :— 
LATIN FRENCH LATIN FRENCH 
Pater Père Pagus Pays 
Mater Mère Pacare Payer 
Frater Frère Placere F 
alis Tel Tacere Taire 
Qualis Quel s Cher 
Pavor — ... Peur Lana ^ ne 
Labrum ... Lévre Caballs  ... Cheval 
Castanea ... Chéne Caminus  ... Cheminée 
(2.) The English sound of e in “we” :— ; 
LATIN. FRENCH. LATIN. FRENCH. 
Decem  .. ix Deus em Dieu 
Bene i Bien Vetus mm Vieux 
Tene T Tiens Legere "is Lire 
Veni cat Viens Senior Ae Sire 
Pejor vay Pire Lepus i Liévre 
Melior .... Mieux . Meus e Mien 
This head admits of a remarkable illustration from the lately-discovered 
* Codex Sinaiticus,” which gives the original Greek of a Latin translation of 
a letter of Barnabas, in which Latin version he is made to quote a text of 
Scripture, and to add the words “ut Filius Dei dicit." It now is seen from 
the original Greek that the reader was probably a Celt, who said as we do, 
“ut filios Dei decet," which the copyist, being an Italian, understood to be 
dicit, and so he altered the word jilios to filius. 
(3.) Our sound of i in “ bite” is a modification of the French corruption 
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