ii2 ANALOGY of GREEK LETTERS; 



But although man is plainly poffeffed of this faculty of ar- 

 ticulation, or pronouncing diftinct fyllables j yet the analyfis 

 of thofe fyllables into their conflituent parts, or fimple ele- 

 ments, or into what the Greek writers call so^aa, muft origi- 

 nally have been a work of immenfe ingenuity. Perhaps it 

 would even have been impracticable ever to have made a com- 

 plete analyfis of this kind, without the invention of vifible 

 figns for denoting each of thofe elements. Nor hath any fort 

 of figns, fymbols or characters been found fo proper for that 

 purpofe, as thofe which we call Letters. Indeed, it feems im- 

 poffible to comprehend any other vifible mode of analyzing 

 words into fyllables, and fyllables into fimple elements, than 

 that which is furnifhed by letters. For though we can con- 

 ceive language to be, in fome degree, conveyed by marks of 

 imitation ; as when, in exprefling an elephant, we fhould fet 

 down the figure of that animal : yet we could never analyze 

 fuch a reprefentation, fo as to convey any idea of the different 

 fyllables in the word elephant, or of the elemental founds of 

 any of thofe fyllables *. 



Indeed, the fignificant founds of a language, even confider- 

 ed each in the aggregate, and without any refolution into its 



conflituent 



nuniiatione. But of this derivation', Damm, in his Lexicon, juftly fays, " Id pie magis 

 V quam vere." Eustathius has farther obferved, " That certain birds are called 

 " ^f'goirf? ;" thofe, no doubt, he means of the parrot kind. But the, manner in which 

 thefe poflefs the faculty of articulation, forms but a very flight exception to this cha- 

 racteristic of human nature. Human articulation was defined by the Stoics as follows : 

 <t>vvri i vagSjo? ku.) iw» $nt*oia.{ Iv.-xip.ntpk**) Sound articulate, and proceeding from Sentiment* 

 See Harris's Hermes, p. 322.. 



* Even Dr Wilkins's Real Charatler, which he has, with fuch aftonifhing labour, 

 invented, is not calculated to give any idea of fyllables or elemental founds j and there- 

 fore, in order to complete his fcheme of an univerfal philofophical language, he has 

 likewife invented two alphabets, one of which he calls a Natural CharaBer j this being 

 neceflary for the exprefling of proper names, according to his projecl. See An EJfay 

 towards a real CharaBer and a philofophical Language, by John Wilkins, D. D. Dean 

 of Ripon, and F. R. S. (afterwards Bi/hop of Chef er.) Lond. 1668. fol. 



