122 ANALOGY of GREEK LETTERS; 



The general difference betwixt vowels and confonants has been 

 very accurately dated by Dr Wjlkins, in the following words: 



Thofe letters are called Vocales, vowels, in pronouncing of 

 " which by the inftruments of fpeech, the breath is freely 

 " emitted ; and they are therefore flyled Apert, or open letters. 

 '* Thofe letters are ftyled Confonants, in the pronouncing of 

 " which the breath is intercepted by fome collifion or clofure 

 " amongft the inftruments of fpeech ; and for this reafon are 

 " they ftyled Claufce Litera *." 



The feventeen Greek confonants were divided by the elder 

 grammarians into eight femivowels and nine mutes. " Of the 

 " confonants, fays Theodore Gaza, fome are femivowels, 

 " as £, |, \J/, X, ft, v, g t <r, of which £, f, ^, are double, and 

 " X, //,, v, £, are immutable and liquid "j\" According to 

 this arrangement, <r is a femivowel ; but in the fubdivi- 

 {ion of the femivowels into double confonants and liquids, 

 it is tacitly omitted. For this Gaza had the authority of 

 Dionysius the Thracian J, and probably of Apollonius 

 Dyscolus, whom he very much followed. Constantine 

 Lascaris has expreffed himfelf very nearly in the fame 

 words §. But Emanuel Chrysoloras is more explicit. His 

 Grammar is in the form of queftion and anfwer. " How are 

 " the feventeen confonants divided ? Into two forts, femivowels 

 " and mutes. How many are femivowels ? Eight, £, f , ip, X, p y 

 " v, £, c. How are the femivowels divided ? Into three forts, 

 " double confonants, immutable confonants, and <r. How ma- 



" ny 



* EJfay towards a real CharaBer, &c. p. 363. and 366. 



-j- Twv ti cvfiQaivv , ra fttn vu.t<pa-j</., oTav £. |. $/. >. y.. v. £. c. av 2»7r*« piv £. f. ij/. a/xslafeiAa 

 H % iiy^x A. /u. ». f. Theod. Ga2« IntroduBionis Grammatica libriW. fol. 3. Bajil. 

 apud Valent. Curionem. 8vo. 



J Vide Dionysii Ihracis Art. Grammat, Extat in Fab. Bibliath. Gr. Vol. VII. 

 p. 26. 



§ Vide Constantini Lascaris Grammatica Compendium, p. 2. apud Pa.ulum Manu- 

 tium, Aldi F. Venet. 1557. i2mo. 



