1800.] 
The bufinefs of reporting being, per- 
haps, already in fufficient hands, it’ may 
be a gueftion how tar it would be proper, 
in fuch a publication as I have propofed, 
te intermeddle therewith. On this head 
I have only to obferve, that if fimply the 
principles adjudced, with the titles of the 
cafes, were to be reported, it would be all 
that could be néceflary; whilft, at the 
fame time, I believe, it would exhibit the 
law under a moreconcife form than hitherto 
practiled ; and would, I conceive, poffefs 
the advantage of being the moft popular 
mode that could be devifed.. IT prefume, 
a periodical work of this kind would be 
productive of much utility, and is not un- 
likely with many to have been long a de- 
fideratum ; it may not be in'vain to expect 
that it would be the means of colleéting.a 
fund of valuable knowledge, that may 
otherwife be difperfed and loft ; and- which, 
befides contributing to the gradual im- 
provement of our own particular fyttem, 
might tend confiderably to the advance- 
ment of the {cience of jurifprudence in 
general. That itmay likewife be the means 
of rendering the ftudy of the law more 
popular, is another conjecture, one may 
reafonably be allowed to indulge on its 
behalf. . 
Should thefe fuggefions merit a place in 
your ufeful magazine, Tentertain no doubt 
of your granting the favor requefted. 
Your’s ref{pecttully, 
Portfea, Fan. 12,1800. A.B, 
—_— 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
yy N addition to the queries of Sinboron, 
] in your lafi Magazine, relative to the 
difufe of the original guttural found of 
gh in our language, I beg leave to propofe 
to fome of your philological correipond- 
ents the inquiry, whether we may not 
trace, in the pragreffive innovations which 
all modern languages have experienced, a 
general tendency to the change of outrural 
and palatine founds into labials and den- 
tals? Want of leifure, and, ftill more, 
want of fufficient intimacy with the con- 
firuction and hiftory. of the ancient nor- 
thern languages, oblige me to confine my- 
felf at prefent to a curfory outline of fome 
of the evidences which appear in favor of 
this opinion. 
1. We have not in the Englifh language, 
as now {poken, a iingle guttural found, 
* though its frequent oceurrence in the pri- 
mitive language of this country is noto- 
rious. 2. The found of gh, which cer- 
tainly correfponded originally with the 
Law-work proprfed—On Gutiurals: 
! 
445 
prefent found of ch in the German (as is 
evident from the pronunciation, which it 
yet retains in the moft original dialects of 
our language,) is now either entirely loft, 
or changed into that of the denti-labial fA 
3. The fimple g in German is pronounced, 
in great meafure, by the guttural organs ; 
and Feapprehend there can be little doubt, 
that it was formerly fo with us, though 
now become entirely a palatine found ; and 
in many of our derivatives, we find its” 
place ufurped by the palatine afpirate y, 
or the labial afpirate w—as in fagen, fay, 
magd, maid (mayd), weg, way, bogen, 
bow, magen, maw, &c. Though the » 
and ww are in thefe cafes filent letters, it is 
not-to be doubted, I think, that they had 
originally a found which was intended as 
a fubftitute for that of the guttural g. 
4. Wehave dropped in many initances the 
palatine part.of the found of qu, and have 
retained only its labial found of ww, as in 
quelle, well, qualez, to wail. 5. Thefch of 
the Germans, which has naw,] believe, uni- 
verfally a foft femivocal pronunciation, ap- 
pears to have partaken originally, in many 
inftances at leaft, of the guttural found of 
ch... It is difficult, on any other fuppofi- 
tion, to account for the pronunciation of 
the following among ft other Englifh words, 
which have evidently a German origin— 
feour, from febeuern; feold, from fchelten, 
gefcholten; feiff, trom fchiff; foab, from 
febabe ; feum, trom febaum, feale, from 
Ichale; fcarf, trom fcharpe; fcandal, from 
Schande;, feonce, trom fcbhanze ; , {chool, 
fcbolar, trom. fcbule, fcholar ; fcribe, from 
fcbreiben. 6. The changes of the palatine 
d into the dental #4, are very 1umerous. 
The following infances are fufficient for 
illuftration: daxzken, thank ; deken, thinks 
ding, thing ; dies, this; dorz, thorn; drahty 
thread. , 
Confidering thefe changes as forming 
part of one unitorm fyftem of innovation, 
IT am not difpofed to refer the principle of 
that fyitem either to a degeneracy, as Sin- 
boron feems to intimate, or to an improve- 
ment, in our exercife of the organs of arti- 
culation. It is rather, I apprehend, to 
be fought in the hiftory of thofe changes 
which have taken place in the focial, com- 
mercial, and political relations of fociety. 
Gutturals and a{pirates may be confi- 
dered as occuping nearly the fame ftation 
with refpect to oral, that hieroglyphics 
hold with refpeét to written language. A 
language loaded with gutturals is gene- 
rally charaéteriftic of a nation in the firft 
fiages of civilization. They are well fitted 
for the rude ears of warriors, and for the 
bold eloquence of a camp. But the gut- 
tural 


