The English Language Part 33

-- _z_ and _h_ -- _exhibit_, _exhort_.

-- _r_ and _h_ -- _perhaps_.

-- _l_ and _h_ -- _well-head_, _foolhardy_.

-- _m_ and _h_ -- _Amherst_.

-- _n_ and _h_ -- _unhinge_, _inherent_, _unhappy_.

Now in certain languages the _true_ aspirates are of common occurrence, _i.e._, sounds like the _t_ in _nuthook_, the _ph_ in _haphazard_, &c., are as frequent as the sounds of _p_, _b_, _s_, &c. In the spelling of these sounds by means of the English we are hampered by the circ.u.mstance of _th_ and _ph_ being already used in a different sense.

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CHAPTER IV.

EUPHONY; THE PERMUTATION AND THE TRANSITION OF LETTERS.

-- 224. 1. Let there be two syllables, of which the one ends in _m_, and the other begins with _r_, as we have in the syllables _num-_ and _-rus_ of the Latin word _numerus_.

2. Let an ejection of the intervening letters bring these two syllables into immediate contact, _numrus_. The _m_ and _r_ form an unstable combination. To remedy this there is a tendency (mark, not an absolute necessity) to insert an intervening sound.

In English, the form which the Latin word _numerus_ takes is _num_b_er_; in Spanish, _nom_b_re_. The _b_ makes no part of the original word, but has been inserted for the sake of euphony; or, to speak more properly, by a euphonic process. The word euphony is derived from [Greek: eu] (_well_), and [Greek: phone] (_fonae_, a voice). The province of euphony has not been very accurately determined.

-- 225. In the word _number_, _nombre_, the letter inserted was _b_; and for _b_ being the particular letter employed, there is a reason derived from the _system_ of articulate sounds.

1. That the letter inserted should be a consonant is evident. The _vowel_ _e_ (in _num_e_rus_) had been previously ejected.

2. That it should be a mute is evident. A liquid would have given the unstable or unp.r.o.nounceable combinations _mnr_, _mlr_, _mrr_, _mmr_.

3. That it should be a consonant, either of series _b_ or of series _s_, was natural; it being series _b_ and series _s_ with which _m_ and _r_ are respectively connected.

4. That it should be a consonant of series _b_, rather than one of series _s_, we collect from the fact that _msr_ (_numsrus_) or _mzr_ (_numzrus_) give inharmonious, and, consequently, unstable combinations. {158}

5. That of the _b_ series, it should be _b_ or _v_ (flat) rather than _p_ or _f_ (sharp), we infer from the fact of _m_ and _r_ both being flat.

6. Of _v_ and _b_, the latter alone gives a stable combination, so that we have the Spanish form _nom_b_re_, and not _nom_v_re_.

In this we have an ill.u.s.tration of the use of attending to the nature and connections of articulate sounds in general.

-- 226. The affinity of _m_ for the series _b_, of _n_ for the series _t_, gives occasion to further euphonic changes. The combinations _mt_, _md_, _m_, _m_, are unstable. The syllables _emt_, _emd_, are liable to one of two modifications. Either _p_ or _b_ will be inserted, and so make them _empt_ (as in _tempt_), _embd_ (as in _Embden_), or else the _m_ will become _n_, forming the syllable _ent_, _end_, _en_, _en_.

Similar tendencies, in a certain degree, affect the combinations _enp_, _enb_. They are liable to become _emp_, or _emb_. Any one may see that the word _enperor_ embarra.s.ses the utterance.

-- 227. The combination _tupt_ is stable, so also is the combination _tuft_.

But the combination _tupth_ is unstable: since the _p_ is lene, the __ is a (so-called) aspirate. Hence arises a process of accommodation by which the word becomes either _tupt_ or _tufth_ (_tuf_).

In respect to the unstable combination _tupth_, we may observe this, _viz._ that the ways of altering it are two. Either the first letter may be accommodated to the second, _tuf_, or the second may be accommodated to the first, _tupt_. Which of these two changes shall take place is determined by the particular habit of the language. In Greek we add to the radical syllable [Greek: tup]-, the inflectional syllable -[Greek: then].

The _first_ letter, [pi], is accommodated to the second, [theta], and the word becomes [Greek: tuphthen] (_tyfaen_), as in [Greek: etuphthen]

(_etyfaen_). In English we add to the radical syllable _stag_, the inflectional syllable _s_. Here the _second_ letter is accommodated to the first, and the resulting word is not _staks_, but _stagz_.

-- 228. The Irish Gaelic, above most other languages, ill.u.s.trates a euphonic principle that modifies the vowels of a word. The vowels _a_, _o_, _u_, are full, whilst _i_, _e_, _y_, are small. Now if to a syllable containing a small vowel, as _buil_, there be added {159} a syllable containing a broad one, as _-am_, a change takes place. Either the first syllable is accommodated to the second, or the second to the first; so that the vowels respectively contained in them are either both full or both small. Hence arises, in respect to the word quoted, either the form _bu_a_l_a_m_, or else the form _bu_i_l_i_m_.

-- 229. In the words _give_ and _gave_ we have a change of tense expressed by a change of vowel. In the words _price_ and _prize_ a change of meaning is expressed by a change of consonant. In _clothe_ and _clad_ there is a change both of a vowel and of a consonant. In the words _to use_ and _a use_ there is a similar change, although it is not expressed by the spelling. To the ear the verb _to use_ ends in _z_, although not to the eye. The following are instances of the permutation of letters.

_Permutation of Vowels._

_a_ to _[)e]_, as _man_, _men_.

_a_ to _oo_, as _stand_, _stood_.

_a_ to _u_, as _dare_, _durst_.

_a_ to _[=e]_, as _was_, _were_.

_ea_ to _o_, as _speak_, _spoken_.

_ea=[)e]_ to _ea=[=e]_, as _breath_, _breathe_.

_ee_ to _[)e]_, as _deep_, _depth_.

_ea_ to _o_, as _bear_, _bore_.

_i_ to _a_, as _spin_, _span_.

_i_ to _u_, as _spin_, _spun_.

_i=ei_ to _o_, as _smite_, _smote_.

_i=ei_ to _[)i]_, as _smite_, _smitten_.

_i_ to _a_, as _give_, _gave_.

_i=ei_ to _a_, as _rise_, _raise_.

_[)i]_ to _e_, as _sit_, _set_.

_ow_ to _ew_, as _blow_, _blew_.

_o_ to _e_, as _strong_, _strength_.

_oo_ to _ee_, as _tooth_, _teeth_.

_o_ to _i_, as _top_, _tip_.

_o_ to _e_, as _old_, _elder_; _tell_, _told_.

_[)o]_ to _e_, as _brother_, _brethren_.

_[=o]=oo_ to _i_, as _do_, _did_.

_o=oo_ to _o=[)u]_, as _do_, _done_.

_oo_ to _o_, as _choose_, _chose_.

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_Permutation of Consonants._

_f_ to _v_, _life_, _live_; _calf_, _calves_.

__ to __, _breath_, _to breathe_.

__ to _d_, _seethe_, _sod_; _clothe_, _clad_.

_d_ to _t_, _build_, _built_.

_s_ to _z_, _use_, _to use_.

_s_ to _r_, _was_, _were_; _lose_, _forlorn_.

In _have_ and _had_ we have the _ejection_ of a sound; in _work_ and _wrought_, the _transposition_ of one. Important changes are undergone by the sounds _k_, _g_, and the allied ones _nk_, _ng_, _y_, as will be seen in the chapter on verbs.

_Permutation of Combinations._

_ie_=_i_ to _ow_, as _grind_, _ground_.

_ow_ to _i_=_ei_, as _mouse_, _mice_; _cow_, _kine_.

_ink_ to _augh_, as _drink_, _draught_.

_ing_ to _ough_, as _bring_, _brought_.