K erest aut Hispani d, literam suam molliorem, ut cùm veritatem, verdad appellant. Spina autem illa þ, videtur referre prorsùs Græcorum e. At th sonum e non rectè dat. Nam si e non esset alia deflexio vocis, nisi aspirationis additæ, æquè facile fuit Græcis τῷ τ' aspirationem adjungere, quam τῷ ῥ.] CHAP. V. OF THE DIPHTHONGS. Diphthongs are the complexions or couplings of vowels, when the two letters send forth a joint sound, so as in one syllabe both sounds be heard; as in buye, or buie; juice, or juyce. These nine are all I would observe; for to mention more, were but to perplex the reader. The Oa, and Ee, will be better supplied in our orthography by the accenting e in the end; as in bróde, lóde, cóte, bóte, quéne, séne. Neither is the double ee to be thought on, but in derivatives; as trees, sees, and the like, where it is as two syllabes. As for eo, it is found but in three words in our tongue, yeoman, people, jeopard. Which were truer written, yéman, péple, jépard. diphthongs. The triphthong is of a complexion rather to be feared than loved, and would fright the young grammarian to see him: I therefore let him pass, and make haste to the notion CHAP. VI. OF THE SYLLABES. A Syllabe is a part of a word that may of itself make a perfect sound; and is sometimes of one only letter; sometimes of more. Of one, as in every first vowel in these words: a. a-bated. e. e-clipsed. i. imagined. o. o-mitted. u. u-surped. A syllabe of more letters is made either of vowels only, or of consonants joined with vowels. Of vowels only, as the diphthongs. ai, in Ai-ton, ai-ding. au, in au-stere, au-dients. ea, in ea-sie, ea-ting. Of the vowels mixed; sometimes but with one consonant, as to; sometimes two, as try; sometimes three, as best; or four, as nests; or five, as stumps; otherwhile six, as the latter syllabe in restraints; at the most they can have but eight, as strengths. Some syllabes, as the, then, there, that, with, and which, are often compendiously and shortly writ ten; as · en cre t th ch w and w which whoso list may use; bat orthography commands it not a man may forbear it, without danger of falling into præmunire. Here order would require to speak of the quantity of syllabes, their special prerogative among the Latins and Greeks; whereof so much as is constant, and derived from nature, hath been handled already. other, which grows by position, and placing of letters, as yet (not through default of our tongue, being able enough to receive it, The And thus much shall suffice for the but our own carelessness, being negligent to give it) is ruled by no art. The princi pal cause whereof seemeth to be this; because our verses and rythmes (as it is almost with all other people, whose language is spoken at this day) are natural, and such whereof Aristotle speaketh Ex TV άuтoσxediaσμáτwv, that is, made of a natural and voluntary composition, without regard to the quantity or syllabes. abásed, excessive, besóted, obtáin, ungodly, surrender. But the use of it will be seen much better by collation of words, that according unto the divers place of their accent, are diversly pronounced, and have divers significations. Such are the words following, with their like; as In original nouns, adjective or substantive, derived according to the rule of the writer of analogy, the accent is intreated to the first; as in as fatherliness, motherliness, péremptory, háberdasher. Likewise in the adverbs, brotherly, sisterly. All nouns dissyllabic simple, in the first, This would ask a larger time and field differ, defér; désert, desért; présent, than is here given for the examination: presént; réfuse, refúse; object, objéct; ínbut since I am assigned to this province,cense, incense; convert, convért; torment, that it is the lot of my age, after thirty years torment, &c. conversation with men, to be elementarius senex, I will promise and obtain so much of myself, as to give, in the heel of the book, some spur and incitement to that which I so reasonably seek. Not that I would have the vulgar and practised way of making abolished and abdicated (being both sweet and delightful, and much taking the ear) but to the end our tongue may be made equal to those of the renowned countries Italy and Greece, touching this particular. And as for the difficulty, that shall never withdraw, or put me off from the attempt for neither is any excellent thing done with ease, nor the compassing of this any whit to be despaired: especially when Quintilian hath observed to me, by this natural rythme, that we have the other artificial, as it were by certain marks and footing, first traced and found out. And the Grecians themselves before Homer, as the Romans likewise before Livius Andronicus, had no other meters. Thus much therefore shall serve to have spoken concerning the parts of a word, in a letter and a syllabe. It followeth to speak of the common affections, which unto the Latins, Greeks, and Hebrews, are two; the accent and notation. And first, CHAP. VII. OF THE ACCENT. The accent (which unto them was a tuning of the voice, in lifting it up, or letting it down) hath not yet obtained with us any sign; which notwithstanding were most needful to be added; not wheresoever the force of an accent lieth, but where, for want of one, the word is in danger to be mistuned; as in 1 I will promise and obtain so much of myself as to, &c.] "It may be considered as a loss to posterity, that it does not appear he (Ben Jonson ever performed the promise here made, bélief, honour, crédit, All nouns trisyllabic, in the first; countenance, jéopardy, &c. All nouns compounded in the first, of how many syllabes soever they be; as ténnis-court keeper, chimney-sweeper. Words simple in able, draw the accent to the first, though they be of four syllabes; as sóciable, tolerable. When they be compounded, they keep the same accent; as insociable, intolerable. But in the way of comparison, it altereth thus some men are sóciable, some insociable; some tolerable, some intolerable: for the accent sits on the syllabe that puts difference; as sincerity, insincerity. Nouns ending in tion, or sion, are accented in antepenultimâ; as condition, infusion, &c. In ty, à Latinis, in antepenultimâ ; as vérity, chárity, simplicity. In ence, in antepenultima; as péstilence, ábstinence, cover, cancel, carry, búry, with respect to adjusting the quantity of syllabes." Preface to Ward's Essays upon the English Language, p. 5.—WHAL.. Verbs made of nouns follow the accent of the nouns; as to blanket, to básquet. All verbs coming from the Latin, either of the supine, or otherwise, hold the accent as it is found in the first person present of those Latin verbs: as from ánimo, ánimate; célebro, célebrate. Except words compounded of facio; as liquefácio, liquefie And of statuo; as constituo, constitúte. Again a word of number is finite or infinite. Finite which varieth his number with certain ends; as man, men; run, runs; Infinite, which varieth not; as true, strong, running, &c. All variations of verbs hold the accent in both in the singular and plural. the same place as the theme, I ánimate, thou ánimatest, &c. And thus much shall serve to have opened the fountain of orthography. Now let us come to the notation of a word. The figure is to know whether the word be simple, or compounded; as learned, say, are simple; unlearned, gain-say, are compounded. In which kind of composition, our English tongue is above all other very hardy and happy, joining together after a most eloquent manner, sundry words of every kind of speech; as mill-horse, lip-wise, self-love, These are the common affections of a word his divers sorts now follow. A word is of number, or without number. Of number that word is termed to be, which signifieth a number singular, or plural. Moreover, a word of number is a noun or a verb. But here it were fit we did first number our words, or parts of speech, of which our language consists.* as Finite, as the. Infinite, as a. The finite is set before nouns appellatives; the horse, the tree; the earth, or specially Proper names and pronouns refuse articles, except for emphasis sake; as the Henry of Henries, the only He of the town. Where he stands for a noun, and signifies man. The infinite hath a power of declaring and designing uncertain or infinite things; as a man, a house. This article a answers to the German ein, or the French or Italian articles, de Verbum cum substantivo; ut, a puff-cheek, þvotyvätos. Draw-well, draw-bridge. Adjectivum cum substantivo; ut, New-ton, veanoλts. Handi-craft, xeɩpoσopía. Adverbium cum substantivo; ut, down fall. Adverbium cum participio; ut, up-rising, down-lying. OF THE DIMINUTION OF NOUNS. The common affection of nouns is dimi nution. A diminutive is a noun noting the diminution of his primitive. The diminution of substantives hath these four divers terminations. El. part, parcel; cock, cockerel. Ock. hill, hillock; bull, bullock. Ing. goose, gosling; duck, duckling. So from the adjective, dear, darling. Many diminutives there are, which ra her be abusions of speech, than any proper English words. And such for the most part are men's and women's names: names which are spoken in a kind of flattery, especially among familiar friends and lovers; as Richard, Dick; William, Will; Margery, Madge; Mary, Mal. Diminution of adjectives is in this one end, ish; as white, whitish; green, greenish. After which manner certain adjectives of likeness are also formed from their substantives; as devil, devilish; thief, thievish; colt, coltish; elf, elvish. Some nouns steal the form of diminution, which neither in signification shew it, nor can derive it from a primitive; as gibbet, doublet, peevish. CHAP. XII. OF COMPARISONS. These then are the common affections both of substantives and adjectives: there follow certain others not general to them both, but proper and peculiar to each one. The proper affection therefore of adjectives is comparison: of which, after the positive, there be two degrees reckoned, namely, the comparative, and the superlative. t The comparative is a degree declared by plural is all one with the plural absolute; the positive with this adverb more; as wiser, or more wise. The superlative is declared by the positive, with this adverb most; as wisest, or most wise. Both which degrees are formed of the positive; the comparative, by putting to er; the superlative, by putting to est; as in these examples: learned, learneder, learnedest; trew, trewer, trewest; black, blacker, blackest; as Sing. {father, Plu. fathers. fathers. General Exceptions. Nouns ending in z, s, sh, g, and ch, in the declining take to the genitive singular i, and to the plural e; as Princes, Plu. Princes, Sing. {Princes, so rose, bush, age, breech, &c. which distinctions not observed, brought in first the monstrous syntax of the pronoun his joining with a noun betokening a possessor; From this general rule a few special as the prince his house, for the princes words are excepted; as good, better, best; house. The second declension formeth the plural from the singular, by putting to n; which notwithstanding it have not so many nouns as hath the former, yet lacketh not his difficulty, by reason of sundry exceptions, that cannot easily be reduced to one general head: of this former is oxe, oxen; hose, hosen. Exceptions. Man and woman, by a contraction, make men and women, instead of manen and womanen. Cow makeskine or keene: brother, for brotheren, hath brithren, and brethren: child formeth the plural, by adding besides the root; for we say not childen, which, according to the rule given before, is the right formation, but childern, because that sound is more plea sant to the ears. |