An Essay towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language/Chapter 29

by John Wilkins

CHAP. XII.

Of Consonants.

Those Letters are stiled Consonants, in the pronouncing of which the Breath is intercepted, by some Collision or Closure, amongst the Instruments of Speech: And for this reason are they stiled Clausae Literæ, as the Vowels are Apertæ.

The common distinction of these into Semi-vowels and Mutes, will not upon a strict enquiry be adaequate. And therefore I do rather chuse to distribute them into these three kinds;

1. πνευματώδη, Spiritous, or Breathed.
2. ἡμίπνευα, (if I may use that word) Semi-spiritous, or half Breath­ed.
3. ἀπνεύματα, Non-spiritous, or Breathless.

1. By Spiritous, or Breathed, are meant such Consonants, as re­quire to the framing of them a more strong emission of the Breath, ei­ther through the

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Nose.
	Mouth.

1. The Consonants which are to be breathed only through the Nose, may be again distin­guished into

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	1. Sonorous, as M. N. Ng.
	2. Mute, as hm. hn. hng.

Both these kinds, as likewise those that follow through the Mouth, have some imperfect sound of their own, without the joyning of any Vowel with them; though the sonorous only be Vocal; and the mute sort are only a kind of Whisper.

By Sonorous, are meant, such as require some voice or vocal sound, to the framing of them.

By the Mutes of these, are meant other Letters of the same confi­guration, pronounced with a strong emission of the Breath, without any Vocal sound.

(m) is mugitus, the natural sound of Lowing, when the Lips are shut, and the sound proceeds out of the Nose. 'Tis counted of dif­ficult pronunciation in the end of words: For which reason, the La­tin Poets cut it off in Verse, when it comes before a Vowel in the next words: And the Greeks do not terminate any word with it.

(N) is Tinnitus, when the breath is sent out, the Limbus of the Tongue being fixed towards the Gums, or bottom of the upper Fore­teeth. In the pronouncing of this, the breath is emitted only out of the Nose, which makes it differ from (L). 'Tis counted a pleasant and easie Letter, which may perhaps be the reason why this Letter N, and L, and R, are for the most part, both in Greek and Latin immutable, both in Declensions and Conjugations.

(Ng) is framed by an appulse of the Root of the Tongue towards the inner part of the Palat. The sound of it may be continued simple, as well as any other; which makes it evident to be a single letter, and not a compound of n, and g, as we usually write it: Thus the word Anguis, in the true spelling of it, should be writ A, ng, G, ȣ, ι, s. The Hebrew (ע) is supposed by divers Authors, but I think groundlesly, to be of this power. I know several things may be said, to render it pro­bable, that the power here intended, may be sufficiently expressed, by a more soft and slight manner of pronouncing the letters N & G com­pounded together: But I rather incline to reckon it a simple and di­stinct Letter.

To the Sonorous letters of this kind, there are three Mutes of affini­ty, hm, hn, hng; which are formed when the breath is emitted through the Instruments of Speech, in the same position respectively as in the former, but without any Vocal Sound. The two first of these are in use amongst the Welsh and Irish: And the last of them, in the opi­nion of Bellarmine, and some other Grammarians, is rather the true sound of the Hebrew (ע).

2. The Spiritous Consonants to be breathed through the Mouth, are likewise of two kinds,

$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Sonorous, V. Dh. L. R. Z. Zh.
	Mute, F. Th. hL. hR. S. Sh.

(V) is the same with that which we call V Consonant: 'Tis of the same power which is commonly ascribed to B asperated, or rather in­crassated. So the Western Jews pronounce their Letter (ב) when not Dageshated. And 'tis observed that in Ancient Monuments amongst the Latins, these two Letters have been often put for one another: And that in some words,Scaliger de Causis L. L. cap. 28. where the sense hath been very much varied by this change; so Acerbus for Acervus: Veneficium for Beneficium. The power of this Letter was first expressed among the Latins by the Digamma Aeolicum, (ϝ) (so stiled for its Figure, not its Sound) which is now the Character for the Letter (F) but had at first the power of the Consonant (V) and was written in Claudius his time invertedly, as DIℲAI, AMPLIAℲIT.Vossius Gram. lib. 1. cap. 15. This Letter is framed by a kind of straining or percolation of the Breath, through a Chink between the lower lip and upper teeth, with some kind of Murmure.

(F) is the correspondent Mute to this: 'Tis framed by the same kind of position of the Lip and Teeth, and percolation of the Breath betwixt them, with this only difference, that as the former was with some kind of Vocal Sound, so this is wholly mute. This seems to be such an incrassation of the Letter (P) as (V) is of (B). 'Tis answera­ble to the Greek (φ). And though several of the Greek words with (φ) are rendred in Latin by Ph, as Philosophia, Sophista, &c. yet the Ita­lians write Filosofo, Sofista, &c. and some other words are so rendred in Latin, as φύγη, fuga, φήμη, fama. What that diluteness is,Ibid. which Vos­sius saith is more proper to F, than to φ, I understand not; nor is it easie to guess at the meaning of that in Cicero, concerning Fundanius, and Phundanius, unless perhaps it be, as Lipsius guesses, of pronoun­cing it as Pfhundanius, or else as P-hundanius.

(Dh) and its correspondent Mute (Th) are of that power which we commonly ascribe to the Letters D, & T, aspirated or incrassated. And though these two Powers are commonly used by us without any provision for them by distinct Characters, yet our Ancestors the Sax­ons had several Letters to express them. They represented (Dh) by this mark (ð) as in Faðer, Moðer, ðe, ðat, ðen: And (Th) by this mark (þ) as þeif, þick, faiþ. And 'tis most evident that the sounds of them (though we usually confound them, under the same manner of writing) are in themselves very distinguishable, as in these Exam­ples.

Dh.		Th.
Thee, this, there, thence, that, those, though, thou, thy, thine. Father, Mother, Brother, Lea­ther, Weather, Feather. Smooth, Seeth, Wreath, Be­queath.	$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$	$\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \\\ \\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right.}$	Think, thine, thigh, thing, thistle, thesis, thankes, thought, throng, thrive, thrust. Doth, death, wrath, length, strength, Loveth, Teacheth, &c.

These Letters are framed by a percolation of the Breath through a kind of Chink betwixt the tongue and upper teeth, the first with some kind of vocal sound, the other wholly mute.

(Gh) and its Correspondent (Ch) are both of them framed by a vi­bration of the root or middle of the tongue against the Palate, the for­mer being vocal, and the other mute. They are each of them of diffi­cult pronuntiation: The first is now used by the Irish, and was per­haps heretofore intended by the spelling of those English words, Right, Light, Daughter, Enough, Thorough, &c. Though this kind of sound be now by disuse lost amongst us, the latter of them (Ch) is now used amongst the Welsh, and was perhaps heretofore intended by the Greek Letter (χ.) Neither of them is easily imitable by any mouth not trained up to the practise of them.

(L) is Clangor. 'Tis formed by an appulse of the Tip of the tongue to the Palate, and then forcing out the Breath. 'Tis esteemed facilli­ma & liquidissima Literarum; in the pronouncing of which, most Na­tions do agree.

(Lh) or (hL) the correspondent Mute to this, is much used by the Welch: They seem to form it as the other (L) only by abstaining the voice, and a more forcible emission of the Breath, as is used in all other mute letters of the Spiritous kind.

(R) is stridor vel susurrus: 'Tis called from the snarling of Dogs, Litera Canina: 'Tis made by a quick trepidation of the tip of the tongue being vibrated against the palate; for which, they who are disabled, by reason of the natural infirmity of their tongues, which is called τραυλισμὸς, Balbuties, do commonly pronounce in stead of it, the letter (L) which is of a more soft and easie sound. Demosthenes, Alcibiades, Aristotle, Scaliger, the Fathers, are said to have laboured under this Infirmity.

(Rh) or (hR) the correspondent mute to this, is made by a forcible emission of the breath, through the instruments of Speech in the same position as for the Letter (R) but without any vocal sound. 'Tis the same with the Greek (ῥ) and much in use amongst the Welsh. (Z) is by some stiled (S) molle. 'Tis properly the Greek (ζ) and the Hebrew (ז). 'Tis framed by an appulse of the tongue towards the upper Teeth or Gums, and then forcing out the breath from be­twixt the tongue and the upper teeth, with a vocal sound, which makes a more dense kind of hissing, mixed with some kind of murmur, apumq; susurro persimilem: 'Tis of the same affinity with S, as B with P, D with T, and G with C. That double Letter in the Hebrew (צ) which is by some accounted equivolent to this, is of a quite different power, as were easie to illustrate by several examples.

(S) the correspondent mute (though it be commonly reckoned for a semivowel) is framed as the former, but without any vocal sound. 'Tis stiled Sibilus. The power of it is the natural sound of Hissing; for which reason 'tis called Litera Serpentina. The Hebrews have two Characters for this Letter, besides two others for its Allies. Among the Persians all words that signifie Grandeur and Magnificence, are said to be terminated with it: Though others condemn it for a harsh, un­pleasing, quarelling Letter. Messala Corvinus, a great man, and a famous Orator among the Romans, is said to have writ a particular Treatise against this Letter, much esteemed of amongst learned men. And Pindar likewise writ an Ode against it, versus ἀσίγμους, wherein there was no word that had any S in it. The disability of pronouncing this Letter, is called Blaesitas, Lisping, when 'tis corruptly sounded like (th).

(Zh) the sonorous Consonant, and (Sh) its correspondent mute, are framed by a percolation of the breath, betwixt the tongue ren­dered concave, and the teeth both upper and lower: The first being vocal, the other mute. Though they are not provided for common­ly by distinct and simple Characters, yet are they distinct and simple letters; both of them facil and common: The first amongst the French, who express it by I, as in the word Iean, &c. and is easily imitable by us:Judges 12. 6. And though the other did once cost 42000 men their lives, for not being able to pronounce it, yet is it of common use with many Nations.

2. By Semispiritous or half breathed Consonants, are meant such as are accompanied with some kind of vocal murmure, as B, D, G. whereas

3. Those are stiled non-spiritous or breathless, which are wholly mute; as, P, T, C.

(B and P) are framed when the breath is intercepted by the closure of the Lips; the first of them being more soft, with some kind of murmure, the other more hard and wholly mute.

(D and T) are commonly framed, by an appulse or collision of the top of the tongue against the teeth, or upper gums; the first being more soft and gentle, with some kind of murmure, the other wholly mute.

(G and C) are framed more inwardly, by an interception of the breath towards the throat, by the middle or root of the tongue, with such a kind of difference between them, as there is betwixt the two former pairs.

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