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Show 106 Additional Notes. termed moods and tenses in grammars, and convert the participle above mentioned into a verb; as that participle had originally been formed by adding a termination to a noun, as chaining, and chained, from chain. The great variety of changes of termination in all languages consists therefore of abbreviations used instead of additional words; and adds much to the conciseness of lan guag<;:, and the quickness with which we arc enabled to communicate our ideas; and may be said to add unnumbered wings to every limb of the God of Eloquence. 107 ADDITIONAL NOTES. XV. ANALYSIS OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS. The tongue, the lips articulate; the throat With soft vibration modulates the note. CANTo III. l. 367. HAVING explained in the preceding account of the theory of language that it consists solely of nouns, or the names of ideas, disposed in succession or combination; I shall now attempt to investigate the number of the articulate sounds, which constitute those names of ideas by their successions and combinations; and to show by what parts of the organs of speech they are modulated and articulated; whence may be deduced the precise number of letters or symbols necessary to suggest those sounds, and form an alphabet, which may ipell with accuracy the words of all languages. I. Impeifections of the present Alphabet. It is much to be lamented,, that the alphabet, which has produced and preserved almost all the improvements in other arts and sciences, should have itself received no improvement in modern times; which have added so much elucidation to almost every branch of knowledge, that can meliorate the condition of humanity. Thus in our present alphabets many letters are redundant, others are wanted; some simple articulate sounds have two letters to suggest them; and in other instances two a1:ticulate sounds are suggested by one letter. Some of these imperfections in the alphabet of our ow1i.language shall be here enumerated. · |