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In the diphthong sometimes the o is sounded; as bught, sought, nought, wrought, mów, sów.

But oftener upon the u; as in sound, bound, how, now, thiou, cow.

In the last syllabes, before n and w, the o frequently loseth its sound; as in

person, action, willow, billow.

It holds up, and is sharp, when it ends the word, or syllabe; as in

gó, fró, só, nó.

Except intò, the preposition; twò, the numeral; dò, the verb, and the compounds of it; as undò, and the derivatives, as doing.

It varieth the sound in syllabes of the same character, and proportion; as in

shove; glòve, gróve.

Which double sound it hath from the Latin; as
Voltus, vultus, vultis, voltis.

a

V

b Is sounded with a narrower and mean compass, and some depression of the middle of the tongue, and is like our i, a letter of a double power. As a vowel, it soundeth thin and sharp, as in use; thick and flat, as in us.

It never endeth any word for the nakedness, but yieldeth to the termination of the diphthong ew, as in new, knew, &c., or the qualifying e, as in sue, due, true, and the like.

• When it followeth a sounding vowel in a syllabe it is a consonant; as in save, reve, prove, love, &c. Which double force is not the unsteadfastness of our tongue, or incertainty of our writing, but fallen upon us from the Latin.

Hanc et modò quam diximus J, simul jugatas,
Verum est spacium sumere, vimque consonatum.
Ut quæque tamen constiterit loco priore:

Nam si juga quis nominet, J consona fiet. Terent. Versa vice fit prior V, sequatur illa, ut in vide.

W

d Ut Itali proferunt Edoardo in Edouardo, et Galli, ou-y.

Suävis, suädeo, etiam Latini, ut sa-avis, &c. At quid attinet duplicare, quod simplex queat sufficere? Proindè W pro copia Charactêrum non reprehendo, pro nová literâ certè non agnosco. Veteresque AngloSaxones pro ea, quando nos W solemus uti, figuram istius modi Р solebant conscribere, quæ non multùm differt ab ea, quâ et hodiè utimur y simplici, dum verbum inchoet.

Smithus de rect. et amend. L. A. Script.

W

Is but the V geminated in the full sound, and though it have the seat of a consonant with us, the power is always vowelish, even where it leads the vowel in any syllabe; as, if you mark it, pronounce the two uu, like the Greek &, quick in passage, and these words,

8-ine, x-ant, 8-ood, 8-ast, s8-ing, sɛ-am; will sound, wine, want, wood, wast, swing, swam. put the aspiration afore, and these words, ha-at, h-rich, hx-eel, hx-ether;

So

Will be, what, which, wheel, whether.

In the diphthongs there will be no doubt, as in draw, straw, sow, know.

Nor in derivatives, as knowing, sowing, drawing.

Where the double w is of necessity used, rather than the single u, lest it might alter the sound, and be pronounced knoving, soving, draving;

As in saving, having.

Y

Is also mere vowelish in our tongue, and hath only the power of an i, even where it obtains the seat of a consonant, as in young, younker.

Which the Dutch, whose primitive it is, write Iunk, Iunker.

And so might we write

iouth, ies, ioke, ionder, iard, iclk;

youth, yes, yoke, yonder, yard, yelk.

But that we choose y, for distinction sake; as we usually difference to lye or feign, from to lie along, &c. In the diphthong it sounds always i; as in may, say, way, joy, toy, they.

And in the ends of words; as in

deny, reply, defy, cry.

Which sometimes are written by i, but qualified by e.

e

Siquidem eandem pro v. græco retinet: Certè alium quam i, omni in loco reddere debebat sonum.

B

f Nobis cum Latinis communis. Smith.
Nam muta jubet comprimi labella,

Vocalis at intùs locus exitum ministrat. Terent.

B, Labris per spiritus impetum reclusis edicimus.

C

Mart. cap.

& Litera Androgyne, naturâ nec mas, nec fœmina, et utrumque est neutrum. Monstrum literæ, non litera; Ignorantiæ specimen, non artis. Smithus.

Quomodo nunc utimur vulgo, aut nullas, aut nimias habet vires: Nam modò k sonat, modò s. At si litera sit à k et s diversa, suum debet habere sonum. Sed nescio quod monstrum, aut Empusa sit, quæ modò mas, modò fœmina, modò serpens, modò cornix, appareat; et per ejusmodi imposturas, pro suo arbitrio, tàm s quàm k exigat adibus, et fundis suis: Ut jure possint hæ duæ literæ contendere cum c per edictum, unde vi: Neque dubito quin, ubi sit prætor æquus facilè c cadet

caussa.

h Apud Latinos c eandem habuit formam, et charactérem, quem Eiyua apud Græcos veteres.

But where two ii are sounded, the first will be ever a y; as in derivatives :

e

denying, replying, defying.

Only in the words received by us from the Greek, as syllabe, tyran, and the like, it keeps the sound of the thin and sharp u, in some proportion. And this we had to say of the vowels.

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ATH the same sound with us as it hath with the Latin, always one, and is uttered with closing of the lips.

C

Is a letter which our forefathers might very well have spared in our tongue; but since it hath obtained place both in our writing and language, we are not now to quarrel with orthography or custom, but to note the powers.

Before a, u, and o, it plainly sounds k, chi, or kappa; as in

cable, cobble, cudgel.

Or before the liquids, land r; as in

clod, crust.

Or when it ends a former syllabe before a consonant ; as in

ac-quaintance, ac-knowledgment, ac-tion.

In all which it sounds strong.

h Before e and i it hath a weak sound, and hisseth like s; as in

certain, center, civil, citizen, whence.

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