# An Essay towards a Real Character, and a Philosophical Language/Chapter 30

CHAP. XIII. Of compound Letters, whether Vowels, Consonants,
Besides these simple Letters before enumerated, there are others commonly used, which may be stiled Compound, both
| $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | Vowels. |
| $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | Consonants. |
The Compound Vowels are called commonly Dipthongs, or Tripthongs, or Bißona in Latin; but because the signification of those words may as well agree with double Consonants, therefore others would have them stiled Bivocales, or Trivocales. Jacobus Matthias in his Treatise de Literis, and our learned Gataker, in a particular Discourse to this purpose, do earnestly contend that there are no such things as Dipthongs. Their principal Arguments depend upon this Supposition, That (ɩ and ȣ) (which are necessary Ingredients to the framing of all usual Dipthongs) are Consonants, the same with y and w. Others would have them to be of a middle nature, betwixt Vowels and Consonants; according to which Opinion I have already described them: From whence the Reason is clear, why these Vowels concur to the making of Dipthongs, because being the most contract of Vowels (as is also the Vowel (ỿ) of which more hereafter) They do therefore approach very near to the nature of Litera clausæ, or Consonants; there being no Transition amongst these, either from one another,or to the other intermediate sounds, without such a kind of motion amongst the Instruments of speech, by reason of these different Apertions, as doth somewhat resemble that kind of Collision required to the framing of Consonants.
Several Languages use several kinds of these Dipthongs, but how many there are in nature, may be easily collected by the former division of Vowels (supposing that to be according to nature) One of these two Vowels ɩ or ȣ must be an ingredient into all usual Dipthongs, either as
| $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | Preposed. |
| $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | Subjoyned. |
1. These Vowels ɩ and ȣ may be preposed in this mixture before each of the other in which case they will have the same power that we commonly ascribe to y and w, and will frame these twelve Dipthongs.
| ɩɑ yall, yawne ɩa yate yarrow ɩe yet yellow ɩo yoke ɩu ɩỿ young | ȣɑ wall ȣa wale ȣe well ȣo woe ȣu ȣỿ wunn, worse. |
| ɑɩ boy aɩ Ay eɩ oɩ uɩ ỿɩ our English (i) in bite | ɑȣ aw aȣ eȣ hew oȣ uȣ ỿȣ owr, owle. |
3. They may be both preposed and subjoyned to themselves and to one another.
| ɩɩ yee ȣȣ woo | ɩȣ you ɩȣ wee |
As for the other intermediate Vowels being preposed before one another, they will not afford any coalescing sounds that are easily distinguishable. E being preposed before ɑ, a, o, ỿ, will scarce be distnguished from ɩɑ, ɩa, ɩo, ɩỿ. A, before E, will be but as ā, before ɑ, o, u, it will not coalesce into a plain sound. The same likewise may be said of the other Vowels, ɑ, o. So that of this kind the whole number is twenty four. And this I conceive to be a sufficient enumeration of the natural Dipthongs.
I cannot deny but that other Dipthongs may be made by the mixture of the Vowel (ỿ) which were perhaps in use amongst the Jews, and exprest by (ע) But being now, as I think, generally disused amongst other Nations, and for that reason very difficult to be pronounced, I shall not therefore take any further notice of them.
When two Vowels are put together by way of Dipthoug, so as to coalesce in one Syllable, ’tis necessary that there should be some Note or Mark in their Characters, to signifie their conjunction, as is usual in some of the Greek and Latin Dipthongs; as (Greek characters) — œ, æ, Otherwise there can be no certainty, whether the word be to be pronounced as a Monosyllable, or Dissyllable, as in D-u-el, Duel. Sw-et, Swet.
’Tis a common Assertion amongst Grammarians, Priscian, Quintilian, and others, That no one syllable can consist of three Vowels, and consequently that there can be no Tripthongs; which I conceive to be founded upon the former mistake; namely, that ɩ and ȣ are to be used as Consonants: For ’tis evident, that each of these may coalesce with every one of the first Dipthongs, as ɩaȣ, yaw, ȣaɩ, way, ɩeȣ yew, ȣỿɩ, in wile, wight, qui, &c.
The compound Consonants are usually distinguished into such as are
| $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | Asperated. |
| $\scriptstyle {\left\{{\begin{matrix}\ \\\ \end{matrix}}\right.}$ | Double. |
1. Those are stiled aspirated, which seem to be mixed with (H) and are usually so written; as θ, φ, χ, שׁ. But in propriety of speech, if aspiration be defined to be an impetus of Breathing, then these Consonants cannot so fitly be said to be aspirated, but rather incrassated by ​compression of the breath in framing of them. Though not only the Europæan Nations do at this present express them by this mixture of (H,) but it was likewise the opinion of the Antients, as may appear; because before those Letters θ, φ, χ, were invented by Palamedes, the Grecians were wont to express the power of them, by adding the aspiration H, to Τ, Π, Κ.Vossius de Gram. cap. 16. Yet 'tis very plain, that each of these Consonants esteemed to be aspirated, are simple Letters; ­because in the prolation of them, the same sound doth still continue, and therefore they ought not to be reckoned amongst the mixed Letters.
2. Double Consonants are such as are compounded of some of the other Letters, and for the Compendium of writing, are in several Languages expressed by single Characters, and reckoned in the Alphabet as if they were distinct species of simple Letters. Such are in the Latin Alphabet Q, X, and the double Letter Z, whose power is the same as DS, or TS. To which Claudius Cæsar would have added an Antisigma in this form (ϽϹ) which should have had the power of the Greek ψ, or PS. Scaliger de de Causis L. L. cap. 21.
As for the Letter Q, 'Tis commonly granted to be a Compound of C and U; Vossius Gram. cap. 27.for which reason, in many ancient Books, the letter V was not written after Q, as being involved in it: so qis, qæ, qid. But what kind of V this should be, is much debated. Some would have it to be the Consonant, against which Joseph Scaliger argues, that then it would not be pronounceable, being of near affinity to F, qfis, for quis. Diatribe de varia literarum pronuntiatione. But upon consideration, it will be found to be the Letter ȣ coalescing into a Dipthong with the subsequent Vowel, cȣam, being the same with quam.
What the true Original is of (J) Consonant, and that power which we give to (Ch) in the words Charity, Cheese, Chosen, Chink, &c. is a question men have much differed about. 'Tis evident that neither of them are single Letters, because in the prolation of them, we do not end with the same sound with which we begin. As for that Conjecture, that I Consonant may be expressed by dzy,Alex. Gyll. Gram. cap. 1. dzyindzyer, Ginger, dzyudzy, Judge, or else that this sound is compounded of the Consonants dy, as dyoy for joy, dyentle, gentle, lodying for lodging. D' Wallis Gram. And so for the power that we ascribe to Ch, that it may be sufficiently expressed by Ty, as ortyard, for Orchard, rityes, for riches: These I think need not any particular refutation. It seems to be plain, that J Consonant is a Compound of D, and Zh; and Ch of T, and Sh.
As for the other three Consonants, that are reckoned in the common Alphabet, K, W, Y, enough hath been said to prove them unnecessary. If C be used alwaies in its proper power (as every Letter ought) then K must needs be superfuous; and therefore the Welsh who use C only for one kind of sound, have no K. And as for the Letters W, Y, their power is the same with that of the Vowels ȣ, and ɩ, as will evidently appear when they are rapidly pronounce before any other Vowel by way of Dipthong, so as to make but one Syllable; ȣɩ wee ȣarr warr, sȣim swim, ɩes yes, ɩoke yoke, ɩȣth youth. The words young and younker being originally of the Dutch, are by them written junk junker.
And as for the Aspirations, wheele, where, when, &c. our Forefathers the Saxons, did antiently prefix the Aspirations before the vow​els; as hȣel, hȣer, hȣen, which will in pronunciation be of the very same sound and power, wherein these words are now used, and therefore is more natural and proper than the common way of writing.
According to this establishment, the simple Letters will be thirty four, whereof eight are Vowels, and twenty six Consonants, besides twenty four Dipthongs.
The Greek Letters are said to have been at first only 16;Vossius de Gram. cap. 18. namely, Α, Β, Γ, Δ, Ε, Ι, Κ, Λ, Μ, Ν, Ο, Π, Ρ, Σ, Τ, Υ. To which Palamedes is said to have added the three Aspirates Θ, Φ, Χ. Epicharmus the Sicilian the double Letters Ζ, ξ, Ψ. Simonides the two long Vowels η and ω. Notwithstanding which, that Alphabet is still in several respects defective.
What Theodorus Bibliander suggests in his Tract de ratione communi omnium Linguarum, that all sounds both articulate, and inarticulate, may sufficiently be expressed by 13 Letters, and an Aspiration, viz. the five ordinary Vowels, & B, G, D, L, M, N, R, S, is so very irrational, that I cannot think it needs any particular confutation.
As for those other new Alphabets that are proposed by Sir Thomas Smith, Bullokar, Alex. Gill, they do none of them give a just enumeration of the simple Elements of speech, but what by the mixture of long and short Vowels, which do not differ specifically, together with the insertion of double Letters, they do too much increase the number of them. Besides that some other Letters are left out and omitted.
According to this establishment of Letters, if the Lords Prayer or Creed were to be written according to our present pronunciation of it, they should be each of them thus Lettered.
The Lords Prayer.
Ỿȣr fadher hȣitsh art in héven, halloëd bi dhỿi nàm, dhỿi cíngdỿm cỿm, dhỿi ȣill bi dỿn, in erth az it iz in héven, giv ỿs dhis dai ỿȣr daili bred, and fɑrgív ỿs ỿȣr trespassez az ȣi fɑrgív dhem dhat trespas against ỿs, and lèd ỿs nɑt intȣ temptasiɑn, bỿt delíver ỿs frɑm ivil, fɑr dhỿn iz dhe cingdɩm, dhe pỿȣër and dhe glɑri, fɑr ever and ever, Amen.
The Creed.
Ỿɩ bɩlìv ɩn Gɑd dhe fàdher ɑlmỿɩtɩ màker ɑf héven and erth, and in Dzhesỿs Crỿɩst hɩz onlɩ sỿn ỿȣr Lɑrd, hȣȣ ȣaz cɑnsèved bỿɩ dhe holɩ Gost, bɑrn ɑf dhe Vɩrgin Màrɩ, sỿffered ỿnder Pɑnsiỿs Pỿɩlat, ȣaz crɩȣsifiëd ded and bỿriëd. Hɩ dessended intȣ hel, dhe thỿrd daɩ hɩ ròs agaɩn frɑm dhe ded. Hɩ assended intȣ héven, hȣèr hɩ sɩtteth at dhe rỿɩt hand ɑf Gɑd dhe fàdher, frɑm hȣèns hi shɑl cỿm tȣ dzhỿdzh dhe cȣic and dhe ded. Ỿɩ bɩlìv ɩn dhe holɩ Gost, the holɩ catholɩc tshỿrtsh, dhe cɑmmɩɑnɩɑn ɑf Saints, dhe fɑrgɩvnes ɑf sɩnz, de resỿrrecsion ɑf dhe bady, and lỿif everlasting. Amen.
Thus much may suffice, concerning the Forms, Eßences, or Powers of the several Letters.
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