after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God."

There is one permanent and visible state which the Christian must reach. It is that where his life will be in general accordance with the requirements of God's word. He must be able to say with Paul, I know nothing by myself. He must live free from open, known sin, free from transgression in secret. His growth must be permanently upward into the stature of a perfect man in Christ. To this state he will be raised not by dwelling on any abstract notion of the actual attainment of perfect holiness in this life. Neither true philosophy, nor the impulses of the new man, will lead him to this. But by beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, he will be thus changed into the same image from glory to glory. By doing the will of God, he shall know more and more of the length, and breadth, and height, and depth, of redeeming love. And the truth shall make him free, increase his power, elevate his joy. Let the Church turn its eyes to those great objects which are adapted to excite holy affections, let the ambassadors of the kingdom of God hold up "Christ crucified,” and the gospel shall be armed with the power manifested in the primitive age, in the holiness of believers and the conversion of the world.

VIII.

ARTICLE VIII.

ON THE NATURAL SIGNIFICANCY OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS.

By Josiah W. Gibbs, Prof. Sac. Lit. Yale College, New Haven.

A New Dictionary of the English Language; by Charles Richardson. Part XXX. Lond. 1838. pp. 72. quarto.

THIS number of Richardson's English Dictionary consists of a preliminary essay, preface, and table of terminations. Our concern in this short notice, is solely with the preliminary essay; the principles of which, we are told by the author, are exoteric to English lexicography. The general subject of the essay is indeed very important, but we are not aware that Mr.

Richardson's doctrine, whether right or wrong, has seriously affected his great work.

It is the idea of our author, which he endeavors to support from Aristotle, that every vowel or consonant sound has a distinct significancy which is still perceptible, when such sounds are combined together to form words. Although there is much that is unsatisfactory and highly fanciful in his development of this principle, yet we cannot withhold our grateful acknowledgment to him for bringing it before the public, inasmuch as the truth at which he aims is important in itself, and has been greatly neglected. We shall then, without any further reference to Mr. Richardson, endeavor to support the position, that language is not entirely arbitrary or conventional, but on the contrary articulate sounds have a natural adaptedness to express specific ideas.

es

This natural significance of sounds, although it has hitherto been exhibited imperfectly, and only in distant surmises, is now beginning to be regarded as one of the deepest and most important doctrines in philology. It is considered as an tablished fact, that any articulate sound has in itself a specific import. For in order to the existence of language, it is not enough that man has the organs of speech, that he has sensations and ideas, and that he has a desire to communicate them to others; but it is also necessary that sounds should have a natural adaptedness to express the particular sensations and ideas.

Although existing languages exhibit, as it were, only partial fragments and mutilated ruins of the ancient tongues once spoken on our earth; yet the principle for which we contend is still sufficiently evident in them, more especially in the popular dialects, and in the terms employed for describing sensible objects, operations, and relations. In innumerable cases, where the relation is the same, the same sound has been chosen, to speak algebraically, as the exponent of that relation.

It must, however, be remarked that the natural significancy of sounds is for the most part a matter of feeling, and cannot be exhibited in nice logical distinctions. Instruction on this subject can only furnish hints, which may awaken attention to the life and energy which pervades language, and give a general idea of the import of sounds.

Some of our best poets have been highly commended for adapting the sound to the sense. Surely this would not be

possible, unless there were some correlation between sound and sense.

The vowel constitutes the life and soul of a word, the consonant its body or form. The vowel is more fleeting and changeable, yet not entirely arbitrary.

In examining the import of the different vowel and consonant sounds, we shall endeavor to follow the order of their developHence we begin with the vowels.

ment.

I. The mean vowel a.

The sound of a in father is to be regarded as the leading vowel-sound in the Indo-European languages; (1) Because it is the simplest and most easily enounced. (2) Because it is first enounced by children. (3) Because it is the most common vowel-sound. (4) Because it is a part of most roots, and (5) Because it stands at the head of most alphabets.

Among the uses of this vowel are the following:

1. As the enunciation of this vowel requires nothing but the ordinary position of the organs of speech with a simple opening of the mouth and breathing, it is the natural expression of passion, pain or grief; as Sansc. ha, Pers. ah, Heb. ahh, Arab. ah, Gr. ά, Lat. ah, Germ. ach, ah, Eng. ah, Welsh a, Irish a. 2. It enters into some verbs signifying to breathe; as, Gr. aw, Lat. halo, halare.

3. As the first and leading vowel, it is used where no reason exists for any special vowel. Hence it is found, as stated above, in a large proportion of Indo-European roots; in the technical names of the letters in Sanscrit, etc.

II. The extreme vowels u, and i.

U, the lowest sound in the scale of vowels, is produced deep in the breast. Hence

1. It expresses low and obscure sounds; as, Gr. μoquvow, Lat. murmuro, Russ. murtshu, Germ. murren, Eng. murmur; Gr. uvca, Lat. mutio, musso, Eng. mutter; Dutch grommelen, Eng. grumble; Dan. grum, Eng. grum, Welsh grwm; Gr. youso, Old Lat. grundio, Germ. grunzen, Eng. grunt.

2. It expresses the red in color, (for what reason does not appear ;) as Gr. ερυθρός, πυρρός, πορφύρα; Lat. ruber, rufus, purpura; Germ. roth, Anglo-Sax. rude, Eng. ruddy, Welsh rhuz, Arm. ruz, Lat. russus, rutilus, Fr. roux.

I, the highest sound in the scale of vowels, is produced high in the throat. Hence

1. It expresses whatever is clear, shrill, bright, or small; as Sansc. didhi, to shine; Lat. viridis ; Gr. pengos.

2. It expresses the white in color, (for what reason does not appear;) as, Prus. sipid, white; Lat. lilium.

III. The mixt vowels o and e.

The o, which is formed from a and u, and the e, which is formed from a and i, partake of the import of the vowels whence they originate.

NOTE. The force of the vowels may be best exhibited in words which differ only in their vowels ; as Gr. κρώζω, κράζω, κρίζω; μακρός and μικρός; αλαλάζω and ἐλελίζω ; Lat. cachinnor, to laugh aloud, and Germ. kichern, to titter; Eng. ball and pill, both from Lat. pila; Eng. gloom and gleam; flame and flimmer; shake and shiver; quake and quiver; juggle, gaggle, giggle; cluck, clack, click; croak, crack, creak; Fr. gronder and grincer.

In passing to the consonants we observe, that the strong or weak consonants naturally denote strength or weakness respectively; and that the consonant of a particular organ of speech usually enters into the name of that organ.

IV. The breathing or aspiration, h.

The letter h, or the breathing, is naturally adapted to express a breathing, or whatever occasions it, an aspiration for something, or whatever occasions it; as, Lat. halo, to breathe; Sansc. iha, desire; Zend. honover, desire; also many Hebrew roots formed with hhav, hav, and av, Lat. aves, which primarily denote breathing.

V. The semi-vowels w and y.

These letters from their extreme weakness are naturally adapted to express weakness, gentle motion, and kindred ideas; as, Lat. vado, (comp. Germ. waten, Eng. wade ;) veho, (comp. Germ. wegen in bewegen, Eng. wag, weigh, wagon, wain, way, wave ;) vacillo, (comp. Germ. wackeln, Eng. waggle;) verto, (comp. Lat. versus, Germ. -wärts, Eng. -wards ;) volvo, (comp. Germ. wälzen, Eng. wallow, welter;) Germ. wallen, to spring

SECOND SERIES, VOL. II. NO. III.

22

up, (whence Eng. well;) wandern, (Eng. wander;) wehen, to blow, (comp. Lat. ventus, Eng. wind;) wenden, to turn, (Eng. wend, past went ;) winden, (Eng. wind;) weichen, to yield; wühlen, to stir. So w, when preceded by s, or sh; see below.

The Hebrew employs y initial, where the Arabic has w; and the Teutonic uses w initial in the interrogative, where the Sanscrit has y. Hence these semi-vowels cannot greatly differ in their import.

VI. The liquids 1 and r.

These liquids are naturally opposed to each other, as smooth and rough. In some languages, as the Sanscrit, they constitute vowels.

1. The smooth liquid 7, occurs in the name of the organ which is employed in its enunciation; as, Lat. lingua.

2. It occurs in the name of actions, in which the tongue is principally concerned; as, Gr. ladéo, (comp. Lat. lallo, Germ. lallen, Eng. loll, Welsh llolian;) kárrw, (Lat. lambo, Dan. labe, Eng. lap, Welsh llepiaw, lleibiaw;) laquoow; dɛizo, (Sansc. lih, Lat. lingo, ligurio, Lithuan. lezu, Russ. lizhu, Germ. lecken, Eng. lick, Ir. lighim;) ληρέω; λοιδορέω; λύζω ; λωβάζω.

3. It expresses whatever is soft or soothing; as, Gr. lavw; λεῖος, (Lat. levis ;) λευρός; λιαρός; λιπάζω ; λούω, (Lat. luo, lavo.)

4. L final in nouns forms diminutives; as Gr. ¿owrúlos, a little lover, from ows; Lat. scutulum, a little shield, from scutum; Gerin. bündel from bund, Eng. bundle from bond; Lat. sacculus from saccus, Germ. säckel from sack, Eng. sachel or satchel from sack. In verbs it expresses a repetition of little actions; as, Lat. cantillo from canto; Germ. betteln from beten; Eng. prattle from prate; tingle from ting; tinkle from tink; crackle from crack; twinkle from twink.

The rough liquid r has the following functions, either alone, or preceded by k or g.

i. It denotes rattling or broken sounds; as, Gr. xoiw; xpoτew; xoоúш; Eng. croak, crack, creak, crash, rattle.

2. It denotes interrupted or distorted motion; as, Germ. rad krumm; Eng. ring, rind, round, cramp, crook, crown, gripe, grasp, grapple. So wr; see below.