A dictionary of the English language: in which the words are deduced from their originals, and illustrated in their different significations by examples from the best writers : to which are prefixed a history of the language, and an English grammar (Volume 1).

  • Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784.
Date:
1819
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of the English language: in which the words are deduced from their originals, and illustrated in their different significations by examples from the best writers : to which are prefixed a history of the language, and an English grammar (Volume 1). Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

    60/1196
    In other words it is hard, as thick, thunder, faith, faithful. Where it is softened at the end of a word, an e silent must be added, as breath, breathe; cloth, clothe. Y has a sound of near affinity to that of/, vain, vanity, From /, in the hlandick alphabet, v is only distinguished bj a diacritical point. w. Of w, which in diphthongs is often an undoubted vowel, some grammarians have doubted whether it ever be a consonant; and not rather, as it is called, a double u, or ou, as water may be re- solved into ouater: but letters of the same sound are always reckoned consonants in other alphabets: and it may be observ- ed, that w fol.ows a vowel without any hiatus or difficulty of ut- terance, as frosty ivinttr: Wh has a sound accounted peculiar to the English, which the Saxons better expressed by hp hw, as what, whence, whit- ing; in whore only, and sometimes in wholesome, wh is sounded like a simple h. X. X begins no English word; it has the sound of ks, as axle, ex- Irunrous. Y, when it follows a consonant, is a vowel: when it precedes either a vowel or a diphthong, is a consonant, ye, young. It is thought by some to be in all cases a vowel. But it may be ob- served of y as of w, that it follows a vowel without any hiatus, as rosy youth. The chief argument by which w and y appear to be always vowels is, that the founds which they arc supposed to have, as consonants, cannot be uttered after a vowel, like that of all other consonants; thus we say, tu, \U; do, odd; but in iced, dew, the two sounds of to have no resemblance to each other. Z begins no word originally English; it has the sound, as its name izzard or s hard expresses, of an * uttered with a closer compression of the palate by the tongue, as freeze, froze. In orthography T have supposed orthoepy, or just utterance of wards, to be includ- ed; orthography being only the art of expressing certain sounds by proper charac- ters. I have therefore observed in what words any of the letters are mute. Most of the writers of English grammar have given long tables of words pro- nounced otherwise than they are written, and seem not sufficiently to have con- sidered, that of English, as of all living tongues, there is a double pronunciation one cursory and colloquial, the other regular and solemn. The cursory pronuncia- tion is always vague and uncertain, being made different in different mouths by uegligcncc, unskilfulness, or affectation. The solemn pronunciation, though by no means immutable and permanent, is yet always less remote from the orthography and less liable to capricious innovation. They have however generally formed their tables according to the cursory speech of those with whom they happened to converse; and concluding that the whole nation combines to vitiate language in one manner, have often established the jargon of the lowest of the people as tlie node] of speech. For pronunciation the best general rale is to consider those as the most elcant speakers who deviate least from the written words. There have been many schemes offered for the emendation and settlement of our orthography, which, like that of other nations, being formed by chance or ac- cording to the fancy of the earliest writers in rude ages, was at first very various and uncertain, and as yet sufficiently irregular. Of these reformers some have en- deavoured to accommodate orthography better to the pronunciation, without con- sidering that this is to measure by a shadow, to take that for a model or standard which is changing while they apply fur it. Others, less absurdly indeed, but with equal unlikelihood of success, have endeavoured to proportion the number of letters to that of sounds, that ev ery sound may have its own character, and every character a single sound. Such would be the orthography of a new language to be formed by a synod of grammarians upon principles of science. But who can hope to pre- >ail oo nations to change their practice, and make all their old books useless' or what advantage would a new orthography procure equivalent to the confusion and perplexity of such an alteration.- Some of these schemes 1 shall, however, exhibit, which may be used according to the diversities of genius, as a guide to reformers, or terrour to innovators ° One of the first who proposed a scheme of regular orthography, was Sir Tho- rns Smith, locrctary of state to Queen Elizabeth, a man of real learning and much practised in grammatical disquisitioas. Had he written the following lines according to his scheme, they would have appeared thus: At length Erasmus, that great injur'd name, The glory of the priesthood and the shame, Stemm'd the wild torrent of a barb'rous age, And drove those holy Vandals off the stage. At lengB Erasmus, Bat grot mjurd n.im, Ae glon of Be prosthiid, and Be z m, Stemmd 3e icild torrent of a barb'rous ij, And drt.v »os holi Vandals i fl Be stij. After him another mode of writing was offered by Dr. Gill the celebrated mas- ter of St. Paul's school in London; which I cannot represent exactly for want of types, but will approach as nearly as I can by means of characters now in use, so as to make it understood, exhibiting two stanzas of Spenser in the reformed or- thography. Spenser, Book iii. Canto 5. Unthankful wretch, said he, is this the meed, With which her sovereign mercy thou dost quite? Thy life she saved by her gracious deed; But thou dost ween with villainous despight, To blot her honour, and her heav'nly light. Die, rather die, than so disloyally Deem of her high desert, or seem so light. Fair death it is to shun more shame; then die. Die, rather die, than ever love disloyally. But if to love disloyalty it be, Shall I then hate her, that from deathes door Me brought? all! far be such reproach from me. What can I less do, than her love therefore, Sith I her due reward cannot restore? Die, rather die, and dying do her serve, Dying her serve, and living her adore. Thy life she gave, thy life she doth deserve; Die, rather die, than ever from her service swerve. Ynljankful wr»D, said hj, iz Bis Be mjd, Wii) tni) hsr sofcerain mersi Bou dust qujt? Dj Ijf rj s«tls d bj hsr grasius djd; But Bou dust wen wit) hilenus dispjt. Tu blot htr honor, and her hibnlj liAt, Dj, raBir dj, 8«n so disloialj Djm of her hi/i dezert, or sjm so liAt. Fair del) it iz tu run mar j-am; Bin dj. Dj, ratter dj, Ben etoer lull disloialj. But if tu luv disloialtj it bj, Sal I Bin hat her Bat from deBez d»r Mj brou/it? ah! far bj sua reproa from mj, Wat kan I les du S«n her luh Berf«r, SiA I her du reward kanot restor? Dj, raBer dj, and dji5 du her setb, Djij her sertl, and litoij her adar. Dj Ijf rj gab, Bj Ijf rj du/i dezerfc; Dj, raBer dj, Ben etoer from her serlijis swertJ. Dr. Gill was followed by Charles Butler, a man who did not tvant an under- standing, which might have qualified him for better employment He seems to have been more sanguine than his predecessors, for he printed his book accord- ing* his own scheme; which the following specimen will make easily under- But whensoever you have occasion to trouble their patience, or to come amone them being troubled, it is better to stand upon your guard, than to trust toTei? gentleness. For the safeguard of your face, which they have mosf m nd unto provide a pursehood, made of course boultering, to be drawn and knit about your collar, whichfor more safety is to be lined against the eminent part wSwooK cloth. First cut a piece about an inch and a half broad, and a half a vardTone to reach round hy the temples and forehead, from one ear to the ofter which beS yls^for & ffiMi TJ *\ ^ pieCCS °f the Same ^eadth'under6 ! izittvgstt&the eyes and ^ £« M bee^STit^ For 4 «?'Srf 5 you ?aC S T *? ^ T t0 trust to 8eir 8»«enei. mad' of coorSbouC; to Z V Tf * mf Unt°> Provid' a punehood, saf'ty is to bee lined aSstJl 7 *, * ab°Ut y°Ur C0,lar> ™ for mor' abouTanlno and a haTbroad8 ZZk * %T WOoUen C'°r- First cut a Pc' and for'head, from one ear to*, f a. J^d long, to rea3 round by Be temples £ £ Peec'es S Z Z £3^55? SSSffftJ ST* S eys and parts -bi^^^CE KlKES? ~ * Butler on the Mature and Properties of Bus, 1634.