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Title: A Handbook of the English Language

Author: Robert Gordon Latham

Release Date: March 29, 2009 [EBook #28436]

Language: English


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Transcriber's note: A few typographical errors have been corrected. They appear in the text like this, and the explanation will appear when the mouse pointer is moved over the marked passage. A HAND-BOOK

 

OF

 

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE,

 

FOR THE USE OF

 

STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITIES AND
HIGHER CLASSES OF SCHOOLS.

 

 

BY

R. G. LATHAM, M.D., F.R.S.,

LATE PROFESSOR OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE,
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON.

 

 

 

NEW-YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY,

443 & 445 BROADWAY.

M.DCCC.LXIV.

CONTENTS.

 

PART I.   GENERAL ETHNOLOGICAL RELATIONS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.   CHAPTER I.   GERMANIC ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.—DATE.   SECTION PAGE   1. English language not British 1 2. Real origin German 1 3. Accredited immigrations and settlements 2 4, 5. Criticism 4, 5   CHAPTER II.   GERMANIC ORIGIN OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.—THE GERMANIC AREA OF THE
PARTICULAR GERMANS WHO INTRODUCED IT.—EXTRACT FROM BEDA.   6, 7. Jutes, Angles, and Saxons 6 8, 9. Extract from Beda 6, 7 10—13. Criticism 8—11 14, 15. Angles 11, 12 16. Saxons of Beda 12, 13 17. Anglo-Saxon area 13 18, 19. The Frisians 13, 14 20. Anglo-Saxon area 14   CHAPTER III.   OF THE DIALECTS OF THE SAXON AREA, AND OF THE SO-CALLED OLD SAXON.   21—29. Old Saxon and Anglo-Saxon 16, 17   CHAPTER IV.   AFFINITIES OF THE ENGLISH WITH THE LANGUAGES OF GERMANY AND SCANDINAVIA.   30, 31. Gothic languages 18 32—34. Divisions of the Gothic stock 18 35. Mœso-Gothic 19 36. Old High German 19 37. Low German 19 38. Frisian and Dutch 19 39. Platt-Deutsch 20 40, 41. Comparison 21—23   CHAPTER V.   ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.—GERMANIC ELEMENTS.—THE ANGLES.   42. Analysis 24 43—54. Angles—their relations 24—28 55, 56. The Frisians 29, 30   CHAPTER VI.   THE CELTIC STOCK OF LANGUAGES AND THEIR RELATIONS TO THE ENGLISH.   57. Branches of the Celtic stock 31 58—60. Structure of Celtic tongues 31—33 61—63. The Picts 33—35   CHAPTER VII.   THE ANGLO-NORMAN, AND THE LANGUAGE OF THE CLASSICAL STOCK.   64. The classical languages 36 65—67. Latin branch 36—40 68, 69. Norman French 40, 41   PART II.   HISTORY AND ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.   CHAPTER I.   HISTORICAL AND LOGICAL ELEMENTS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.   70. Celtic elements 45 71. Latin of first period 46 72. Anglo-Saxon 47 73. Danish or Norse 47 74. Roman of second period 49 75. Anglo-Norman element 49 76. Indirect Scandinavian elements 50 77. Latin of third period 51 78. Latin of fourth period 51 79. Greek 52 80—82. Tables 53—55 83—90. Miscellaneous elements 55—60 91—94. Hybridism and new words 60—62 95. Historical and logical analysis 63   CHAPTER II.   THE RELATION OF THE ENGLISH TO THE ANGLO-SAXON, AND THE
STAGES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.   96. Ancient and modern tongues 64 97. Details 65—68 98. Stages of the English language 68 99. Semi-Saxon 69 100—103. Old English, &c. 70—72 104. Present tendencies 73   PART III.   SOUNDS, LETTERS, PRONUNCIATION, SPELLING.   CHAPTER I.   GENERAL NATURE AND CERTAIN PROPERTIES OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS.   105. Spelling and speaking 77 106. Sounds and syllables 79 107. Vowels 79 108. Divisions 80 109. Sharp and flat sounds 80 110. Continuous and explosive 80 111. General statements 81 112. The sound of h 81   CHAPTER II.   SYSTEM OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS.   113. Certain foreign sounds 82 114. System of mutes 82 115. Lenes and aspirates 83 116. Fourfold character of mutes 84 117. Y and w 84 118, 119. Diphthongs 84 120. Compound sounds 85 121. Ng 85 122, 123. Broad, slender; long, short; dependent, independent 85, 86 124—126. System of sounds 86, 87   CHAPTER III.   OF CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF ARTICULATE SOUNDS.   127. Sharp and flat mutes 88 128. Unstable combinations 89 129. Effect of y 89 130, 131. Double consonants rare 89 132. True aspirates rare 90   CHAPTER IV.   EUPHONY AND THE PERMUTATION OF LETTERS.   133. Euphony 92 134. Permutation 93   CHAPTER V.   ON THE FORMATION OF SYLLABLES.   135. Syllabification 95—97   CHAPTER VI.   ON QUANTITY.   136. Long and short sounds 98 137. Quantity of vowels—of syllables 98 138. Classical and English measurements 99   CHAPTER VII.   ON ACCENT.   139. Place of accents 101 140. Distinctive accents 101 141. Emphasis 102   CHAPTER VIII.   ORTHOGRAPHY.   142. Orthoepy 103 143—146. Principle of an alphabet 103—105 147. Violations of it 105 148. Rules 107 149—151. Details of English 107—109 152. Insufficiency 109 153. Inconsistency 109 154. Erroneousness 110 155. Redundancy 110 156. Unsteadiness 110 157. Other defects 111 158. Historical propriety 113 159. Conventional spelling 113   CHAPTER IX.   HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE ENGLISH ALPHABET.   160—166. Phœnician, Greek, Roman stages 116—124 166—172. Anglo-Saxon alphabet 124—126 173. Anglo-Norman alphabet 126 174. Extract from Ormulum 127 175. Order of alphabet 128   PART IV.   ETYMOLOGY.   CHAPTER I.   ON THE PROVINCE OF ETYMOLOGY.   176—179. Meaning of term 131—133   CHAPTER II.   ON GENDER.   180. Boy and girl 134 181. Man-servant and maid-servant 134 182, 183. Forms like genitrix 135 184. Forms like domina 136 185—189. Genders in English 136, 137 190—192. The sun in his glory; the moon in her wane 138 193. Miscellaneous forms 139—142   CHAPTER III.   THE NUMBERS.   194—197. Numbers in English 143, 144 198. Rule 145 199. Remarks 145 200. Addition of -es 146             Pence, alms, &c. 147             Mathematics 147 201. Children 149 202. Form in -en 150 203. Men, feet, &c. 150 204. Brethren, &c. 150 205. Houses 152 206. Wives, &c. 152   CHAPTER IV.   ON THE CASES.   207—211. Nature of cases 154—156 212. Accusatives 156 213. Datives 157 214. Genitives 157 215. Instrumental 158             All the better 158, 159 216. Determination of cases 159 217. Analysis of cases 160 218. Form in -s 160   CHAPTER V.   THE PERSONAL PRONOUNS.   219, 220. I, we, us, &c. 162 221. You 162 222. Me 163 223—225. Cautions 163, 164   CHAPTER VI.   ON THE TRUE REFLECTIVE PRONOUN IN THE GOTHIC LANGUAGES, AND ON ITS
ABSENCE IN ENGLISH.   226. How far found in English 165   CHAPTER VII.   THE DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS, ETC.   227. He, she, it 166 228. She 166 229. Her, him, his, its, &c. 167 230. Theirs 167 231. Table 168 232. These 169 233. Those 171   CHAPTER VIII.   THE RELATIVE, INTERROGATIVE, AND CERTAIN OTHER PRONOUNS.   234. Who, what, &c. 173 235. Same, &c. 173 236. Other, whether 177   CHAPTER IX.   ON CERTAIN FORMS IN -ER.   237—239. Idea expressed by -er 179—181   CHAPTER X.   THE COMPARATIVE DEGREE.   240. Form in -s 182 241. Elder, &c. 183 242. Rather 183 243, 244. Excess of expression 183 245—247. Better 183—185 248. Worse 185 249. More 185 250. Less 185 251—253. Near, &c. 186 254. Origin of superlative 186   CHAPTER XI.   THE SUPERLATIVE DEGREE.   255, 256. Former 188 257. Nearest 188 258. Next 188 259, 260. Upmost, &c. 189, 190   CHAPTER XII.   THE CARDINAL NUMBERS.   261. How far undeclined 191   CHAPTER XIII.   THE ORDINAL NUMBERS.   262—264. Seven, nine, ten 192 265, 266. Thirteen, thirty 193   CHAPTER XIV.   THE ARTICLES.   267. A, an, the 194   CHAPTER XV.   DIMINUTIVES, AUGMENTATIVES, AND PATRONYMICS.   268—270. Diminutives 197—199 271. Augmentatives 200 272. Patronymics 200, 201   CHAPTER XVI.   GENTILE FORMS.   273. Wales 202   CHAPTER XVII.   ON THE CONNEXION BETWEEN THE NOUN AND VERB, AND ON THE INFLECTION