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370
Concerning Natural Grammar.
Part III.

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

Vowels.
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

Prepoſed.
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.
2. They