Page:AnEssayTowardsARealCharacterAndAPhilosophicalLanguage.pdf/43

 Chap, IV.y ntannu: Hugo.

‘ Imperfeëîz'on in Wordi".

"KL

‘i “Pff

ln which refpeů the Roman Alphabet, and our Едут), D¢9rîsir~l¢

which follows it very near, are much more convenient then the гей, ЁЁЁЬШЩ ŕ where each Letter is named (imply by its Power. Though herein like wife there be fome defetïts : for the letter С fhould not be named See,

but Kee :, and G, not, as ufually We do, Ёееэ but Гп: and foR, tocon form it with the refr, fhould be called er, not ar 5 and Z íhould be ftyled ez., not Lad. 5. ­Iheir Figure: have not that correßzonelencj to their Natures and

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Powers which were deÍirable in an artificially-invented Alphabet, wherein the Vowel: ought to have fomething anfwerable in their Chara де’ unto the fever-al kinds of Apertion which they have in their found.

And fo for the вид/дамп, they Íhould have fome fuch affinity in their ì Figure: as they have in their Poiven. ’Tis fo in fome of them, Whether purpofely or cafually, Iknow not 5 as B P. b p. CG. SZ. and perhaps T D, t d: but not in others.

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To this may be added, the .manner of writing as to the Oriental Tonguesfrom the right hand to the left, which is as unnatural and incon

venient, as to write with the light on the wrong Нос.

The yew: them- mi; „dc

felves write their particular firokes of Letters from the left to the right Cau ISL- l»

hand 5 and therefore it would be much more rational, that their words “9'4" lhould be written fo too. Belides thefe Defects in the ufual Alphabet: or Letten, there are feve ral others likewife inthe Word: of Language, and their Accidents and

Confiruůions. r. In regard _of Equivocab, which are of feveral Íignilications, and

therefore mult needs render fpeech doubtful and obfcure5 and that ar

gues a de/i‘ciency, or want of a fuflicient number of worden Thefe are ei ther alifolutel) lo,or in their figurative coníiruétion, or by reafon of Phra feologie:. Of the firll kind there are great variety in Latin. So the word Бытие:

. L l B E R. 4P” d Politico: Oratore: (_ ßgmßmf 1in/fico: J

Codicern. `

Lihertate fruentern ’ FЩит. Arhori: corticetn.

So the word Mala: ñgnilies both an Apple-tree, and Evil, and the Maß of a jhip z, and ~Populur Íignifies both a Poplar-tree, and the People, &c. Belides fuch Equivocals as are made by the injïexion of words: as Lex, legit, legi, Lego, legis, legi: Stu, ßti:5 Suo,ßti:5 Snu:,jîti: : Aniare‘ the Ad verb, Arno, anios, afnam“, amare 5’ and Arnor, amari: wel anzare: with

abundance of the like of each kind. Nor is it better with the Щи Tongue in this refpeét, in which there is great variety of Equìvocals. So the word Biüíignilies both a Weapon, a Bird’s and aand written Зная! lignilies‘ both So her, andBeek, Sepulcher, to Саше, Sie.: The word Grave i

As for the ambiguity of words by reafon of Metaphor and Phrajêology, this is in all inliituted Languages fo obvious and fo various, that it is need

lefs to give any inl’tances of it 5 every Language having fome peculiar phrafes belonging toit, which, if they were to be tranllated verbatim in

to anothcůTonguc, would feem wild and infignificant. D

In which our Englilh

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