Page:The grammar of English grammars.djvu/188

 vow.

An improper diphthong is a diphthong in which only one of the vowels is sounded; as, oa in loaf, eo in people.

A triphthong is three vowels joined in one syllable; as, eau in beau, iew in view, oeu in manoeuvre.

A proper triphthong is a triphthong in which all the vowels are sounded; as, uoy in buoy.

An improper triphthong is a triphthong in which only one or two of the vowels are sounded; as, eau in beauty, iou in anxious. The diphthongs in English are twenty-nine; embracing all but six of the thirty-five possible combinations of two vowels: ''aa, ae, ai, ao, au, aw, ay,--ea, ee, ei, eo, eu, ew, ey,--ia, ie, (ii,) io, (iu, iw, iy,)--oa, oe, oi, oo, ou, ow, oy,--ua, ue, ui, uo, (uu, uw,) uy''.

Ten of these diphthongs, being variously sounded, may be either proper or improper; to wit, ay,--ie,--oi, ou, ow,--ua, ue, ui, uo, uy.

The proper diphthongs appear to be thirteen; ''ay,--ia, ie, io,--oi, ou, ow, oy,--ua, ue, ui, uo, uy: of which combinations, only three, ia, io'', and oy, are invariably of this class.

The improper diphthongs are twenty-six; ''aa, ae, ai, ao, au, aw, ay,--ea, ee, ei, eo, eu, ew, ey,--ie,--oa, oe, oi, oo, ou, ow,--ua, ue, ui, uo, uy''.

The only proper triphthong in English is uoy, as in ''buoy, buoyant, buoyancy; unless uoi in quoit'' may be considered a parallel instance.

The improper triphthongs are sixteen; ''awe, aye,--eau, eou, ewe, eye,--ieu, iew, iou,--oeu, owe,--uai, uaw, uay, uea, uee''.

SYLLABICATION.

In dividing words into syllables, we are to be directed chiefly by the ear; it may however be proper to observe, as far as practicable, the following rules.

RULE I.--CONSONANTS.

Consonants should generally be joined to the vowels or diphthongs which they modify in utterance; as, An-ax-ag'-o-ras, ap-os-tol'-i-cal.[110]

RULE II.--VOWELS.

Two vowels, coming together, if they make not a diphthong, must be parted in dividing the syllables; as, A-cka'-i-a, A-o'-ni-an, a-e'-ri-al.

RULE III.--TERMINATIONS.

Derivative and grammatical terminations should generally be separated from the radical words to which they have been added; as, ''harm-less, great-ly, connect-ed: thus count-er and coun-ter'' are different words.

RULE IV.--PREFIXES.

Prefixes, in general, form separate syllables; as, ''mis-place, out-ride, up-lift'': but if their own primitive meaning be disregarded, the case may be otherwise; thus, re-create, and rec'-reate, re-formation, and ref-ormation, are words of different