Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	old_a	word_n	write_v	2,493	5	5.6402	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A35856	Didascalocophus, or, The deaf and dumb mans tutor to which is added a discourse of the nature and number of double consonants, both which tracts being the first (for what the author knows) that have been published upon either of the subjects / by Geo. Dalgarno.	Dalgarno, George, 1626?-1687.	1680 (1680)	Wing D129; ESTC R11949	52,273	143

and Figures of the letters they would know their places upon the Hand and be able to point to them with the other or the same Hand as readily as to pronounce them with the Tongue And who will not acknowledg that it were a thing desirable and deservedly to be esteemed as a peice of liberal education to be able to speak as readily with the Hand as with the Tongue And therefore who would not think it worth the while to train up young children from their a bc in Glossology and Cheirology pari passu specially seeing the one is no hinderance but a considerable help to the other for I may truly say in the Poets words Alterius nam Altera poscit opem res conjurat amice I thought for the use of children to have given some directions for facilitating the Elementary Discipline of knowing the letters spelling and reading whereby not only the old way might be made much smoother but also by one and the same labour a considerable accession of useful knowledge might be attained by the young Scholar That is together with reading in Books reading on the Hand and as a necessary appendage of this writing upon or speaking with call it which you will the Hand whereas writing with the Hand according to the common use of the word is by it self a distinct and laborious Art But I fear lest some may think that I have already stuft this discourse too much with trifles and pedantry AN APPENDIX TO CHEIROLOGY Containing Some Critical observations upon the Nature and number of Double and Trible Consonants MUCH hath been said by many learned men to describe the nature and causes of Simple Sounds which are the first Elements of Speech as also of Diphthongs and Triphthongs if any such be coalescing of 2 or 3 Vowels into one Syllable But of the coalition of two or more Consonants into one Syllable little or nothing for what I know hath been said by any And yet this composition of Consonants deserves as much to be explained or rather more than the other of vowels because of its greater variety and use Especially by him who would treat of a Philosophical Language or a Grammar for Deaf persons So that my first Treatise of Ars Signorum or Sematology with this second of Cheirology which is a legittimate off-spring of that obliged me to this enquiry If the Question should be put whether in framing of words it were a more rational institution that a single Consonant and a single Vowel should alwaies succeed one another alternatly or that there should be a mixture of Syllables allowed made partly of Diphthongs partly of double consonants My own judgment in the case is That both Nature and Art would make their first choice of an alternate succession of single Vowels and Consonants and that their next choice would be of such compounded vocal sounds as are commonly called Diphthongs and described by Grammarians and such compounded close sounds as are most natural and of an easy pronounciation for describing of which this discourse is intended But that such a Language could derive its origine from blinded Nature and not from Art or a Divine institution is no waies probable For I conceive that there is now no Language upon the face of the Earth in common use but admits of a mixt composition of Diphthongs and Double Consonants And the more rude and uncivilized the people are the more frequent this composition is with them and the sounds the more harsh and unpleasant That roughness of speech wears out with roughness of Manners and smoothness of the one is a natural consequence of the smoothness of the other the English Language and Nation is a sufficient proof And if this be granted it is argument enough to prove that Nature without Art or some more powerful assistance would never bring forth a language in which there should be no Diphthongs or Double Consonants Nature I say as it is now in its degenerate estate How she would have decided this Question in her primitive integrity and perfection or rather how she did actually decide it as we are assured from Gods word she did cannot be otherwaies known to us than by some probable conjectures It is generally thought by the learned that Adam was the Author both by Invention and Practice of the Hebrew Tongue not as we have it now in any of its Dialects yet if it be granted that the Hebrew had for its mother that Language which Adam did invent and speak we may with good reason conclude that corrupted as it is it still retains the substance and Genius of its Mother There being some indelible Characters upon all Languages which common accidents cannot deface For tho the tract of time from Adam to Moses was longer than that from Augustus or Alexander the Great to this present age yet the common accidents which are known to change a language could not be so many and effectual for changing the first language to that which is now called Hebrew as they have been known to be for changing the pure Greek into that which now is used by a remnant of the Grecians and called Modern Greek or for changing the pure Latin ●●tant in Classick Authors into that which is now called Italian which languages notwithstanding keep still so manifest Signatures of their origine that it is easy to discern what Stem they are branches of Now amongst several other defaced reliques of that first and Divine language remaining not only in the Hebrew but also to be found in many other of the Eastern Languages this seems to be very considerable That the Hebrew admits of no composition either of Vowels or Consonants in that same Syllable But all their Radical words consist generally of a single consonant and a single vowel succeeding one another alternatly which cannot well be supposed to be the effect either of degenerate Reason or Chance There are two things more in that ancient language which seem to me unaccountable without referring them to a supernatural cause One is that their radical words consist generally of 3 consonants and for the most part are Dissyllables and these Radical words how different soever in their consonants yet have still the same points Cametz and Pathach which in oral prolation make the same vocal sound with א which as it is the first letter of their Alphabet and from them in all other Languages so is it the first vocal sound in Nature And that originally all their words were Dissyllables as some conjecture is not improbable whereas in all other Languages their Radicals are generally Monosyllables and I think originally have all been so yea so far so that there are many Monosyllables found to be Composita and Decomposita as the Learned Doctor Wallis has ingeniously observed in his English Grammar Another thing is that the Hebrew does often contract a whole sentence into one word incorporating not only pronouns both prefixt and suffixt but also prepositions and