MYTHE VERSUS MYTH.
(Vol. vii., p. 326.)
Mr. Keightley's rule is only partially true, and in the part which is true is not fully stated. The following rules, qualified by the accompanying remarks, will I trust be found substantially correct.
English monosyllables, formed from Greek or Latin monosyllabic roots,
(1.) When the root ends in a single consonant preceded by a vowel, require the lengthening e.
(2.) When the root ends in a single consonant preceded by a diphthong, or in more than one consonant preceded by a vowel, reject the e.
1. Examples from the Greek:—σχῆμ-α, scheme; λύρ-α (lyr-a), lyre; ζών-η (zon-a), zon-e; βάσ-ις, base; φράσ-ις, phras-e; τρόπ-ος, trop-e. From Latin, ros-a, ros-e; fin-is, fin-e; fum-us, fum-e; pur-us, pur-e; grad-us, grad-e. Compare, in verbs, ced-o, ced-e.
Remarks.—This rule admits of a modification; e.g. we form from ζῆλ-ος zeal (the sound hardly perceptibly differing from zel-e); from ὥρ-α (hor-a), hour; from flos (flor-is), flower and flour (the long sound communicated to the vowel in the other words by the added e, being in these already contained in the diphthong). Add ven-a, vein; van-us, vain; sol-um, soil, &c.; and compare -ceed in proceed, succeed, formed from compounds of ced-o. Some, but not all, of these words have come to us through the French.
2. Examples from the Greek:—ῥεῦμ-α, rheum; χάσμ-α, chasm; μύρρ-α, myrrh; γλῶσσ-α, gloss; νύμφ-η (nymph-a), nymph; δίσκ-ος, (disc-us), disk; πλίνθ-ος, plinth; ψαλμ-ός, psalm. From Latin, fraus (fraud-is), fraud; laus (laud-is), laud; plant-a, plant; orb-is, orb; plumb-um, plumb; long-us, long, flux-us, flux; port-us, port. Compare, in verbs, damn-o, damn; err-o, err; add-o, add; vex-o, vex.
Remarks.—From roots ending in the same consonant doubled, our derived words ordinarily drop one of them; e.g. στέμμ-α, stem; gemm-a, gem; summ-a, sum; penn-a, pen; carr-us, car. (Note this tendency of our language, by comparing our man with the German mann.)
If the root ends in s or v preceded by a diphthong, or in a consonant +s[[5]] or +v preceded by a vowel, our derived words add e, as παῦσ-ις (paus-a), paus-e; caus-a, cause-e; næv-a, nav-e; puls-us, puls-e; dens-us, dens-e; ἁψ-ίς, aps-e; laps-us, laps-e; vers-us, vers-e; valv-a, valv-e; nerv-us, nerv-e.[[6]] The cause of this lies in the genius of our language, which totally rejects the ending v, and uses s (single) very sparingly in the singular number, except in the ending ous, the genitive case, the third person of the present tense, the obsolete wis, and was. Other words are, the interjection alas; pronouns or pronominal particles; proper names, as Thomas, Chaos; compounds, as Lammas, Christmas; plural adverbs, as towards, thereabouts; and the (perhaps) plural—it ought to be so—alms.[[7]]
From roots ending in a mute +a liquid, our derived words also end in e, and are then in fact dissyllables; e.g. βίβλ-ος, bible; κύκλ-ος, cycl-e; μίτρ-α, mitr-e; νίτρ-ον, nitr-e; πέτρ-ος, petr-e. In this class of words the final letters (after the analogy of Latin) have sometimes become transposed; e.g. λεπρ-ός, lep-er. So now-a-days, cent-er as well as centr-e. Compare metr-e, diamet-er.
To apply our rules to the words required to be formed in an English shape from μῦθ-ος.
Very few words in our language end in th which are not of purely native growth. Frith is questionable exception. Besides the monosyllable plinth, we have imported from the Greek colocynth, hyacinth, labyrinth, with the proper names Corinth, Erymanth, all terminating in nth.
In the ending the our language does not rejoice. Most of such words are verbs, so distinguished from their cognate substantives, as wreathe from wreath. We have, as substantives, lathe (A.-S. leð), hythe (hyð), scythe (more properly sithe, sıðe), tythe (tyðe); as adjectives, blithe (blıðe), lithe (lıð). There may be one or two more.
In all these the sounds is ð (th in this) not þ (th in thick). This appears worth notice.
On the whole, I should venture to say that so uncouth a slip as mythe, when set in our soil, was unlikely to thrive. Still myth is objectionable, though we at Cambridge might quote gyp. However I may seem to be a breaker of my own laws, I suggest, if we must have an English form of the word, that we should write and pronounce myth. Several words ending in th have the preceding vowel lengthened, e.g. both, sloth, ruth, truth (though with the inconsistency attributed to us, one, by the way, generally of orthography rather than pronunciation, we shorten the diphthong in breath, death). Compare also the sound of the endings ild and ind.
I have already troubled you with a very long Note; but, before I close, allow me to add that in what I have advanced I have had in view only our modern mode of spelling, without binding
myself to an opinion of its inferiority or superiority to that of our forefathers. I beg also to protest against Mr. Keightley's wish to banish mythical from our vocabulary. It may be hybrid, but equally so are critical, grammatical, musical, physical, poetical, with a long string of et ceteras.
Charles Thiriold.
Footnote 5:[(return)]
Except x (=cs). Compare flax, wax, ox.
From serv-us (after the French) we form serf.
Rebus, overplus, and surplus may, if not satisfied, take an omnibus, bring their action at the Nisi Prius, and meet there with a nonplus.