and
; and hence, in the cursive character ‛ and ’ marking the vowels.” These last signs (‛ and ’), Professor Geddes humorously styles, “the ghosts of a vanished consonant.”
“This practice of spiritualizing, or of sending letters aloft, that were supposed to have a turn for climbing, has always existed in languages (Encyclop. Brit., 1842).” As examples we have the two dots ¨ and the line ¯ that hover over some words, and may generally be recognised as being the shades of a departed e.
The Romans derived their alphabet from the Greeks; and the Roman characters are those now in general European use.
The claims of H to a high respectability are conclusively established by a genealogical review of its ancient lineage. It may be that
“Some storied urn, or animated bust”
may yet be the means of calling back the forms and “fleeting breath” of many of the unknown and rude forefathers of H, that are now lying in the great mysterious Asiatic burial ground.
DISTRIBUTION.
Our attention may now advert to the phonetic significance and distribution of the symbols of which we have just considered the historical aspect.