A third element in the faultiness of an alphabet is the fault of erroneous representation. The best illustration of this we get from the Hebrew alphabet, where the sounds of
ת
and
ט
, mere varieties of each other, are represented by distinct and dissimilar signs, whilst
ת
and
תּ
, sounds specifically distinct, are expressed by a mere modification of the same sign, or letter.
[§ 249]. The right application of an alphabet.—An alphabet may be both sufficient and consistent, accurate in its representation of the alliances between articulate sounds, and in nowise redundant; and yet, withal, it may be so wrongly applied as to be defective. Of defect in the use or application of the letters of an alphabet, the three main causes are the following:—