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It is not only important, but, in a degree necessary, that the people of this country, should have an American Dictionary of the English language; for, although the body of the language is the same as in England, and it is desirable to perpetuate that sameness, yet some differences must exist. Language is the expression of ideas; and if the people of one country cannot preserve an identity of ideas, they cannot retain an identity of language. |
J. This letter has been added to the English Alphabet in modern days; the letter I being written formerly in words where J is now used. It seems to have had the sound of y, in many words, as it still has in the German. The English sound of this letter may be expressed by dzh, or edzh, a compound sound coinciding exactly with that of g, in genius; the French j, with the articulation d preceding it. It is the tenth letter of the English Alphabet.
J is the tenth letter of the English
alphabet. It is a later variant form of the Roman letter I, used to
express a consonantal sound, that is, originally, the sound of
English y in yet. The forms J and I have, until a
recent time, been classed together, and they have been used
interchangeably.
In medical prescriptions j is still used in place of i at the end of a number, as a Roman numeral; as, vj, xij. J is etymologically most closely related to i, y, g; as in jot, iota; jest, gesture; join, jugular, yoke. See I. J is a compound vocal consonant, nearly equivalent in sound to dzh. It is exactly the same as g in gem. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 179, 211, 239. | ||||||||