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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. |
T is the twentieth letter of the English Alphabet, and a close consonant. It represents a close joining of the end of the tongue to the root of the upper teeth, as may be perceived by the syllables at, et, ot, ut, in attempting to pronounce which, the voice is completely intercepted. It is therefore numbered among the mutes, or close articulations, and it differs from d chiefly in its closeness; for in pronouncing ad, ed, we perceive the voice is not so suddenly and entirely intercepted, as in pronouncing at and et. T by itself has one sound only, as in take, turn, bat, bolt, smite, bitter. So we are accustomed to speak; but in reality, t can be hardly said to have any sound at all. Its use, like that of all mute articulations, is to modify the manner of uttering the vocal sound which precedes or follows it.
the twentieth letter of the English
alphabet, is a nonvocal consonant. With the letter h it forms the
digraph th, which has two distinct sounds, as in thin,
then. See Guide to Pronunciation, §𨵞-264, and
also §𨳱, 156, 169, 172, 176, 178-180.
The letter derives its name and form from the Latin, the form of the
Latin letter being further derived through the Greek from the
Phœnician. The ultimate origin is probably Egyptian. It is
etymologically most nearly related to d, s, th; as in
tug, duke; two, dual, L. duo;
resin, L. resina, Gr. T bandage (Surg.), a bandage shaped like
the letter | ||||||||