1001 Questions and Answers on Orthography and Reading | Page 2

letters originate? They have been added since
the time of Cadmus, as their use became necessary.
11. What was the last letter added to the English Alphabet? W.

12. Why was it called W? On account of it being composed of two u's,
or a double u.
13. How many letters in the English Alphabet? Twenty-six.
14. How many in the Latin Alphabet? Twenty-five.
15. _What is the difference between the Latin Alphabet and the
English?_ The Latin omits the letter W.
16. What Alphabet has the greatest number of letters? The Chinese.
17. How many letters in the Chinese Alphabet? Over two hundred.
18. What is a Perfect Alphabet? One which contains the same number
of letters that it has elementary sounds.
19. Is the English a perfect Alphabet? It is not.
20. How many Elementary sounds in the English Language? About
forty-three.
21. What is an Imperfect Alphabet? One in which the number of sounds
exceeds the number of letters.
22. What is an Equivocal Alphabet? An Imperfect one.
23. What is an Unequivocal Alphabet? Same as Perfect.
24. Is the English Alphabet Equivocal or Unequivocal? Equivocal.
25. What is a Univocal Alphabet? One that has a separate character for
each elementary sound.
26. What is an Alphabetic Language? A language in which the
characters represent separate articulate sounds.
27. What is a Phonetic Alphabet? One in which there is a separate
character for each elementary sound.

28. Is there any Phonetic Alphabet of the English Language? There
have been several published, but they are not in general use.
29. How many letters in the English Phonetic Alphabet? Forty-three.
30. What is the name of a Letter? The appellation by which it is known.
31. What is the difference between a Letter and its Name? The letter is
the character, and the name is its appellation.
32. What Letters name themselves? The vowels A, E, I, O, and U.
33. How are the Letters divided? Into Vowels and Consonants.
34. What are Vowels? Those letters which represent only pure tones.
35. Name all the Vowels. A, E, I, O, U, and in some situations W and
Y.
36. What is a Consonant? A letter that represents an interruption of
sound or breath.
37. Why called Consonants? Because they cannot be used alone in a
word, but must be connected with a Vowel.
38. How many kinds of Consonants are there? Two; single Letters and
Combinations.
39. Name the Consonant letters. B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q,
R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, and Z.
40. Name the Consonant Combinations. Th, Sh, Ch, Zh, Wh, and Ng.
41. Name the two Orders of the Consonants. Mutes and Semi-vowels.
42. What are Mutes? Those letters which admit of no escape of breath
while the organs of speech are in contact.
43. Name the Mutes. B, D, K, P, T, and C and G hard.

44. What other term is often applied to the Mutes? Close Consonant.
45. What are Semi-vowels? Those letters that admit of an escape of
breath while the organs of speech are in contact.
46. Name the Semi-vowels. F, H, J, L, M, N, R, S, V, W, X, Y, Z, and C
and G soft.
47. Are the Combinations Mutes or Semi-vowels? They are all
Semi-vowels.
48. What letters are called Nasals? M, N, and Ng.
49. What other term is often applied to the Semi-vowels? Loose
Consonant.
50. What letters are called Liquids? L, M, N, and R.
51. Why are the Liquids so called? Because of their flowing sound,
which readily unites with the sound of other letters.
52. What are Sibilants? Letters which have a hissing sound; as, S and
Z.
53. What letter is called the Mute Sibilant? The letter X.
54. What letters represent no sound of their own? C, Q, and X.
55. What are these letters called? Redundant letters.
56. Why are they so named? Because they are not necessary for the
completion of the Alphabet.
57. By what letters are the sounds of C represented? K and S.
58. What letters represent the sound of Q? Kw.
59. What letters represent the sound X? Ks.

60. What letters of themselves form words? A, I, and O.
61. Spell all of the Consonants. Bee, Cee, Dee, Eff, Gee, Aitch, Jay,
Kay, Ell, Em, En, Pee, Kw, Ar, Ess, Tee, Vee, Double-u, Ex, Wy, and
Zee.--_Goold Brown_.
62. What letters are called the Twins? Q and U.
63. Why so called? Because Q is always followed by U in English
spelling.
64. Is there any exception to this rule? The word LEECLERCQ is
sometimes given as an example, but in English it is spelled
LEECLERC.
65. What is meant by style of letters? Different type; as,