1001 Questions and Answers on Orthography and Reading | Page 2

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, Roman, Script, Italics, etc.
66. How many forms have letters? Two.
67. What are they? Small letters and Capitals.
68. What are the Natural Divisions of Consonants? Subvocals and Aspirates.
69. What are Subvocals? Those Consonants which produce an undertone of voice when their sounds are uttered.
70. Name the Subvocals. B, D, G hard; J and G soft; L, M, N, R, V, W, Y, Z, Zh, and Ng.
71. What are Aspirates? Mere whispers made by the organs of speech and breath.
72. Name the Aspirates. C, F, H, K, P, Q, S, T, X, Ch, Sh, and Wh.
73. What Combination is both Aspirate and Subvocal? Th.
74. What are Cognate letters? Those which are produced by the same organs of speech in a similar position.
75.