As I have frequently reflected on my good Fortune in this Particular, I shall communicate to the Publick my Speculations upon the, English Tongue, not doubting but they will be acceptable to all my curious Readers.

The English delight in Silence more than any other European Nation, if the Remarks which are made on us by Foreigners are true.  Our Discourse is not kept up in Conversation, but falls into more Pauses and Intervals than in our Neighbouring Countries; as it is observed, that the Matter of our Writings is thrown much closer together, and lies in a narrower Compass than is usual in the Works of Foreign Authors:  For, to favour our Natural Taciturnity, when we are obliged to utter our Thoughts, we do it in the shortest way we are able, and give as quick a Birth to our Conception as possible.

This Humour shows itself in several Remarks that we may make upon the English Language.  As first of all by its abounding in Monosyllables, which gives us an Opportunity of delivering our Thoughts in few Sounds.  This indeed takes off from the Elegance of our Tongue, but at the same time expresses our Ideas in the readiest manner, and consequently answers the first Design of Speech better than the Multitude of Syllables, which make the Words of other Languages more Tunable and Sonorous.  The Sounds of our English Words are commonly like those of String Musick, short and transient, [which [2]] rise and perish upon a single Touch; those of other Languages are like the Notes of Wind Instruments, sweet and swelling, and lengthen’d out into variety of Modulation.

In the next place we may observe, that where the Words are not Monosyllables, we often make them so, as much as lies in our Power, by our Rapidity of Pronounciation; as it generally happens in most of our long Words which are derived from the Latin, where we contract the length of the Syllables that give them a grave and solemn Air in their own Language, to make them more proper for Dispatch, and more conformable to the Genius of our Tongue.  This we may find in a multitude of Words, as Liberty, Conspiracy, Theatre, Orator, &c.

The same natural Aversion to Loquacity has of late Years made a very considerable Alteration in our Language, by closing in one Syllable the Termination of our Praeterperfect Tense, as in the Words, drown’d, walk’ d, arriv’d, for drowned, walked, arrived, which has very much disfigured the Tongue, and turned a tenth part of our smoothest Words into so many Clusters of Consonants.  This is the more remarkable, because the want of Vowels in our Language has been the general Complaint of our politest Authors, who nevertheless are the Men that have made these Retrenchments, and consequently very much increased our former Scarcity.