is one word, hood another. When joined together, the h- of the hood is put in immediate opposition with the -s of the monks-. Hence the combination monkshood. At the letters s and h is the point of contact. Now the sound of s followed immediately by the sound of h is a true aspirate. But true aspirates are rare in the English language. Being of rare occurrence, the pronunciation of them is a matter of attention and effort; and this attention and effort creates an accent which otherwise would be absent. Hence words like monkshood, well-héad, and some others.

Real reduplications of consonants, as in hop-pole, may have the same parity of accent with the true aspirates: and for the same reasons. They are rare combinations that require effort and attention.

The second class of exceptions contains those words wherein between the first element and the second there is so great a disparity, either in the length of the vowel, or the length of the syllable en masse, as to counteract the natural tendency of the first element to become accented. One of the few specimens of this class (which after all may consist of double words) is the term upstanding. Here it should be remembered, that words like hapházard, foolhardy, upholder, and withhold come under the first class of the exceptions.

The third class of exceptions contains words like perchánce and perhaps. In all respects but one these are double words, just as by chance is a double word. Per, however, differs from by in having no separate existence. This sort of words we owe to the multiplicity of elements (classical and Gothic) in the English language.

To anticipate objections to the rule respecting the disparity of accent, it may be well to state in fresh terms a fact already indicated, viz. that the same combination of words may in one sense be compound, and in the other double (or two). An uphill game gives us the combination up+hill as a compound. He ran up hill gives us the combination up+hill as two words. So it is with down+hill, down+right, and other words. Manservant, cock-sparrow, &c. are double or compound, as they are pronounced mán-sérvant, mán-servant, cóck-spárrow, or cóck-sparrow.

VOL. II.

K

The fourth class is hypothetical. I can, however, imagine that certain compounds may, if used almost exclusively in poetry and with the accent at par, become so accented even in the current language.

For a remark on the words peacock, peahen, see the chapter upon Gender. If these words be rendered masculine or feminine by the addition of the elements -cock and -hen, the statements made in the beginning of the present chapter are invalidated; since, if the word pea- be particularised, qualified, or defined by the words -cock and -hen, the second term defines or particularises the first, which is contrary to rule. The truth, however, is, that the words -cock and -hen are defined by the prefix pea-. Preparatory to the exhibition of this, let us remember that the word pea (although now found in composition only) is a true and independent substantive, the name of a species of fowl, like pheasant, partridge, or any other appellation. It is the Latin pavo, German pfau. Now, if the word peacock mean a pea (pfau or pavo) that is a male, then do wood-cock, black-cock, and bantam-cock, mean woods, blacks, and bantams that are male. Or if the word peahen mean a pea (pfau or pavo) that is female, then do moorhen and guineahen mean moors and guineas that are female. Again, if a peahen mean a pea (pfau or pavo) that is female, then does the compound pheasant-hen mean the same as hen-pheasant; which is not the case. The fact is that peacock means a cock that is a pea (pfau or pavo); peahen means a hen that is a pea (pfau or pavo); and, finally, peafowl means a fowl that is a pea (pfau or pavo). In the same way moorfowl means, not a moor that is connected with a fowl, but a fowl that is connected with a

moor.

§ 330. It must be clear, ex vi termini, that in every compound word there are two parts; i. e. the whole or part of the original, and the whole or part of the superadded, word. In the most perfect forms of inflection there is a third element, viz. a vowel, consonant, or syllable that joins the first word with the second.

In the older forms of all the Gothic languages the presence of this third element was the rule rather than the exception. In the present English it exists in but few words.

a. The -a- in black-a-moor is possibly such a connecting element.

b. The in- in night-in-gale is most probably such a connecting element. Compare the German form nacht-i-gall, and remember the tendency of vowels to take the sound of -ng before g.

Improper compounds. The -s- in words like Thur-s-day, hunt-s-man, may be one of two things—

a. It may be the sign of the genitive case, so that Thursday =Thoris dies. In this case the word is an improper compound, since it is like the word pater-familias in Latin, in a common state of syntactic construction.

b. It may be a connecting sound, like the -i- in nacht-i-gall. Reasons for this view occur in the following fact ::

In the modern German languages the genitive case of feminine nouns ends otherwise than in -s. Nevertheless, the sound of -s- occurs in composition equally, whether the noun it follows be masculine or feminine. This fact, as far as it goes, makes it convenient to consider the sound in question as a connective rather than a case. Probably, it is neither one nor the other exactly, but the effect of a false analogy.

Decomposites.-"Composition is the joining together of

two words."

Compound radicals, like midship and gentleman, in midshipman and gentleman-like, are, for the purposes of composition, single words. Compounds wherein one element is compound are called decomposites.

:

There are a number of words which are never found by themselves; or, if so found, have never the same sense that they have in combination. Mark the word combination. The terms in question are points of combination, not of composition since they form not the part of words, but the parts of phrases. Such are the expressions time and tide-might and main-rede me my riddle-pay your shot-rhyme and reason, &c. These words are evidently of the same class, though not of the same species, with bishopric, colewort, spillikin, gossip, mainswearer, &c. These last-mentioned terms give us obsolete words preserved in composition. The former give us obsolete words preserved in combination.

§ 331. By attending to the following sections we shall see in what way the different parts of speech are capable of being put together by composition.

Substantives preceded by Substantives.-A large and important class. Day-star, morning-star, evening-star, land-slip, watch-house, light-house, rose-tree, oak-tree, fir-tree, harvesttime, goose-grass, sea-man, collar-bone, shoulder-blade, groundnut, earth-nut, hazel-nut, wall-nut, fire-wood, sun-light, moonlight, star-light, torch-light, &c.

Substantives preceded by Adjectives.—(1.) Proper Names.— Good-man, New-man, North-humberland, South-hampton. (2.) Common Names.-Blind-worm, free-man, free-thinker, halfpenny, grey-beard, green-sward, white-thorn, black-thorn, midday, mid-summer, quick-silver, holy-day, &c.

Substantives preceded by Verbs.-Turn-spit, spit-fire, daredevil, whet-stone, kill-cow, sing-song, turn-coat, &c.

Substantives preceded by the Present Participle.-Turninglathe, sawiny-mill.

Substantives preceded by the Past Participle of the Strong form.-None.

Substantives preceded by the Past Participle of the Weak form.-None.

Adjectives preceded by Substantives.—Sin-ful, thank-ful, and other words ending in -ful. Blood-red, eye-bright, coal-black, snow-white, nut-brown, heart-whole, ice-cold, foot-sore, &c. Adjectives preceded by Adjectives. — All-mighty, two-fold, many-fold, &c.

Adjectives preceded by Verbs.-Stand-still, live-long. Very rare. Adjectives preceded by Present Participles.-None.

Adjectives preceded by Past Participles of the Strong form.— None.

Adjectives preceded by Past Participles of the Weak form.— None.

Verbs preceded by Substantives. - God-send. Rare, and doubtful.

Verbs preceded by Adjectives.-Little-heed, rough-hew. Rare, and doubtful.

Verbs preceded by Verbs.—Hear-say. Rare.

Verbs preceded by Present Participles.-None.

Verbs preceded by Past Participles of the Strong form.— None.

Verbs preceded by Past Participles of the Weak form.— None.

Present Participles preceded by Adjectives.-All-seeing, allruling, soft-flowing, fast-sailing, merry-making.

Past Participles of the Strong form preceded by an Adjective. -New-born, free-spoken.

Present Participles preceded by Substantives.-Fruit-bearing, music-making.

Past Participles of the Strong form preceded by Substantives. -Heaven-born, bed-ridden.

Past Participles of the Weak form preceded by Substantives. -Blood-stained.

Past Participles of the Weak form preceded by an Adjective. -Dear-bought, fresh-made, new-made, new-laid.

Verbal Substantives preceded by Substantives.-Man-eater, woman-eater, kid-napper, horn-blower.-Numerous. Verbal Substantives preceded by Adjectives.-None. Verbal Substantives preceded by Verbs.—None. Verbal Substantives preceded by Participles.—None.

Verbal Substantives preceded by Verbals.—None.

Verbal Adjectives preceded by Substantives.-Mop-headed, chicken-hearted.

Verbal Adjectives preceded by Adjectives. Cold-hearted, flaxen-haired, hot-headed, curly-pated.

Verbal Adjectives preceded by Verbs.-None.

Verbal Adjectives preceded by Participles.—None.

Verbal Adjectives preceded by Verbals.-None.

Adverbs entering into composition are of two sorts :

1st. Those that can be separated from the word with which they combine, and, nevertheless, appear as independent words; as over, under, well, &c. These are called Separable Adverbs.

2nd. Those that, when they are separated from the verb with which they combine, have no independent existence as separate words; e. g. the syllable un- in unloose. These are called Inseparable Adverbs.

Words preceded by Separable Adverbs.-Over-do, under-go, well-beloved, &c. Numerous.