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Letters

expletive, and marks on letters.

In French there are two letters expletive—l and t. The former, calledl ephelcystic,ʹ is placed before on if the preceding word ends with a vowel, as si-l-on. The latter is calledt euphonistic,” and is used in interrogative sentences between the third person singular of verbs ending with a vowel, and a pronoun beginning with a vowel, as gelle-t-il? a-t-elle?


The chief accents are the grave (), acute () and circumflex (~).


Two dots over the latter of two vowels (called diœresis), signify that each vowel is to be sounded, as Aëtʹius (4 syl.).


A hyphen between two or more nouns or syllables denotes that they form a compound word, as mother-in-law. The hyphen in French is called a “trait dʹunion,” as irai-je.


In French, the mark (,) under the letter c is called a cedilla, and signifies that the c (which would otherwise be = k) is to be pronounced like s, as ça (sah), and garçon (garson).


A small comma (‘) over an a, o, or u, in Scandinavian languages, is called an umlau, and a vowel so marked is called an umlaute (3 syl.).


(" or ∞) over the vowel o in German, is called a zweipunct (2 syl.), and gives the vowel the sound of a French eu, as in peu, etc.; but over the vowel u it gives it the sound of the French u in dût.

 

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Letter-Gae
Letter-lock
Letter of Credit
Letter of Licence (A)
Letter of Marque
Letter of Orders (A)
Letter of Pythagoras (The)
Letter of Safe Conduct
Letter of Uriah (2 Sam, xi. 14)
Letters
Letters
Letters Missive
Letters Overt
Letters Patent
Letters at the Foot of a Page
Letters of Administration
Letters of Bellerophon
Letters of Horning
Letters of Junius
Letters of the Sepulchre
Lettre de Cachet (French)