1001 Questions and Answers on Orthography and Reading Part 8

85. _What is meant by suspended animation of a word?_ A word that pa.s.ses out of use for a while and then resumes its place in literature.

86. _Give examples of suspended words._ The words reckless, abate, and abandon, fell into disuse in the seventeenth century, but have since been revived.

87. _What letters are called the pivots?_ Y and w.

88. _Why are they so called?_ Because of their peculiar sounds in changing from vowels to consonants.

89. _What kind of new words should be avoided?_ Any word formed contrary to the genius of the language.

90. _What is meant by idiom?_ A peculiar mode of expression.

91. _What is diction?_ Diction treats of the selection and right use of words.

92. _When is our diction pure?_ When we use only such words as belong to the idiom of our language.

93. _What are Synonyms?_ Words having a similar signification.

94. _What is a Synonymicon?_ A dictionary of synonymous words.

95. _What is meant by a reputable word?_ One that is used by educated people.

96. _What is an Anacoluthic word?_ One that is unnecessary to the completion of a sentence.

97. _What is an Idiomatic word?_ A word belonging to an individual language.

98. _What is an Ideographical language?_ One in which the characters represent ideas rather than sounds.

99. _Can there be a derivative word without an affix?_ There can; as, brought from bring.

100. _What is Dactylology?_ The art of spelling words with the fingers.

101. _What is the Pythagorean letter?_ Y.--_Am. Cyclopedia_.

102. _Why so called?_ Because its Greek original represents the sacred triad used to designate the diverging paths of virtue and vice.

NUMERICAL VALUES OF THE LETTERS.

1. _What is meant by the Numerical value of letters?_ Its value as a numeral used in the notation of different languages.

2. _Have all the letters Numerical value?_ All except J, U, W, and Y.

3. _What is the Numerical value of A?_ 500.

4. _By whom used?_ The ancient European Nations.

5. _What is the Numerical value of B?_ 300.

6. _By whom used?_ The Romans.

7. _What is the Numerical value of C?_ 100 in the Roman notation.

8. _What is the Numerical value of D?_ 500 in the Roman notation.

9. _What is the Numerical value of E?_ 5.

10. _By whom used?_ The ancient Greeks.

11. _What is the Numerical value of F?_ 40 in some of the Ancient notations; 80 in the Arabian; and 10,000 in the Armenian.

12. _What is the Numerical value of G?_ 400.

13. _By whom used?_ The Latins.

14. _What is the Numerical value of H?_ 100 in the Greek notation; and 200 in the Latin.

15. _What is the Numerical value of I?_ 1 in the Roman notation; and 100 in some of the Ancient notations.

16. _What is the Numerical value of K?_ 20 in the Greek notation; and 60 in the Semitic.

17. _Give the Numerical values of L._ 50 in Roman, and 30 in Semitic notation.

18. _What are the Numerical values of M?_ As a Roman numeral, 1,000; Greek and Hebrew, 40.

19. _What is the value of N as a Numeral?_ In the Greek notation, 50; Roman, 90; and by some other, 900.

20. _What is the Numerical value of O?_ 70 in the Greek; and 11 in the Ancient Latins.

21. _What is the Numerical value of P?_ In the Greek notation, 5; in the Latin, 80; and in the Roman, by some authors, 7, by one, 100, and by still another, 400.

22. _As a Numeral, what is the value of Q?_ 500.

23. _By whom used?_ Several of the Ancient Nations of Europe.

24. _What is the Numerical value of R?_ 80

25. _By whom used?_ The ancient Romans.

26. _What is the Numerical value of S?_ 7

27. _By whom used?_ The Ancients.

28. _Give the values of T as a Numeral._ 300 in the Greek notation; in the Latin, 160.

29. _What is the Numerical value of V?_ 5 in the Roman notation.