QUOTIENT, or QUOTE, the result of dividing one number by another.
is one of the vibrating letters called liquids. It is formed at the back of the palate, and is on this account more nearly related to the liquid 1 than ton or m. For the various forms of the alphabetical symbol see ALPHABET. It is convertible 1, with 1. See that letter.
2, with n. See that letter.
3, with rn at the end of words. See N.
4, with a See S.
5. It is apt to place itself at one time before, at another after a vowel. Thus in Greek KpOKOOEIAOS or uormoocaos, uparos or Kap7 OS. So the English words red, run, are changed in the Dorsetshire dialect to hird, him. Again, brid is an old orthography of bird, and the town Bridlington is pronounced Burlington.
6. The letter r, in the neighbourhood of several consonants, is apt to disappear from words. Thus the German spree/I.-en is in English speak, our word world is in German welt.
7. In one language a word is found with an initial r, when in other allied languages there occur at the beginning two consonants, as br, fr, ter. Thus in Greek we have pobov, pnyvvni, peCco, connected with which are the forms Ppobor, frango, Latin, and break, English; and, thirdly, the English words wreak, work, wrought.
8. The letter r is at times confounded with w. Thus it is not a very rare variety of articulation that rubbish is pronounced wubbish.
9. More particularly when a word ends in a w, or even a vowel, it is not uncommon to pronounce an r, especially if the next word begins with a vowel. The London vulgarism, winder, pilfer, for window, pillow, is an example, nor need the philologist be ashamed to treat of such cases, which are as worthy of consideration as any dialect of the Greek tongue.