*

CONSONANTS IN WELSH.

(Vol. ix., p. 271.)

For the gratification of your correspondent J. M., I give you the result of
an enumeration of the _letters_ and _sounds_ in three versions of the
Hundredth Psalm in Welsh, and three corresponding versions of it in
English.

1. From the authorised translations of the Bible, Welsh and English.

2. The metrical version of Tate and Brady, and that of Archdeacon Prys.

3. Dr. Watts's metrical version and a Welsh imitation of it.

_Letters in three Welsh Versions._

_Bible._ _Prys._ _Watts._
Consonants 185 205 241
Vowels 148 165 159
--- --- ---
Apparent excess of }
consonants in Welsh } 37 40 82

_Letters in three English Versions._

_Bible._ _Tate & Brady._ _Watts._
Consonants 220 271 275
Vowels 134 163 170
--- --- ---
Apparent excess of }
consonants in English } 86 108 105

_Sounds in three Welsh Versions._

_Bible._ _Prys._ _Watts._
Consonants 150 173 200
Vowels 148 165 159
--- --- ---
Real excess of consonants}
in Welsh } 2 8 41

_Sounds in three English Versions._

_Bible._ _Tate & Brady._ _Watts._
Consonants 195 241 240
Vowels 122 149 159
--- --- ---
Real excess of consonants}
in English } 73 92 81

From this analysis it appears that the excess of consonant _letters_ over
vowels is, in English, 299; and in Welsh, 159, a little more than one-half.
The excess of consonant _sounds_ is, in English, 246; in Welsh, 51,
considerably less than one-fourth.

This result might readily have been anticipated by anybody familiar with
the following facts:

1. On examining lists of the elementary s