ind of silent fall, or a less observable motion; as in
slime, slide, slip, slipper, sly, sleight, slit, slow, slack, slight,
sling, slap.

And so likewise ash, in crash, rash, gash, flash, clash, lash, slash,
plash, trash, indicate something acting more nimbly and sharply. But
ush, in crush, rush, gush, flush, blush, brush, hush, push, imply
something as acting more obtusely and dully. Yet in both there is
indicated a swift and sudden motion not instantaneous, but gradual, by
the continued sound, sh.

Thus in fling, sling, ding, swing, cling, sing, wring, sting, the
tingling of the termination ng, and the sharpness of the vowel i, imply
the continuation of a very slender motion or tremor, at length indeed
vanishing, but not suddenly interrupted. But in tink, wink, sink,
clink, chink, think, that end in a mute consonant, there is also
indicated a sudden ending.

If there be an l, as in jingle, tingle, tinkle, mingle, sprinkle,
twinkle, there is implied a frequency, or iteration of small acts. And
the same frequency of acts, but less subtile by reason of the clearer
vowel a, is indicated in jangle, tangle, spangle, mangle, wrangle,
brangle, dangle; as also in mumble, grumble, jumble. But at the same
time the close u implies something obscure or obtunded; and a congeries
of consonants mbl, denotes a confused kind of rolling or tumbling, as
in ramble, scamble, scramble, wamble, amble; but in these there is
something acute.

In nimble, the acuteness of the vowel denotes celerity. In sparkle, sp
denotes dissipation, ar an acute crackling, k a sudden interruption, l
a frequent iteration; and in like manner in sprinkle, unless in may
imply the subtilty of the dissipated guttules. Thick and thin differ in
that the former ends with an obtuse consonant, and the latter with an
acute.

In like manner, in squeek, squeak, squeal, squall, brawl, wraul, yaul,
spaul, screek, shriek, shrill, sharp, shrivel, wrinkle, crack, crash,
clash, gnash, plash, crush, hush, hisse, fisse, whist, soft, jar, hurl,
curl, whirl, buz, bustle, spindle, dwindle, twine, twist, and in many
more, we may observe the agreement of such sort of sounds with the
things signified; and this so frequently happens, that scarce any
language which I know can be compared with ours. So that one
monosyllable word, of which k