Word: offing
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Dates: during 1873-1873
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Heine had a very keen appreciation of anything extraordinary in sound, as is evident from his humorous treatment of Polish. He wrote a poem on the adventures of Krapulinski and Waschlapski, and he also made public the memoirs of Count Schnabelewopski, introducing the family servant, Prrschtzztwitsch, and other names, of...
Since we find Heine's appreciation of the singularities of Slavonic names so great, we can hardly expect that he held his peace in regard to our extraordinary sounds. Accordingly, in his "History of German Religion and Philosophy" we find a very witty illustration which is quite to the point...
It would be an easy matter to find similar remarks on English in the writings of French authors. M. Taine claims to appreciate our language and literature at least as fully as any of his countrymen; but in his remarks on Shakespeare you can see, if you examine at all...
It may be objected that the English language is no more peculiar in its sounds than any other; and certainly a man is inclined to find any language surprising and ridiculous which is not his own. This point is well illustrated by Montesquieu, who makes nis countrymen ask their visitor...
In bringing this host of new vowel-sounds into our language, we have not been entirely the losers, - indeed, we have kept most of the old full vowels, using them, however, infrequently. The only sound that seems irrevocably gone from our tongue is a full sonorous o, such as is...