The Moeso-Gothic alphabet seems to have been formed on eclectic principles, and on principles sufficiently bold. Neither was its application traversed by etymological views. I cannot trace its influence, except, perhaps, in the case of the Anglo-Saxon letters _th_ and _[wynn]_, upon any other alphabet; nor does it seem to have been acted upon by any earlier Gothic alphabet. s. 264. _The Anglo-Saxon alphabet._--What sort of an alphabet the Gothic languages possess we know: what sort of alphabet they require, we can determine. For the following sounds (amongst others) current in the Gothic, either one or both of the classical languages are deficient in corresponding signs. 1. The _th_ in _thin_.--A sign in Greek ([theta]), but none in Latin. 2. The _th_ in _thine_.--A sign neither in Greek nor Latin. 3. The _ch_ in the German _auch_.--A sign in Greek ([chi]), but none in Latin. 4. The flat sound of the same, or the probable sound of the _h_ in _thurh_, _leoht_, _&c_., Anglo-Saxon.--A sign neither in Greek nor Latin. {206} 5. The _sh_ in _shine_.--A sign neither in Greek nor Latin. 6. The _z_ in _azure_.--A sign neither in Greek nor Latin. 7. The _ch_ in _chest_.--A sign neither in Greek nor Latin, unless we suppose that at the time when the Anglo-Saxon alphabet was formed, the Latin _c_ in words like _civitas_ had the power, which it has in the present Italian, of _ch_. 8. The _j_ in _jest_.--A sign neither in Greek nor Latin, unless we admit the same supposition in respect to _g_, that has been indicated in respect to c. 9. The sound of the _kj_; in the Norwegian _kjenner_; _viz._, that (thereabouts) of _ksh_.--A sign neither in Latin nor Greek. 10. The English sound of _w_.--A sign neither in Latin nor Greek. 11. The sound of the German _ue_, Danish _y_.--No sign in Latin; probably one in Greek, _viz._, [upsilon]. 12. Signs for distinguishing the long and short vowels, as [epsilon] and [eta], [omicron] and [omega].--Wanting in Latin, but existing in Greek. In all these points the classical alphabets (one or both) were deficient. To make up for their insufficiency one of two things was necessary, either to coin new letters, or to use conventional combinations of the old. In the Anglo-Saxon alphabet (derived from the Latin) we have the following features:-- 1. _C_ used to the exclusion of _k_. 2. The absence of the letter _j_, either with the power of _y_, as in German, of _zh_, as in French, or of _dzh_, as in English. 3. The absence of _q_; a useful omission, _cw_ serving instead. 4. The absence of _v_; _u_, either single or double, being used instead. 5. The use of _y_ as a vowel, and of _e_ as _y_. 6. The absence of _z_. 7. Use of _uu_, as _w_, or _v_: Old Saxon. 8. The use, in certain conditions, of _f_ for _v_. 9. The presence of the simple single signs _th_ and _dh_, for the _th_ in _thin_, and the _th_ in _thine_.