Analytic orthography: an investigation of the sounds of the voice, and their alphabetic notation; including the mechanism of speech, and its bearing upon etymology

Philadelphia, London, Paris Berlin: J. B. Lippincott [et al.], 1860. 4to, pp. viii, [5]-148; addenda slip tipped in, original brown cloth, gilt title on cover, boards sunned, very good and sound. Ex-library, with label on upper pastedown and spine. "Haldeman's sense of hearing was so acute that he could differentiate the sounds emitted by insects. He studied exhaustively the American Indian dialects, becoming a recognized authority on the subject, and he also devoted much labor to the investigation of English, Chinese, and other languages. He developed an intense interest in the study of vocal sounds, and was deeply interested in spelling reform. He was the first professor of comparative philology at the University of Pennsylvania" (see DAB) This book was put together in response to an essay contest offered by Sir Walter C Trevelyan, a contest Haldeman won. In the preface he makes clear that he is not casting his lot with the spelling reformers of his day, but is concerned moreso with philological description broadly. He reviews alphabetic bases, compares a number of systems for the introduction of further notation, and provides examples of said notation through the transcription of an assortment of languages, including Cherokee, Wyandot, Kansa, Chippeway, and Grebo. Pilling, Proof-sheets 1629. (Inventory #: 54143)