Dialogue

 1 Craty|    analyse simple words into the letters of which they are composed.
 2 Craty|        or of the permutations of letters, or again, his observation
 3 Craty|     separations of syllables and letters?~1. The answer to this difficulty
 4 Craty|       pulling out and putting in letters which were in vogue among
 5 Craty|          things in syllables and letters is not the easy task, Hermogenes,
 6 Craty|        For example; the names of letters, whether vowels or consonants,
 7 Craty|          The name Beta has three letters added to the sound—and yet
 8 Craty|          may put in and pull out letters at pleasure and alter the
 9 Craty|        has merely transposed the letters of the word aer. Pherephatta,
10 Craty|         is in process of change; letters are taken in and put out
11 Craty|          be by going back to the letters, or primary elements of
12 Craty|         alphabet into classes of letters, distinguishing the consonants,
13 Craty|      combinations of two or more letters; just as the painter knows
14 Craty|        the painter, we may apply letters to the expression of objects,
15 Craty|          through all things. The letters phi, psi, sigma, zeta, which
16 Craty|    general of what is windy. The letters delta and tau convey the
17 Craty|      courage to acknowledge that letters may be wrongly inserted
18 Craty|         correct must have proper letters, which bear a resemblance
19 Craty|       You reply, because the two letters are sufficiently alike for
20 Craty|      that we put in and pull out letters at pleasure.’ And the explanation
21 Craty|        must be resolved into the letters out of which they are composed,
22 Craty|      composed, and therefore the letters must have a meaning. The
23 Craty|          Plato’s analysis of the letters of the alphabet shows a
24 Craty|      ancient language, loved the letters iota and delta; but now
25 Craty|       secondly, other classes of letters. The elements of all speech,
26 Craty|        several words, syllables, letters are not thought of separately
27 Craty|         sound, the affinities of letters, the mistakes to which we
28 Craty|  principle, which used words and letters not as crude imitations
29 Craty|         of the words, syllables, letters, accents, quantities, rhythms,
30 Craty|          see clearly enough that letters or collocations of letters
31 Craty|       letters or collocations of letters do by various degrees of
32 Craty|    thought. And not only so, but letters themselves have a significance;
33 Craty|        expressive of motion, the letters delta and tau of binding
34 Craty|          partly from contrast of letters, but in which it is impossible
35 Craty|     expressive and onomatopoetic letters. A few of them are directly
36 Craty|       words out of syllables and letters, like a piece of joiner’
37 Craty|       cannot put in and pull out letters, as a painter might insert
38 Craty|          true forms of things in letters and syllables.~HERMOGENES:
39 Craty|          meaning by the names of letters, which you know are not
40 Craty|          are not the same as the letters themselves with the exception
41 Craty| consonants, are made up of other letters which we add to them; but
42 Craty|          he know how to give the letters names.~HERMOGENES: I believe
43 Craty|         by the change of all the letters, for this need not interfere
44 Craty|        little in common with the letters of their names has Archepolis (
45 Craty| differing in their syllables and letters, but having the same meaning.
46 Craty|        often put in and pull out letters in words, and give names
47 Craty|           as, on the other hand, letters are sometimes inserted in
48 Craty|        of this if you repeat the letters of Here several times over.
49 Craty|          noesis, but the omitted letters do not agree.). Perhaps,
50 Craty|    sticking on and stripping off letters for the sake of euphony,
51 Craty|          put in and pull out any letters which you please, names
52 Craty|       putting in and pulling out letters; even a very slight permutation
53 Craty|         essence of each thing in letters and syllables, would he
54 Craty|    grasped the nature of them in letters and syllables in such a
55 Craty|         is made by syllables and letters; ought we not, therefore,
56 Craty| therefore, first to separate the letters, just as those who are beginning
57 Craty|       begin in the same way with letters; first separating the vowels,
58 Craty|        the consonants and mutes (letters which are neither vowels
59 Craty|       whether, as in the case of letters, there are any classes to
60 Craty|      classes as there are in the letters; and when we have well considered
61 Craty|          so, too, we shall apply letters to the expression of objects,
62 Craty|        of objects, either single letters when required, or several
63 Craty|        when required, or several letters; and so we shall form syllables,
64 Craty|    objects should be imitated in letters and syllables, and so find
65 Craty|          in corresponding modern letters. Assuming this foreign root
66 Craty|        there is another class of letters, phi, psi, sigma, and xi,
67 Craty|           because they are great letters: omicron was the sign of
68 Craty|         reducing all things into letters and syllables, and impressing
69 Craty|          he who by syllables and letters imitates the nature of things,
70 Craty|         of grammar we assign the letters alpha or beta, or any other
71 Craty|      alpha or beta, or any other letters to a certain name, then,
72 Craty|     instance of the names of the letters.~CRATYLUS: Yes, I remember.~
73 Craty|       even if some of the proper letters are wanting, still the thing
74 Craty|      signified;—well, if all the letters are given; not well, when
75 Craty|         expression of a thing in letters or syllables; for if you
76 Craty|     ought not to have the proper letters.~CRATYLUS: Yes.~SOCRATES:
77 Craty|         SOCRATES: And the proper letters are those which are like
78 Craty|         up of proper and similar letters, or there would be no likeness;
79 Craty|        to be like the thing, the letters out of which the first names
80 Craty|        the original elements are letters?~CRATYLUS: Yes.~SOCRATES:
81 Craty|      true.~SOCRATES: But are the letters rho and sigma equivalents;
82 Craty|        of adding and subtracting letters upon occasion.~SOCRATES:
83 Craty|          to be convention, since letters which are unlike are indicative