s S w Phceniciau The nineteenth letter of the English alphabet. The name for its Semitic equivalent was shin, tooth, the letter- form roughly representing a toothed edge. The development of the letter was as follows: s s Early Greek Later Greek Early Latiu Later Latin In its usual phonetic sound .s is the breathed alveolar spirant. In the formation of this sound the tongue, which is raised and approximates the upper tootli-sockets, is grooved longitudinally, and the air passes through this narrow channel with a hissing sound, whence s is called a sibilant. The result is the s in siiifi, mast. The same sound is represented by c (before c, (, y) in cent, face, ci/iiic : and by «c in science, coalesce. <S' has the phonetic value of .r after a sonant at the end of a word and also between sonants, a.s flies, rise, busy, nose; of sh (before consonantal i, and rarely u), as passion, mansion, sure, sugar; of
- h in measnre, osier, treasure. The digraph &h is
a sibilant formed in much the same numner as s. The tongue-tip. however, is turned upward rather than forward, and the sound is more pala- tal, as in shallow, sad; shall, s<ilt. This sh sound is an extremely common one, whether rep- resented by ch, as in chaise, machine, or by other combinations: Asia, social, conscious, ocean, vitiate. English .5 is derived from variou.s sources. It represents original Indo-Germanic .s in self, Skt. sva, Lat. se, Goth, sil; ; Skt. hatAsa, Gk. xt)c, Lat. anser, Eng. goose. In words of Latin ori- gin it represents Indo-Germanic d + f or t -- t: risible, Lat. risus, from *ricl-tus; reverse, Lat. vert us, from *vert-tns. S represents French- Latin s and ti ; s in saint, usage: ti in ransom, from Lat. redemptionem ; silence, from Lat. silcn- tium. „ As a niediieval Roman numeral S = 7 or 70, S = 70,000. In chemistry S stands for sulphur. As abbreviation S. stands for south ; s. for .lecond, shilling; S.S. for steamship, Sunday school. S. stands for science in B. S., Bachelor of Science, and society, in F. R. S., Fellow of the Royal Society. SAADIA (sa-ii'de-:i) BEN JOSEPH (892- 942). A distinguished Jewish phihisopher and exegete. He was 1)orn in the Fayum, Egi'pt. At an early age he made a translation of the Bible into Arabic, with notes, intended to serve as an attack upon the doctrines of the Karaites (see .Tewisii Skcts), against whom he had pre- viously written a work. In llefulalion of .inan. Through liis efforts Kirgely the spread of the Karaite movement, which tlireateneil at one time to subvert Rabbinical Judaism, was checked. By 928 his fame had spre;(d beyond the borders of Egypt, and he was called to the head of the Rabbinical .school at Sura in Babylonia. Owing to a disagreement with the "Prince of the t'aptivity," the head of the Haliyhiuian .lews, be lost his ofliee, and went into retirement (!>:!:}), and during this jierind wrote in .rabic a philo- sophical work. Faiths and Doctrines (translated into Hebrew by Judali ben Til)bon), Saadia also wrote commentaries on the Bible and many poems, which are at present used in the Jewish liturgy. His works have been published by Dercnbourg and Lambert, vols, i., iii., v., vi., and ix. having already appeared. Saadia ranks next to Mai- monides among Jewish philosophers, while he surpasses the latter in the thoroughness of his Biblical and Talmudical scliolarship. Consult Winter and Wiinsche, Jiidischc Lilleraiur, vol. ii., pp. 28-40 (Trier, 1894). SAALE, zii'lc. A river of Germany. It rises in the Ficlitclgebirge, in Bavaria, and (lowing northward through some of the Thuringian States, and finally across the Prussian Province of Saxony, falls into the Elbe, about 25 miles above Magdeburg, after a course of 22(! miles (Map: Prussia, D 3). It is navigable 10:5 miles by means of 17 locks. SAALFELD, ziil'felt. A town in the Duchy of Saxe-Meiningcn, Germany, situated on the left bank of the Saale, 87 miles by rail southwest of Leijizig (Jlap: (Jermany, 1) 3). It is an old town with an interesting Gothic church of the thir- teenth century, a castle of the seventeenth cen- tury, a Gothic town hall, dating from lr>37. and the" ruins of the Sorbenburg. a castle Indieved to have be<'n built by Charlemagne ns a fortress against the Sorbs. " The town nnituifactures vari- ous kinds of machinery, paints, knit goods, etc. Poimlation, in 1900. 11,(181. It was probably founded during the reign of Charlemagne. SAAK, ziir (Fr. Sarre). A river of South- western Germany. It rises in the Vospes Moun- tains on the boundary of Alsace, and flows northwest though Lorraine and the Prussian Rhine Province, emptying into the Moselle a few miles above Treves (Map: (Jermany. 15 4). It is 'r2 miles long, navigable 54 miles to Saar- 397
