Its syllabation partakes of the columnal system of the extreme Orientals, the Chinese; and the varied nature of its characters demands the width of at least three parallel lines for their co-arrangement.
1926, (w), (w) (1st ed., Oxford at the Clarendon Press), page 590, column 2, “syllabize &c.”
syllabize &c. A verb & a noun are clearly sometimes needed for the notion of dividing words into syllables. The possible pairs seem to be the following (the number after each word means — 1, that it is in fairly common use; 2, that it is on record; 3, that it is not given in OED): — syllabate 3 syllabation 2 syllabicate 2 syllabication 1 syllabify 2 syllabification 1 syllabize 1 syllabization 3 One first-class verb, two first-class nouns, but neither of those nouns belonging to that verb. It is absurd enough, & any of several ways out would do; that indeed is why none of them is taken. The best thing would be to accept the most recognized verb syllabize, give it the now non-existent noun syllabization, & relegate all the rest to the Superfluous words; but there is no authority both willing & able to issue such decrees.