Table of Contents
ELEMENTARY SOUNDS OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.
The number of elements in the language is thirty-eight.
They are divided into vowels, sub-vowels, and aspirates; or, as classified by Dr. Rush in his "Philosophy of the Human Voice," into tonics, sub-tonics, and atonics.
There are fifteen vowels, fourteen sub-vowels, and nine aspirates.
Table of the Elements.
VOWELS
A as heard in _a_le, f_a_te, m_a_y.
A " " " _a_rm, f_a_rm, h_a_rm.
A " " " _a_ll, f_a_ll, _o_rb.
A " " " _a_n, ide_a_, p_a_n.
E " " " _e_asy, im_i_tate, m_e_.
E " " " _e_nd, l_e_t, m_e_nd.
I " " " _i_sle, _i_ce, fl_y_, m_i_ne.
I " " " _i_n, p_i_n, _E_ngland.
O " " " _o_ld, m_o_re, _o_ats.
O " " " _oo_se, l_o_se, t_o_, f_oo_l
O " " " _o_n, l_o_ck, n_o_t.
U " " " m_ew_, f_ew_, t_u_be, p_u_pil.
U " " " _u_p, t_u_b, h_e_r, h_u_rt.
U " " " f_u_ll, p_u_ll, w_o_lf.
OU " " " _ou_r, fl_ou_r, p_ow_er.
SUB-VOWELS.
B as heard in _b_ow, _b_oat, _b_arb.
D " " " _d_ay, bi_d_, _d_are.
G " " " _g_ay, fi_g_, _g_ilt.
L " " " _l_ight, _l_iberty, a_ll_.
M " " " _m_ind, stor_m_, _m_ate.
N " " " _n_o, o_n_, _n_i_n_e.
NG " " " si_ng_, fi_ng_er, lo_ng_.
R " " " _r_oe, _r_a_r_e, o_r_b.
TH " " " _th_en, wi_th_, benea_th_.
V as heard in _v_ice, _v_ile, sal_v_e.
W " " " _w_oe, _w_ave, _w_orld.
Y " " " _y_oke, _y_e, _y_onder.
Z " " " _z_one, hi_s_, _Z_enophon.
ZH " " " a_z_ure, enclo_s_ure.
ASPIRATES.
F as heard in _f_ame, i_f_, li_f_t.
H " " " _h_e, _h_ut.
K " " " _k_ite, ca_k_e.
P " " " _p_it, u_p_, a_p_t.
S " " " _s_in, _c_ell, ye_s_.
SH " " " _sh_ade, _sh_ine, flu_sh_ed.
T " " " _t_ake, oa_t_s, i_t_.
TH " " " _th_in, tru_th_, mon_th_s.
WH " " " _wh_en, _wh_ich, _wh_at.
There are many words in which there are difficult combinations of the elements; they, as well as those in which the combinations are easy, should be practiced upon until the pupil is able to articulate each element correctly. The following is a table of the analysis of words, in which there are easy and difficult combinations of elements. Let the pupil spell the words, uttering separately each element, and not the name of the word, as is the practice which generally obtains in our schools.
Table of the Analysis of Words.
WORDS. ELEMENTS.
ale, a-l. day, d-a. fame, f-a-m. crew, k-r-u. call, k-a-l. deeds, d-e-d-z. wool, w-u-l. isle, i-l. dare, d-a-r. ink, i-ng-k. pause, p-a-z. mow, m-o. lose, l-o-z. pray, p-r-a. spell, s-p-e-l. twists, t-w-i-s-t-s. waste, w-a-s-t. awful, a-f-u-l. up, u-p. mouths, m-ou-th-z. sky, s-k-i. lamb, l-a-m. oak, o-k. eve, e-v. once, w-u-n-s. awe, a. power, p-ou-u-r. mulcts, m-u-l-k-t-s. John, d-gh-a-n. objects, o-b-d-jh-e-k-ts. thousandth, th-ou-z-a-n-d-th. wives, w-i-v-z. softness, s-o-f-t-n-e-s. shrugged, sh-r-u-g-d. themselves, th-e-m-s-e-l-v-z. church, t-sh-u-r-t-sh.
They were wrenched by the hand of violence. The strength of his nostrils is terrible. A gentle current rippled by. Thou barb'd'st the dart by which he fell. Arm'd, say ye? Arm'd, my lord! He _sa_wed _six sl_eek, _sl_im _s_apling_s_. It was strongly urged upon him. Ami_dst_ the mi_sts_, he thru_sts_ his fi_sts_ again_st_ the po_sts_. The swan swam over the sea; well swum, swan. The swan swam back again; well swum, swan.
PRONUNCIATION AND ACCENT.
Pronunciation is the mode of enouncing certain words and syllables. As pronunciation varies with the modes and fashions of the times, it is sometimes fluctuating in particular words, and high authorities are often so much at variance, that the correct mode is hard to be determined; hence to acquire a correct pronunciation, this irregularity, whatever be the cause, must be submitted to.
Be very careful to give each letter its proper sound and avoid omitting or perverting the sound of any letter or syllable of a word, without some good authority.
The unaccentuated syllables of words are very liable to be either omitted, slurred or corrupted, and there is no word in the language more frequently and unjustly treated in this respect than the conjunction—and. It is seldom half articulated, although it is properly entitled to three distinct elementary sounds.
Heaven _a_nd earth will witness,
If Rome must fall, that we are innocent. I
The Assyrian came down, like the wolf on the fold,
And _h_is cohorts were gleaming in purple _a_nd gold.
The word and, in these and similar examples, is commonly pronounced as if written _u_nd or _u_n, with an imperfect or partially occluded articulation of these elements; whereas, it ought always to be pronounced in such a manner that each of its own three elementary sounds, though in their combined state, may distinctly appear.
In pronouncing the phrase, "and his," not only the a, but the h, is, also, frequently suppressed, and the sound of the d is combined with that of the i following it; as if written thus, _u_nd diz cohorts, and so on. Many pronounce the phrase "are innocent," in the first example, as if written a rinesunt. This practice of suppressing letters, and as it were melting words into indistinct masses, cannot be too cautiously guarded against.
Avoid
