II. TABLE OF CORRESPONDING NON-VOCALS AND SUBVocals.

Remarks.-1. The simple sounds represented each by two letters are sh in mission, (pronounced mishun,) zh in vision, (pronounced vizhun,) th in thigh, th in thy, and ng in ring.

2. That these are simple sounds may be readily perceived. In pronouncing she we observe but one sound before that of e; in pronouncing thin and this we observe but one sound in each instance before that of i; in pronouncing ing we have but one sound in addition to that of i.

3. The combination th represents two sounds; one with voice, the other without voice.

4. We have in written language no such combination as zh; but this combination is employed in the table to represent a sound which has the same relation to sh that z has to s.

5. Ch has the sound of tsh, and j that of dzh.

6. The sound of i is composed of that of a in fare and e in me. The sound of u in use (pronounced yoose) is equivalent to the sounds of y and of o in move, y having the sound of short i rapidly pronounced.

7. Oi represents the union of the sounds of o in nor and e in me; ou the union of the sounds of a in far and o in move.

8. The combination wh is sometimes considered as representing a simple sound; but each letter represents its own sound, h being sounded before w. Thus whip is pronounced hwip.

9. C, q, and x are redundant letters. C before e, i, and y has the sound of s, as in cent; in other cases that of k as in cat. Q is equivalent to k, and is always followed by u, qu being equivalent to kw; thus quit is pronounced kwit. X is a double letter, equivalent in most cases to ks; thus six is pronounced siks. Before an accented syllable beginning with a vowel it is equivalent to gz; thus example is pronounced egzample, not eksample. In words beginning with x this letter is equivalent to z; thus Xerxes is Zerkses.

10. G before e, i, and y has generally the sound of j. Get, give, buggy, etc., are exceptions.

EQUIVALENTS.

Sounds are frequently represented by other letters than those appropriately belonging to them.

Thus the sound of a is represented by ey in prey, pronounced pra; the sound of y is represented by i in the word union, pronounced une-yun ; the sound of sh is represented by ti, ci, si, ce in the words nation, spacious, mission, ocean, pronounced na-shun, spashus, mish-un, o-shun.

A letter or a combination of letters representing a sound properly belonging to another letter is called the equivalent

of that letter.

When the equivalent consists of more than

one letter the elementary sound is generally represented by one letter, while the other is silent.

Thus in wait the letter a represents the sound, and i is silent; in veil, e represents the sound of a, and i is silent.

EXERCISES.

1. Show what letters in the following words represent the sound of a in ate: Fate, wait, great, lay, weight, veil, gauge.

2. In the following words name the equivalents of the different letters representing the elementary sounds:

U in PULL-Wool, book, wolf, wood,

would.

U in URGE-Worm, journey.
OU in POUND-now, crowd.
OI in OIL-joy, alloy, destroy.
K-cat, loch, hough, ache, quilt,
box (boks).

T-faced, fixed, chased.
F-laugh, phiz, phlegm.
S-cent, ice, cit, cynic.
SH-ocean, sure, sugar, partial,
social, potion, pension, ma-
chine.

J—gem, gin, gipsy, soldier.
G-exist (egzist), exact (egzact).
V-of, Stephen, nephew.

Z-as, is, suffice, beaux, xebec, ribs.
ZH-azure, measure, ambrosial,

crozier, evasion, mirage, rouge.
W-one, once, quit, language.
Y—minion, alien, hallelujah, filial.

3. In which of the following words has c the sound of k (c hard), and in which that of s (c soft)?

Cat, cot, cut, cede, cite, cycle, clear, cry, coy, coil, count, city, century, cylinder, public.

4. In which of the following words has g the sound of j (g soft)? Ginger, gap, general, gull, got, gush, gentle, gyration, gymnastic, glade, grind, ghost, georgics, guilt, gown, genius, gin, gorge.

CLASSES OF LETTERS.

Letters are divided into vowels and consonants.

A VOWEL is a letter representing an unarticulated sound.
A CONSONANT is a letter representing an articulated sound.

Remarks.-1. The common statement that "a consonant is a sound incapable of perfect utterance without the aid of a vowel" is not correct, as may be seen by sounding f, v, s, z, l, r, m, n, and some other consonants, which are as capable of "perfect utterance" without the aid of a vowel as with it.

2. A vowel may form a syllable of itself; as in a-men, o-ver. Generally a consonant does not form a syllable, but is sounded in connection with a vowel. The word consonant signifies sounding with; that is, sounding with a vowel.

But the consonants and n may form syllables in pronunciation; as in heaven (hev n), drivel (driv 1). Such syllables, however, have a vowel written.

A, e, and o are always vowels; i and u almost always.
B, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x, y are

consonants.

When w has the vowel-sound of u it is a vowel, as in new (neu).

When У boy (boi).

has the vowel-sound of i it is a vowel, as in

In other cases w and y are consonants, as in wet, yet. When i has the consonant-sound of y it is a consonant, as in alien (ale-yen).

When u has the consonant-sound of w it is a consonant, as in quit (kwit).

Remark. It is rapid pronunciation that has in some cases changed i and u to consonants. Thus alien, originally a word of three syllables (al i en), came to be pronounced so rapidly that the i was joined to the following syllable with the sound of y. Ku it (koo it) rapidly pronounced becomes kwit (quit).

Consonants are sometimes divided into semivowels and mutes. A SEMIVOWEL is a consonant whose sound may be prolonged; as, 8, f.

A MUTE is a consonant whose sound can not be prolonged; as, b, t.

The semivowels are f, h, j, l, m, n, r, s, v, z, c soft, g soft; the mutes b, p, d, t, k, q, c hard, g hard (as in go). L, m, n, r are sometimes called LIQUIDS, because their sounds flow readily into union with other sounds, as in blame, dray.

A DIPHTHONG is a union of two vowels in the same syllable; as ou in found.

A proper diphthong is one in which both vowels are sounded; as oi in voice.

An improper diphthong is one in which the vowels are not both sounded; as ea in beat.

Remark. In beat there is no vowel-sound but that of e as in me, though e has a different sound from that which it would have without the a.

A TRIPHTHONG is a union of three vowels in the same syllable; as eau in beau.

Remark. There is no such thing as a proper triphthong, or one in which the vowels are all sounded. When buoy is pronounced bwoy, as it is sometimes pronounced, u becomes a consonant.

EXERCISES.

1. Name the vowels and the consonants in the following words:

Sat, den, hit, hunter, grind, loud, consonant, canter, place, shine, triangle, river, handsome, complete, settle.

2. In which of the following words are w and y consonants, and in which are they vowels?

Water, wet, winter, young, yet, yonder, boy, cow, joy, victory, sow, sowing, saw, sawing, new, newly, scythe, lyre, lye, eye, dying, brow, when, whip, which, enjoying, swine, try, swim, glory, glorying.

3. Name the diphthongs and triphthongs in the following words, and tell which are proper and which improper:

Loud, sound, toil, joy, meat, people, reap, lieu, view, beauty, receive, great, steak, break, gait, vow, vowing, euphony, choice, count, court, courage, hoe, how, sow, low.

WORDS.

A WORD is a syllable or a combination of syllables used as the sign of some idea.

A SYLLABLE is a sound or a combination of sounds uttered with a single impulse of the voice.

Thus in amen, a constitutes one syllable, and men another.

Remark. The essential part of most syllables is a vowel-sound. The vowelsound may be uttered by itself, as in a; or it may be joined with articulate sounds uttered with the same impulse of voice, as in men.