Palatic Letters.

K, as in Key: C hard, as in Cue: Ch, as in Chorus: Q, as in Queen: Kail cane quaint keel queer key, quid cone quote cup cube cake, squeak elk pike kick sick attack, quack quake crowd crust clay cloy, dirk work bulk skulk crack cracked, cracks crackst crack'dst crackling choral archives, architecture archangel quicker.

G hard, as in Gag: Gay gave, gap guard, gall ghost, green go, gone gulp, plague hag, bog jug, egg gargle, giggle gurgle, ogle glimpse, gray gross.

Semi-palatic Letter, or initial Y, as in Ye. Yare yest yon, young yonder your, you youth yawl.

Aspirated or Breathing Letter.

H, as in Hail: Hay hat harm hall, heel head high hit, home hot horse hoot, hue hut hyphen behave, behest hence when why, who where wheat what, wherefore whirl whence vehement, annihilate human behemoth vehicle.

Nasal Letters.

N, as in No: Nay nap gnarl knee net, nice nib note not new, fain can barn keen ken, line sin own on hewn, grain noise now noun winnow.

NG, as in Singing; N, as in Finger: N, as in Think; N, as in Concave; N, as in Conquest.

Gang king sprung length strength bank, sink being nothing writing hanging bringing, robbing singing conquer prolong concourse concubine, extinct distinction thank banquet sunk ink, thinks thinkest crank angle English congress, anger congregate anguish extinguish unguent languid.

Lingual Letters.

L, as in Lull: Lay lee, lie lo, loo law, lad lark, loll hale, all call, well weal, will wool, hull lowly, lily lullaby.

R initial, or before a vowel,* as in Rude. Ray rat, raw wry, pray brass, crape green, trait shrug, throw root, rust rural, around enrich, rebel Roman, roll rot, flowery contrary, library rest, rhinoceros roaring, rearing rushest, torrent dreary, briery priory, cruel truly, protrude.

R final, or before a consonant, as in Air, far, farm.† Hare are ore, ire our ear, harm form burn, eternal fern dark, farm marl furl, hurl whirl her, formal borne born, murmur far former, horn torpor stork, fork ford hoard, lord force horse, ark dart barter, herd learn arm, pearl world servant, border merchant adore, demure expire appear.

Exercise combining both Rs. Rarely rear roar error, horror roared reared warrior, terror regular irregular brier, prior truer.

These words should be articulated with great precision and energy, and the distinction of sound, in the two Rs, carefully observed.

Note. The common errors in the sounds of this letter, are the substitution of the hard for the soft r; thus, warr for war; the entire omission of the letter, as in wawm, for warm, the protrusion of the hard sound after a consonant; thus, derread for dread. Nothing is more

* Articulated by a forcible trill of the tongue against the upper gum, forming a harsh sound, which may be denominated hard"‍R. Note. This sound should never be prolonged into a 'roll.'

In the formation of this sound, which is much softer, the tongue bends inward in the mouth, and the vibration is very slight. This sound may be distinguished as 'soft' R.

The pupil should be trained, first, to give the perfect sound of the hard R, then that of the soft, then to articulate the two sounds, alternately, in rapid succession.

characteristic of true and graceful articulation, than the clear and appropriate sound of this letter.

Palatic and Sibilant Letter.

X, as in Ver: Axe sex ox expel exile, six oxen Saxon waxedst sexton, axle excel fixture extract exhortation exorcise expect.

X, as in Examine: Example exemplary exact auxiliary exalt exhort, exhaust exhaustion exhale exhibit exordium.

ERRORS IN ARTICULATION.

The common hinderances to distinct enunciation may, as far as articulation is concerned, be classed as follows:

1st. Feebleness, arising from a want of full and forcible emission of voice, and of due energy in the action of the organs,-particularly the tongue, the teeth, and the lips.

2d. Omission, a fault occasioned by undue rapidity or hurry, and sometimes by an inadvertent compliance with incorrect custom.

3d. Obscurity, caused by the want of precision and accuracy in the functions of the organs, and a consequent want of definiteness or correctness in the sounds of letters and syllables.

The rule of practice, therefore, in regard to the exercises of reading and speaking, should be, Always to articulate with such energy, deliberateness, and accuracy, that every sound of the voice may be fully and exactly formed, distinctly heard, and perfectly understood. A drawling slowness, however, and a pedantic or irregular prominence of unaccented syllables, should be carefully avoided. Faults arising from slovenliness, and those which seem to spring from misdirected study, are equally objectionable.

Errors in articulation may be conveniently classed according to the manner in which they affect the pronunciation of words and syllables.

1st. Those which consist in omitting or obscuring words. Among these are the following:

In the pronunciation of the conjunction and, cutting off the final letter d, and obscuring or omitting the initial letter a. These errors take place frequently, and in various circumstances, but particularly when and occurs before a word beginning with a vowel. Thus the word and, in the phrase 'air and exercise,' is not unfrequently pronounced in one of these three ways: 'air an' exercise,'-'air un exercise,'—'air ʼn’ exercise.'

The phrase 'of the' is also clipped of several letters, so as to be reduced, in some instances, to the bare sound of th. The following clause exemplifies the various degrees of this fault: The heat of the air was oppressive''the heat o' the air,' &c.-' the heat o' th' air,' &c.—' the heat th' air,' &c.

The preposition to is carelessly uttered as if with the sound of o in done, or of u in but, instead of that of o in move, shortened; thus, He went tŭ see the monument '--for 'to see,' &c.

2d. Errors in the articulation of initial syllables, by omitting or obscuring the sounds of letters. The errors of omission are, chiefly, such as the following: [The letter which is apt to be omitted, is italicised.]

* Belief believe benevolence benevolent delicious delight delightful delineate deliver denominate denominator calamity calamitous deny denial deliberate

* These and all following classes of words which exemplify errors or rules, are intended to be read aloud, with great distinctness, and to be often repeated.

denote denounce polite political, human* when wheat why where what whirl whimper whale wharf wheel which whisper white.

The errors of careless articulation and obscure sound in initial syllables, are chiefly exemplified in the letters e and o, which are incorrectly sounded like e in her and like o in come. The true sound of e and o in such syllables is that which is heard in the first syllable of the words rewrite, domain, costume.

Before behind behold beware event prepare precede.

O, as in Domain-Colossal, (incorrectly pronounced cullossul, &c.) Columbus proceed producing opinion domestic obey tobacco promote pronounce propose provide provoke position horizon.

O, as in Costume-Collect, (incorrectly pronounced cullect, &c.) collision command commemorate commence commit commission committee commodious communicate compactly companion compare competitor complete comply compose component comprise compress compute conceal concede conceit concern concession conclude concur condemn conduce condense condition conductor confederate confine confirm confute congeal conjecture connect consent consider consign console constrain construct consume consult contain content contemplate contend contribute control converge convey convince convulse correct correctly correctness corrupt corrode corroborate.

3d. The errors of articulation in middle syllables, are chiefly those which arise from the omission or obscuring of e, o, or u, unaccented, and the letter r before a liquid. These letters, although they should never be

* In words commencing with wh, the letters must be transposed in pronouncing; thus, Hwen, hweat, hwy, &c. Except who and its compounds, with a few other words, in which the sound of w is dropped; as, Whoever, whole, whoop.