the vowel sound with which it is connected. But in our analytical examination, we can utter it or partly utter it without the vowel. We can in this way separate an elementary consonantal sound from its associated vowel sound, so far, at least, as to discover its nature. Thus, in analyzing the sounds in the combinations indicated by ro, lo, do, po, we can isolate the sounds indicated by r, l, d, p, and pronounce them as if written r-o, l-o, d-o, p-o. In the case of d there is an imperfect sound, in which there is a slight vocality. In the case of p there is but little more than an effort at a sound.

SURDS AND SONANTS.

§ 115. If the vocal ligaments be so inclined to each other as not to vibrate, the emission of breath from the lungs produces merely a whisper. This whisper may be modified in like manner as the voice by similar arrangements of the organs. Every vocal sound has its correspondent whisper sound.

If you take the sounds of p, f, t, k, s, th in thin, sh in shine, and isolate them from their vowels, and pronounce them, the sound is that of a whisper.

If you treat the sounds of b, v, d, g, z, th in thine, z in azure, in the same way, the sound is no whisper, but one at the natural tone of the voice. The first class are called SURDS, the second class SONANTS. Instead of these, the terms sharp and flat have been used, or aspirate and vocal, and are their equiv alents.

CONTINUOUS AND EXPLOSIVE SOUNDS.

§ 116. A part of the consonant sounds are CONTINUOUS, and a part are EXPLOSIVE. If you isolate the sounds of p, b, t, d, k, and g surd, you have no power to prolong the sounds or of resting on them. They escape with the breath at once. It is not so with the sounds of f, v, sh, z, zh, s, l, m, n, r, ng. breath is transmitted by degrees, and the sounds can be prolonged. The first class are explosive, the second continuous. See LATHAM'S English Language, and Introduction to WALKER'S Dictionary.

DR. RUSH'S CLASSIFICATION.

Here the

§ 117. I. TONIC SOUNDS. A-ll, a-rt, a-n, a-le, ou-r, i-sle, o-ld, ee-l, oo-ze, e-rr, e-nd, i-n. These twelve tonic sounds have a vocality, as

distinguished from a whisper or aspiration, and admit of indefinite

prolongation.

II. SUBTONIC SOUNDS. B-ow, d-are, g-ive, si-ng, l-ove, m-ay, n-ot, r-oe, have unmixed vocality; vile, z-one, y-e, w-o, th-en, a-z-ure, have aspiration. Some of the subtonic vocalities are nasal;

b, d, g.

as, m, n, ng, b,

III. ATONIC SOUNDS. U-p, ou-t, ar-k, i-f, ye-s, h-e, wh-eat, th-in, pu-sh. These nine have no vocality, but only a whisper or aspiration. In this classification of the elementary articulate sounds, we have twelve tonic, fourteen subtonic, and nine atonic sounds; in all, thirty-five.

Seven of the tonic elements are Diphthongs: a-ll, a-rt, a-n, a-le, i-sle, old, ou-r. The remaining five are Monothongs, having one unaltered sound: ee-l, oo-ze, e-rr, e-nd, i-n.

This classification, though distinguished by great analytical ingenuity and talent, is not so well adapted to the purpose of this work as the one adopted.

15. That of h in hot, an aspirate or simple breathing.

119. 1. The first, the sound of a in father, called the Italian or ancient sound; the second, the sound of a in fat, called the short or French sound; the third, the sound of a in fate, called the long or English sound; the fourth, the sound of a in fall, called the German sound, are varieties of one and the same original sound. Of the last there is a shortened variety, as in what. The fourth is allied to the eighth and ninth.

2. The fifth, the sound of e in mete, though considered as the long sound of the sixth, is strictly the long sound of i in fit, the seventh. 3. The sixth, the sound of e in met, is strictly the short sound of

a in pate, and not of e in mete, as sometimes stated.

4. The seventh, the sound of i in fit, though often considered as allied to i in fine, is, in the opinion of good writers, a shortened variety of the sound of e in mete.

5. The eighth, the sound of o in note, bears the same relation to the ninth, that of o in not, as that of a in fate to that of a in fat.

6. The tenth, the sound of u in bull, is closely allied to the eleventh, the sound of oo in pool. They are both varieties of the same sound, pronounced rapidly in the one case, and slowly in the other. The two sounds bear the same relation to each other as the sound of a in fate to the sound of a in fat, and of ee in feet to i in fit.

7. The twelfth, the sound of u in but, is regarded as the short sound of u, the long sound being, in this table, put down as diphthongal.

8. The thirteenth, the sound of w in wet, is allied to the sound of oo in cool. Some writers consider it as identical, and assert that the words. will, oo-ill, are sounded alike. It is, however, convenient to consider the w, as in will, as a separate and independent sound. It is sometimes vocalic and sometimes consonantal.

9. The fourteenth, the sound of y in yet, is allied to the sound of

ein mete. Some writers consider it as identical, and assert that the words yet and ee-et are sounded alike. It is, however, convenient to consider the y, as in yet, as a separate, independent sound. It is sometimes vocalic and sometimes consonantal.

10. The fifteenth, the sound of h in hot, is by some grammarians classed with the vowel sounds, and by others with the consonant sounds. It is simply a breathing.

11. The sixteenth, the sound of ng in king, is a simple elementary sound, expressed, not by a single elementary sign or letter, but by two letters, or a combination. The sound of ng in king is allied to the sounds of n and g. It differs, however, from the sounds of both of these letters, either single or taken together. The sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth are called nasals, from the organ concerned in their production.

12. The nineteenth, the sound of l in let, and the twentieth, the sound of r in run, are, in some languages, convertible into each other. See 167.

13. The twenty-first, that of p in pat, and twenty-third, that of fin fan, are in some languages convertible. So are the twenty-second, that of b in bat, and the twenty-fourth, that of v in van. See § 127.

14. The twenty-fifth, the sound of th in thin, is a simple elementary sound, and, as such, should be expressed by a single letter. Instead of this, it is expressed by two letters, or by a combination, so that, although a simple sound to the car, it has the appearance of being a compound one to the eye.

15. The twenty-sixth, the sound of th in thine, like the sound last mentioned, is a simple sound, expressed, not by a single elementary sign or letter, but by two letters; but, though different from the sound last mentioned, it is expressed in the spelling in precisely the same way. The th in thin is allied to the sound of t, as in tin. The th in thine is allied to the sound of d, as in dine.

2

16. The thirty-first, that of s in sin, the thirty-second, that of z in zed, the thirty-third, that of sh in shine, thirty-fourth, that of in azure, are called sibilants, from the property of hissing.

17. The thirty-third, the sound of sh, as in shine, is in the same predicament as sounds 25, 26. It is a simple elementary sound, expressed, not by a single elementary sign or letter, but by two letters in combination. The real sound of h, preceded by s, is very different from that of sh in shine; and the real sound of sh in shine is very different from that of h preceded by s.

18. The thirty fourth, the sound of z in azure, though without a corresponding sign or letter, is simple and elementary. The sound

of z in azure and that of s in pleasure are identical. It might properly be expressed by zh, or a new character. This sound is related to sh in shine, as th in then is related to th in thin.

From the first to the twelfth, inclusive, the sounds are represented by the characters a, e, i, o, u. Those represented by a, o, and u are called broad or strong vowels; those represented by e and called small or weak vowels.

are

COGNATE CONSONANT ELEMENTS.

§ 120. From the twenty-first to the thirty-fourth inclusive, the consonant sounds allied in pronunciation, or cognate, are arranged in pairs. In each pair, the sound of the even number has vocality, being produced by the voice, and the sound of the odd number has only an aspiration, or a whisper, being produced by the breath. Thus, if the sound of p in the first pair be isolated from its vowel, it will be only that of a whisper; but if the allied sound of b be uttered, it will be not a whisper, but the natural tone of the voice.

As already mentioned, the sounds in the series p are indicated by the terms surd, aspirate, or sharp; and the sounds in the series b arc indicated by the terms sonant, vocal, or flat.

The Tahitians confound the cognate elements represented by d and t, and also those represented by b and p.

THE

SUMMATION OF SURD AND SONANT ELEMENTS.

§ 121. The Vowel sounds, the Nasal sounds, and the Liquid sounds, are sonant; one half of the remaining sounds are sonant, and the other half and the sound of the letter h are surd. See § 118.

THE SUMMATION

OF EXPLOSIVE AND CONTINUOUS
ELEMENTS.

§ 122. The Vowel sounds, the Nasal sounds, the Liquid sounds, the sounds of ƒ, v, s, sh, z, zh, of th in thin, of th in thine, are continuous. The sounds of b, of p, t, d, k, g, and h, are explosive.