CHAP. III. ON THE PRONUNCIATION OF THE CONSONANTS. IN the formation of the consonants, five distinct positions of the organs may be observed. In the first, the mouth is closed by the application of the lips to each other. The letters pronounced in this way are p, b, and m. To sound p at the beginning of a word, the lips should be firmly closed, and suddenly opened so as to emit the vowel sound. At the end of a word, the vowel sound that precedes it is arrested by the closure of the lips. In this way are sounded pa and ap. All that is required in order to sound b in combination with a vowel, either preceding or following it, is to preserve the same position of the lips, and when the b is initial to commence the utterance by an audible sound from the throat; where it is final or at the end of a syllable, the guttural sound must follow the closure of the lips. The want of a sufficiently forcible expression of this guttural sound, common to all the flat mutes, gives feebleness to the tone of many readers whose enunciation is in other respects correct. m is formed by closing the lips and emitting the breath through the nostrils. In the second position, the under lip is applied to the fore teeth of the upper jaw; the letters sounded in this way are f and v: the first, a sharp mute simply articulated by emitting the breath forcibly between the fore teeth and upper lip; the latter, a flat mute articulated in the same way with the assistance of the guttural sound. The third position is the application of the tongue to the fore teeth and thus is sounded the combination th, as in thin and then-formed, in the first of these words, with the breath only, and in the second, by the joint action of the breath and voice. The fourth position is the application of the fore part of the tongue to the fore part of the palate. The letters so pronounced are t, d, 8, z, r, l, n. In the case of 8, z, and r, the contact of the tongue and palate is not complete. In order to sound 8, the point of the tongue is turned up towards the upper gum, and the breath forced through the narrow opening left between them. z, which is its corresponding flat mute, is sounded in the same way, with the assistance of the guttural murmur. To sound the rough r at the beginning of a word, the point of the tongue should be made to vibrate rapidly close to the upper jaw, and a little behind its position for sounding d. The smooth r before a consonant, in the middle, or at the end of a word, is produced by a slight contraction of the tongue, a little farther back in the mouth; is produced by applying the point of the tongue to the fore part of the palate, a little behind the place of d, and allowing the voice to pass over the sides of the tongue. If the voice be prevented from escaping through the mouth, by the tongue being flattened, while its point remains in the same position as for l, and the breath be emitted through the nose, we shall have the sound of n. The fifth position is the application of the middle part of the tongue to the palate. The letters thus pronounced are k, g hard as in (game) sh, j, and ng. The letter k is pronounced by pressing the middle of the tongue closely against the roof of the mouth, and so intercepting the voice. Thus would be sounded king, rank. With the assistance of the guttural murmur, the same position produces the hard g as in go, rag. These two letters, like d and t, &c., correspond as sharp and flat mutes. The sound of sh is obtained by raising the middle of the tongue towards the palate, while the point is moved farter forwards, and emitting the breath through an opening somewhat wider than in sounding s. The same position accompanied by the guttural murmur, produces the sound of the French j, as heard in the French word justice. This letter in English is a double consonant compounded of d and the French j, in that order, as in join, jetty, conjure. The combination ng is pronounced by keeping the tongue in the same position as for k or hard g, and emitting the voice partly through the nose and partly through the mouth. The sound of the aspirate h is produced by forcing the breath from the open mouth immediately before the utterance of the vocal sound, which follows it so closely that the two efforts appear simultaneous. CHAP. IV. LESSONS AND EXERCISES. LESSON 1. ON THE SOUND OF THE LONG VOWELS. MANY readers make their enunciation very indistinct, by giving a feeble, incorrect, and mincing tone to the open vowels. It is very common to hear such words as roses, flaming, duty, sounded as if written, ruzzes, flemming, jitty. In the following exercise a full, open, bold sound is to be given to the vowels printed in Italics. EXERCISE 1. These are thy glorious works, parent of good, Thus wondrous fair, thyself how wondrous then! In these thy lowest works; yet these declare |