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PART FIRST.

LETTERS, SYLLABLES, AND WORDS.

I-LETTERS.

A LETTER is a character, written or printed, which represents an articulate sound; or a sound of the human voice in speaking.

Letters are divided into vowels and consonants.

I. A vowel is a letter which may be uttered alone, or in connection with another vowel. The vowels are seven in number; namely, a, e, i, o, u, y, and w.

OBS. 1. The vowels which are heard only in connection with other vowels, are i alphabetical, and u alphabetical, and w. E is heard after i, and before u: hence these are sometimes called compound vowels. W is never vocal except when preceded by another vowel.

OBS. 2. I, y, and w, are sometimes consonants: i in a few positions only; as in Ind-ian, Christ-ian, pin-ion, fil-ial; where it has the sound of y consonant: y and w are always consonants at the beginning of syllables.

The following tables contain a description of the different vowel sounds:

OBS. For the reasons which have induced me to adopt a new nomenclature, to enumerate some sounds not enumerated by others as regular, and to vary from others in the derivation of some of the short vowels, I refer the teacher to the "Ele ments of Reading and Oratory."

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7. W, as a vowel, has no independent sound. It becomes vocal only in conjunction with another vowel with which it forms a diphthong; as in blow, cow, howl, scowl.

The vowels frequently appear in combinations called diphthongs and triphthongs.

1. A diphthong is the union of two vowels in one articulation; as ou in sour.

2. A triphthong is a union of three vowels in one articulation; as eau in beau.

Both diphthongs and triphthongs are divided into proper and improper.

1. Proper diphthongs and triphthongs blend their vowels and form one sound; as ou in sour and eau in beau: improper have only one of their vowels vocal; as ea in beat, eau in beauty.

TABLES OF DIPHTHONGAL AND TRIPHTHONGAL SOUNDS.

1. Aa, ae, ai, au, aw, ay.

1. Aa has two sounds.

1. Of alphabetical a,

2. Of flat a short,

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as heard in

Aaron.
Balaam, Isaac.

2. Ae has one sound; viz. of alphabetical e; as heard in Eneas,

Cæsar.

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VOWELS-DIPHTHONGS.

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5. Aw has always one sound; viz., of broad a long; as in bawl, crawl. acrawl.

6. Ay has always the sound of alphabetical a long; as in bay, day, delay.

2. Ea, eau, ee, ei, eo, eou, eu, ew, ey.

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6. Eou, when a triphthong, has but one sound; viz., of alphabetical o short; as in righteous, gorgeous.

7. Eu has the sound of alphabetical u; as in deuce, deuteronomy, feud. It is often erroneously pronounced like oo.

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1. Ia, when a diphthong, has the sound of alphabetical e short; as in marriage, carriage.

2. Ie, when a diphthong, has four sounds.

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3. Ieu has the sound of alphabetical u; as in lieu, adieu, purlieu. 4. Iew has also the sound of alphabetical u; as in view, review

5. Io, when a diphthong, has the alphabetical o short sound of u; as m marchioness, cushion.

6. Iou, when a triphthong, has the sound of alphabetical o short; as in precious, vexatious. It is often incorrectly pronounced after d as a triphthong; as in tedious, spoken as if written te-je-ous or te-jus.

4. Oa, oe, oeu, oi, oo, ou, ow, oy.

1. Oa has two sounds.

1. Of broad a long,
2. "alphabetical o long,

2. Oe has five sounds.

1. Of alphabetical a short,

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as heard in

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broad, groat.
boat, road.

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œcumenic, fœtid.
fœtus, œiliad.
foe, hoe.

5. "muffled

does.

canoe, shoe.

3. Oeu has the sound of muffled o long; as in manœuvre.

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8. Oy has only one sound; viz., that of broad a and alphabetical e long;

as in cloy, boy.

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4. " alphabetical u,

quench, conquest.
coquet, guest.

conquer, guerdon.
ague, hue.

It is sometimes mute; as in antique, dialogue, &c.

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5. Uoy has one sound: viz., of w and broad a and e long; or of w and oi in boil. It occurs only in one word: buoy.

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A consonant is a letter which, as the name implies, cansounded without the aid of a vowel. The consonants , c, d, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z; to h must be added th, ch, sh, zh, wh, ng: being plainly elecary sounds, and as such belonging to the alphabet, though formally included in it.

Consonants may be divided into two classes: real consonts, and substitutes.

By a real consonant, is meant that which has a peculiar ind determinate sound of its own, though it may assume that of another letter or a combination of letters; and by a substitute, one which has no peculiar and determinate sound of its own, but uniformly represents that of some other letter or combination of letters.

1. The real consonants are, b, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z, ch, sh, th, wh, ng.

Real consonants are either unchangeable or changeable. Unchangeable consonants are those which uniformly have the same sound: changeable, those which, besides having their peculiar sounds, in certain positions assume other sounds.

A consonant is not changeable because in one or two instances it may assume another sound; (which may be merely a vicious effect of custom ;) but only when it assumes another sound, in the same position in all words, or generally; and hence when this assumption can be traced to a general law.

1. The unchangeable are, b, f, h, j, k, l, m, p, r, v, w, y, sh, th, wh.

1. B. Its sound is heard in rebel, robber, cub. After m 'except in accumb, succumb, rhomb,) and before t, in the same

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