and atonics-of which our language is composed; for it is manifest, that if the parts be perfect, the whole must be perfect also: and therefore, if our articulation of the elemental sounds be just, our articulation of all the syllables and words which their combination forms must also be just. What is lisping, or stammering? An imperfect or faulty utterance of certain elemental sounds. Show the person who lisps or stammers, (always excepting the case of organic defect,) the organic process of articulation of the particular sound in which his utterance is imperfect, and make him practise that process of articulation, and there is no doubt of the result; his defect, if not organic, will be removed, and he will speak clearly and distinctly. Slovenly articulation is mis-spelling to the ear; and is as great a blemish to speech as false spelling is to a written letter: one fault should be as carefully guarded against as the other, in early education. This can only be done by justly distinguishing between the sign and the sound, and practising the pupil on all the elementary sounds of which his language is composed, until he is perfectly master of them in all their combinations. The necessity of a distinct articulation will be made apparent at once by reading the following EXAMPLES. 1. A serious man was never before guilty of such a series of follies; in which every species of absurdity was accompanied by a specious gravity, which rendered it infinitely amusing. In this passage, unless the syllables ies and ious be correctly distinguished by the reader, in the words serious and series, species and specious, it must be quite evident that confusion and uncertainty will result to the hearer. 2. The duke paid the money due to the Jew before the dew was off the ground; and the Jew, having duly acknowledged it, said adieu to the duke for ever. This example may help to correct a carelessness very common-that of confounding the consonants d and j when followed by the sound of u, a process which changes adieu into a jew, duke into juke, &c. "That's villainous;" "reform it altogether." A ludicrous instance of this kind of carelessness occurred to me in a town in one of the northern counties of England. I was looking at some apartments which were shown to me by the landlady of the house. They did not exactly suit me, and I said so. She, with all the hauteur of a disappointed and irritated proprietress, replied, "Well, sir, then you can shoot yourself elsewhere." I took my leave, assuring her that I had no such suicidal intention. However, I followed the advice she meant to give, and did suit myself elsewhere. How commonly do we hear, in ordinary conversation, A p'tik'lur man, instead of a par-tic-u-lar man. A purson of emenunce, for per-son of em-i-nence. To correct these, and similar errors of articulation, arising from a careless utterance of the elementary sounds, the tables of articulation in the "PRACTICE," at the end of the System, are prepared for the reader. Their object is, by frequent practice, to give a habit of clear articulation of certain sounds, syllables, and combinations that are generally slurred over. In practice, I find the greatest carelessness prevailing in the utterance of the following sounds, which I therefore single out for exercise-the numerals indicating the required sound have reference to the Table of Tonic Elements. 4 NOTE. The indefinite article a should never have the long slender sound of the vowel, as in ale, but the open sound, as in at. It is exceedingly bad, (and at the same time very common,) to say, a man, a book. 3 4 contentedness, con-tent-ed-ness, not con-ten-ted-nuss. sobriety, so-bri-ety, . not so-bri-utty. [See Table No. 2.] er.—The borrowed sound of the joined to the liquid r, making the syllable er. This sound is between the e in met and the u in curl. It is a vulgarity to sound verse as vurse, mercy as murcy. The correct sound of is attained by striking the accent lightly, and without dwelling on the er; whereas, in ûr, as in curd, the sound is more open, and heavier. [See Table No. 4.] NOTE. The definite article the must never have the long 6 sound of e, as in thee, except before a vowel or a silent h. i.—The short sound of i, as in sin, ci-ty, in the TERMINATIONS in-ity-il-ity-itive-ible, and others of similar form. ir. The borrowed sound of i joined to the liquid r, making 9 the syllable ir distinct from ur, as in sir, which is a lighter and closer sound than cur. Virtue must not be called vurtue, nor third thurd, &c. 7 [See Table No. 4.] —The full and round, open sound of in the 9 or.-The intermediate sound of o,with r in the termination or, unaccented, which must be kept distinct from ur. |