Class 2. The following should have Italian d, as ir arm: Ha, balm, calm, palm, psalm; calf, half; wrath; aunt; laugh; launch; mustache, etc.

Class 3. The following and similar words should not be pronounced with short a nor Italian a: Staff, quaff; craft, draft; mass, pass; fast, last; ask, task; asp, clasp; dance, glance; chant, plant, etc.

Class 4. Coalescent e should not be pronounced like coalescent u. Examples: Earn, verge, verse, mercy, prefer, etc.

Class 5. The following should have short o (as in odd, not): On, gone, dog, off, often, soft, long, song, strong, throng, coral, orange, foreign, torrid, coronet, corridor, correlate, frontispiece, etc.

Class 6: U or ew should never be pronounced like long oo unless preceded by the sound of r, ch, sh or zh. Examples: Dew, duty, duel, gewgaw, juice, lute, new, sue, tune, whew, etc. It should be oo in the following: Rude, brute, fruit, chew, chute (pronounced shoot), chusite, sure, azure, etc. [NOTE.-When u or ew is not preceded by the sound of r, ch, sh or zh, it has the regular sound of u, which is that of short i and long oo pronounced as closely together as possible. Thus: Cube is correctly pronounced kyoob, not kewb nor koob.]

Class 7. The following have the accent on the last syllable: Discourse (noun and verb), recess, research, resource, romance, address (noun and verb), ally (noun and verb), contour, finance, routine, canine, robust, occult, verbose, etc.

Class 8. A, you, the, that, for, from, etc., take an obscure vowel sound (nearly like short u, as in run) when they occur as unemphatic words in a sentence. The before a vowel sound, however, takes the

sound of short i.

EXERCISE IN PRONUNCIATION.

An Indian, attracted by the aroma of the coffee and the broth, arising from the bivouac and moving down the path, met a bombastic bravo who was troubled with bronchitis. The Indian, being in dishabille, was treated with disdain by this blackguard, who called him a dog and bade him with much vehemence and contumely to leave his domain, or he would demonstrate with his carbine the use of a coffin and a cemetery. The Indian calmly surveyed the dimensions of his European antagonist and opponent, and, being sagacious and robust, and having all the combativeness of a combatant, shot this ruffian in the abdomen with an arrow.

A young patriot with a black mustache, coming from the museum, laughingly said, "Bravo! you should be nationally rewarded by receiving the right of franchise, for I witnessed the altercation. and the evidence is irrefragable and indisputable that you have removed a nauseous reptile."

I now make this inquiry: Will not the matrons in this country and the patrons of our schools inaugurate some system that will give an impetus to the interesting study of our language? If half the leisure moments were thus spent, in lieu of reading some despicable romance, we should be wiser than we are.

Foreign Pronunciation.—In reading, foreign words are often found which are utterly unpronounceable to one not having at least an elementary knowledge of the language to which they belong. To pronounce such words according to English rules would in many cases be allowable; but this could not apply to Goethe and similar names. Clearly, the only correct way is to approach as nearly as possible to the native pronounciation, except in words and names thoroughly anglicized. To pronounce Paris Paree would be pedantry.

For the benefit of those who may not have the advantage of a knowledge of the principal languages of Europe, it is thought best to insert here, for reference, short tables of pronounciation, which cannot fail to be of service to the student.

Ae, or ä, like English a or short e.

ai, ay, like English e.

au, like English ow.

ei, ey, like English a (with vanish.)

oe, or ō (German o), formed by sounding long a with lips in position

for long o.

ue, or ü (French or German u), formed by sounding long e with lips placed for long ov.

ch, like English sh (except in Greek derivations).
g (before e, i, or ylike English zh.

gu (before e or i), like English g (hard).

W (preceded by i), like English y (formerly Sp. ).
qu (before vowel), like English k.

gn, like Spanish ñ.

h, scarcely pronounced.

m (at end of a syllable), nasal.

n

SPANISH.

I(final), like English ee.

b (between vowels), like English v (not dental).
c (e or i following) like English th (as in thin).

ch (Catalan dialect), like English k.

d (between vowels)

d (at end of word)} like English th (as in they)
g (before e, i or y

}

h

like English (strongly aspirated)

Modulation concerns the proper management of the voice in speech, and treats of those changes that should

be male in it to best express the sentiment. When per fectly at our ease we use the unemotional language of simple conversation. When we are influenced by feelings of adoration or sublimity, we use the same form of speech, but the language becomes grander, the tones more full and round; we then use the Orotund. When greatly agitated by intense emotions of the mind, such as terror, anger, etc., we lose the perfect control of our voices, the tension of the vocal cords is increased or relaxed, and we use the aspirated harsh, cold, steely tones designated Impure Quality. Were we to represent the Simple Pure voice on paper, it might be done with THIS STYLE of type, while the Orotund would require THIS STYLE, larger, but each letter of the same shape, as the Orotund is but a symmetrical enlargement of the Simple Pure. In the same manner, Impure Quality should be represented in distorted type, possibly by ITALIC CAPITALS.

The pure voice is used both in speech and song; in the former, however, we use speaking tones, and in the latter singing tones. The difference between music and speech lies in the manner of transition from one degree of pitch to another. In speech the movement is concrete, the voice continually sliding upward and downward, never remaining at one point of the scale except in the monotone. The singing voice passes from one pitch to another by a distinct step called discrete movement. Elocution requires a culture of the speaking voice, though the quality is improved by a cultivation of singing tones. Singing develops pure voice; speaking improves the other qualities and the various modulations. Music is a succession of similar sounds following one another in a regular order, though each sound of itself may be unmusical. In Elocution, guard against the use of singing tones except in practice.

The

As we have seen, the tones of voice are caused by the action of breath upon the vibrating vocal cords. greater is the tension of these cords, the higher will be the pitch. In terror, they are strained to the utmost, and the result is a high-pitched tone, or shriek. In despair and anger, the vocal cords are relaxed, and the result is the Pectoral quality, very low in pitch.