the mouth were not allowed to escape. There is thus a slight— but very slight-effect of breath heard on the organic separation, as in come, sun, tongue, &c. : it does not amount to an explosion, as in the other letters of this mechanism, because there is no sufficient obstruction to create explosiveness, but it is an audible effect; and when a vowel follows the articulation, this slight expression of breath gives a sharpness and closeness of connexion to the combination, which would be wanting, if the nasal sound were stopped in the glottis before the organic disjunction. This principle is important to distinctness, and it is especially so in cases of difficult articulation. In finishing these nasal elements, the soft palate must not be allowed to cover the nares before the articulating organs are separated; for a momentary closure will produce the explosive effect of B, D, and G. A tendency to compress the breath in this way is especially felt in ng, in the formation of which the tongue and soft palate are in contact, and so already in the position for G, to which it is consequently more easily convertible than the other nasal letters are to their explosives. Many English mouths, particularly London ones, are so much in the habit of finishing ng with a g, that they seem, even after many attempts, utterly unable to make the nasal element singly. Singer, hanger, &c. they pronounce as perfect rhymes to finger, anger, &c. The opposite fault prevails in Scotland, where the latter words are pronounced so as to rhyme with the former. The error, in both its phases, is easily susceptible of correction. The student should assure himself by experiment, of his power to finish the nasal articulations by the audible, yet inexplosive, separation of the organs. A little exercise of this kind will correct any faulty habit he may have acquired in the formation of these important elements of speech. Let the following table be slowly and attentively practised. * The final articulation does not occur in English, in combination with this vowel. : These three nasal articulations are the only elements which employ the nose in English. We have correctly no semi-nasal sounds as in French and if there can be no other obstructive articulation than those we have enumerated, there cannot be any other purely nasal element in any language: for the breath must be in some way obstructed by the mouth, before it can be directed entirely into the nostrils. The English nasals are all voice articulations. It is, however, possible to form them with unvocalized breath, and bad speakers often do so but our language does not recognise such sniffling among its sounds. In Gaelic, there seems to be, or to have been, an aspirate form of the nasal letters: mh is a common digraph in that language, but it is now generally sounded v, with this peculiarity, that it nasalizes the adjoining vowel. We have now seen from three articulations of the mouth, no fewer than nine distinct elements of speech produced. There are in English fifteen other articulate elements; these are the result of only nine actions; six of which are used to modify both voice and breath, and three to modify voice only. The remaining articulations are all continuous; they have oral apertures more or less free for the emission of the breath or voice. They may be divided into close and open continuous elements ; and, organically, into those formed by approximation, vibration, or partial contact of the articulating organs. The nasal "liquids" M, N, NG, and the oral "liquid" L, we call OPEN, because their channels of sound are so open that the breath does not produce upon the organs any vibratory or rustling effect, as it does in all the other continuous elements, which are therefore called close. SECOND MODE OF ARTICULATIVE ACTION.-APPROXIMATION. The nine articulations we have described, viz. P, B, M; T, D, N; K, G, NG; are formed, as we have shown, by organic contact. Similar dispositions of the mouth, but with the organs in close approximation only, will furnish us with a series of elements of the continuous class. Thus, when the positions P, T, K, are loosely assumed, so that the breath is not altogether shut in, a set of articulative breathings will be produced; the first of which resembles F, the second a whispered R, and the third the German or Scotch Ch. Neither of these is heard in English. Among individual peculiarities, the first is sometimes met with instead of F; the second is found in Welsh and Gaelic, represented by Rh; and the third is common in all the Scottish dialects, in the German, the Spanish, and many other languages. The breath may be vocalized with the organs in these positions, and another set of elements will be produced, of which the second will be recognised as the smooth or English R; the first resembles V*, and is one mode in which that letter is sometimes faultily articulated; and the third occurs, we believe, in the Russian, and in other strongly aspirated languages. It is also not unfrequently heard as a cacophonic substitution for R,—in which case it may be considered as a smooth burr; bearing the same relation to the uvular rattle, that the English R does to the rough rolling continental R. If the lips, from the first of these continuous positions, be slightly opened, so as to form a central aperture, rather more oval in shape, they will then be in the position from which Wh and W are struck off by an abrupt compressive action. The absence of this action removes the articulative quality,—compression and explosiveness of breath,-and reduces W to the vowel oo, and wh to a sort of semi-whistle. The tongue may be approximated to the palate at different points. If, from its position at R, it be advanced a little towards the upper gum, but still in approximation, and having a very con tracted central aperture for the passage of the breath, the hissing sound of S will be produced. The horizontal position of the tongue for this element requires the teeth to be very closely approximated,—but without touching: if the jaws are too much apart, the tongue cannot sufficiently contract the sibilant perture, and too much breath escapes; while if the teeth are perfectly closed, the breath is forced to pass through their interstices, and thus acquires a lisping modification from the teeth. *The letter B in Spanish often has this inexplosive mode of articulation. The Spanish soft sound of B is commonly thought to be the same as our English V; but we mistake if its true formation is not this close mutual approximation of the lips. The effect of the articulation is sufficiently like that of V to be easily mistaken for it. G These three nasal articulations are the only elements which employ the nose in English. We have correctly no semi-nasal sounds as in French : and if there can be no other obstructive articulation than those we have enumerated, there cannot be any other purely nasal element in any language: for the breath must be in some way obstructed by the mouth, before it can be directed entirely into the nostrils. The English nasals are all voice articulations. It is, however, possible to form them with unvocalized breath, and bad speakers often do so but our language does not recognise such sniffling among its sounds. In Gaelic, there seems to be, or to have been, an aspirate form of the nasal letters: mh is a common digraph in that language, but it is now generally sounded v, with this peculiarity, that it nasalizes the adjoining vowel. We have now seen from three articulations of the mouth, no fewer than nine distinct elements of speech produced. There are in English fifteen other articulate elements; these are the result of only nine actions; six of which are used to modify both voice and breath, and three to modify voice only. The remaining articulations are all continuous; they have oral apertures more or less free for the emission of the breath or voice. They may be divided into close and open continuous elements; and, organically, into those formed by approximation, vibration, or partial contact of the articulating organs. The nasal "liquids" M, N, NG, and the oral "liquid” L, we call OPEN, because their channels of sound are so open that the breath does not produce upon the organs any vibratory or rustling effect, as it does in all the other continuous elements, which are therefore called close. SECOND MODE OF ARTICULATIVE ACTION.-APPROXIMATION. The nine articulations we have described, viz. P, B, M; T, D, N; K, G, NG; are formed, as we have shown, by organic contact. Similar dispositions of the mouth, but with the organs in close approximation only, will furnish us with a series of elements of the continuous class. Thus, when the positions P, T, K, are loosely assumed, so that the breath is not altogether shut in, a set of articulative breathings will be produced; the first of which resembles F, the second a whispered R, and the third the German or Scotch Ch. Neither of these is heard in English. Among individual peculiarities, the first is sometimes met with instead of F; the second is found in Welsh and Gaelic, represented by Rh; and the third is common in all the Scottish dialects, in the German, the Spanish, and many other languages. The breath may be vocalized with the organs in these positions, and another set of elements will be produced, of which the second will be recognised as the smooth or English R; the first resembles V*, and is one mode in which that letter is sometimes faultily articulated; and the third occurs, we believe, in the Russian, and in other strongly aspirated languages. It is also not unfrequently heard as a cacophonic substitution for R,-in which case it may be considered as a smooth burr; bearing the same relation to the uvular rattle, that the English R does to the rough rolling continental R. If the lips, from the first of these continuous positions, be slightly opened, so as to form a central aperture, rather more oval in shape, they will then be in the position from which Wh and W are struck off by an abrupt compressive action. The absence of this action removes the articulative quality,-compression and explosiveness of breath,-and reduces W to the vowel oo, and wh to a sort of semi-whistle. The tongue may be approximated to the palate at different points. If, from its position at R, it be advanced a little towards the upper gum, but still in approximation, and having a very contracted central aperture for the passage of the breath, the hissing sound of S will be produced. The horizontal position of the tongue for this element requires the teeth to be very closely approximated,—but without touching: if the jaws are too much apart, the tongue cannot sufficiently contract the sibilant perture, and too much breath escapes; while if the teeth are perfectly closed, the breath is forced to pass through their interstices, and thus acquires a lisping modification from the teeth. *The letter B in Spanish often has this inexplosive mode of articulation. The Spanish soft sound of B is commonly thought to be the same as our English V; but we mistake if its true formation is not this close mutual approximation of the lips. The effect of the articulation is sufficiently like that of V to be easily mistaken for it. G |