nary sound. Therefore, I include in this rule only esc, and not isc, osc, use, which some grammarians have improperly done. When s stands between o and c, or i and c, or u and c, it is silent.

NOTE.-It must be understood that 8, when sounded between e and c, is not to form a separate so`ind from that of c. Both must be sounded alike, and form together the strong sound of hard 8.

8. s is hard when preceded or followed by a consonant in the middle of a word.

NOTE. All other words ending in isme are included in the same exception.

parsonage.
Presburg.
transaction.
to compound.

transitory.
transalpine.
Louisburg.
catechism.
selfishness.
sophism.
prism.
prismatic.
schism.
heroism.
galvanism.
Erasmus.

10. s final is generally silent; but it has the soft sound if carried to the next word. beginning with a vowel or a silent h.

11. s final is always sounded, by exception, in the following words: hard, if the words are pronounced alone; soft, if carried to a word beginning with a vowel or a silent h.

NOTE,―The word bis has the s silent when it means brown, in this sentence: Du pain bis, brown broad 12. s is sounded soft between the words quatre, four, and yeux, eyes, though there were not any s spelled at all.

entre quatre yeux (quatre-a-yeux), between two persons.

13. s, when double, is generally sounded single.

14. s. when double, is sounded altogether, by exception, in the following :

Such a

NOTE-There is but very little difference between the simple sound of 8 and the double. pronunciation cannot be entirely explained in a treatise; it must be heard from a native master to be quite anderstood.

2. t final is not generally sounded, except when it is carried to the next word beginning with a vowel or a silent h.

3. t final, when preceded by r, is never carried to a vowel. The r, by which it is preceded, is carried in its place.

4. t final of the conjunction et (and) is neither sounded nor carried.

5. final is always sounded, by exception, in the following :—

NOTES.-1st. t is sounded in sept (seven), when pronounced alone or carried to a vowel; but it is silent if the word sept stands before a substantive, adjective, or verb in a sentence: sept pommes (sépom). 2d. t is sounded in Christ, and not in the compound-Jesus-Christ,

3d. t is sounded in the two words zist and zest, used as follows: Entre le zist et le zest (middling). 4th. For final t, and when preceded by e, see at the letter C.

6. t, when double, is most commonly sounded single. exception, in the following:

It is sounded double, by

1. v is always sounded as in English.

2. v double, or w, has generally the same sound as simple v. Eounded ou in the following only :

Whig (ouig), Whig.

whist (ouist), whist.

8. v double is sounded u in Newton (Nouton).

It is, by exception,

whisky (ouis), whiskey.

NOTE- has the same sound (88) in six (six) and dix (ten), but only if pronounced alone. If carried to a Vowel the a is sounded z. If an adjective, or substantive, or verb, beginning with a consonant or h aspirate comes after the words dix, six, a is silent.

3. z is sounded gz in words beginning with z or ex before a vowel or the consonant h either mute or aspirate.

Xavier (gza), Xavier.
Xénophen, (gee), Xenophon.

examen (ega), examination.
exil (egzil), exile.

4. x is sounded k in all words beginning with exc or exs, followed by e, i, or u.

5. x is sounded ks in the middle of words, and also at their beginning, if it is ex followed Ly a consonant. The sound of ks is the most general.

6. x is sounded z principally when, from the end of a word, it is carried to the next word beginning with a vowel or an h mute.

7. x is sounded z in the middle of some words, if it stands between i and i, i and u, or u and i; of course the silent h interfering does not alter the rule.

deuxième,
sixième,

second.
sixth.

dixième,
dix-huit,

tenth.
eighteen.

NOTE-The words belonging to the above rule are always numerals, single or compound.

8. z is still sounded z, although standing before a consonant, in the following compound numerals:

dix-neuf (dizneuf), nineteen.

dix-sept (dizsept), seventeen.

9. x final is silent, except when carried to the next word beginning with a vowel or a silent h. In such a case, x has the sound of z, explained above.

10. z final is always sounded, by exception, in the following words, where it has the sound of ks :

11. x is sounded sh in the word Don Quixote, which is pronounced Qishot.

3. 2 is silent in the following words, if pronounced alone, but it is sounded if carried to the next word beginning with a vowel or a silent h.

4. z is the distinctive mark of almost all the second persons plural of the French verbs, where it is silent, if the verb be pronounced alone; it is sounded if carried to the next word beginning with a vowel or silent h.

5. z is double in some words taken from the Italian language. In most of them it is Bounded double. In a few only it has a single sound :

--

lazzi,
(azee), jest.
les Abruzzes (uz), the Abrussi,