4th. Vous imitez vos frères, et nous aussi, nous les imitons, vou-zi mi-té-vō-frè-rë, é-nou-ō-ci, non-lè-zi-mi-ton. REMARK. Here the s of vous sounds before imitez, because it determines imitez, being its conjunctive pronoun; the s before aussi is silent, because it does not affect it; but, before the word imitons (the last in the phrase), the s of les is sounded. See the second sentence of the third observation. 5th. Un avis important; un important avis; eun-na-vi-ein-por-tan; eun-nein-por. tan-ta-vi. REMARK. Then of un retains its sound, by Observation VII. The s of avis is silent before important, the word avis not qualifying important, but being qualified by it; the t of important is joined to avis, as the former term affects the latter, by qualifying it. 6th. Un sujet important; des sujets importans, eun-su-jè-ein-por-tān; dè-su-jēzein-por-tān. REMARK. The t of sujet loses its force before important, as sujet, like avis in the preeeding example, does not qualify important, but is qualified by it. S in sujets is lightly sounded before importans, because, though sujets does not qualify the term, we pronounce the finals, the mark of the plural, before adjectives masculine plural in like circumstances. Whenever any words occur that may contravene the rule, the reader will perceive that they are merely introduced either to avoid ambiguity or harshne of sound; for, as the Abbé D'Olivet observes, "the French prefer even irregularity to uncouth pronunciation." Of the gutturul vowel e. The French have two e's not accented, as we have already observed in the table of vowels. One is always a silent e, and only serves to lengthen the syllable which precedes it; as grand, grande; gran, grān-de; médecin, médecine; mé-dě-cein, mé-dě-ci-ně. The other unaccented e has a sound of its own, which, proceeding from the throat, as in the English words daughter, sister, gives it the name of guttural e. It is sometimes pronounced and sometimes not; and hence proceeds the difficulty of discrimination to foreigners, who, generally pronouncing it full, are almost bewildered, when they happen to mingle in French conversation. Thus are they led to believe that the French speak much faster than any other nation, though they actually do not; but in conversation and familar reading they drop the guttural e, as often as they can, which enables them to glide through a sentence, with much more ease and expedition, than those who give a guttural sound to every e they meet with. The purity and elegance of the French accent may, in a considerable degree, be derived from the foregoing observation, and from some attention to the following remarks. When a guttural e is the final letter of a second syllable, it is not to be pronounced; it is effected in this manner: the first syllable joins the consonant of the second, and the letter e, thus unsupported, remains silent. Example: quand vous serez le même, vous me trouverez le même, kau-vou-cě-ré-lě-mē-mě, vou-mě trou-vě-ré-lě-mē-mě. In verse, the word même would be divided into two syliables. In prose the whole sentence contains thirteen syllables, but in familiar reading and conversation, it only contains eight, according to our system. Observation 1st.-If the guttural e of the second syllable is either preceded or followed by a diphthong or double vowel, as au, ei, ou, oi, &c., the letter e must be lightly touched on. 2d. The consonant preceding an e guttural cannot be joined, so as to make but one sound, with a syllable ending in another e guttural. Ex. Je ne puis, pr. Je-ně-pui; and not Jě-ně-pui. Je me rendis, pr. Je-mě-ran-dī, and not Jě-mě ran-di. But in the following sentence, and the like: Je vous le pardonne, pr. jě-vou-lě-par-do-ně, and not je-vou-le-par-do-ně; because vous and pardonne, which follow the e guttural of je and le, have no guttural e in their first syllable. Should there be several successive syllables ending in e guttural, it is then to the ear, as to an infallible judge, that appeal must be made to fix upon the e guttural that must be suppressed. 3d. When you drop an e guttural, avoid precipitancy and harshness, and let the verbal or syllabic union be as smooth as possible. Examples for exercises. Je me rendis le jour snivant chez le Je-me-ran-di-lě-jour-sŭi-van-shé-lě-koncomte d'Olivarez, avant le lever de tě-do-li-va-rèce,a-van-le-lě-vé-dě-lōl'aurore. ro-rě. Vous deviendrez le confident de ce sei- Vou-dě-vĭein-dré-lě kon-fi-dan-dě-ce-céaimeriez-vous à le devenir? nieur (gn liq.); è-mě-rié-vou-a-le-devě-nir? gneur; C'est ce que je ne souhaite pas du tout, Cè-cě-ke-je-ně-sou-è-tě-pa-du-tou, é-cě- Je-ně pu-man-pē-shé-dě-rī-re-dě-la-so-tě- cè-tě-vi-le-san-mō-dī-re-lè-trõè-kār-é dě-mi-dě-cè-za-bi-tān. Je-ne-me-plein-pa-dě-vou, ré-pon-di-lebon-viè-liar ( liq.); jě-vou-lě-di-rémē-me, cè-ta-re-grè-kě-je-mě-võè-danla-né cès-ci-té-dě-vou-man-ké-dě-paro-le, é-jě-vou-kon-jū-rě-de-mě-le-pardo-né. A Collection of such Sounds as foreigners generally find difficult to pronounce. Il y a plus de vignobles en Bourgogne I-li-a-plu-de-vi-nio (gn liq.) blě-an-bour qu'en Bretagne. go-nieu (gn liq.) kan-brě-ta-nĭeu (gn liq.) Ce procédé est ignominieux et indigne Ce-pro-cé-dé-è-ti-nio (gn liq.) mi-ni-eūd'un Espagnol. Essayez de me trouver un petit épagneul semblable à celui de votre fille. Un bon pasteur veille sans cesse sur ses ouailles. Mettez dans ce bouillon des feuilles de cerfeuil et d'oseille, et joignez-y une gousse d'ail. J'ai passé une heure dans le mail, à faire une partie de quilles. Mon tailleur m'a dit que tous les grands seigneurs étaient alors en deuil à Versailles. é-ein-di-nieu (gn liq.) deun-nès-pa-niol (gn liq.) É-cé-ié-de-me-trou-vé-reun-pě-ti-té-pa- Eun-bon-pas-teur-vè-lieu (ll liq.) san-cè- Je m'amusai, la veille de Nöel, à considérer une vieille Bourguignonne, qui jouait de la vielle tranquillement assise au soleil sur le seuil de sa porte. Essayez de bien prononcer l'amour et la mort; des citrouilles et des grenonilles; un chien hargneux; une abeille industrieuse. Ne bégayez pas en disant une anguille et une aiguille; égayant et égaye. Jě-ma-mu-zé-la-vè-lïeu (ʼn liq.) de-no-èla-kon-ci-dé-ré-ru-ně-vic-lieu (l liq.) bour-ghi-nio (gn liq.) ně-ki-jou-èdě-la-viè-lě-tran-ki-le-man-ta-ci-zo-so lèlieu ( liq.) sur-le-ceulïou (7 liq.) děsa-por-tě. É-cè-ié-de-biein-pro-non-cé-la-mou-réla-mor;-de-ci-trou-lieu (ll liq.) é-dègre-nou-lieu ( liq.); eun-shĭein-harni-eu (gn liq.); u-na-bè-lieu ( liq.) ein-dus-tri-eu-zě. Ně-bé-ghé-ĭé-pā-zan-di-zan-u-nān-ghilieu (U liq.) é-u-né-gŭi-lĭeu, (ll liq.); é ghé-ian-é-é-ghé-ïé. On confond souvent la simplicité avec On-kon-fon-sou-van-la-cein-pli-ci-té-ala stupidité, et la régularité avec la singularité. vèk-la-stu-pi-di-té-é-la-ré-gu-la-ri-té. a-vèk-la-cein-gu-la-ri-té. La divisibilité de la matière nous donne La-di-vi-zi-bi-li-té-de-la-ma-tïè-re-noul'idée de l'infinité et de l'éternité. do-ně-li-dé-dě-lein-fi-ni-té-é-dě-lé-tèr ni-té. L'électricité était inconnue à l'anti- Lé-lèk-tri-ci-té-é-té-ein-ko-nu-a-lan-tiquité. ki-té. La félicité accompagne plus souvent la La-fé-li-ci-té-a-kon-pa-nieu (gnliq.) plumédiocrité que la supériorité. sou-van-la-mé-di-o-kri-té-kě-la-su-pé ri-o-ri-té. Les armées entreront Mardi en cam- Lé-zar-mé-an-tre-ron-mar-di-an-kan-papagne; marchez, rustres, marchez, ne vous endormez pas. nieu (gn liq.); mar-shé, rus-trě, mar. shé, ně-vou-zan-dor-mé-pā. C'est en forgeant que vous deviendrez Cè-tan-for-jan-kě-von-dě-vĭein-dré-forforgeron. jě-ron. Formez mieux ces lettres rondes et ces For-mé-mieu-cè-lè-tre-rōn-dé-cè-lè-trelettres bâtardes, et ne barbouillez pas tant de papier. Mon agent a mon argent: quant à moi, qui n'ai point d'argent, je n'ai pas besoin d'agent. bā-tar-de-é-ně-bar-bou-lïé (U liq.) patan-dě-pa-pié. Mo-na-jan-a-mo-nar-jan: kan-ta-moè, ki-ně-põein-dar-jan, jě-né-pa-bě-zõein da-jan. Prononcez les deux R R des mots erreur, Pro-non-cé-lè-deu-zēr-dè-mō-èr-reur, terreur, horreur, irrité, terrible, erronné. Quand un cordier cordant Veut accorder sa corde; De sa corde à corder trois cordons Il accorde. I-la-kor-dě. kor-dě. kor-dě. drě. Mais, si l'un des cordons de la corde Me-ci-leun-dè-kor-don-dě-la-kor-de-de. décorde. Le cordon décordant fait décorder la Lě-kor-don-dé-kor-dan-fè-dé-kor-de-lacorde. La compassion est une affection tendre. La-kon-pã-cion-è-tu-na-fèk-cion-tān Les factions desolent cette nation. Lè-fak-cion-dé-zo-lě-cè-te-na-cion. L'ambition est une illusion qui conduit Lan-bi-cion-è-tu-nil-lu-zion-ki-kon-duisouvent à des actions criminelles. sou-van-ta-de-zakě-cion-kri-mi-nè-lč. WE conclude this comprehensive System of French Pronunciation with some further remarks on the accents and the apostrophe. ON ACCENTS AND THE APOSTROPHE. The acute accent (') is placed on e, and gives it a slender and sharp sound: some grammarians call it é fermé, because, in pronouncing it, the mouth is almost entirely closed. Ex. amitié, chasteté, humanité. The grave accent.() is placed on e, and gives it a deep and open sound. Ex. mère, frère, excès. It is also put on the preposition à, to distinguish it from a the third person of the present of the verb avoir. It is used in the preposition voilà, to distinguish it from the verb voiler; in the adverb là, to prevent its being confounded with the article la, and in many other words, for which recourse may be had to my Universal Pronouncing Dictionary. The circumflex accent (^) is placed on all vowels, without distinction. Some grammarians have maintained that this accent, denoting the suppression of a letter in a long syllable, ought to be placed wherever this suppression exists. This notion may be refuted by a multitude of examples. Whatever may have been the origin of the circumflex accent, that it gives a lengthened and extremely open sound, is certain. Thus, pronunciation requires that it should be employed in âtre, grâce, & c. although in these words there is no suppression; because, the pronunciation of the a would be extremely ridiculous, if badly sounded. The circumflex accent serves also to express the difference which subsists between two words, whose orthography is the same, but the sense of which differs: it is put on the participle do, to distinguish it from the preposition and article du. It is placed on u in all adverbs which terminate in ament, when the suppression of the e occurs. Ex. ambigûment, congrument. Sometimes the circumflex accent is put on u at the end of a syllable, when it is preceded by an e; but then it has the same sound as in brale. Ex. vergeûre: if, in this word, we put a simple u, the reader is led to pronounce it as in procureuse, peureuse; but, if we put a circumflex û (vergeûre), he necessarily pronounces verjûre; and this is the true pronunciation. It is the same in gageûre, &c. This orthography is the more deserving of attention, as many persons, particularly the natives of Gascony, have acquired a vicious pronunciation of et in gageûre, and words of the same termination, pronouncing them as we do the letters eu in jeune, procureur, tuteur, voleur, &c. The circumflex accent is not placed on u in words terminating in ure, although the suppression occurs. Thus, we write réglure, rayure, rainure, reliure. In this class of words, the academy adopts the circumflex accent, when the u is preceded by a vowel; but, unquestionably, this accent is useless, because the pronunciation is not more lengthened in the one than in the other. The apostrophe (') serves to indicate the elision of a vowel. Ex. L'amour, pour le amour; l'honneur, pour le honneur; l'estime, pour la estime. Eleven monosyllables admit of the apostrophe: ce, de, je, la, le, me, ne, que, se, te, and si. Si, however, admits the apostrophe only before il, ils. In general, the elision of a final vowel takes place only when the word which follows it begins with a vowel or with h not aspirated. It is necessary to except the feminine adjective grande, which sometimes loses the final e mute, by elision, before certain substantives, although these substantives begin with a consonant. Ex. Grand'chère, grand'chose, grand'mère.—(See my Universal Pronouncing Dictionary.) The apostrophe is only put after presque and entre, when they serve to compose a word beginning with a vowel. Ex. Entr'acte, s'entr'aider, presqu'île. With this exception, those words retain the e mute. Ex. Presque égal, entre autres, entre eux, entre elles, presque entier. Lorsque, puisque, quoique, que, take the apostrophe before elle, il, on, un, une, and the other words which are often combined with them, when they begin with a vowel or h mute. Ex. Lorsqu'elle vint; puisqu'il l'aime; quoiqu'on ait dit; qu'une femme soit vertueuse, & elle sera estimée, &c. Puisqu'Aristote, &c.; Quoiqu'homme, &c. We write jusqu'à, jusqu'au, jusqu'ici, jusqu'alors, jusqu'à aujourd'hui, and not jusqu' aujourd'hui. The apostrophe is never put in le and la after the imperative mood, nor after the adverb là. Ex. Gardez-le avec vous, conduisez-la au bain. Etait-elle là avec lui. We likewise never put it in ce, ae, le, la, que, before huit, huitaine, huitième, oui, and onze, and their derivatives. Ex. Le oui and le non: elle a dit que oui; le huit du mois, la huitaine, le huitième; le onze, le onzième, la onzicine. CONVERSATION II. OF THE NOUN. Scholar. What do you mean by the word termed by grammarians noun ? Master. A word which presents to the mind the idea of any object, being, or thing, whatever: such is its magnetic power over the human mind, that, the instant it is expressed, we are, in a great degree, as feelingly alive to the perception of the object, as if it stood before us. S. How many kinds of nouns are there? M. Three. First, the proper, which relates to an individual person or thing; as Newton, Paris. Second, the common, relative to a class more or less numerous, of similar persons or things; as animal, animal; man, homme; philosopher, philosophe; house, maison; room, chambre. Third, the abstract noun, which represents a quality or abstract, as if it were an existing object, though it only exist in the mind; as, courage, courage; patriotism, patriotisme; love, amour : birth, naissance; time, temps; eternity, éternité; reward, récom pense. S. Are there not some other particulars, as well as the name of objects, deserving attention? M. Yes; two essential ones; the first relates to the gender of nouns, which are either masculine or feminine, in French; and the second, respects the manner of forming their plural. S. How am I to obtain information respecting the genders of nouns ? M. By attending to the Vocabularies of this Work, and committing to memory the Familiar Phrases, in which the principal words exemplifying the genders of nouns are exhibited; an end for which many of these phrases were composed.; When you wish to increase your information relative to the genders, beyond what is contained in this collection, you may consult my New Universal and Pronouncing Dictionary of the French and English Languages, which contains a far greater number of words than any of the same kind hitherto published. I herewith present you with a few rules, by which the gender of a noun may be nearly ascertained. RULES. Nouns ending in a mute, é, and ion, are commonly feminine, as prudence, prudence; humanité, humanity; religion, religion. The terminations ble, cle, fle, gle, ple, dre, gre, tre, vre, sme, ste, ege, oge, uge, are exceptions to this rule. |