ON. The sound of this vowel is also represented in French by eon, om. In this Key on has been preferred. That sound may be extracted from the English word wont. The observation just repeated must not be lost sight of. Avoid, therefore, pronouncing on as in the English word won. UN. Un is sometimes described by eun, um; but in this Key it is expressed by eun only. Grammarians have all agreed that no such sound exists in the English language: but, with high deference for such authorities, after considerable investigation, we shall venture to say, that it can be traced in the English word grunt, which will be readily acknowledged to be sufficiently accurate, by people well versed in the English and French sounds. At the same time, the scholar must keep in view the mechanical process before prescribed, by which he is enabled to pronounce the nasal vowels without modification or help of the organ of utterance. The learner having acquired a competent idea of the sounds of the French vowels, his attention is requested to the following directions, to render him conversant with our scheme. Throughout this Key we have established two distinct marks of quantity, to guide us in the pronunciation of the syllables; one denoting brevity, thus described (*), and the other length, set down in this form ("). It has already been remarked, that some syllables are shorter, and some longer than others; minute accuracy would, perhaps, require two additional marks, but the apprehension of creating confusion forbids more. The introduction of several marks (which might be all placed on the same word) would tend to frighten and not allure; 10 perplex and not improve; while, from the simplicity of the present system, we seize on the pronunciation of a word almost at a glance. Besides the two marks of quantity (~~), we have introduced the acute and grave accent of the vowel e. With respect to the mute e, it is always known by the mark placed on the short syllable thus ¿. The learner should also bear in mind that the j is always pronounced like s in pleasure or leisure, and so is g before e ori; that c, before a, o, u, is expressed by k, and that que and qui are described by ke and ki. Exercises on the acute É, and the similar sounds er, ez, ai, in the final syllables of verbs-oit in the third person singular of the imperfect of the indicative, and of the conditional present of verbs, spelt according to the old orthography. é Je préfère l'été le thé au café. er Il faut aimer, chanter, danser, jouer. Jě-pré-fê-re-lé-té-lě-té-ō-ka-fé. I-fō-tè-mé, shan-té, dan-cé, joŭ-é. ez Vous aimez, chantez, dansez, jouez, et Vou-zè-mé, shanté, dān-cé, joŭ-é, é-vouvou-za-mu-zé. Vous vous amusez. This e would be gutteral in tragedy and orations, but in familiar discourse and comedy it is suppressed, and the preceding consonant pronounced as if incorporated with the following syllable; in such cases the guttural e is often ren. dered mute. ↑ It is a general rule that final consonants are joined to words beginning with a vowel or an h mute; yet it is a rule with many exceptions. When doubt interferes between rule and exception, let harmony be consulted; for should the final consonant, by its connexion with the next syllable, produce a discordant sound, to prevent jarring, dissolve the partnership. D'Olivet has pertinently remarked, "The French prefer an irregularity to a discordance." We shall discuss this subject more fully when we treat on the union of words. ai J'aimerai, je chanterai, danserai, jou- Jè-mě-ré, jě-shān-tě-ré, dān-cĕ-ré, joū-ré, erai, et m'amuserai. oit Il disoit et assuroit qu'il liroit, causeroit, chanteroit, et danseroit. é-ma-mu-zě-ré. I-di-zé-é-a-su-ré-ki*-li-ré, kō-zĕ-ré, shāntě-ré, é-dan-ce-ré. Exercises on the grave È; on the-similar sounds ai and ei, in the first and middle syllables of words; on et in the final syllables; and on e not accented, but followed by two consonants or a final c, f, 1, r, which must be emphatically pronounced. ai fi et J'admirais le bon caractère du Jad-mi-rē-le-bon-ka-rak-tè-re-du-pè-re, Le salaire d'une vaine gra- Le-sa-lè-rě-du-ně-vè-ně-gra-mè-1č. La veine est pleine. Il demeure La-vè-ně-è-plè-ně. I-de-meu-ra-lan-cê- Il met le bidet du cadet dans le I-mè-le-bi-dè-du-ka-dè-dan-lě-bos-kè. bosquet. ell, ess, Sa belle dentelle est sur sa ‡toi- Sa-bè-le-dan-tè-lě-è-sur-sa-tõè-lè-tě. PluPlus de sagesse et dě-sa-jè-cě-é-moein-dě-prou-è-cě. ett, &c. lette. moins de prouesse. Final c, f, I, r. nan-fèr. Ce chef grec maudit du ciel est en Ce-she-fë-grèkè-mō-di-du-cĭèl-è-tanenfer. Exercises on the circumflex ; on the similar sounds aî, aie, ais, aix, ets, aits, ès; and on ois, oient in the imperfect of the indicative and conditional present of verbs, spelt after the old orthography. La tempête empêcha la conquête. La-tan-pe-tě-an-pē-sha-la-kon-kē-tě. Elle n'a point de téte. al Naître sans maître. Cè-tě-fe-tě-è-bĭein-bē-tě. pē. aie Je suis aise que sa pluie soit guérie. Jě-sŭi-èzě-ke-sa-plé-söè-ghé-ri. ais Je ne vais jamais au palais sans dé- Je-ně-vē-ja-më-ō-pa-lē-san-dé-zi-ré-la ets Mes projets m'ont donné bien des Mè-pro-je-mon-do-né-bĭein-dè-rè-grē. regrets. aits Ces portraits sont imparfaits. Ce-por-tre-son-tein-par-fe. ès Ces excès et ses accès de fureur, ont Ce-zèk-ce-é-cè-ak-cè-dě-fu-reur, on nui à ses progrès. nui-a-cè-pro-grē. mis, J'étudiois et je lisois pendant qu'ils Jé-tu-dïē-é-jš-li-zē-pan-dān-ki-rìē-é-saoient rioient et s'amusoient. mu-zē. Exercises on the final eu, au, euse, ceux, eux, eû, which are pronounced си се eus euse nearly alike. Ce jeune homme obtiendra Ce-jeu-no-mě-ob-tien-dra-peu-a-peu-ël - Elle a les yeux bleus. Elle est honteuse et peureuse. è-lè-hon-teu-zě-é-peu-reu-zě. aux, eux, eû J'ai fait des vœux pour eux Jé-fè-dè-veū-pou-reū-pan-dāu-lè-deū In familiar discourse the l is not generally pronounced. For the pronunciation of gn, see the table of consonants, p. 116. Exercises on the e mute. e Un vase plein et une bouteille* pleine. Eun-va-zě-plein-é-u-ně-bou-tè-lïeu-plē Le médecin ordonna une médecine. Lě-mé-de-cein-or-do-na u-ně-mé-de-ci ně. ně. Exercises on the short and the long i. i L'idée de l'indivisibilité est ridicule. Li-dé-de-lein-di-vi- zi-bi-li-té-è-ri-di-kuL'infinité de l'éternité. lě. Lein-fi-ni-té-dě-lé-tèr-ni-té. On nous apporte à dîner dans ce gite. On-nou-za-por-tě-a-di-né-dan-ce-jî-tě. Nous le vimes et lui dîmes. Nou-le-vi-mě-é-lŭi-di-mě. Exercises on the short o. Les Polonais sont économes. Lè-po-lo-ne-son-té-ko-no-mě. Des hommes féroces et atroces. Dè-zo-mě-fé-ro-cě-é-a-tro-cě. Exercises on the long o, and on the similar sounds os, ots, au, aux. Les apôtres donnaient l'aumône. Lè-za-pō-tre-do-nē-lō-mō-ně. Mon-bou. le vôtre. Nous étions dos-à-dos. A propos. Nou-zé-tion-dō-za-dō. A-pro-po. Ou-son-lè-po-da-bri-ko? au, aux La peau d'un beau veau. Des La-pō-deun-bō-vō. Dè-sō-dō. seaux d'eau. Il vous faut beaucoup de courage I-von-fō-bō-kou-dě-kon-ra-jě pour-sou- Tout doux messieurs les fous. aus, où Est-ce que le goût de vous soaler è-cě-ke-lĕ-goū-dě-vou-soū-lé-vou-za-pri? vous a pris? Exercises on the nasal vowel an, and on the similar sounds am, en, em, ent, aen, aon Le Sultan en parlant au divan Le-Sul-tan-an-par-lan-ō-di-van-kocomme un tyran fit maudire an son rang. meun-ti-ran-fi-mō-di-rě-son-ran. am, en L'ambassadeur entra en jurant Lan-ba-sa-deur-an-tra-an-ju-rān-dan-sa em dans sa chambre, shan-bre. Nous partirons ensemble au prin- Nou-par-ti-ron-an-san-blō prein-tān. ent, aen Il fait souvent grand vent à Caen. I-fè-sou-van-gran-van-a-Kan. Exercise on the nasal vowels on, om. n, om On raconte que son ballon est On ra-kon-tě-ke-son-ba - lon-è-ton-be tombé contre la pompe. kon-tě-la-pon-pě. Exercises on the nasal vowels un, um. în Chacun est à jeun. C'est un impor- Sha-keun-è-ta-jeun. Cè-teun-nein-por tun. m Un parfum exquis. teun. Un-parfeun-èks-ki. NOTE. 1. When m or n is immediately followed by e mute in the same sylla ble, or another m or n with a vowel in the following syllable, the sound cease to be nasal. Ex. Il parfume, parfumer, pronounce, i-par-fu-mě, par-fu-mé : importune pr. ein por tu ně; coquine, pr. ko-ki-ně; bonne, pr. bo-ně; nomme, pr. no-me; nonnat, pr. no-na; pannicule, pr. pa-ni-ku-lě, &c. 2. Ent is silent in the third person plural of verbs, but the preceding syllable has a very full sound: Ex. ils marchent, pr. i-mar-she; elles viennent, pr. è-lě-viè-ne Y, the last of the vowels, by itself, at the beginning of words, and between two consonants or vowels, sounds exactly like i: it is generally used to point out the etymology of terms derived from the Greek. y Assis à l'ombre d'une yeuse, il y jouait A-ci-a-lōn-bre-du-nĭ-eū-zě, i-li-joŭ-é-děde la lyre. Il est hydropique. La chimie et la métaphysique. la-li-rě. La-shi-mi-e-la-mé-ta-fi-zi-kě. ON DIPHTHONGS. A diphthong is, as has already been defined, the double sound of two vowels, the first of which is nearly lost in the second; it is, therefore, improper, to give that name to the union of two or more vowels, forming but one sound, as in the words beau, eau. The following is a list of the vowels, forming those mixed sounds, which grammarians commonly term diphthongs. Formed from the vowels iou ..... Exercises on the French Diphthongs. ................i and ou La chiourme rama vers La-shi-our-mě-ra-ma-vèr-ko. Collioure. .i..u LesConfucius et les Fabius. Lè-Kon-fu-ci-ucĕ-é-lè-Fa-bi Je me confiai à son amitié. Je-mě-kon-fi-é-a-so-na-mi-té li-ou-rě. ucě. ieu ieux i eu i. eû Adieu, monsieur le rieur. A-dieu-mo-cieu-lě-ri-eur. digit. mans.. lé-tu-diè. dé-fië. män. ia, ias ian Ils se fiaient à ce niais, et I-cè-fi-e-a-cě-nĭě, é-je-manje m'en défiais. ..a Un diadème orné de dia- Eun dî-a-de-mě-or-né-dě-dia i.. Au diable'ton galimatias. ō-dia-ble-ton-ga-li-ma-tĭā. i..an Ce négociant est trop con- Ce-né-go-cian-è.tro-kon-fi-an, fiant. i..on Ses passions le font rugir Cè-pa-cion-le-fon-ru-jir-ko .......... ou • •é Vous êtes très-enroué Il est Vou-zē-tě-trè-zan-rodé. I-lè- oué ouet, ouait ou.. è oi, oit, oe ..0.. trou-é. lč. Ma foi, il croit que c'est de Ma-főè-i-krõè-kĕ-cè.dě-la-mõèla moelle. ouaient, ouais, ou-Ils louaient-Je louais, des I-lou-ē. Jě-lou-ē, dè-jou-ē. ets......ou ê .. jouets. ois, oient....o è Que les rois soient justes. oiu ........ 0.. in Je vis dans mon coin sans soin Jě-vi-dan-mon-köein-san-sŎein ni-bě-zõein. vit en jouant la ville de I-vi-tan-joŭ-an-la-vi-lě-de-RouRouen ni besoin. né ................ u.... eû Son front majestueux. an. A-la-lu-eur-de-zé-tõè-le. ⚫é Cette nuée a remué vers le sud. Cè-tě-nu-é-a-rĕ-mŭ-é-vèr-lě Has but one sound, as in the following instances: Voilà un beau bouquet qui sent bien bon. Võe-la-eun-bō-bou-kè-ki-san-bĭein-bon. Une observation abstraite. Il obtint un pouvoir absolu. C U-nob-cèr-và-cion-abs-trè-tě. Has three sounds, viz. before u, a, o, like k. On mit le curienx au cachot. La coquette. On-mi-lě-ku-rĭeū-ō-ka-sho, La-ko-kè-tě fut punie de son caquet. fu-pu-ni-dě-son-ka-kè. Before e, i, or when marked thus f, it sounds like s—as, Cette cire est au citron. Une leçon de Français. Cè-tě-ci-rè-tō-ci-tron. U-ně-lě-son-dě-fran-cè. And in a few words it approaches the sound of g. Ex. Secondement ou en second lieu. Ce-gon-de-man-ou-an-ce-gon-Neu. Note.-In the following words c is not pronounced. Ex. Almanach,pr.al-ına- na; lacs de soie, lá-dě-so-è; marc d'or ou d'argent, mär-dor-ou-dar-jan, |