CH

Has two sounds, one similar to sh, in English, as,

On chargea de chaînes le chevalier de On-shar-ja-dě-shë-ně-le-shě-va-lĭé dě-slu Chirac.

rak.

The other, in certain words, like k, as,

L'écho de la voix des bachantes reten- Lé-ko-dě-la-võè-dè-ba-kān-tě-re-tan-ttissait.

Une notion archétype.

cè.

U-ně-no-cion-ar-ké-ti-pě.

D

Has the sound of t, before a vowel or h mute. Ex.

Il répond en furibond; ce grand homme. I-ré-pon-tan-fu-ri-bon; ce-gran-to-me.

F

Has generally the sound of v, before a vowel, or h mute. Ex.

Il a employé neuf hommes pendant I-la-an-plõè-ĭé-neu-vo-mě-pan-dan-neuneuf ans.

vän.

N. B.-F is not sounded in cerf-volant, a kite. Formerly, it was not pronounced in œufs, eggs; bœufs, oxen; neufs, (in the plural masculine of the adjective,) new; nerfs, nerves. Now-a-days, this letter is sounded in all the above words, except in nerf de bœuf, where it is mute, and in aufs followed by an adjective. Ex. des œufs durs, pr. dè-zeū-dūvě.

G

Keeps its natural sound before a, o, u. Ex.

Que gagne Guillaume à faire le gogue- Ke-ga-nieu (gn, liq.)ghi-lïō-(ll liq. ) měa-fé-ré-le-go-ghĕ-nar.

nard

Before e or i, g is sounded like j', as,

Ce général est une vraie girouette.

Cě-jé-né-ra-lè-tu-ně-vrē-ji-rouè-tě.

But g final, in some words before a vowel, is like k, as,

Il sue sang et eau.

C'est un long ilot.

I-su-san-ké-0
Cè-teun-lon-ki-lo

GN

Is liquid before e or o, and pronounced rapidly, as if written nĩa, nieu, nio. This factitious pronunciation comes so near the true, that no greater accuracy is necessary.

Les vignobles de la Champagne et de la Lè-vi-nio (gn liq.) ble-de-la-shan-paBourgogne. nieu (gn. liq.) é-dě-la-bour-go-nieu (gn. liq.) Ce-la-è-ti-nio-mi-ni-eu.

Cela est ignominieux.

Sometimes gn is not liquid, as exemplified in the following phrases:

Voilà des eaux stagnantes.

Il étudie la gnomonique.

H

Võè-la-de-zō-staghĕ-nān-tě.
I-lé-tu-di-e-la-ghěno-mo-ni-kč.

Is sometimes aspirated, as in the following phrases, viz.

Ce housard se croit un héros avec sa Ce-hou-zār-ce-krõè-teun-hé-rd-a-vèk-sa halle barde. Il se hâta hardiment de gravir la hauteur. I-ce-ha-ta-har-di-man-dě-gra-vir-la-bō

ha-lě-bar-dě.

teur.

⚫ J is sounded like s in pleasure, measure, leisure.

On some occasions it is not aspirated. Ex.

Cet homme sans honneur est fils d'une Ce-to-mě-san-zo.neu-rè-fi-du-né-ro-i-ně. kéroïne

Has two sounds; the one is liquid, and expressed by a single l, or, frequently, by two of those letters. It is nearly pronounced as if written lieu, lia, lian, or liè; but the pronunciation must be very rapid. Ex.

Ce soleil brillant me blesse l'œil.
Fillette est le dimunitif de fille.

Ce-so-lèlien-bri-lian-mě-blè-cě-leulieu.
Fi-liè-tè-lě-di-mi-nu-tifě-de-fi-lieu.

The other sound of l is not liquid, as in the following instance : La pucelle d'Orléans égalait Achille en La-pu-cè-le-dor-lé-ān é-ga-lè-ta chi-lanva-leur.

valeur.

In the following words I is silent, viz.

Baril, chenil, coutil, fenil, fusil, gril, Ba-ri, shě-ni, cou-ti, fě-ni, fu-zi, gri, outil, sourcil, gentil. ou-ti, sour-ci, jan-ti.

Has also three sounds, as follows: the first nasal, as,

Pauvre petit plaideur prends patience. Pō-vre pě-ti-plè-deur, pran-pa-cian-că.

Q

Has three sounds, viz. the first, like k. Ex.

Il a reçu le quatorze en quantité du I-la-rě-su-lě-ka-tor-zan-kan-ti-té.du-keinquinquina de bonne qualité.

ki-na-dě-bo-ně-ka-li-té.

The second like cou. Ex.

C'est un quadrupède aquatique.

Ce-teun-koŭa-dru-pè-dě-a-koŭa-ti-kč.

Il a écrit un in quarto sur la quadrature I-la-é-kri-eun-nein-koŭar-to-sur-la-koŭa. du cercle.

dra-tu-ré-du-cèr-klě.

Il a reçu récemment le reste de la I-la-re-su-ré-sa-man-le-rès-tě-de-la-rě-cè

recette.

tě.

It is sonorous in the following phrase:

Mettez dans cette cuiller de fer quel- Mè-té-dan-cè-tě-ku-lĭēr-dě-fer-kè-kěques gouttes d'amer.

gou-tě-da-mèr.

It is forcibly pronounced in final syllables, as in eur. Ex.

L'erreur de ce procureur guérit le tailleur Lèr-reur-de-ce-pro-ku-reur-ghé-ri-lě-tālien-ré-ce-vo-leur-de-four-ni-ceur-deet ce voleur de fournisseur de leur

terreur.

leur-ter-reur.

It is mute in the infinitives of verbs followed by a consonant. Ex. Je vais demander permission d'aller la Jě-vē-dě-man-dé-pèr-mi-cìon-da-lé - latrouver demain.

trou-vé-dě-mein.

But in the infinitives of verbs followed by a vowel, r is sounded; as, Il faut lui parler avant de chercher un I-fō-lui-par-lé-ra-van-dě-shèr-shé-reundomestique.

do-mès-ti-kě.

It is mute in familiar discourse, in tre, before a consonant. Ex.
Votre père a un autre projet.
Vo-tě-pè-ra-eun-no-tě-pro-jè.

S

Has two sounds, viz. the first its own natural sound:

Susanne soyez sage et sachez souffrir.

Su-za-ně-sõè-ĭé-sa-jé-sa-shé-sou-frir.

The second like z between two vowels:

Rosette a perdu son fuseau en allant à Ro-zè-ta-pèr-du-son-fu-zō-an-na-lan-tal'église.

Le tonnere t'a fait tourner la tête.

lé-gli-zě.

T

Has also two sounds, to wit: first, its natural sound; as, Lě-to-nē-rě-ta-fè-tour-né-la-të-tě. It is pronounced like s in substantives ending in tion. Ex. L'ambition de cette nation cause sa Lan-bi-cion-dě-cè-tě-nā-cion-kō-zĕ-sadestruction.

dès-truk-cion.

And likes, in proper names ending in tien; as,

Le Titien et Dioclètien étaient de Le-ti-ciein-é-dĭ-o-klé-cĭein-é-tē-dě-grāngrands hommes.

zo-mě.

And also similar to s, in adjectives terminating in tiel, tial, tieux, tiens, and their derivatives. Ex.

Il est essentiel d'étre impartial.

Les ambitieux sont rarement patiens.

V

I-lè-té-san-cïèl-dē-trein-par-cial.
Lè-zan-bi-cĭeū-son-ra-re-man-pa-cian.

The second like gz. Ex.

L'examinateur exaspéré exige un ex- Lèg-za-mi-na-teur-èg-zas-pé-ré-èg-ziemple. jeun nèg-zan-plě.

The third like ss in kiss. Ex.

De Cadix je me rendis à Bruxelles en Dě-ka-dicě-je-mě-ran-di-a-Bru-cè-le-nnsoirante jours.

sõè-san-jour.

The fourth like z before a vowel, or an h mute:

J'ai mangé deux oiseaux et dix huîtres. Jé-man-jé-deû-zoè-zō-é-dï-zuĩ trẻ.

Malgré son zèle, il est entre le zist et Mal-gré-son-zè-lĕ-i-lè-tan-tě le-zis-tě-éle zest.

lě-zès-tě.

The sound of s in final syllables, as

Je vais à Metz puis à Rhodez.

Jě-vè-za-mè-cě pui a-Ro-dè-cě.

Note. The consonants c, ƒ, l, r, are commonly sounded at the end of words, as we have before exemplified; but the other consonants are almost all silent, unless joined to a final e mute; as saint, pronounce, cein; sainte, cein-tě; prudent, pru-dan; pru-dente, pru-dān-tě; Louis, Loŭī; Louise, Loŭī-zě; Romain, Ro-mein; Romaine, Ro-mè-ně; petit, pě-ti; petite, pě-ti-tě.

THE following important considerations claim the learner's utmost attention.

OF THE UNION OF WORDS.

The rule commonly given, that a word ending with a consonant should be joined to a word beginning with a vowel, is absolutely erroneous in the common acceptation; and occasions, for the most part, a heavy, affected pronunciation. It must, however, be acknowledged, that in reading verse and delivering public orations, consonants are frequently and forcibly pronounced before a vowel, either to preserve poetical measure, or, by rapidly propelling the air, to propagate the sound to a greater distance; but, in conversation and familiar reading, nothing is more carefully avoided by persons of taste and judgment.

As, in many instances, consonants must be attached to vowels, we shall lay down a rule, subject to certain modifications, for the government of all who are ambitious to acquire an accurate pronuncia'ion of the French language.

OBSERVATION I.

The consonants e, f, l, r, with a few exceptions, are always joined, respectively, to the vowels which begin the words next following.

OBSERVATION II.

The same remark holds good for any other consonant that, from custom, is pronounced full at the end of certain words, which, in general, are ancient and modern foreign names. Thus in the words Vénus, Bacchus, Memphis, Abraham, Brutus, Marius, &c., the final consonants retain their complete and natural sound, either before a vowel or consonant. For instance, the phrase Vénus aimable is pronounced Vé-nucě-cé-ma-blě; Bacchus endormi, Ba-kūcě-san-dor-mi; Abraham obéissant, A-bra-amě-mo-bé-i-san, &c. Thus, you perceive, the final consonants of such words are sounded fully.

OBSERVATION III.

The verb is never joined, by good speakers, to the word next following, unless it be its conjunctive pronoun, the indeterminate pronoun on, or supplying

pronouns or adverbs y and en: as, j'avais envie, we pronounce ja-vè an vie; “ parut accablé, i-pa-ru-a-ka-blé; nous parlâmes à Antoine, nou-par-la-me-a-An-toèně. Here the final consonants of the verbs are not pronounced.-But in verbs and pronouns (whether they meet before or after one another) in the following constructions, the final consonants are sounded: for example, allons-y is pronounced a-lon-zi; m'attend-on, ma-tan-ton; donnez-en, do-né-zan; en avez-vous, an-na-vé-vou; on en aura, on nan-no-ra; vous aimez ma sœur, et elle vous aime, vou-zè-mé-ma-seur, é-è-lé-vou-zè-mě; parut-il accablé, pa-ru-ti-la-ka-blé; je ne vuis qu'y faire, dit-elle, je-ně-pŭi-ki-f ē-rě-di-tè-lě.

OBSERVATION IV.

However, before the infinitives avoir and être, the final consonant of a verb is occasionally, but feebly, sounded, the voice rapidly gliding over it. Ex. Il faut avoir, pronounce i-fō-ta-võèr; on doit être, on-dõè-tē-trě.

OBSERVATION V.

Thet of est and sont, from the verb être, preserves its sound before any vowel: as, il est adroit, i-lè-ta-drõè; elles sont aimables, è-lě-son-tè-ma-blě.

OBSERVATION VI.

The t of the conjunction et, is always silent.

OBSERVATION VII.

The final n, in nasal sounds, is never joined to the next vowel, except in the five following words, viz.: un, on, en, bien, rien; and in masculine adjectives ending in n, when they antecede their substantives beginning with a vowel. Ex. mon bon ami, mon-bon-na-mi; j'ai son argent, jé-son-nar-jan; rends-moi ton épée, rān-mõè-ton-né-pé; en a-t-il, an-na-ti.

OBSERVATION VIII.

S and x joined to a vowel, take the sound of z: d of t; g of k; and ƒ of v.

These observations premised, the general rule is, that the final consonant of a word, especially n, s, t, x, and z, is sounded before a vowel, whenever the first word necessarily affects the second, by fixing, qualifying, or modifying its signification; as instanced in the article and its noun, the preposition and its complement or regimen, &c. with the exceptions above mentioned.

1st. Les arbres de mon allée, lè-zar-brě-de-mon-na-lé.

REMARK.

Les and mon, as articles, modify the words arbres and allée. Thus, conformably to the general rule, the s and n are sounded.

28. Les et des annoncent le pluriel; mon et ton expriment la possession, lè-édè-a-non-ce-le-plu-rièl; mon-é-ton-èks-pri-mě-la-po-cé-cion.

REMARK.

The 8 in les and des, and then in mon and ton are silent before the next vowels, because les, des, mon, and ton, are taken in an abstract sense, and affect not the following terms with their powers, respectively, as articles.

3d. Les y et les en sont d'un grand usage en Français, lè-zi-é-lè-zan-son-deungran-tu-za-jan-fran-cē.

REMARK.

Here s is pronounced before y and en, because les, as the article plural to y and en, defines the extent of their signification; d is sounded before usage, because grand, being the adjective of usage, modifies that word.