as in English in the words then, when; as, mien, mine; chien, dog; moyen, means; Amiens, a city in Picardy; je viens, I come; Je tiens, I hold; and even in il vient, il tient, because they are derived from je viens, je tiens. But in other words, fuch as orient, patient, expedient, fcience, confcience, where this fyllable is followed by or c, the e founds like an a; fo that you muft pronounce oriant, patiant, feiance, &c.

Obferve, that e in the fyllable ent in the third perfon plural of verbs is mute, where the n too is not founded; as ils difent, they fay: ils dirent, they faid; pronounce ils dife, ils dire.

II. The feconde is called open; becaufe, in pronouncing of it, one ought to open the mouth wider than in the pronouncing of the others. This e founds like the English ai, or like the a in the words face, grace; as net, clean; fec, dry; tete, head.

E is generally open in all monofyllables, or words of one fyllable ; as nèt, mès, tès, sès, c. Yet obferve, that in thefe fix words, mes, tes, fes, ces, les, des, e becomes almost mafculine when they are followed by a confonant; and that it founds entirely like an e open when there comes a vowel, or an h mute after them.

lè

Examples.

Mes frères, mes amis, les hommes; pronounce mè freres mè zamis,

Zommes.

III. The third e is called clofe, and more properly masculine; because it is pronounced clearly and ftrong. It founds like ai or ea in the English words, beat, tea, dream; as, bonté, goodness. This e ought to be marked with an acute at the end of a word; otherwife it might be confounded with an e feminine. But when it is followed by a z, there is no occafion for an accent; because always renders mafculine the e to which it is joined.

IV. The fourth e is called fhort, mute, obfcure, and generally feminine; because it is but weakly pronounced: as in the English words, love, give, grace; as miracle, miracle; ame, foul; redevenir, to come again.

The e feminine is drowned when joined to a word that begins with a vowel as in une belle-ame, pronounce une bel' ame !" une · armée invincible, pronounce un armé invincible; j'aime, I love, &c. Yet we fay, le onzième, and le onze, the eleventh.

3. I.

1. I is generally pronounced like the English ee in seen; or like the fhort English in visible; as verité, truth; fidelité, fidelity. 2. I being joined in the fame fyllable to an m or n, founds in French like the long Englithi in time, fine, as fimple, fumple; win, wine; importun, trouble fome; which are thus pronounced, faimple, vain, aimportun. But in feminine words derived from

the.

the masculine in in, i is then divided from n, and founds like the English ee; as coufine, fhe-coufin; fine, fine; pronounce cou-feene, fe-ne.

I in the particle fi is drowned when joined to il, ils; as s'il dit, if he fays, s'ils aiment, if they love.

4. O.

O founds in the French as in the English words, ore, over; as, parole, word; monopole, monopoly.

5. U.

This vowel founds fomewhat like u in the English word furprize, or u in the word fruit; but, as there is no found in the English language that exactly correfponds with it, the pronunciation of this letter is only to be learned of those who speak good French, Thefe two fyllables, um and un are pronounced as if they were written eum or eun, as humble, humble; commun, common; pronounce heumble, commeun.

6. Y.

r, a Greek vowel, has two founds in French; the one fimple, like an i; as in mystère, mystery; la fyntaxe, the fyntax; and the other double, as in the English words, your, young; as begayer, to ftutter; employer, to employ; envoyer, to fend; read begai-ier, emploi-ier, en-voi-ier.

ARTICLE V.

Of Diphthongs and Triphthongs.

When two vowels meet, and form two different founds in one fyllable, they are called a Diphthong; and if three, a TriphthongAccording to this definition, it is plain, that when two or more vowels make but one found, they cannot properly be called diphthongs or triphthongs. Therefore we shall divide both diphthongs and triphthongs into true, dubious, and falje.

I. There are eight true diphthongs, ia, iè or ié, iou,, i, io, qua, que, oui.

ia..

These two vowels make a diphthong only in these words, diable, devil; diacre, deacon; fiacre, a hackney-coach; fiancer, to betroth; and their derivatives. Pronounce, dia-ble, dia-cre, fia-cre.

iè or ié.

E in this diphthong founds like an open è before ƒ, 1, and ; as in fief, fief or fee; miel, honey. But in other cafes it has the found of é mafculine; as in bier, yesterday; fier, proud; pié foot; mien, mine, &c.

It is a nice thing to know when these two vowels make a dipththong or belong to two fyllables. The best way is to learn it of a good master, and by reading of the best French poets.

A 3

A

ieu.

This is a true diphthong under the appearance of a triphthong, as in Dieu, God; lieu, place; mieux, better; Monfieur, fir..

Foreigners meet with no fmall difficulty in the pronunciation of this diphthong and the only way to make it eafy, is for them to pronounce at firft the i feparately from eu; thus Di-eu, li-eu; which in a little time will bring them to the true founding of it

at once.

i.

The voweli makes a true diphthong, and founds like ei, when joined with m or n as in fimple, fimple; vin, wine; invinfible, invincible.

io...

This dipththong is only to be found in verbs; as in nous man gions, we eat ; nous parlions, we speak, &c.

But in nouns (efpecially in poetry) io makes two fyllables; as in paffion, paffion; action, action; read paffion, ac-tion, &c.

oua, oue, oui.

These are diphthongs under the appearance of triphthongs; as in pouacre, a floven; touaille, a towel; fouet, a whip; mouelle, marrow; oui, ycs; bouis, box.

I in fenouille, fennel; quenouille, a distaff, &c. ferves only to give a liquid found to the following ..

II. Thofe are called dubious diphthongs, which in fome words found like a true diphthong, and in others like a fingle vowel s and of these we have fix in French, viz. ai or ay, ei, eu, oe, oi, or gy, and ui.

ai and ay.

Ai is a true diphthong when joined with m or n in the fame fyllable: as in faim, hunger; main, hand,

But in other cafes it founds generally like an è open; as in fontaine, fountain; vaine, vain (for in fontaine and vaine, ai is not joined in the fame fyllable with n); aile, wing, plaine, plain; plaifir, pleafure; faire, to do; je plais, I please.

Ai and ay found like é masculine ;

1. At the end of a noun and verb: Ex. quai, a quay ; je fai, I know ; j'ai or j'ay, I have; je pariai, I spoke ; je parlerai, I shall fpeak; but vrai or vray, true, founds like è open.

2. In those words where it is followed by a strong or long fyllable, as in aimer, to love; ainé, eldeft; aigu, acute. But if the fyllable that follows be weak, that is, if it end with an e feminine, ai founds like an è open; as in j'aime, I love, &c.

Ai founds like e feminine in these tenfes of the verb faire, to do or make, viz. faifons, je faifois, tu faifois, il faifoits nous faifions, vous faifiez, ils faifoient, faifant. The best writers omit

the

the diphthong, and put a fingle e, féfans, je fe fois, &c. as je ferai, je ferois.The future of the indicative and the first imperfect of the conjunctive are spelt and pronounced with an e feminine: thus, je ferai, je ferois

Ai and ay fometimes belong to two fyllables; in which cafe you muft obferve what I have faid about the vowel as

When ay comes before or ll, the is not pronounced; but ferves only to give a liquid found to the following ; as in all, garlick; bail, leafe; travail, labour.

Ei is a true diphthong when joined to an in the fame fyllables as in peindre, to paint; fein, bofom, &c.) A But every where else it founds like an Queen; Seigneur, Lord; pleine, full.

open, as in Reine,

When ei comes before 1, the ferves only to give a liquid found to the ; as in foleil, the fun, &c.

-eu.

Eu is a true diphthong in fome few words; fuch as peur, fear; jeune, faft; pleurer, to weep; jeu, play; feu, fire, &c.

But it founds like a fingle u:

E

1. In the participle paffive of verbs: Ex. j'ai eu, I have had; j'ai veu, I have feen, &c.

2. In the preter indefinites, and the imperfect tenfes derived from them; Ex. je feus, I knew ; je feuffe, I fhould know, &c.

3. In verbal nouns, fuch as veue, the fight; doreure, gilding: as alfo in the following, feureté, affurance or fecurity; ajeurer, to affure; Europe, Europe; Euftache, Euftachius ; meur, ripe; meurer, to grow ripe; meure, a mulberry; meurier, a mulberry-tree.

But many of these words are written without e before u; as fus, que, affurer, &c.

oe.

Oe is a true diphthong, founded like oi, in boëte, a box; coëffe, a hood; and their derivatives.

*Note, that we now generally write, boite coiffe.

But in other cafes oe founds like an é mafculine, as in oeconome, fteward, husband; oecomenique, oecumenical.

oi and oy

Oi or ey is fometimes a true diphthong, which founds like an e and an è

open; or like oai. This pronunciation takes place :

1. In most monofyllables; fuch as moy or moi, I; loi or loy, law; Roy, King; je bois, I drink ; je dois, I owe. Except je crois, I believe, &c. of which presently.

2. When oz or oy is followed by an e feminine; as in joye, joy; foie liver. Except monnoye, money; which we pronounce moneai,

3. In verbs and nouns ending in oir or oire; as in voir, to fee; recevoir, to receive; boire, to drink; moucheoir, a handkerchief; oratoire, oratory.

Oi in roide, ftiff; and in roidir, to fliffen, or grow stiff, is generally pronounced like an è open; but it founds fometimes like a diphthong, especially in a grave and folemn fpeech.

4. In the prefent tenfe of the indicative of verbs: Ex. je reçois, receive ; j'apperçois, I perceive. Except je crois, and fome others, of which I fhall take notice prefently.

I

5. Oi is a diphthong in feveral names of nations and countries; as Gauloife, Gaul; Genoife, Genoefe; Hungrois, Hungarian; Danois, Dane; l'Artois, Artois, &c.

6. Oi founds oai before g and n: Ex. temoigner, to witness ; fain, hay, &c.

SO or oy, before any vowel, is pronounced oai-ï; as in voyant or vsïant, seeing; joieux or joyeux, glad.

Yet croyant, noyer, and nettoyer, are generally pronounced creïant, believing; neir, to drown; netter, to cleanfe.

Oi is a falfe diphthong, which founds like an è open:

1. In the imperfect tenfes of verbs: Ex. je mangeois, I did eat; tu faifois, thou didft; il parloit, he fpoke; il devoit, he ought; je dirois, Ifhould fay, &c.

2. In moft names of nations and countries: fuch as François, French; Anglois, English; Ecofois, Scotch; Irlandois, Irish, &c.

3. In the following verbs and words, viz. connoitre, to know; paroitre, to appear; croitre, to grow; croire, to believe; and their compounds; froid and frodeur, cold; foible, weak; foiblesse, weakness; droit, right, ftraight; adroit, dextrous; endroit, place; étroit, narrow; je fois, tu fois, ils foit: nous foins, vous foiez, ils forent, I, thou, he; we, ye, they, be; roide, stiff; raideur, stiffness; roider, to ftiffen.

*However, note, that oi is fometimes founded like oai, in croitre, croire, je crois, froid, &c. foible, &c. Froit, &c. je fois, tu fois, &c. roide, roider, &c. especially in a grave and folemn fpeech.

+ Oi or oy is a diphthong in croyance, when it fignifies belief or pinion; but it founds like é when it stands for confidence or truft: and then it is generally fpelt créance.

* We fay avoine and aveine; yet the firft is more wfed in profe.

ui.

Ui is fometimes a true diphthong, as in lui, he; nuit, night; nuire, to hurt; buitre, oyster.

But fometimes it founds only like an i; as in guide, guide; qui, who, &c.

When ui belongs to two fyllables, either of the two vowels is marked with two tittles; as in ruïne, ruin, &c.

III. False