of these sounds are not represented by the same English spelling; but they do all most certainly exist in the English language, as the third column will prove, entitled "Pronunciation corrected with English Sounds." Above all, we recommend to the reader Rule, (on half audible articulations,) as one essentially necessary to speaking French. He will also be pleased to notice that eight of the most important figures in this table (CH, SCH, PH, GN, GN, RH, SC, SH, and TH) have already been systematically classed, for practice, in the divisions, and under the phonic signs of Synopsis IV. To the numerous balance of thirty-seven compound articulations, which are so evidently the same in English and French,Thirty-seven additional Anglo-French Sounds, we had, of course, no marks to give in our key. - PRACTICAL PARSING OF FRENCH SOUNDS. This is the new exercise which we have found to be the best means, for every kind of students, not only to realize, to produce, and to retain all French sounds. in a very short time, but also easily to correct any previous bad habit, if curable at all. It consists, as mentioned above, in actually affixing invariable English labels to all dubious sounds and articulations in the French language, which is, for the purpose, amply represented before the reader, by several hundreds of numbered paragraphs, extracted from our "Conversational Style." These extracts, thus physically resolved, by our marks, into their phonic elements, are printed in very large type, (made for the occasion,) and invariably occupy one half of all our pages, as a parsing model to the learner, for imitation and reading, it being clearly understood (and proved by Synopses IV. and V.) that such letters as have no figures over them are absolutely alike in both languages. EXPLANATION OF ALL PARSING MARKS, OR PHONIC LABELS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. A SIMPLE VOWEL is surmounted by one of these five figures, which itself is modified by some additional marks to represent all the different shades of the same vowel sound. (See Key, or explanation of Synopsis I.) 1 EXAMPLE. 1 î ma pâte. (Standard, ah, arm.) A COMPOUND VOWEL also takes only one single figure, to attest the nature of its simple sound; but, as a compound orthographic form, it is, besides, characterized by this mark, invariably placed over the two mangea, trait, beau, qui. (Standard, encore, ah, છે 3 air, pique, woe.) DIPHTHONGS AND DISSYLLABIC SOUNDS, being two simple, or compound vowels more or less distinctly united in practice, are surmounted by two figures, and marked with this conjunctive sign, , placed under the Fiacre, pied, chatié, chatiais, Guise. (Standard, pique, ebb, ah, baker, air, queen.) COMBINED LETTERS most generally contain silent ones, vowels and consonants, and the same conjunctive mark, is placed under the assemblage, exactly as in the case of diphthongs, in order to embrace all letters connected by contraction in the phonic syllable. In these five words the letters E, UENT, ENT, and Es, are perfectly silent. How shall we know it? We have marks for all vowel sounds, and all doubtful articulations; but it is not enough. Now, we must be able entirely to silence a letter, or to command its full sound, or even reduce it to a dying whisper. Three more phonic signs are required. A DOT () will indicate a sounded letter. O A CIPHER (0) absolute silence. → A BARRED CIPHER (0) a half audible sound. With this new help, added to our former signs, (see above, pages viii. and xiii.,) Or by abbreviation, marquent, parlent, chanteraient, chantâmes. 1.0 n 171 8 360 8 5360 72 7 1.0 2 pâte, mangea, guise, Guise, 7 11.0 20 70 je chanterai, 2 chanterais-je? (Standards, chagrin, azure, gate, us.) It will be perceived by the words ennemi, chanteraient, chantâmes, mangea, etc., that our conjunctive mark is also a disjunctive instrument of the highest value, as we shall see presently. COMBINED SOUNDS FROM WORD TO WORD. It very often happens that two or more words are united in sound, as are syllables in words, which takes place in various ways. We mark all such cases with this WORD-TIE, set under the line, to show how and when the same breath, connecting every syllable and word, without a pause, through a series of sounded and unsounded letters, produces at times a real phonic chain of words in French pronunciation. [Beginners may pass the rest over, down to the last paragraph of page xx., and come back to the subject after a few days' parsing.] This question has ever been of the utmost difficulty to the learner; because, as the practical fact is, in most points, the result of an instinctive law, EUPHONY, and, in the exception, a matter of taste and tradition, even in Paris, there is hardly any thing like a rule for teaching the subject in a foreign land. We think, however, that it may be narrowed down to three general principles, which the American student (who must have something to go by) will find it 20 RULE I. Wherever E mute, (us), and any consonant, form either a monosyllable or an initial or final syllable, CONTRACTION will occur between words, IN RAPID UTTERANCE. § 1. MONOSYLLABLES are generally reduced to an isolated consonant, which, standing like a pivot for the transmission of sound, articulates with the foregoing vowel, and then with the initial consonant of the following word. If the final letter of the preceding word is itself a consonant, it remains silent. Thus, three words really contract into one whole phonic combination of syllables. § 2. INITIAL SYLLABLES work exactly like monosyllables; and when their E, as in most cases, is entirely silent, they also are reduced to a pivot consonant, which, through the same contraction, partakes of both the preceding sound and Following articulation. EXAMPLE. 0.0 |