Perles littéraires [a reader].

as: nous mourions de faim et de soif, we were dying with hunger and thirst; son album est joli, her album is fine; Adam entendit la voix de Dieu, Adam heard the voice of God. Pronounce nou-mou-ri-on dfin é dso-aff, son nallbomm è jo-li, a-dan an-tan-di la vŏ-a ddi-eu.

CONSONANTS.

GENERAL RULE. Consonants are generally silent at the end of words, except in some instances which will be specified in the following rules. If, however, the next word begins with a vowel or h mute, the final consonant must be joined to the initial vowel of the following word, as : l'argent, the money; nous arrivons, we arrive; comment a été dépensé l'argent? how has the money been spent? nous arrivons à la ville, we arrive at the town. Pronounce lar-jan, nou-za-ri-von, ko-man ta é-té dé-pan-sé lar-jan, nou za-ri-von za la vill.

B is pronounced at the beginning, or in the middle of words, as absurde, absurd; abjurer, to abjure. Pronounce : abb-surdd, abb-ju-ré.

B final is not pronounced when preceded by a nasal sound, as plomb, lead; bond, bound; but it is pronounced at the end of proper names, as: Job, Moab, Jacob, and also in radoub, refitting; and in rumb, point of the compass. Pronounce plon, bon, jobb, jacobb, ra-doubb, ronbb.

When b is doubled, as in sabbat, sabbath; rabbin, rabi; abbé, abbot, and its derivatives, one b only is pronounced: sa-ba, ra-bin, a-bé; but both b are pronounced in abbatial, Abbeville, town of Picardy in France. Pronounce : abbba-si-all, abb-bvill.

C is pronounced like s in the English Sicily before e, i, y; and also before a, o, u, when it has the cedilla ç, as celui,

he; ciel, heaven; aperçu, perceived, &c. lu-i, si-ell, a-pèr-su.

Pronounce se

C is pronounced hard, like k, before a, o, u, l, n, and r, as in calomnie; croute, crust; clergé. Pronounce kalomm-ni, kroutt, klèr-jé.

79 C, when doubled, and cq, in the middle of a word, are pronounced like one c, and hard, when followed by a, o, u, l, and r, as accabler, to weigh down; accourir, to run up; acquisition, acclamation; accréditer, to credit; accumuler, to accumulate; Jacques, James. Pronounce a-ka-blé, akou-rirr, a-ki-zi-si-on, a-kla-ma-si-on, a-kré-di-té, a-ku-mulé, jak. But before e or i both c are distinctly heard, the first hard, the other soft, as: accepter, to accept; accident. Pronounce ak-sep-té, ak-si-dan.

C sounds like g hard in second and its derivatives, and in prune reine-claude, greengage. Pronounce se-ghon, prunn rènn glodd.

C is usually pronounced like k at the end of words, when preceded by a consonant or by a vowel not nasal, as: sac, bag; bac, ferry-boat; bec, beak; lac, lake; roc, rock; duc, duke; arc, bow; Marc, proper name of a person; and in échec in the singular. Pronounce: sak, bak, bek, lak, rok, duk, ark, mark, é-shèk.

C is silent in broc, jug; croc, hook; accroc, rent or tear; escroc, swindler; arc-boutant, buttress; clerc, clerk; marc, residuum or mark; lacs, toils; tabac, tobacco; estomac, stomach; cric, screw-jack; arsenic; porc, swine; SaintMarc (but in Saint-Marc, the name of the evangelist, c sounds k); échecs, chess; and wherever c is preceded by a nasal sound, as in banc, bench; flanc, side; jonc, reed; donc, therefore; except when donc is at the beginning of a syllogism, or followed by a word beginning with a vowel or h mute il vous accuse, donc vous êtes coupable, he accuses you, therefore you are guilty; venez donc ici? do come here? Pronounce bro, kro, a-kro, ess-kro, ar-bou-tan, clèrr, marr, la, ta-ba, ess-to-ma, kri, arr-sni, porr, sin-marr, sin-mark, é-shè, ban, flan, jon, don, ill vou za kuz, donk vou zètt koupabl, ve-né don ki-si.

C is always pronounced in croc-en-jamb, trip; arc-en-ciel, rainbow; tric-trac, trik-trak or backgammon; porc-épic, porcupine; mic-mac, intrigue; du blanc au noir, from one extreme to another; franc étourdi, a downright giddy head.

Pronounce kro-kan-janbb, ar-kan-si-ell, trik trak, por-képik, mik mak, du blan ko no-ar fran-ké-tour-di.

When c and t meet together, both consonants are pronounced if found in the middle of a word, and generally if found at the end, as in recteur, rector; tactique, tactics; il respecte, he respects; respectable; suspect, suspicious; distinct, strict, exact, abject. In respect, c only is sounded; in amict, amice; instinct, respects, both e and t are silent. Pronounce rek-teur, tak-tik, ill ress-pekt, ress-pek-tabl, suss-pekt, diss-tinkt, strikt, é-zakt, abb-jekt, ress-pèk, a-mi, in-stin ress-pè.

CH.

The most usual sound these two consonants have, is that of the English sh in she or shadow, as in chat, cat; chute, fall; chercher, to seek; cheval, horse. Pronounce : sha, shutt, sher-shé, she-vall.

Ch loses its soft sound, and assumes that of the guttural c or of k;

1. When followed by l, n, r, as chloroforme, Chloris; arachnoïde, arachnoide membrane; chrétien, Christian; Christ. Pronounce klo-ro-formm, klo-riss, a-rak-no-idd, kré-ti-in, kristt.

2. When at the end of words, as loch, log; Munich, Zurich, Metternich, Saint-Roch. Pronounce lok, munik, zu-rik, mé-tèr-nik, sin-rok; except in punch, Kirchwasser, Reichstadt, and Auch, a town in France, where it has the soft sound, and in almanach, where it is silent.

3. In words derived from Greek, Latin, or Hebrew, as : Nabuchodonosor, Antiochus, archetype, archiepiscopal, chœur, choir; orchestre, eucharistie, archange, choleramorbus, chaos, écho. Pronounce na-bu-ko-do-no-zor, anti-o-kuss, ar-ké-tipp, ar-ki-é-piss-ko-pal, keur, or-kes-tr, euka-riss-ti, ar-kanj, ko-lé-ra-mor-buss, ka-o, é-ko.

However, in many words of this class which have passed into more ordinary use, ch is pronounced soft, as archevêque, archbishop; archiduc, archduke; architecte; chérubin; chimie, chemistry; chirurgie, surgery; Achille, Ezéchias, les Achéens, Archimède, Machiavel, Achéron, Michel; but in Michel-Ange, ch sounds like k. Pronounce: arsh-vèk, ar shi-duk, ar-shi-tek, shé-ru-bin, shi-mī, shi-rur-jī, a-shill, é

zé-shi-ass, lè za-shé-in, ar-shi-mèdd, ma-shi-a-vell, a-shé-ron, mi-shell, mi-kell-anj. In Bacchus, bacchanal, bacchante, ch sounds like k, and the preceding c is silent. Pronounce : ba-kuss, ba-ka-nal, ba-kantt.

Ch has the hard sound of g in drachme, drachme. Pronounce: dragm.

CHT.

Cht sounds like k in: yacht, Utrecht, Maestricht. Pronounce i-ak, u-trèk, mass-trik.

CK.

Ck sounds like k: Danemarck, Yorck, Lubeck, Dantzick, Inspruck; and in all proper names. Pronounce dannmark, i-ork, lu-bèk, dant-zik, ins-pruk.

90 D is pronounced both at the beginning and in the middle of words, as: dormir, to sleep; dédicace, dedication; adopter, to adopt. Pronounce: dor-mirr, dé-di-kass, a-dopté.

Dis silent at the end of words, especially when preceded by r or by a nasal syllable, as: nid, nest; froid, cold; naud, tie; muid, hogshead; pied, foot; nord, north; épinard, spinage; étendard, standard; bond, leap; gond, hinge; fond, bottom; rond, round; except in sud, south; éphod, ephod; de pied-en-cap; de fond-en-comble, utterly; pied-à-terre, a place of call; talmud; Cid; sund, a strait. Pronounce ni, fro-a, neu, mu-i, pi-é, nor, é-pi-nar, é-tandar, bon, ghon, fon, ron, sudd, é-fodd, pĭ-é-tan kap, fon-tankonbl, pi-é-ta-tèrr, tal-mudd, sidd, sondd.

D final is sounded in foreign proper names, as: David, Joad, Conrad, Alfred. Pronounce da-vidd, jo-add, konradd, al-frèdd.

D final is silent in proper names originally French or

naturalized.

In these words d is generally preceded by r, or by more than one vowel, or by a nasal syllable, as: Richard, Bernard, Picard, Périgord, Arnaud, SaintCloud, Edmond. Pronounce : ri-shar, bèr-nar, pi-kar,

pé-ri-ghor, ar-no, sin-klou, édd-mon.

94 D, when double, sounds like one d, except in a few words derived from Latin, as: addition, adduction, reddition, and their derivatives. Pronounce add-di-si-on, add-duk-si-on, redd-di-si-on.

D final has sometimes the sound of t.

1. When it belongs to an adjective followed by a substantive with which it is connected, and the initial letter of which is a vowel or h mute, as grand-homme, great man. Pronounce gran-tomm.

2. When it belongs to a verb followed by il, he; elle, she; on, they; or by an adverb, a preposition, or an object completing the notion of the verb, as: vend-il? does he sell? l'écho répond à ma voix, echo answers my voice; il apprend assez bien, he learns pretty well; il prend intérêt à cela, he takes an interest in that. Pronounce van-till, lé-ko répon-ta ma vo-a, ill a-pran ta-sé bi-in, ill pran tin-té-ré a sla.

3. When it belongs to the word quand followed by a word beginning with a vowel or h mute, as: quand on écrit, when one writes. Pronounce kan-ton né-kri.

F is sounded at the end of words in the singular as well as in the plural, as: vif, vifs, lively; chef, chief; chefs, chiefs; neuf, neufs, new. Pronounce viff, sheff, neuff. Except in the plurals bœufs, oxen; œufs, eggs; nerfs, nerves, and in œuf, egg (singular) followed by an adjective beginning with a consonant, as auf frais, or auf rouge, and also in clef, key and chef-d'œuvre, master-piece. Pronounce bēū, ēū, nèrr, ēū frè, eu rouj, clé, shè-deuvr.

In the numeral neuf, nine, f is silent before a substantive or an adjective in the plural beginning with a consonant or h aspirate, as: neuf chevaux, nine horses; neuf hameaux, nine hamlets; les neuf premiers, the first nine. Before a vowel or h mute f sounds like v, as: neuf ans, nine years; neuf hommes, nine men. Pronounce neu van, neu vomm ; in all other positions, f retains its natural hard sound, as :

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