L'Art Poétique Boileau Despréaux 248 Chant Premier. Règles Générales. Histoire de la Poésie Française depuis Villon jusqu'à Malherbe ... 248 Chant Second. Caractère et Règles Particulières Chant Quatrième. Instructions sur la connaissance et l'usage des divers talents, sur le choix qu' n doit RULES OF PRONUNCIATION, CONSISTING OF NOTES REFERRED TO FROM THE FOREGOING FRENCH TEXT, AND PRINCI- METHOD OF STUDY, AND EXPLANATION OF THE SIGNS. BEFORE the learner enters on the study of this work, he will Day attention to the following Remarks. Explanation of the Signs. 1. For the meaning of letters printed in italic, of the curve. and of the characters Į and ĕ, see "Rules of Pronunciation," p. 279 post. 2 8 2. The small figures , &c., placed after words in the French text, and principally in the first fable, refer to rules which are collected in the "Rules of Pronunciation." Occasional notes, placed at the foot of the page, are referred to from the French text above, by the t, t, &c. 3. The consonants in the French language are pronounced as in English, unless otherwise stated in the "Rules of Pronunciation." 4. All the vowel sounds in the words in Part I. are accurately represented in the Running Pronunciation, or Key, between the lines at the head of the pages; those sounds excepted which cannot be given without the aid of a teacher. Where the true sound of the syllable is not in accordance with the spelling, the proper vowel or vowels are placed over the syllable in smaller characters. Examples: Thus, in the first syllable of the word aucun, in the last line but one of page 21, ô is placed over au, by which it will be understood that aucun is to be pronounced as if it were spelled ôcun. Now, by reference to the Running Pronunciation, page 22, he will perceive that ô is to be pronounced like o in the English word robe, placed, in the Key. under the French word côté. Where a syllable has no s naller vowel or vowels over it, it will be understood that the sound accords with the spelling. Thus the o in the first syllable of cocher (last line but three of page 21) is to be sounded like o in the English word rob, placed, in the Key, under the French word robe. [For a further explanation of the uses of the Running Pronunciation, see "The Vowel Sounds," page xviii post.] 5. For Rules for the Reading of French Poetry, see Part IV D. 196 post, "Observations Préliminaires." Method of Study. 6. As stated in the title-page and preface, this work is intended as a companion to, and to be used in conjunction with, the "Progressive Interlinear French Reader." The student is expected to prepare his lesson by the aid of the Running Pronunciation, or Key, at the head of the page; the notes at the foot of the page; and the Rules in the "Rules of Pronunciation." The length of the lesson will be proportioned to the capacity of the learner; but, as a general rule, it may be proper to give not more than ten lines for a lesson at first; as, along with the preparation of his pronunciation, he is also required to give the translation of the lesson according to the methcd prescribed in the "Interlinear Reader," p. xviii. After the first fable has been mastered by slow and easy steps, each lesson may be made to embrace a whole fable. It will be necessary for the student at the commencement to make himself master of "The French Alphabet," "The Vowel Sounds," and "The Diphthongs," at pages xvii., xviii. and xix, post, so as to pronounce them well and repeat them by memory. When he has studied the first fable once through, before he proceeds any further, it will be most proper that he commit the whole fable to memory, and then write it down several times without the book, carefully correcting, by comparison subsequently with the book, errors and omissions. He will have obtained the full benefit of this exercise, when his copy shall be a fac-simile in all respects of the fable in the book. This practice should not be discontinued until he is able to read and repeat the whole fable with tolerable correctness, and to write it down with accuracy. The pupil will appreciate the importance of complying with these directions, when he is informed hat the first fable contains an example of all the vowel and diphthongal sounds, and words of difficult pronunciation, in the French language; and that a complete mastery of this falle will enable the learner to pronounce every word he may meet with subsequently. The student may now advance to the second fable, and so on through the thirty-three fables which occupy the first thirty-two pages, repeating the first fable, however, each alternate day as he proceeds. He will now turn back to the beginning of the book, and, again commencing, may proceed without further interruption. During this second perusal, and until the termination of the First Part, he will repeat the first fable once or twice a week; and he should also take this opportunity of com mitting the "Rules of Pronunciation" to memory. On reach ing the Second Part, he will commence the study of the "List of Words which deviate from the Regular Pronunciation," to be found at page 284 post; and repeat a convenient portion of them daily, until he is able to pronounce them accurately. The student will observe that, after the First Part, the helps to Pronunciation are gradually withdrawn. Hence he will perceive the importance of a familiar and thorough knowledge of every step of his progress. When he arrives at Part IV., he should fully understand and digest the remarks on reading French poetry, contained in the "Observations Préliminaires," before he attempts further progress. These remarks, as well as the notes which occur subsequently, are given in French; and the English translation furnished hitherto in the "Interlinear Reader" here terminates; as the student is expected by this |