TABLEAU,

EXHIBITING THE MATTER CONTAINED IN CHAPTER I. ON ORTHOPHONY.

SECTION I. PHONICAL ELEMENTS CALLed Vowels.

Organic formation and anomalies of A.

of E. of I. of O.

Organic formation and anomalies of U.

of EU.
of OU.

of Nasal Vowels.

SECTION II. NATURE OF E GUTTURAL, OR MUTE.

E always guttural.

E always mute.

E sometimes guttural, sometimes mute.
E faintly uttered.

SECTION III. OBSERVATIONS ON OI, AND THE NASAL SOUNDS.

OI as a single sound.

OI as a diphthong.

I

How OI came to be sounded as è.
Propriety of dropping the nasal sound.

SECTION IV. PHONICAL ELEMENTS CALLED CONSONANTS.

Organic formation, and anomalies of labial

consonants.

Organic formation, and anomalies of lingual

consonants.

Organic formation, and anomalies of palatal

consonants.

Organic formation, and anomalies of dental consonants.

Organic formation, and anomalies of nasal consonants.

Nature of derivative consonants.

SECTION V. OBSERVATIONS ON H, LL, AND GN.

CHAPTER I.

ORTHOPHONY,

OR THE RIGHT PRONUNCIATION

*

OF SOUNDS.

ORTHOPHONY in language means the proper articulation of sounds. But before entering on the articulation of letters, a few words on the origin of sound appear necessary to take place here, and may prove available to those who take an interest in the developement of pronunciation.

ORIGIN OF SOUND.

Meaning of Inspiration, Expiration, Respiration, and Aspiration.

PRONUNCIATION, among all nations, is nothing else than the result of organic efforts; and the sound is originally formed by the air rushing out of the lungs. The mechanism of the voice appears to be founded on four anatomical bases, namely, Inspiration, Expiration, Respiration, and Aspiration.

First, At the moment the exterior air, by being introduced into the vesicles of the lungs, swells them, and forces the chest to rise, it is called Inspiration. Secondly, When the air, whilst proceeding from the lungs, causes the sinking of the chest, it receives the character of Expiration. Thirdly, The combination

Orthophony, Orthophonie in French, is derived from ogros (orthos) right, and own (phone) sound. When the expression Phonology is used, it signifies a system of pronunciation applicable, not only to letters, as understood here by Orthophony, but also to Prosody and Delivery, and everything concerning pronunciation in general.

Chapter I. ORTHOPHONY.

of both motions succeeding each other, is called Respiration. Lastly, The strenuous effort of fetching the air from the lungs, and causing it to be expelled violently from the mouth, is termed Aspiration.

Hitherto no sound has been described, but its origin may be defined in the following manner: Certain cartilages belonging to the trachea, or wind-pipe, form something like a head, or an oblong crown, through which the air we breathe passes; this part of the body is called by anatomists the larynx. The opening of the larynx is called the glottis,† which, according to the contracted or expanded state of the muscles, produces a sound more or less full, or more or less slender. The glottis has a valve, by which the food is prevented from entering into the trachea, and on its top there is a sort of ribbons, which, by their different degrees of tension, excite vibrations constituting the multifarious tones of the voice. In this way, the organs being in a situation so as to produce a sound, that sound is heard as long as the lungs are supplied with air. The pipe of an organ, or a flute, might be compared to it; neither will emit sounds, unless it be supplied with air.-So much for the origin of sound, and the existence of phonical elements.

OF PHONICAL ELEMENTS, CALLED VOWELS AND

CONSONANTS.

The sound derived from the organs above mentioned, is called a vowel. Vowels are so termed, first, on account of originating from the word voice;

* Larynx, Larinx in French, is derived from the Greek guy, (larugx), the superior part of the trachea.

Glottis, Glotte in French, is derived from the Greek yλwrris, (glôttis), a sort of sleet, trough through which the air ascends and descends.

Should any think our pages on pronunciation either unnecessary or puerile, let them attend to Quintilian, when speaking of the propriety of studying the principles of grammar, and the theory of sounds :

Chapter I. ORTHOPHONY.

secondly, because they can be sounded without the help of other phonical elements. While the sound

of the vowel is emitting, it is evident that its pronunciation requires no articulation whatever, whether the sound be repeated, increased, or diminished, raised or lowered. This characteristic property is the reason why we say the sound of vowels. Notwithstanding the non-existence of articulation in the pronunciation of vowels, yet it is proper to observe, that none of them can be sounded without an alteration of an organ, more or less in motion, in the pronunciation of all phonical elements-we mean the lips; for the shape of that organ while sounding i, is very different from that while sounding o.

But the pronunciation of the second sort of phonical elements, called consonants, is derived from another cause than that of vowels. This pronunciation has received the name of articulation, owing to the following motions of the organs. Sometimes the tongue touches the palate, or the teeth; at other times it lies on the lips; one letter will have the teeth pressing on the lips; another requires them to be quite closed; here a fluttering takes place; there a rustling, or a friction is heard; in short, all these organic efforts are the physical causes from which arises articulation.

There is another ground on which the sounding of consonants appears to differ essentially from the

"Ne quis igitur tanquam parva fastidiat grammatices elementa; non quia magnae sit operae consonantes a vocalibus discernere, ipsasque eas in semivocalium nunerum, mutarumque partiri; sed quia interiora velut sacri hujus adeuntibus apparebit multa rerum subtilitas, quæ non modo acuere ingenia puerilia, sed exercere altissimam quoque eruditionem ac scientiam possit."-QUINTILIANUS de Inst. Orat. lib. i. c. 4. Translation.

"Que personne donc ne méprise les principes de la Grammaire, comme une chose de peu de conséquence; non qu'il soit difficile de distinguer les consonnes d'avec les voyelles, et de savoir quelles se divisent en demi-voyelles, et en muettes ; mais parce que si on prend la peine d'approfondir cette matière, on y trouvera plus de mystère, qu'on y pense; et qu'elle renferme mille subtilités, qui non seulement sont propres à aiguiser l'esprit des enfants, mais qui peuvent aussi, exercer la plus profonde érudition."-L'ABBÉ GEDOYN.

Chapter I. ORTHOPHONY.

vowels. Suppose a consonant be repeated, the organ, whose power has been put in force to articulate the first time, must be applied again to sound the letter a second time. The phonical element b, for instance, can be articulated twice, only with two distinct motions of the lips, and the letter with two positive beats of the tongue on the palate. It is not without reason, therefore, that a consonant can be compared to the clapper of a bell, and the bell itself to a vowel, because two distinct sounds from a bell can never be heard without the clapper having twice struck the bell.-So much for the distinction of the appellations of sound and articulation, the former of which belongs to vowels, and the latter to consonants.

PARALLEL BETWEEN VOWELS AND CONSONANTS.

Both vowels and consonants boast of many properties, and with justice. The former, no doubt, claim the superiority over the consonants, as being the first effect of the organs, and the representative of the senses; but the latter establish their claims, on showing that they are not only the echo of the actions of men, but of animated nature in general. As for power, if on one side the vowels are long or short, on the other, the consonants are either sharp or flat; if the former boast of possessing qualities, such as pure, nasal, combined, and diphthong, the latter may also lay claim to the possession of them. Both are regular or irregular, both experience constant metamorphoses, and both may be mute. Lastly, if the vowels have the property of being close, open, acute, deep, slender, or grave, the consonants may set forth their special powers as exemplified in the denominations of labials, linguals, palatals, nasals, and gutturals. The former are easier to pronounce, the latter stronger in their meaning; the first are simple in their form, the second more significant to the eye; and both are of equal utility and advantage to literature.