nounced this letter. Some persons learned in these matters, have said that the letter m is a p which issues by the nose, and the letter n at which issues by the same channel: it is certain, at least, that the letter n can be pronounced distinctly by observing the same position as for t. It is, however more commodious to carry the end of the tongue behind the upper fore-teeth, pressing strongly against them; and this position facilitates a good deal the issue of the respiration by the nose; this is what I make my pupils remark, pronouncing na myself, while his two fingers are against my two nostrils, and causing him afterwards to pronounce na, ne, ni, no, nu.

When my common attempts to bring my pupils to pronounce the letter r, fail with any of them, I then proceed to put some water in my mouth, and go through the process of gargling; I get my pupils to do the same after me, upon which they readily say, ra, re, ri, ro, ru.

I therefore recommend this resource in case of need; there are some pupils, indeed, who fall into tears when desired to go through the operation; so that as to these, we must be content to give them a sight of what takes place in our own throat or in some other persons, in pronouncing this letter.

If, however, this should prove fruitless, there is no occasion to despair; for even those who cannot effect the pronunciation of ra, commonly pronounce the syllable pra very well, when arrived at that part of our instruction; and this conducts them to pronounce the former, in which they had hitherto failed, as it is then very easy to make them distinguish in themselves the difference of what passes on their lips for the pronunciation of the with what passes in their throat for the pronunciation of

the r.

P,

That we may not perplex our pupils with too many difficulties, we do not explain

minutely the variations of the position of the tongue in pronouncing es, but confine ourselves to observe merely the difference in the aperture of the mouth, which, for the present, is quite enough. (Although the grimace we make in pronouncing e mute and the dipthong eu deserves particular attention.)

It is not always easy to make them seize the difference between the grimace produced by this last, and that made in pronouncing

the latter contracts the windpipe and mouth, the former dilates them; in pronouncing eu, the under lip in some small degree pendant; we observe to our pupils, that in blowing upon one's hands in winter to warm them we say eu.

J

CHAP. II.

Necessary Observations respecting the Reading and Pronunciation of the Deaf and Dumb.

We had learned to pronounce the different words of our language before we ever learned to read. We went through the former of these studies without perceiving it: and all the persons with whom we lived were our preceptors in it without thinking about it. Persons foolishly esteemed adepts, have initiated us in the latter of these arts; but they are entitled to very little thanks for our success, as they took no small pains to prevent it. In making us spell a t, an o, an i, an e, and an n, they set us an hundred miles off tê; yet tê was what they then made us say. Was it possible to contrive any thing more absurd? In short, we have learned to read, because

our ductility was superior to our master's understanding; for after spelling all these letters, how, in common sense, could they tell us to forget them all and pronouce té?

ART. I.

In what manner the Deaf and Dumb are taught to give the same pronunciation to Syllables differently written.

Ir is not with deaf and dumb as with other children. From pronunciation to reading is but one step for them; or, to speak more correctly, they learn both at once. We are therefore careful to inculcate that we do not speak as we write. It is a defect in our language, but we have not power to amend it; we write for the eye, and speak for the ear.