can be adopted at pleasure. It is then to be pronounced alone. In this manner, all the vocal elements are to be sounded, and to be sounded with such a degree of energy as to come with marked distinctness, force and fullness on the ear. This sounding of all the elements contained in the foregoing table, is to constitute the first exercise of the student of elocution; and it is to be continued until he has acquired precision, facility, force and fullness in uttering them all: nor should he be permitted to proceed farther until this task is accomplished.

When a class is formed, each individual should sound each element in his turn, from the table. Afterwards, the whole class should sound them together in concert; the teacher requiring the utmost degree of force in their utterance on the part of each student, and carefully watching that there is no deviation by any individual from the appropriate sound.

A familiarity with the elementary sounds will show, 1, That the graphic characters called letters, represent two things-the sounds by which they are themselves named; and also the real elementary sounds which enter into the vocal utterance of syllables: 2, That the elementary sounds heard in pronouncing syllables ought to be carefully distinguished from the sounds which constitute the names of the letters. This distinction is important, because the sounds of the names of the letters and the sounds of the elements, (for both of which, letters stand as symbols,) are, though sometimes alike, often, entirely different. In the word A-GE, for example, the sound of the element a is the same as that of the name of the letter, but this is not the case in the word A-LL. In the

latter instance, a different element is expressed by the letter A: a different one is again heard in the word A-RM. In the word wh-i-ch, none of the sounds of the names of the letters are heard.

Every language, to be perfect for purposes of speech, ought to have a vocal alphabet; so that every elementary sound should have its own appropriate character or letter; and these characters, and none others, should be employed in spelling; no letter being admitted into a word which is not actually sounded.

As one letter is now often employed to indicate entirely different sounds, and several letters sometimes stand for a single sound, we must be careful not to suffer ourselves to be confused by the written letter or letters in the words employed for the illustration of the separate elements. The sound actually heard is the thing to which we are to attend the same sound is the same element though represented (as it often is) by different letters. For example, though we represent the vowel sounds heard in Jew and the French word Dieu, by ew in the former, and ieu in the latter, we shall hear the same sound, or nearly the same, in the word Beauty, represented by the letters eau. Again, if we give a shorter and quicker pronunciation to the element a than it has as heard in a-ge, it will be perceived by the ear to be the sound which we hear in e-dge; and so in other cases. We make these remarks, to render the subject easy to persons to whom such inquiries are new. To many, we are aware, the considerations here presented are perfectly familiar.

QUESTIONS TO BE PUT TO STUDENTS AT THE END

RECITATION FIRST.

OF

Is a syllable always a simple sound?

Can you give an example of a syllable which is a simple sound?

Can you mention a syllable consisting of three separate simple sounds?

Can you utter each of these three sounds separately? What is meant by the term element?

What are the simple sounds of speech called?

How many vocal elements are there in the English language, including the short vowels?

Pronounce each of the vowel sounds with exactness, mentioning as you pronounce each, a word beginning with that vowel.

Pronounce with exactness the consonant sounds, mentioning a word commencing and ending with each, where the language admits of it; in other instances let the word commence or end with the element in question, according to the necessity of the case.

Pronounce the mutes by placing a vowel sound before and after each, so as to show their elementary sounds,

PARTICULAR STRUCTURE OF THE VOWEL SOUNDS.

The following Vowel Sounds, are found, on prolonging their pronunciation to be clear dipthongs. They are, nevertheless, to be considered as vocal elements, because though two sounds are heard in their utterance, these sounds cannot be disjoined by the voice, in pronouncing them. The unavoidable action of the organs of speech, is such as to present the two sounds in coalescence.

A as in a-we, opens with the well known elementary sound, but it ends with a feeble and obscure sound of e, as heard in the word e-rr. The same is true of a, as heard in the interjection ah. A in a-le changes in the progress of pronunciation to ee, as heard in ee-l, making the sound aeele, the ee being somewhat feebler and more obscure than if it began a word. The same is true of i, as heard in i-eele, spelt i-sle. O in o-ld, goes into the feeble sound of oo, as heard in oo-ze, O oold. The same is true of ou, as ouoor.

The other vowel elements are monothongs as distinguished from dipthongs. This minute attention to the structure of these elements is necessary in prolonging them. In doing this, we shall by anticipation of the sounds into which they run, be able so to manage the voice in extending them, as to prolong them to any desirable extent with a preservation of their true pronunciation. Without it, we shall be in danger of either drawling them or abridging the time of their pronunciation.

EXPLOSIVE POWER OF THE VOWEL

SOUNDS.

Let

We are about to describe a very important elementary function of the voice, which can be manifested in the utterance of the vowel sounds. All the vowel sounds can be exploded from the throat with great suddenness and force. The explosion appears to depend on a previous occlusion in the throat, the sound breaking forth from behind the occluded part. It will be effected by attention to the following directions. The explosion is to consist of a short and single act of coughing forcibly made upon each element. A short cough is usually made on the element e as heard in the word e-rr. the student cough out this element with as perfect distinctness of sound and as much force as possible, and then let him substitute for it each of the other elements one after another, coughing in the same manner upon each of them, or rather coughing out their respective sounds. In doing this, he will exhibit that property of the voice which makes explosive stress. Care must be taken however to avoid all aspiration; as the sounds ought to be purely vocal, and in that respect differ from simple coughing, which is more or less mixed with aspiration. He may not succeed at once in displaying this function to the best advantage, but let him go on: it will come by a little time and practice. With a teacher there will be no difficulty, nor will any exist long for those who practice alone, if they belong to the class of resolute spirits, who when they do not find a way ready made, set about to make one for themselves.

This sudden and very forcible utterance of the vowels,