cess is a very simple one, yet many teachers have never learned it. Ask the scholar in the primary school, "How many sounds has b?" and he may answer promptly, "B has but one sound, as in bite." Very well; then ask him, "What is that sound of b, as in bite?" and he may not be able to tell you. Then To ascertain what the sound of b is, and to be able to make it, pure and simple, he has only to analyze, vocally, any word or syllable containing the letter. It is more convenient for new beginners to take a word commencing with the letter, "as in bite." Let him spell and pronounce all the letters in the usual manner-b-i-t-e, bite. spell and pronounce all except the last letter, e-b-i-t, bit. The i being long, as in isle, the pronunciation of bite is precisely the same without the terminal e as with it; hence the scholar discovers that e is silent in that word. Next let him spell and pronounce the word, omitting the last two letters, t and e-b-i, bi. He now learns that i has its long sound in that word; if it were short it would be sounded like i in hit. Lastly let him sound the word omitting the last three letters. He will then enunciate the one sound of b, as in bite; and a little attention to the vocal organs will show him precisely how the sound of b is made. The process of analysis is now completed; and by observing the position and action of the lips, he learns why the letter b belongs to the category of labial or lip sounds, its pronunciation, as well as that of m and p, requiring a closure of the lips. By the application of this key the student can readily ascertain the sound of any letter or character. Another similar and still more simple method is, to 3 select a word beginning with the letter or character the sound of which is to be ascertained; commence the pronunciation of the word, but stop the effort instantly with the first sound which the ear recognizes; this will be the pure sound by itself, whether vocal or aspirate. Thus, if the student begin to pronounce the names, Cicero and Cato, and the words, this and thin, and interrupts the effort with the first appreciable noise, he will learn that c in Cicero has the hissing sound of s, and c in Cato the hard sound of k; while th in the word this, has a compound vocal sound, and th in thin, a compound aspirate or breath sound. EXERCISES ON THE VOWEL SOUNDS. There are sixteen vowel sounds in our language, including the diphthongs; they are found in the order of our alphabet in the following words: ale, ah, all, at, eel, ell, isle, ill, old, ooze, on, use, up, full, oil, how. The enunciation of these vowel sounds, distinct from that of the consonant sounds, in reading, speaking, and singing, is one of the best exercises for acquiring flexibility of the articulating muscles, and elasticity of the vocal cords; also for bringing into vigorous co-operative action those respiratory muscles which are most immediately concerned in the production of the lower tones of voice. They should be pronounced forward and backward until they can be repeated several times with a single respiration, thus: ale, ah, all, at, eel, ell, isle, ill, old, ooze, on, use, upfull oil, how, a, a, a, a, e, e, i, i, o, o, o, u, u, w, oi, ow. Reversely, ow, oi, u, u, u, o, o, o, i, i, e, e, a, a, a, a, how, oil, full, up, use, on, ooze, old, ill, isle, ell, eel, at, all, ah, ale. This exercise may be advantageously varied by em ploying only the short vowel sounds in the same manner. at, ell, ill, on, up-up, on, ill, ell, at, a, e, i, o, u—u, o, i, e, a. Reading by the vowel sounds alone, is an exceedingly useful exercise for the articulating muscles, and may serve to "vary the entertainment." No better example for practice can be found than Hamlet's advice to the players. в e е a u, a i 0 ou Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you; trippingly i 0 u; i i i on the tongue. But if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had i, a a i 0 ou e u. a e o, i as lief the town-crier had spoke my lines. And do not saw the air too 0 i i · u i u ou much with your hand; but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, WHIRLWIND of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. Oh! it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow, tear a а o u i u e i i a e eo, & 8 passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings. EXERCISES ON THE CONSONANT SOUNDS. There are seventeen vocal and eleven aspirate sounds in the English language; consonants are also distinguished into simple, of which there are thirteen, and compound, of which there are fifteen. CONSONANTS. Vocal.-b, as in bite; c, as in discern; d, as in dome; f, as in thereof; g, as in gem; g, as in go; g, as in menagerie; 1, as in line; m, as in mamma; n, as in not; n, as in clank; r, as in jar; r, as in bright; w, as in wist; x, as in excite ; y, as in youth; th, as in thee. CONSONANTS. Aspirate.-c, as in cent; c, as in cap; c, as in gracious; d, as in embraced; f, as in fit; h, as in hand; p, as in pop; x, as in extant; ch, as in chance; th, as in thin; wh, as in whine. Simple.-b, as in bib; c, as in circle; c, as in Connecticut; d, as in day; d, as in tripp'd; f, as in foe; g, as in give; h, as in hope; 1, as in live; m, as in man; n, as in ten; p, as in poppy; r, as in more. Compound.-c, sound of z, as in suffice; c, sound of sh, as in judicial; f, sound of v, as in hereof; g, soft, as in ginger; g, sound of zh, as in tongue; n, sound of ng, as in Frank; r, rough or trilled, as in crash; w, name sound, as in wool; x, sound of ks, as in excel; x, sound of gz, as in example; y, name sound, as in yarn; ch, sound of tch, as in much; th, soft, or aspirate, as in theme; th, vocal, as in thou; wh, name sound, as in when. Every consonant sound should be distinctly recognized and enunciated, until the whole list of twenty-eight can be repeated forward and backward with a single respiration. Exercises on the consonant sounds are calculated to promote rapidity and accuracy in the action of the tongue, lips, and mouth. The following words represent the consonant sounds in the order heretofore mentioned: bob, cent, come, suffice, ocean, ride, dipped, rife, of, gem, go, mirage, hale, lo, man, nine, bank, pin, war, rough, wo, axe, exist, yoke, charm, thin, than, what. By analyzing these words in the manner already ex plained, the sound represented by each letter or combination of letters will be readily ascertained. EXERCISES IN EMPHASIS. Stress. The first three, and the last two verses, or volumes; not the three first and the two last; there can be only one first thing. Quantity.-Roll on, thou dark and deep blue oceanroll! Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain. Hail! -universal Lord. Expulsive Stress.-Aim at nothing higher until you can read and speak deliberately, clearly, distinctly, and with the appropriate emphasis. Stress and Higher Pitch.—O man, tyrannic lord! how long-how long, shall prostrate nature groan beneath your rage! Prolongation and Monotone.-I appeal to you-O ye hills and groves of Alba, and your demolished altars! I call you to witness!-and thou-O holy Jupiter! Rhetorical Pause.--Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood-clean-from my hands? No, these, my hands, will rather the multitudinous sea incarnadine, making the green-one red. Change of the Seat of Accent.-Temperance and virtue raise men above themselves to angels; intemperance and vice sink them below themselves to the level of brutes. SHOUTING. Charge! Chester! charge! on Stanley, on; Run hence; proclaim it in the streets— |