affiftance, as we from prejudice are apt to imagine, to the acquiring a right utterance of those founds, as I fhall fhew hereafter.

As to the vowels, in repeating our alphabet, we hear but three out of the nine founds before enumerated, whether pronounced after the English or Irish manner.

I 2

2 3

The English found their vowels, a ei o u -the Irish, a ei o u. Now as I fhall fhew indifputably that i and u are diphthongs, it follows that in either way of pronouncing there are but three founds of vowels heard. Their number too has been confined to that of their marks, it being commonly fuppofed that we have but five vowels, when it is evident we have nine. This alfo followed from our adopting the Roman alphabet, as in reality there were but five founds of vowels in their speech, which confequently demanded but five marks in writing. But as we have also annexed

annexed diphthong founds to two of thefe, fimple marks, which were pronounced very differently by the Romans, our i and u being founded by them fimple ee and oowe have laid in the very elements of our fpeech the foundation of perpetual errour, by confounding the nature of fimple and double founds.

It is not my intention to enter into all the errours of our alphabet, nor the confequential intricacies and difficulties which they have introduced into our written language, which however neceffary on another occafion, is not fo to the immediate point I have in view. I have only faid enough to shew the neceffity there is for rectifying those fundamental errours before we can proceed upon any fure grounds. It will be granted that in repeating the alphabet of every tongue, every fimple found contained in that tongue ought to be heard in it; that being the very nature and end of form

ing an alphabet: and in order that the written language fhould correfpond to the spoken, each fimple found fhould have its peculiar mark, for which it fhould invariably stand. I have fhewn that by adopting an alphabet no way fuited to our tongue, neither of these is, nor can be the cafe. The confequence of which has been, that all attempts towards establishing a theory of our founds, have hitherto ended in confufion and errour; and the practical part of reading and spelling our words has been fo loaded with difficulties, that it requires the labour of years to overcome it. For want of a just theory, no method has hitherto been found out for teaching juftness of utterance, and propriety of pronunciation; and mankind are left on this occafion wholly to the guidance of chance, catching up that general mode of utterance which prevails in the places of their nativity; and fingularities of pronunciation and tones

from

from their parents, mafters, companions, or domestics. And as to the other article which regards the written language, that of spelling correctly, and which has been brought to a more certain and uniform standard, it has, from the fame cause, been accomplished with fo little art, and by fo round-about a method, that in order to spell well it is neceffary to have each individual word impreffed upon the memory, by reiterated obfervation of the order of the letters which compofe them, as presented to the eye.

Let us therefore now examine how far a just theory of articulate founds may contribute to establish a method for teaching juftness of utterance; and at the fame time open a way for a more eafy and expeditious method of learning to spell correctly.

It has been faid that the first neceffary ftep towards regulating the alphabet, is, C 2

that

in repeating it, each fimple found belonging to the language fhould be heard. But

as we find in our alphabet fome letters either fuperfluous, or marks of compound founds, as before pointed out, it will be neceffary that these alfo should be added to the alphabet, and their nature and use explained, that the learners may know the proper application of them when they meet with them in writing. These letters are b, which is no mark of any articulate found, but merely of aspiration; c, j, q, and x. The next thing is to divide these letters into separate claffes according to the first great distinction between them, that of vowels and confonants; and to repeat them in that manner, beginning with the vowels, which have a right to pre-eminence as being effential to all articulate founds, as well as to the formation of fyllables. And these vowels fhould be ranged, not by chance, as has

hitherto