ORTHOGRAPHY.

I. DEFINITIONS.

RTHOGRAPHY treats of the nature and properties of letters, and the correct spelling and writing of words.

2. The English Language consists of forty-three oral elements, or elementary sounds.

3. Oral Elements are the sounds that, uttered separately or in combination, form syllables and words.

4. Oral Elements are produced by different positions of the organs of speech, in connection with the voice and the breath.

5. The Principal Organs of Speech are the lips, the teeth, the tongue, and the palate.

6. Voice is produced by the action of the breath upon the larynx, or upper part of the wind-pipe.

7. Oral Elements are divided into three classes: eighteen tonics, fifteen subtonics, and ten atonics.

8. Tonics are pure tones produced by the voice, with but slight use of the organs of speech.

9. Subtonics are tones produced by the voice, modified by the organs of speech.

10. Atonics are mere breathings, modified by the organs of speech.

11. Letters are characters that are used to represent or modify the oral elements.

12. The English Alphabet consists of twenty-six letters, viz.: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, f, 8, t, u, V, W, X, Y, Z.

13. The Alphabet is divided into Vowels and Consonants.

14. Vowels are the letters that usually represent the tonic elements, and form syllables by themselves. They are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y.

15. A Diphthong is the union of two vowels in one syllable; as, ou in our.

16. A Digraph, or improper diphthong, is the union of two vowels in a syllable, one of which is silent; as, oa in loaf, ou in youth.

17. A Triphthong is the union of three vowels in one syllable; as, eau, in beau, ieu in adieu.

18. Consonants are the letters that usually represent either subtonic or atonic elements. They are of two kinds, single letters and combined, including all the letters of the alphabet, except the vowels, and the combinations, ch, sh, wh, ng: fh subtonic, and th atonic.

19. Labials are letters whose oral elements are chiefly formed by the lips. They are b, p, w, and wh. M may be regarded as a nasal labial, as its sound is affected by the nose. Fand v are labio-dentals.

20. Dentals are letters whose oral elements are chiefly formed by the teeth. They are j, 8, 3, ch, and sh.

21. Linguals are letters whose oral elements are chiefly formed by the tongue. They are d, l, r, and t. 'N is a nasal lingual; y a lingua-palatal; and th (th and th) a lingua-dental.

22. Palatals are letters whose oral elements are chiefly formed by the palate. They are g and .k. Ng is a nasal palatal.

23. Cognates are letters whose oral elements are produced by the same organs, in a similar manner; thus, f is a cognate of v; k of g, &c.

24. Alphabetic Equivalents are letters, or combinations of letters, that represent the same elements, or sounds; thus, & is an equivalent of e, in pique.

II. PRINCIPLES OF PRONUNCIATION.

1. VOWELS.

A USUALLY represents six oral elements, or sounds; as in åle,

ånd, årt, åll, båre, åsk. The fifth element, or sound, represented by a, is its first or alphabetic sound, modified or softened by r. In its production, the lips, placed nearly together, are held immovable while the student tries to utter the first or alphabetic sound of a. The sixth element, represented by a, is a sound intermediate between a as heard in at, ash, and a as in arm, art. It is produced by prolonging and slightly softening a as heard in at.

E usually represents three elements; as in mè, end, err. The third element, represented by e, is e as heard in end, prolonged, and modified or softened by r.

I usually represents two elements; as in ice, inch.

O usually represents three elements; as in old, on, då.

U usually represents three elements; as in tùbe, tůb, fåll. When u long, or its alphabetic equivalent ew, is preceded by r, or by the sound of sh, it has always the sound of o in do; as in rude, sure, brew. At the beginning of words, when long, it has the sound of yu, as in use.

Y represents, when used as a vowel, the same elements as I; as in type (tip), hymn (him).

Ou usually represents one element; as in our. This element is also represented by ow; as in now.

OI and OY are equivalent to â, followed by i; as in oil (âîl), boy (bái).

B

2. CONSONANTS.

REPRESENTS one element; as in bib. Before t, and after m, it is silent; as in debt, thumb.

C has no element peculiar to itself. It represents the sound of k before the letters a, o, u, l, r, t, and at the end of a word, when, in this work, it is printed with a dot over it; as in cane, cot, cure, click, crank, district, music. Before e, i, and y, it represents the sound of

13. The Alphabet is divided into Vowels and Consonants.

14. Vowels are the letters that usually represent the tonic elements, and form syllables by themselves. They are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y.

15. A Diphthong is the union of two vowels in one syllable; as, ou in our.

16. A Digraph, or improper diphthong, is the union of two vowels in a syllable, one of which is silent; as, oa in loaf, ou in youth.

17. A Triphthong is the union of three vowels in one syllable; as, eau, in beau, ieu in adieu.

18. Consonants are the letters that usually represent either subtonic or atonic elements. They are of two kinds, single letters and combined, including all the letters of the alphabet, except the vowels, and the combinations, ch, sh, wh, ng: fh subtonic, and th atonic.

19. Labials are letters whose oral elements are chiefly formed by the lips. They are b, p, w, and wh. M may be regarded as a nasal labial, as its sound is affected by the nose. Fand v are labio-dentals.

20. Dentals are letters whose oral elements are chiefly formed by the teeth. They are j, s, 3, ch, and sh.

21. Linguals are letters whose oral elements are chiefly formed by the tongue. They are d, l, r, and t. N is a nasal lingual; y a lingua-palatal; and th (th and th) a lingua-dental.

22. Palatals are letters whose oral elements are chiefly formed by the palate. They are g and k. Ng is a nasal palatal.

23. Cognates are letters whose oral elements are produced by the same organs, in a similar manner; thus, f is a cognate of v; k of g, &c.

24. Alphabetic Equivalents are letters, or combinations of letters, that represent the same elements, or sounds; thus, i is an equivalent of e, in pique.

A

II. PRINCIPLES OF PRONUNCIATION.

1. VOWELS.

USUALLY represents six oral elements, or sounds; as in åle, ånd, årt, åll, båre, åsk. The fifth element, or sound, represented by a, is its first or alphabetic sound, modified or softened by r. In its production, the lips, placed nearly together, are held immovable while the student tries to utter the first or alphabetic sound of a. The sixth element, represented by a, is a sound intermediate between a as heard in at, ash, and a as in arm, art. It is produced by prolonging and slightly softening a as heard in at.

E usually represents three elements; as in mè, end, err. The third element, represented by e, is e as heard in end, prolonged, and modified or softened by r.

I usually represents two elements; as in ice, inch.

O usually represents three elements; as in old, on, dỗ.

U usually represents three elements; as in tùbe, tůb, fåll. When u long, or its alphabetic equivalent ew, is preceded by r, or by the sound of sh, it has always the sound of o in do; as in rude, sure, brew. At the beginning of words, when long, it has the sound of yu, as in use.

Y represents, when used as a vowel, the same elements as I; as in type (tip), hymn (him).

Ou usually represents one element; as in our. This element is also represented by ow; as in now.

OI and OY are equivalent to â, followed by i; as in oil (all), boy (bâi).

B

REPRESENTS one element; as in bib. Before t, and after m, it is silent; as in debt, thumb.

C has no element peculiar to itself. It represents the sound of k before the letters a, o, u, l, r, t, and at the end of a word, when, in this work, it is printed with a dot over it; as in cane, cot, cure, click, crank, district, music. Before e, i, and y, it represents the sound of