SEVENTH YEAR.

(First Month.)
TERMS TO BE DEFINED.

An ELEMENTARY SOUND is the simplest sound of spoken language.

There are forty-four elementary sounds in the English language. As there are only twenty-six letters in the alphabet some letters represent more than one sound. Certain marks or distinguishing characters used with the letters to indicate the various sounds are called DIACRITICAL MARKS.

Phonotypy is a method of representing each of the elementary sounds by a distinct printed character or letter.

The VOCALS or TONICS are those elementary sounds made by an unmodified or uninterrupted tone of the voice; as ā, ĕ.

The SUBVOCALS or SUBTONICS are those elementary sounds made by the tone of the voice modified by the organs of speech, making an undertone; as b, d, g, r.

The ASPIRATES or ATONICS are those elementary sounds made by merely breathing modified by the organs of speech; sometimes called breath sounds; as p, t, s.

TABLE OF ELEMENTARY SOUNDS.
[From Swett's Normal Word Book.]

I. Vocals.

a	ā-le,	āi-m
ä	ä-lms,	ä-rt
a̤	a̤-ll,	b-a̤-ll
ă	ă-n,	m-ă-n
â	c̵-â-re,	â-ir
ȧ	ȧ-sk,	f-ȧ-st
ē	ē-ve,	b-ē
ě	ě-nd,	m-ě-n
ẽ	h-ẽ-r,	ẽ-rr
ī, ȳ	ī-ce,	b-ȳ
ĭ, y̆	ĭ-t,	h-y̆-mn
ō	ō-ld,	n-ō
ǒ	ǒ-n,	n-ǒ-t
o̤, o͞o	m-o̤-ve,	m-o͞o-n
ū	ū-se,	m-ū-şe
ǔ	ǔ-p,	b-ǔ-t
û	û-rge,	b-û-rn
ụ, o͝o	f-ụ-ll,	w-o͝o-l
oi, oy	oi-l,	b-oy
ou, ow	ou-t,	ow-l

II. Subvocals.

b	b-i-b,	b-a-be
d	d-i-d,	d-ea-d
ḡ	ḡ-i-ḡ,	ḡ-a-ḡ
j	j-ar,	j-et
l	l-u-ll,	te-ll
m	m-ai-m,	c̵a-me
n	n-u-n,	n-o-ne
ng, ṉ	ri-ng,	i-ṉ-k
r	r-oa-r,	r-ea-r
th	th-ese,	wi-th
v	val-ue,	v-ain
w	w-ell,	w-eb
y	y-es,	y-et
z	z-one,	z-est
zh, z	a-z´-ure,	sei-z´-ure

III. Aspirates.

f	f-i-fe,	o-ff
h	h-at,	h-ome
k	k-ite,	k-ill
p	p-i-pe,	to-p
s	s-un,	s-ame
t	t-en-t,	t-ar-t
ch	ch-ur-ch,	ch-ild
sh	sh-all,	wi-sh
th	th-in,	th-ree
wh	wh-ere,	wh-y

Note.—The foregoing forty-four sounds are those most employed in the English language. Some of these sounds are represented by other letters, as shown in the following:

IV.—Table of Equivalents.
[Dictionary Work—Metcalf & DeGarmo.]

CHAR.EQUIV.	CHAR. EQUIV.	CHAR. EQUIV.
ē = ī	ĭ = y̆	ī = ȳ
ẽ = ĩ = û	ŭ = ȯ	oi = oy
ā = ̱e		ou = ow
â = ê		ū = ew
ô = ̤a (broad a)	ŏ = ạ
o̤ = o͞o = ṳ	ọ = o͝o = ụ

CHAR. EQUIV.	CHAR.EQUIV.	CHAR. EQUIV.
j = ġ (soft)	k = c̵ = ̵ch	ṉ = ng
g = ḡ (hard)	f = ph	x = ks
z = ṣ̱	s = ç (cedilla c)	x̄ = gz
	sh = çh

Cognate sounds are such as are produced by the same organs of speech in a similar position. The cognates are in pairs, as follows: Vowels: ā ĕ, ē ĭ, â ă, ä ȧ, a̤ ŏ, û ŭ, ōō o͝o; consonants: g´ k, b p, d t, j ch, th th, v f, z s.

[Second Month.]
LETTERS.

A LETTER is a mark or character used to represent a sound,—usually an elementary sound.

An ALPHABET is an orderly arrangement of all the letters of a language.

The NUMBER OF LETTERS in the different alphabets vary, as follows: English 26, Arabic 28, French 25, German 26, Greek 24, Hebrew 22, Italian 21, Russian 33, Spanish 27, Sanskrit 49. The Chinese have no alphabet, but about 20,000 syllabic characters.

The POWER OF A LETTER is the elementary sound for which it stands.

Letters as to form are either script or print.

There are many different STYLES OF LETTERS; as, Roman, Italic, Old English, and Script.

As to SIZE letters are both capital and lower case.

[Third Month.]
VOWELS.

A VOWEL sound is a free and uninterrupted sound of the voice. The vowel sounds are formed by the voice modified, but not interrupted, by the various positions of the tongue and lips.

A CONSONANT sound is an articulate sound made by the obstructed voice, and which in utterance is usually combined with a vowel sound.

There is no absolute division between vowels and consonants. Certain vowels are so open as to be only vowels, certain consonants are so close as to be only consonants; but there are yet others which have the value now of vowels and now of consonants; as, i, u, w, and y.

“Y as a vowel is a substitute for i, and i is a consonant as a substitute for y. W and y are vowels: (1) When they end words or syllables, (2) when they are not followed by a vowel in the same syllable, (3) when they are followed by a silent vowel in the same syllable. W and y are consonants when they begin words or syllables and are immediately followed by a vowel. I is a consonant when it represents the consonant y, as in alien. U is a consonant when it represents the consonant w, as in quick, language.”—Irish's Orthography.

A DIPHTHONG is produced by running together two vowel sounds in the same syllable.

A diphthong is PROPER if both the vowels are sounded; as o and i in boil.

An IMPROPER DIPHTHONG or DIGRAPH is merely a collection of two vowels in the same syllable, of which only one is sounded; as in rain, teach.

The diphthongs in the following words are all that are in common use, viz.: toil, toy, sound, cow, peal, oil, audible, awning, say, seine, people, feud, obey, eschew, believe, loan, hoe, hue, juice. Of these oi, oy, ou, and ow are the only proper diphthongs.

A TRIPHTHONG is produced by running together three vowel sounds in the same syllable.

A triphthong is PROPER if all three of the vowels are sounded. (But there are no proper triphthongs that I know of.)

A triphthong is IMPROPER or is called a TRIGRAPH if one or two of the three vowels is silent; as in adieu, beauty.

[Fourth Month.]
CONSONANTS.

Consonants are divided on three different bases; as follows:

I. Mutes and SEMIVOWELS.

The mutes represent an explosive sound, and are so called because the mouth organs are closed just before the sound is uttered and the voice is momentarily mute.

The four subvocals b, d, j, g, and their cognates, p, t, ch, and k, are generally classed as mutes. Pronounce them and see if they do not represent explosive sounds.

All other consonants are semivowels, and are pronounced with a continuous sound. The sound may be continued so long as the breath lasts; but in the case of mutes the sound must stop with the explosive utterance.

II. The SUBVOCALS and ASPIRATES are shown in the vertical columns of the table below. The subvocals are sometimes called voice consonants and the aspirates breath consonants. These are fit terms, for they indicate the basis of classification.

III. Labials, LINGUA-DENTALS, and PALATALS constitute a classification of the consonants with respect to the place of formation. Bead the table from left to right. The lips have most to do with making the labial sounds; the lingua-dentals are formed at the point of the tongue in contact with the teeth, the palatals between the tongue and hard and soft palate.

Consonant Table.