[DISSERTATION II.]
Of the English Alphabet.—Rules of Pronunciation.—Differences of Pronunciation and controverted Points examined.
Of the ENGLISH ALPHABET.
From a general history of the English language, and some remarks upon that subject, I proceed to examin its elements, or the powers of the letters which compose our alphabet.
There are in English, twenty five characters or letters which are the representatives of certain sounds, either simple or combined; a, b, c, d, e, f, g, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z. The English have also the character h, which marks an aspiration or strong breathing, but has very little sound of its own.[G]
Letters, according to the sounds they represent, or the purposes they serve, are very naturally divided into three kinds; vowels, dipthongs, and consonants.
In order to obtain clear ideas of our alphabet, let us attend to the following definitions:
1. A vocal sound, formed by opening the mouth, and by a single position of the organs of speech, is a simple sound or vowel. Most of the vowels in English are capable of being prolonged at pleasure, without varying the position of the organs.