4. That no sign express more than one sound.

5. That the primary aim of orthography be to express the sounds of words, and not their histories.

6. That changes of speech be followed by corresponding changes of spelling.

With these principles in our mind we may measure the imperfections of our own and of other alphabets.

[§ 252]. Previous to considering the sufficiency or insufficiency of the English alphabet, it is necessary to enumerate the elementary articulate sounds of the language. The enumeration of these is, strictly speaking, a point, not of orthography, but of orthoepy. It is, however, so intimately connected with the former that the present chapter seems its proper place. The vowels belonging to the English language are the twelve following:—

1. That of a in father.
2. — a — fat.
3. — a — fate.
4. — aw — bawl.
5. — o — not.
6. — o — note.
7. That of e in bed.
8. — i — pit.
9. — ee — feet.
10. — u — bull.
11. — oo — fool.
12. — u — duck.

For the relations of these see Chapter II.

The diphthongal sounds are four.

1. That of ou in house.
2. — ew — new.
3. — oi — oil.
4. — i — bite.