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 THE KE\ 
 
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 TO 
 
 French Sounds. 
 
 A SCIENTIFIC METHOD OF ACQUIRING 
 
 AN EXACT PRONUNCIATION OF ALL THE 
 
 VOWEL AND CONSONANTAL SOUNDS 
 
 OF FRENCH SPEECH, 
 
 Being Based on Careful Phonological Experiments made 
 ON A number of French and English Persons. 
 
 \.i 
 
 BY 
 
 CHARLES THEOPHILE DE BRISAY, B.A. 
 
 (Author of the ^^ Analytical French Method,''' the " Analytical 
 
 Latin Methody^^ etc.) 
 
 First Edition. 
 
 ACADjfeMIE DE BRISAY, 
 
 TORONTO, CANADA. 
 1899. 
 
Kntered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year 1899, 
 by Charles T. De Hrisay, at the Department of Agricuhure- 
 
THE KEY TO FRENCH SOUNDS. 
 
 — o- 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It is usually thought that to acquire a correct pronunciation of a 
 language, it suffices to hear that language spoken by persons who 
 speak it correctly. Why this theory should be so generally ac- 
 cepted, it is difficult to explain. No one would maintain for a 
 moment that the average German or Frenchman who has lived 
 for five, or even ten years, among English people speaks English 
 with anything like a correct pronunciation. That few Frenchmen 
 ever learn even to pronounce the English thv and that, although 
 they hear these words correctly i^ronounced every day, is an unde- 
 niable fact. The following will serve as an example of the kind 
 of English which a French person (and a teacher) will speak after 
 five or six years' sojourn in an English country : 
 
 / weel geeve ifuii, ma'/e.moisell<\ de pairfed, Fariaiatt (urent. I 
 fciich hji de uafnrelle tmii/odc — df mciitode Inj ooeech de child learii-s 
 ees moddir tonyue. 
 
 There are many persons in this world who never reason, and 
 who would only see in the above strange pronunciation of their 
 teacher an evidence of his ability to acquaint them with the pro- 
 nunciation of the French language. To them, nothing is more 
 logical than to learn French from a teacher who cannot speak any 
 language but French. If these persons were a little more thought- 
 ful, they would ask themselves how this " naturcUe maitode" which 
 has utterly failed to acquaint their teacher with the elements of 
 English pronunciation, is going to prove so efficacious a means of 
 teaching them the pronunciation of French. Is it at all probable 
 that they, after five or six years' study with their teacher, will pro- 
 nounce French any more correctly than the latter pronounces 
 English ? Perhaps these persons tnay be much more clever than 
 their teacher, and perhaps also more clever than certain persons 
 
77/f' Kcji to FrcHcJi S(nin(li>'. 
 
 of our acquaintance, who, though living' in France for over twenty 
 years, have not yet outgrown their English accent. 
 
 Persons learning a foreign language are rarely aware that their 
 pronunciation is defective. When the Frenchman hears the Eng 
 lish /Ac, it sounds to his ear like df, because d is the only sound in 
 his language which approaches the English fh. When an English 
 person hears pronot-nced a French t, il, or //, etc., he imagines he 
 hears the same sounds as when these consonants are pronounced 
 in English, and consequently all words in which these letters occur 
 will be mispronounced by him. The French r is another letter 
 which is seldom pronounced correctly by English people. Indeed, 
 there is not a consonant nor a vowel that is pronounced alike in 
 English and French, although the difference for some letters may 
 be but slight, (i) 
 
 The ear of the adult is easily deceived, because it is accustomed 
 to certain sounds only, and these it identifies with certain foreign 
 sounds which are at most only soinnvhat siniihtr to the former. 
 For the adult, the " iiKtitod'' hij oociich dc child le/irns /v.s- modair 
 t(>ii(pie'' is altogether insufficient. It suffices for the child, because 
 the latter has no bad habits to unlearn. It is a simple matter to 
 teach the infant child to speak. The adult stammerer, however, 
 needs more care and attention. Every English person who takes 
 up the study of French is, as regards that language, a stammerer, 
 and will likely continue to stammer, until he is shown his faults 
 and the means of correcting them. 
 
 Any method for the teaching of a language must be more or 
 less tiatnnd, but it need not be primitive. A little science will 
 improve it wonderfully in five minutes any Frenchman can be 
 made to pronounce the sound th, by being shown where to place 
 his tongue, how the sound is produced, and how it differs from the 
 French d, etc. And any English person can be shown just as 
 easily how to pronounce the French A, d, n, etc. In fact, all the 
 sounds of the French alphabet can be learned in a very short time, 
 so that there is no reason why persons of English nationality can- 
 not learn to pronounce French as perfectly as native Frenchmen. 
 
 (i) The text-books and dictionaries used in English schools serve to confirm the 
 student in his delusion. For instance, we may learn from mostly any French-English 
 dictionary that the most of the French consonants sound as in English. 
 
IiifrodtKtion. 
 
 5 
 
 There are hundreds of French people who speak the Knyhsli 
 lanj,mage quite correctly as far as its grammar is concerned, and 
 who can express tliemselves in English almost as readily as in 
 French, but who jiever in all their lives pronounced an ICilj^lish 
 vowel or consonant. Such persons are understood without diffi- 
 culty, and many Englishmen even like to hear their language 
 spoken with a French " accent, ' as tliey term it, but this does not 
 alter the fact, that those who speak with this accent never utter a 
 single English sound ; for all their vowels and consonants are 
 P'rench. Similar'y, we find many English persons who can express 
 themselves in French quite readily, but who ne\er pronounce a 
 single P'rench word correctly — and for the simple reason that all 
 their vowels and consonants are English. The moment an Eng- 
 lish person opens his mouth and utters the simplest PVench word, 
 he is- recognized by French people as a foreigner to the French 
 language ; and while some English peojjlc may prefer FZnglish 
 with a French ''accent," no Frenchmen was ever known to be 
 delighted by French with an English accent ; for the flat English 
 vowels and the feebly-articulated consonants are to a Frenchman 
 almost unbearable — at least when applied to his language. 
 
 Most students of P>ench would be somewhat surprised to be 
 told that they could not pronounce a single French sound, and 
 would doubtless refer us to their dictionarv or P'rench grammar to 
 show us their authority for pronouncing the " short French / " like 
 the English / in m/7/, and the " short French on" like the English 
 11, mfult. And yet the fact remains that if a Frenchman ignorant 
 of English tried to pronounce full iitill, the nearest he could get 
 to these sounds would be something resembling foul tiii'<il. The 
 sound of / m mill, and the sound of n in fu/l, are altogether 
 foreign to French — as, indeed, they doubtless were to Latin — and 
 teachers who represent these sounds as French entirely mislead 
 their students. In learning a dead language like Latin, we can 
 afford to be somewhat indifferent regarding its exact pronunciation, 
 but for a living spoken language approximate values are of little 
 practical use. 
 
 The fact is, we cannot represent to an English person the real 
 values of the French vowels and consonants by any signs, how- 
 
6 
 
 77/r Kcfi to French Sonmh. 
 
 ever ingenious. We can, however, exercise more care than is 
 usually done, in the selection of our n/i^iroriniith- ndiuH, and, what 
 is more important, we can give in addition to this, accurate direc- 
 tions for arriving at the exact F'rench sounds;. The ordinary French 
 teacher, even though his pronunciation be rigorously correct, is 
 utterly unable to make his pupils imitate him, however hard he 
 may try, and for the simple reason that he has not the slightest 
 knowledge of how the sounds which he utters are produced, or of 
 what constitutes the difference between his own pronunciation and 
 that of his pupils. He is, therefore, only a little more valuable to 
 his pupils than the ordinary text-book on pronunciation. 
 
 Now, there is a very simple key to the pronunciation of the 
 F>ench vowels and consonants, just as there is a key to the pro- 
 nunciation of the English vowels and consonants. A person may 
 hear F'rench spoken for years without discovering this key, and 
 when he does discover it, he will be quite unconscious of the fact, 
 although he may use it constantly ever after. Yet this key is so 
 simple, that any person can be shown how to use it in less than 
 half an hour. It may take some weeks for one to become dex- 
 terous in its use — for old habits are hard to overcome — but most 
 persons will be able, after the first or second attempt, to pronounce 
 the easier French sounds so perfectly, so that no one hearing these 
 persons pronounce would suspect them of being anything but 
 French. The main purpose of this little book is to explain this 
 key, but it has also been thought advisable, while doing this, to 
 deal with the general subject of French pronunciation ; for a key 
 is of little value without the lock on which to use it. 
 
 If the student should be fortunate enough to.be able to obtain 
 assistance from any P>ench person whose pronunciation can be 
 relied upon, so much the better ; but this should be no reason for 
 being less careful in following out the directions here given. It 
 is easy for him to deceive himself into imagining that he is pro- 
 nouncing like his teacher, but if his tongue strikes his palate when 
 it should strike his teeth, or if his lips remain flat when they 
 should be protruded, nothing is more certain than that the sounds 
 which he utters are not French, but English. To the adult Eng- 
 lish person learning to pronounce French, a small looking-glass 
 is perhaps more essential than a teacher. 
 
r 
 
 \ 
 
 1 
 
 The K('}i to French S(n(Hfln, 
 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 VOICE, SPEECH, WHISI'ER, ETC. 
 
 What we call voice is a sound produced by the vibration of two 
 membranes (vocal cords) situated in a part of the windpipe called 
 the larynx, or voice box. These membranes, fastened one on either 
 side of the larynx, arj movable, and in ordinary breathinjj there is 
 a space between them through which the breath passes without 
 impediment. When, however, these two membranes are approxi- 
 mated so as to block completely the passage for the breath, the 
 latter, forcing its way upward, causes the memljranes to vibrate, and 
 escapes, not in a continuous str 'am, but in very minute puffs, so 
 that ^hen we place the hand before the mouth and s.Amd a vowe] 
 we can feel the heai. of the breath, but not its force. 
 
 The vocal ligaments are elastic, and may be stretched like rubber 
 bands. When lax, they vibrate slowly, so that the result is a low 
 musical note ; when they are stn ched, they vibrate quickly, so 
 that the result is a h'ijh note. Musical pitch, however, has nothing 
 to do With the production of vowel sounds, and hence does not 
 concern us in our present study. 
 
 Just above the larynx (or voice-box), and connecting with it, is a 
 cavity into which the mouth and nose open, called the pharynx.(i) 
 This cavity, together with the mouth, serves as a chamber of re- 
 sonance for the sounds originated in the larynx. By means of the 
 tongue and certain muscles, the space in the mouth and pharynx 
 can be altered in various ways, and thus modify in as many ways 
 the sounds from the larynx. The different sounds thus produced 
 are termed voiveh {a, e, e, o, etc.). 
 
 The nasal cavities form a separate resonance chamber by them- 
 selves, and are generally shut off from the breath when we utter 
 
 (i) The pharynx can be se< n by looking into the mouth. 
 
8 
 
 The Key to Freruh Sounds. 
 
 most of the vowel sounds. In pronouncing certain words, how- 
 ever, such as .s'>fi(/, xiniif, xumj, etc., the passages leading to the 
 nose open, and receive part of the vocalized breath. Many persons, 
 too, in pronouncing the ordinary vowels, o^ e, /, o, etc., neglect to 
 close completely the nasal resonance chamber, and consequently 
 speak with what is commonly known as a nan'il t >) nui. 
 
 Wltixper. — That the different vowei sounds are not produced in 
 the same manner as musical notes is quite apparent when we 
 whisper. In the whisper the vocal cords are closer together than 
 in ordinary breathing, but they do not vibrate, and consequently 
 give forth no sound. The sounds which we hear in whispering the 
 vowels a, <', /, o, o?t, are produced by the breath flowing through the 
 larynx, pharynx and mouth. The vocal cords are quite silent, and 
 yet We distinguish plainly the a from the <\ the i from the o, etc. 
 These different sounds, tlien, are produced by changing the size 
 and shape of the mouth and pharynx. In the French language 
 there are vowel sounds which are not heard in English, but since 
 an English mouth is constructed just like a French mouth, \\ fol- 
 lows that it will produce exactly the same sounds as the latter 
 under like conditions. 
 
 In ordinary speech there are two classes of sounds — vowels and 
 consonants. The former we have already explained ; the latter are 
 whispered sounds, being produced by obstructing in various ways 
 the breath as it reaches the mouth. In articulating certain conso- 
 nants, such as r, 2, etc., there may also be heard a slight rumbling 
 in the larynx, but this sound is not of sufficient strength to obscure 
 the sound which is produced in the mouth, although it may modify 
 slightly its character. 
 
 The sound of every vowel and consonant is different in French to 
 what it is in English, and the only certain way to master the French 
 sounds is by learning the positions which the tongue and lips 
 assume in pronouncing them. 
 
The Vowels. 
 
 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 . THE VOWELS. 
 
 Before proceedings to study the vowel sounds, a vord or two 
 concerning the mouth and pharynx is necessary. If the student 
 will open his mouth and move his tongue forward, he will be able 
 to see (with' the aid of a looking-glass) most of the parts of the 
 mouth and pharynx which he will require to be familiar with in 
 his present study. He will observe that the back of the mouth 
 terminates in a fleshy curtain (called the velum) whose two sides 
 are attached at the bottom to the base of the tongue (and which 
 consequently may be drawn forward with this organ). In the 
 centre of the upper part of this curtain, which hangs down from 
 the palate, is a prolongation called the fivula. The cavity which 
 is seen behind the curtain is the pharynx, into which the nasal 
 cavities as well as the passage leading from the larynx (called the 
 glottis) open. The openings of the nasal cavities are situated in 
 the upper part of the pharynx, behind the velum or palatal cur- 
 tain, so that when the latter is moved backward and upward, the 
 communication between the nose and pharynx is shut off. When 
 we bieathe through the nose or pronounce a nasal vowel, the 
 palatal curtain hangs down loosely, but the moment we attempt to 
 pronounce any of the vowels a, e\ i {ah^ ay, ee), etc., the velum with 
 its uvula presses backward against the roof of the pharynx, and 
 thus prevents .he breath from entering the nasal cavities. 
 
 Connected with the base of the tongue is a sort of lid-like process 
 called the epiglottis, which serves as a covering to the glottis (the 
 passage leading to the larynx) during the act of swallowing, but 
 which moves forward, leaving the glottis open, during the act of 
 breathing. Although it is impossible to observe very accurately 
 the position of the epiglottis during speech, it is evident from the 
 various movements of the base of the tongue, that it plays an 
 important part in the production of vocal sounds, and that jts posi- 
 tion varies considerably for each vowel. Persons have been known 
 to pronounee quite perfectly the vowel sounds, whose tongues had 
 been cut off close to the root, which fact goes to show that the 
 
10 
 
 llie Key to French Sounds, 
 
 front portion of the tongue, however indispensable for the articu- 
 lation of the consonants, has not a great deal to do with the pro- 
 duction of vowel sounds. The tongue is, however, an indicntor of 
 the conditions of the pharynx, and for that reason we require to 
 watch it closely in our present study. 
 
 For the vowels e (as in yes% S (ay), i (as in machine)^ the tongue 
 bends upwards some distance from its base, while for a (as in 
 fathe.r\ o (as in or^ 6 (as in old)^ on (as in group), the very root of 
 the tongue rises, its central part remaining level. 
 
 The two sides of the pharynx are lined with muscular mem- 
 branes which, though quite lax during the act of natural breath- 
 ing, tighten considerably when a vowel sound is uttered. This the 
 student may observe for himsel", by opening his mouth widely and 
 pronouncing the vowel a {<i,h). As we will see presently, these 
 membranes are much tighter for the French vowel sounds than 
 for those of the English, and on that account the French vowels 
 are always more sonorous and guttural than the corresponding 
 English ones. 
 
 WIDE VOWELS 
 
 e (uh).' 
 
 This sound is heard in the English the (thuh), her, etc. Of all 
 the vowel sounds this is the one which is produced with the least 
 effort, the tongue and mouth keeping almost the positions for 
 natural breathing. We frequently, in breathing through the mouth, 
 allow the vocal cords to come together for a brief moment before 
 each expiration, so that each puff of breath is accompanied by an 
 indistinct sound from the larynx. This sound is c (uh), its obscure 
 and elementarv character being no doubt due to the natural condi- 
 tion of the pharynx, which condition is unfavorable to the produc- 
 tion of a pure vocal sound. The English language abounds in 
 this obscure e, which is often written a, e, i, o, n, as in httllad, 
 tortile, sir, pilot, up, etc. 
 
 Difference between the French and English c— If the 
 student will pronounce e {uh\ first in his accustomed way, and 
 then '..ith his tongue protruding out of His mouth, he will perceive 
 that the second sound, while practically the same as the first, is 
 
Wide Votrels. 
 
 11 
 
 much more hollow and guttural. The first sound seems as though 
 it originated in the mouth, whereas the second seems to come from 
 the bottom of the throat. As a matter of fact, both sounds origi- 
 nate in the same place-the larynx— but the second sound has 
 evidently a more perfect resonance chamber than the first. The 
 difference between the two sounds will be better appreciated, if 
 while they are being pronounced, the hands be placed to the ears. 
 The deep hollow nature of the second sound will then be unmistak- 
 ably felt. The first sound is English, while the second is French. 
 All English vowels are distinguished by their flat, non-resonant 
 character, whereas all French vowels are remarkable for their deep, 
 guttural, sonorous ring. 
 
 The Reason for the Difference. When the tongue is 
 moved foiward, it draws with it the two sides of the palatal cur- 
 tain, and this increases the tension of the membranes of the 
 pharynx, besides leaving a larger chamber for the sound ; whereas 
 if the tongue be allowed to slide back into the throat, the pharynx 
 becomes lax and flabby, and consequently less fit to echo the 
 sound, (i) In pronouncing the French vowels, the tongue does 
 not, of course, protrude out of the mouth, but it comes as far for- 
 ward as the teeth. It necessarily occupies a much higher position 
 than usual when thus pressed forward, and hence we are compelled 
 to keep the jaws a certain distance apart in speaking French, if we 
 would avoid biting the tongue. 
 
 (i) In pronouncing the French vowels the palatal curtain with its uvula also presses 
 back against the roof of the pharynx much more firmly than it does for the English 
 vowels, and to this fact is partly due the greater tension of the French throat. So care- 
 less and feeble is the backward movement of the velum for the English vowels that it 
 often fails to completely close the openings of the nasal cavities, and hence the frequency 
 of the nasal twang. 
 
 It would also seem that the larynx lowers slightly niore for the French vowels than 
 for the English ones, and no doubt this has something to do with the difference between 
 the French and English vowel sounds. Whatever be the exact explanation of the differ 
 ence, it is certain that when the tongue is kept forward, the .owel sound will have a ten 
 dency to be guttural, and to be accompanied by a tension in the pharynx and by strong 
 vibrations in the chest, whereas, when the tongue recedes, the sound of the vowe. is apt 
 to be flat, and the tension in the pharynx and the vibrations of the chest correspondingly 
 feeble. 
 
12 
 
 The Key to French Sounds . 
 
 It is possible to speak English quite distinctly with the jaws 
 completely closed, because the tongue for the English sounds is 
 drawn back into the mouth, becoming quite flat. If the student 
 will observe the position of his tongue as he pronounces the 
 English e (uh) or a (ah), he will see that it falls slightly below the 
 lower teeth (becoming concave instead of convex) and receding a 
 little. One of the first things which every Frenchman who desires 
 to speak English with an English accent requires to do, is to 
 attempt to pronounce the vowel sounds with the jaws entirely 
 closed, for to be successful in this attempt the tongue must recede 
 and flatten, and that is the key to the pronunciation of English. 
 The, key to French s'tnnda is, as we have seen, the very opposite to 
 this ; the tongue must always be kept well forward, and slightly 
 raised, in such a way that the jaws cannot close beyond a certain 
 point. 
 
 VVfe have used with great success a little instrument which fastens 
 on to one of the lower front teeth and which serves as a kind of 
 prop to prevent the jaws from closing beyond a certain limit. By 
 the use of this instrument or prop, English persons can readily 
 cure themselves of a habit which is fatal to the proper pronuncia- 
 tion of French. The chief point to be attended to, however, in 
 pronouncing French vowels is the position of the tongue, for if this 
 organ is kept well forward, the jaws must separate. Let the student, 
 therefore, in pronouncing me (muh), /e, ve, pe, rest the tip of the 
 tongue on the lower front teeth, so that its sides will overspread 
 the lower grinders. If the French e is correctly pronounced, a 
 stronger tension will be felt in the pharynx than for the English e 
 (uh) and the sound will be more guttural than that of the English 
 vowel • 
 
 This character (which, note well, bears the mark ^ ) represents 
 an altogether different sound to that of e. It is heard in the 
 English net^ men, fell, yes, etc. To produce it the tongue rises 
 convexly near its base, a little higher than its natural position (or 
 that for e). 
 
 The English ^ is pronouuced with the jaws quite close together, 
 
 Pi 
 
 
 % 
 
 m 
 
 
 '^ 
 
Wide Vowels. 
 
 18 
 
 the jaws 
 ounds is 
 
 'I 
 1 
 
 student 
 
 
 »ces the 
 
 ' 
 
 elow the 
 
 
 :eding a 
 ) desires 
 
 
 io, is to 
 
 •f 
 
 entirely 
 it recede 
 
 
 English. 
 
 
 )osite to 
 
 M 
 
 slightly 
 
 1 
 
 I certain 
 
 1 
 
 1 fastens 
 
 .,%; 
 
 L kind of 
 
 nit. By 
 
 readily 
 
 i 
 
 )nuncia- 
 
 
 '-ever, in 
 
 
 or if this 
 
 
 student, 
 
 • 
 
 p of the 
 
 
 'ispread 
 need, a 
 
 
 nglish e 
 English 
 
 i 
 
 (resents 
 
 in the 
 
 e rises 
 
 :ion (or 
 
 »gether, 
 
 and yet there is as much space between the tongue and palate for 
 the English e as there is for the French e. This follows from the 
 natural high position of the French tongue. If we pronounced the 
 French ^ with the jaws as close together as for the English e, the 
 tongue would touch the palate. Let the student measure the dis- 
 tance between the tongue and palate for the English e (as in yea); 
 let him now advance and raise his tongue so that its tip will rest 
 on the lower front teeth and its sides overspread the lower grinders, 
 and he will find that he will have to lower the jaw (open the mouth) 
 considerably, in order to have the distance between the tongue 0nd 
 palate the same as before. Ptonounce five, ere, first as in English, 
 then as in French, in order to notice the guttural quality of the 
 French e. The tension in the throat should be felt as before. 
 
 This vowel corresponds to the English e in eh, they, preij, eight, 
 etc., or to the English a in fnistrdte, Ftidaif, lave, etc. In pro- 
 ducing this sound, the tongue bends upwards near its base, a little 
 higher than for e. (2) The mouth must, of course, be more open 
 for the French sound than for that of the English, as we have 
 already explained fsee e). Let the student pronounce be'ln', first as 
 in English and then as in French, holding his hands to his ears 
 for both sounds. The French sound should be much more guttural 
 than the English one. 
 
 I 
 
 This vowel corresponds to the English i in mtichine, duine, or 
 to the English e in maybe, he, etc. In pronouncing this vowel, the 
 tongue bends upward near its base, a little more than for ^, the 
 lower jaw also rising with it, so that the sides of the tongue come 
 into contact \^'\\.h the palate, leaving only a narrow space for the 
 breath. For the English i (or e) the jaws nearly close, only a small 
 space intervening between the two rows of teeth. For the French 
 
 (2) The lower jaw also rises slightly, so that the mouth is less open for B than for e. 
 The former is sometimes called the close ^ and the latter the open ^. If the student 
 will notice that the mark ' makes with its vowel a close or acute angle, and that the 
 mark ' makes an open or obtuse angle, he will not be liable to confound the two 
 characters. 
 
14 
 
 llie Key to French Sounfh, 
 
 i there must be room for the tongue between the two rows of teeth, 
 and also as much space between the tongue and palate as in Eng- 
 lish. This will require the jaws to remain at a fair distance apart, 
 although they may approach each other more for this vowel than 
 for any other. If there is not sufficient space between the tongue 
 and palate, the sound will be confused instead of clear and sono- 
 rous. When the French i is sounded loudly, it causes the whole 
 chest to vibrate violently. In pronouncing the English /, the 
 vibrations may also be felt, but they are* very feeble. Pronounce 
 m/', vive. See that the tongue is well forward, overspreading the 
 lower teeth. The sound should be, as in the case of the other 
 vowels, guttural and sonorous. 
 
 We have now had all of the first series of vowel sounds, the 
 first of this series being ^ and the last /. Before going any further, 
 the student should familiarize himself with the successive positions 
 which the tongue assumes in pronouncing these vowels. These 
 successive positions may be represented thus ; 
 
 The tongue, in rising to each of these positions, broadens gra- 
 dually, so that for ?, its sides project outside the grinders. The 
 broadeniiig of the tongue is accompanied by a widening of the 
 throat, the lips also having a tendency to sf)read at the corners* 
 On account of this widening of the tongue, throat, and lips, we 
 may term the above series of sounds wide vov:eln. (3) 
 
 NARROW VOWELS. 
 
 The sounds represented by the signs a. n, o, («»,, may be called 
 narrow vowels, because in pronouncing these sounds the tongue 
 narrows more or less. This narrowing of the tongue is accom- 
 panied by a similar narrowing of the throat, and the cheeks and 
 lips alio press together in sympathy with this movement. 
 
 (3) The spreading of the lips has little to do with the sound of the vowels, the move- 
 ment being merely sympathetic. For the first sound, e, the lips have perhaps a slight 
 tendency to advance. 
 

 ^ 
 
 - 
 
 4 
 
 i of teeth, 
 
 1 
 
 > in Eng- 
 
 t 
 
 ce apart. 
 
 
 wel than 
 
 
 e tongue 
 
 
 nd sono- 
 
 
 le whole 
 
 '» 
 
 >h /, the 
 
 4 
 
 'onounce 
 
 ''■j. 
 
 ding the 
 
 
 le other 
 
 
 nds, the 
 
 
 Y further, 
 positions 
 
 1 
 
 . These 
 
 
 Narrow Voir els. 
 
 15 
 
 The first of this series of narrow vowels is .7. This vowel cor- 
 responds to the English <i in /either, fi(i\ half^ chduce, //.v/r, piixt, 
 etc., but not to the English a in (it, man, tarry, etc., as is generally 
 stated in dictionaries and other workf. on pronunciation. (3) The 
 English '/ in at, ma », etc., is a tride vmrel ; that is to say, in pro- 
 nouncing it, the tongue rises and broadens slightly, the lips also 
 receding a little. In America, this it is made even wider than in 
 England, so that it sounds almost like the French e. When an 
 American tries to say I't ithe), he says le (milk). To pronounce 
 the French a the tongue should narrow a little, and the cheeks or 
 corners of the lips approach each other slightly, as if indicative of 
 a similar narrowing of the throat. Care must be taken, however, 
 not to narrow the tongue and lips too much, for if that is done, the 
 sound will be that of the English it in all, awe, etc., which is not 
 an a at all, but an o (as in or . The toi^gue must be kept forward 
 as in the case of the other vowels. If correctly pronounced, the 
 tension in the throat will be felt, and the sound will be more guttu- 
 ral and sonorous than the English a. Let the mouth open to its 
 full capa'^ity. 
 
 lens gra- 
 rs. The 
 g of the 
 corners' 
 lips, we 
 
 e called 
 
 i tongue 
 
 accom- 
 
 eks and 
 
 the move- 
 ps a slight 
 
 This sound corresponds to the English in <tlnitni(',\ nth, or, etr.. 
 To produce it, the tongue, lips, and throat narrow considerably 
 more than for a . the tongue also rises slightly at the base. 
 
 English persons in pronouncing o find it very difficult to keep 
 the tongue forward, because for the corresponding sound in Eng- 
 lish the tongue moves away from the front teeth, its front portion 
 sinking to the bottom of the mouth away below the teeth. The 
 tongue narrows very little for the English sound, and the lips show 
 not the least tension in the throat. To pronounce the French o, 
 the student should first see that his jaws are well separated. It is 
 even advisable at first to use a prop of some kind to keep them 
 apart. He should then see that the tip of his tongue comes well 
 forward, and that the whole body of the tongue rises above the 
 level of the lower teeth. (4) When the effort is made to narrow 
 the tongue, the cheeks should sink in, and their two extremities, 
 
 (3) Many persons say " fawther" for " father," but, of course, quite incorrectly. 
 
16 
 
 7'he Key to French Souiuh. 
 
 which constitute the two corners of the mouth, should approach 
 each other, thus giving the mouth an oval shape. The souud should 
 be much more guttural than that of the English o in roh. 
 
 This vowel corresponds to the English <> in jthino^ pose^ etc. To 
 produce it, the tongue rises at the base a little higher than for o, 
 at the same time ntin'otrina. The student will require to use the 
 same care in pronouncing this vowel as with the previous one. The 
 jaws must not be allowed to come together, nor the tongue to 
 recede and sink, as in the case of the English 6. The lips will 
 advance slightly more than for o, so that the oval aperture will be 
 smaller. (5) The sound will be distinguishable from that of the 
 English 6 by its guttural quality. 
 
 ou 
 
 This vowel corresponds to the English on in </roup, or to the 
 English 00 in soon, foolhh, etc. The tongue rises at the base for 
 this vowel a little higher than for 6, narrowing as before. . 
 
 The directions given for o and o' apply equally to this vowel. 
 Let the jaws be kept well apart, and the tip of the tongue rest 
 against the lower front teeth ; then move forward the lips (without 
 closing the jaws\ so that the oval aperture may be a little smaller 
 than for o'. The sound will be much more guttural than that of 
 the English o//, and if forced, will be ver>' similar to the sound of 
 a fog-horn. The vibration in the throat for on, like that for i, is 
 very strong. 
 
 We have now had the second series of vowel sounds, the first of 
 this series being (t and the last mt. The successive positions which 
 the tongue assumes in pronouncing these vowels may be repre- 
 sented thus : 
 
 ou 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 .■/^« 
 
 (4) For all the narrow vowels the tip of the tongue has a tendency rather to press 
 against the lower teeth than to rest on their edges, and hence to occupy a slightly lower 
 position. It must, however, never be allowed to lecede. 
 
 (5) Hence this vowel is sometimes called the " close "O, while the previous vowel is 
 termed the " open " O. 
 
JVidf Labial VoiveU. 
 
 17 
 
 i 
 
 It is often stated in dictionaries and other works on pronuncia- 
 tion that the lips protrude for the EngHsh vowels o, o, fu/. It would 
 be much nearer the truth to say that the great majority of English 
 persons scarcely move their lips at all in pronouncing these vowels. 
 The protruding of the lips in P'rench is quite involuntary, these 
 organs being moved by the same muscles that are used in narrow- 
 ing the tongue. Not merely the lips, but the cheeks move when 
 the tongue is narrowed. The lips have very little tendency to 
 protrude when the jaws are nearly closed and the tongue drawn 
 back into the mouth 
 
 The secret to the proper pronunciation of the foregoing vowels 
 is the same as that for the first series, — the tongue must be kept 
 forward and raised above the level of the lower teeth, and the 
 jaws kept well apart. 
 
 WIDE LABIAL VOWELS. 
 
 There are two French vowels which in one sense belong to the 
 first series of vowels, inasmuch as the tongue must be broad in 
 order to pronounce them, and yet, which might be regarded as 
 belonging rather to the second series, inasmuch as they are pro- 
 nounced with the lips pressed forward. These vowels, which are 
 written en and u respectively, are not heard in English, and hence 
 generally give some difificulty to English persons. 
 
 cu 
 
 The English sound which comes nearest to this one is that of 
 6 in err or n in urge, which is a little more guttural than the ordi- 
 nary English e (uh\ Nine out of ten English persons on hearing 
 for the first time the French pen or fcx,, imagine they hear an /• at 
 the end of these words, and in attempting to repeat them, say pur 
 and fur. The student would, therefore, not obtain a much better 
 idea of the sound than is here given if he were to hear it pro- 
 nounced. If, however, he were to merely try to imitate the above 
 sound, without learning how the French en is produced, he would 
 never succeed in getting the latter correct, for the methods of pro- 
 ducing the two sounds are quite different. 
 
? 
 
 18 
 
 Thr Key to French Snundft. 
 
 Pronounce first the P'rench e (uh\ remembering to keep the 
 tongue well forward and the jaws fairly well apart ; then press the 
 lips forward as if to pronounce on, without, however, allowing the 
 tongue to rise or to become narrow. The word m<nmeiir, which is 
 pronounced nw-siev, contains both the sound of c and that of fu. 
 In pronouncing the second sound a very strong tension should be 
 felt in the throat. 
 
 U 
 
 This sound, like the previous one, is not heard in English 
 Writers on French pronunciation generally relieve themselves of 
 the responsibility of explaining the sound by saying that it is 
 exactly like the German w, while writers on German pronunciation 
 adopt the same course, and say that the latter vowel is exactly 
 like the French ii. To the ordinary English person this seems like 
 explaining the obscure by the more obscure. If possible, the 
 student should consult either a German or a Frenchman for this 
 sound. The German ii is not the French //, but it is probably as 
 near to it as the student would get by simply trying to imitate in 
 the ordinary way the corresponding French sound. Nearly all 
 English persons who speak French pronounce the German ii in 
 place of the French u, and never suspect that their pronunciation 
 is faulty in this respect. 
 
 There is, however, the same difference between the German ii 
 and the French u as there is between the English om and the 
 French ou, or between the English n, e, i and the French '/, e/^ /. 
 For the German ii, the tongue does not come forward, its tip fall- 
 ing below the level of the lower teeth. If the student will advance 
 and raise the tongue, so that its tip may rest on the lower teeth, 
 and then attempt to produce the German w, he will find that the 
 sound of the vowel will be more guttural and shriller than usual, 
 and that the tension in the throat will be stronger. In other words, 
 the vowel will be French, not German or English. 
 
 Here is the best method of arriving at the French " .• Pronounce 
 first the French i ibeing very careful to keep the tongue forward), 
 and then, without lowering the base of the tongue from its high / 
 position, or narrowing it in the least degree, press the lips forward,. 
 
 1% 
 
Wide Lalnal VowvU, 
 
 19 
 
 keep the 
 
 press the 
 
 )wing the 
 
 which is 
 hat of fu. 
 hould be 
 
 English 
 1 selves of 
 
 that it is 
 lunciation 
 is exactly 
 seems like 
 isible, the 
 1 for this 
 lobably as 
 imitate in 
 Nearly all 
 man ii in 
 lunciation 
 
 lerman ii 
 and the 
 ich '/, ^, /. 
 ts tip fall- 
 I advance 
 vtt teeth, 
 that the 
 an usual, 
 »er words. 
 
 making the ova! aperture smaller than for on. A tension should be 
 felt in the throat similar to that for eu. It is quite probable that the 
 student will fail to get the proper sound on the first attempt, for 
 his tongue will have a tendency to fall to the on position and to 
 narrow, so that the sound will be simply ir^t. The P'rench u is a 
 wide vowel, and although the lips press together, they do not 
 draw the cheeks as much forward as for on. We are often told 
 that to pronounce n, the lips must " protrude as for whistling ;" 
 this direction is not of the slightest value in itself, for, as we have 
 already stated, vowel sounds are not produced by the lips. If the 
 student will attend to his tongue, his lips will look after themselves. 
 Any person who can pronounce the F'rench en, should have little 
 difficulty with the F>ench ", for the same muscles are used in pro- 
 nouncing both vowels. For ^//, however, the base of the tongue 
 occupies a low position, while for n it rises nearly to the palate. (6) 
 Pronounce successively /»'m, /m, y/^w, y/«. 
 
 NASAL VOWELS. 
 
 There are four nasal vowels in French, i.e., four vowels which 
 are pronounced with the nasal cavities open. These «owels are 
 represented by the signs eun, hi (or in), nn, oti., 
 
 eun or un. 
 
 This sound is simply the French ex pronounced with the velum 
 lowered, so that the vocalized breath enters the nasal cavities. In 
 pronouncing it the student should take care that his tongue does 
 not move from the en position. It will have a great tendency to 
 vise at the base, so that the sound will be that of the English »«//.v 
 There is no n or mj to the French vowel, and if an n is written, 
 it is only meant to represent the nasal quality of the vowel. If 
 the student will pronounce the English hung, he will see that his 
 tongue rises gradually at the base, and that the velum ijriiilunlly 
 lowers as the vowel is being pronoun^-ed. Now, this is quite wrong 
 for the French sound. The velum must not gradually lower, but 
 
 (6) The i and tt are closely related : both sounds are accompanied by verj* strong 
 vibrations of the throat. 
 
tiO 
 
 71u' Key to French Sound8. 
 
 must be lowered before the sound begins, otherwise the vowel will 
 not be completely nasal. The tongue and lips must keep the en 
 position from the beginning to the end of the sound. If one hand 
 be applied to the throat and the other to the bridge of the nose, 
 the vibration of the vocal chords as well as that of the nasal mem- 
 branes will be felt. Although the velum lowers for the nasal 
 vowels, it does not shut ofif the mouth from the pharynx ; hence, 
 while part of the breath escapes by way of the nose, a certain 
 quantity also passes out through the mouth. Let the student not 
 forget to keep his tongue forward as for the vowel en. Pronounce 
 jeuii, brim. 
 
 6n (or in). 
 
 This sound is a nasalized ^, and hence is heard approximately in 
 the English snnfj : for the English a in this word approaches the 
 French e, and is moreover partially nazalized. Here is the best 
 method of getting at the sound : Pronounce first e, and then, 
 without changing the position of the tongue, repeat the sound (as 
 neaily as possible) with the velum lowered. Let it be remembered 
 that to pronounce e, the mouth should be fairly well opened and 
 the tongue kept forward. 
 
 There is another sound which is very like ^ii., and which is pio- 
 duced by sounding / with the velum lowered. This sound is heard 
 in place of the above in some parts of France, and is also very 
 common in French Canada. If the student will pronounce in, 
 first with the tongue in the i position and then with the tongue in 
 the i position, he will see that the second sound is much more 
 nasal than the first. It is probable that at one time both sounds 
 were heard in Parisian French, but to-day viri is pronounced rhi, 
 lin, U , etc. ; that is to say, the in sound has disappeared, though 
 the in is still written. 
 
 an 
 
 This sound is a nasalized a, and hence is approximately heard 
 in the English aind (not nut, nor yet out). To produce it, sound 
 first the French a, and then, without disturbing the position of the 
 tongue, repeat (as far as possible) the s^me sound with the velum 
 
\(iH(il \'<m'('lH. 
 
 21 
 
 vowel will 
 ;eep the eu 
 
 one hand 
 
 the nose, 
 asal mem- 
 
 the nasal 
 »x ; hence, 
 
 a certain 
 tudent not 
 Pronounce 
 
 lowered. Keep the tonj^ue well forward and open the mouth to its 
 full capacity. If the tip of the tonj,uie he allowed to slip away 
 from the front teeth, the sound will not be French. Pronounce 
 /iiii/tin, run-(uiHy nin-mnn. 
 
 on 
 
 This sound is a nasalized o, and hence is approximated in the 
 English sotuj. To produce it, pronounce first the French o (not o') 
 and then, without disturbing the position of the tongue, lower the 
 velum and repeat (as far as possible) the same sound. Keep the 
 tongue forward as usual. Pronounce /«»«, m</»t. 
 
 imately in 
 
 )aches the 
 
 i the best 
 
 and then, 
 
 sound (as 
 
 membered 
 
 pened and 
 
 ch is pio- 
 id is heard 
 
 also very 
 lounce in, 
 
 tongue in 
 uch more 
 >th sounds 
 inced vhi, 
 :d, though 
 
 The above nasal vowels are generally a source of considerable 
 difficulty to English persons, who seem to imagine that an n must 
 be articulated after these vowels. To articulate a denial o, the 
 tip of the tongue rises to the upper teeth (or the palate), and to 
 articulate a guttural n (written m/), the Imne of the tongue rises to 
 the palate ; but to pronounce any of the vowel sounds loi, hi (in), 
 '*»«., on, the tongue must remain perfectly quiet and in the respec- 
 tive positions for en, i, a, o. Those English persons who do suc- 
 ceed in pronouncing nasal vowels make them very weak in nasal 
 quality, for the simple reason that they allow the tongue to slip 
 back into the mouth (and the jaws to close). An or on pronounced 
 with the tongue forward are beautiful sonorous vowels, but the 
 same vowels pronounced with the tongue withdrawn are exceed- 
 ingly fiat. 
 
 It will be evident that un and kn (in) are wide vowels, corre- 
 sponding to €'» and c\ and that «ui and on are narrow vowels, 
 corresponding to a and o, (y) 
 
 ely heard 
 
 it, sound 
 
 ion of the 
 
 :he velum 
 
 (7) The student, in pronouncing these four nasal vowels, must not neglect the 
 directions given for the vowels fU, e, (I, o. 
 
22 
 
 The Key to French Sounds. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 
 'A 
 
 
 THIN AND FULL VOWELS. 
 
 We have now had all the French vowel sounds, and English 
 persons should have no great difficulty in reproducing them, 
 although they will require to use great care in following the direc- 
 tions given. The secret to the proper pronunciation of these 
 sounds is, as v.'e have so often repeated, to keep the tongue forward. 
 The student, in speaking of these vowels, should give each sound 
 its proper name, instead of nicknaming it, as is done in English. 
 Nothing can be gained by calling /, ^'"eye" a, " <%" m, "//^ir," etc. 
 
 Each of these vowel sounds may be pronounced carelessly and 
 quickly or else may be prolonged and exaggerated in quality. The 
 e sound in the English upon is practically the same as that in the 
 English M//, but is not so substantial in the first word as in the 
 second. The same slight difference exists between the / (e) in may 
 he and that in hci\ between the '>' in jtiano and that in pose^ between 
 the e in Friday and that in day^ and he who would disregard this 
 difference in speaking English would certainly be looked upon as 
 a foreigner, and perhaps often fail to be understood. The first 
 sound of these vowels may be called thin^ since it is somewhat 
 meagre in quality, v.'hile the second may be termed " full," since it 
 is of a more substantial nature. The full vowel requires a more 
 careful adjustment of the vocal organs than the thin one, and hence 
 is generally longer in duration o'" sound than the latter. The 
 Romans, being a very musical people, were very much impressed 
 by this fact and made the length of vowel sounds the basis of their 
 metre in poetry. To the Roman ear, the only difference between 
 the thin e'(as in Friday) and the full e (as in day) was that the first 
 sound was short, while the second was long. In French and 
 English we pay little attention to the length of vowel sounds, and 
 although the terms •' long" and " short " are much used, they apply 
 rather to the quality of the sound than to its quantity (length). To 
 avoid all ambiguity, we will make use of the terms tfiin and full in 
 speaking of the quality of vowel sounds. It is also worth while to 
 
 '.ypi 
 
 4 
 
 
¥ 
 
 Thin and Full Vow els. 
 
 28 
 
 English 
 g them, 
 le direc- 
 of these 
 forward, 
 h sound 
 Enghsh. 
 <'," etc. 
 •sly and 
 ty. The 
 It in the 
 s in the 
 ) in may 
 between 
 ird this 
 upon as 
 he first . 
 tnewhat 
 since it 
 a more 
 i hence 
 The 
 pressed 
 of their 
 etween 
 he first 
 :h and 
 Is, and 
 / apply 
 h). To 
 full in 
 hile to 
 
 remark that a thin vowel may be prolonged, without necessarily 
 becoming full, although it will have a tendency to do so. 
 
 e thin and e full. 
 
 The thin sound of this vowel corresponds to the English e sound 
 in M/>o«, while the full sound corresponds to the English e in up. 
 In this key we will write e for the thin sound, and as for the full 
 sound. Distinguish these two sounds in cehi and me imce). For 
 the thin ^, the lips have a slight tendency to advance and hence the 
 sou d verges on to that of eu thin. 
 
 e thin and d full. 
 
 The thin ^ corresponds to the English c in yes, while the full k 
 (written e) may often be heard in the American pronunciation of 
 this same word. The American k in at, man, etc., is also much 
 nearer the French e than it is to the French a. Distinguish 
 between the k in/^/r and the e in mSme. Open the mouth a little 
 more for the second vowel. 
 
 6 thin and 6 full. 
 
 The thin sound corresponds to theEnglish e in Friday, frnstrute, 
 while the full sound (written ee) corresponds to the English d in 
 day, night, etc. The difference between the two sounds is quite 
 noticeable when English persons say eight-eh for et4. 
 
 ' Many English persons in pronouncing I'ay, lave, eight, etc., begin 
 the vowel sound in these words with the tongue in the e position, 
 and then raise it to nearly the i position, so that the sound is a kind 
 of diphthong, dai-e, lui-eve, etc. This custom is perhaps more 
 common in England than in America, but at all events the student 
 must be careful to avoid it in pronouncing the French vowels. The 
 tongue should keep the one position for the whole sound. Pro- 
 nounce dpde, fee, vdnerd. 
 
 I thin and I full. 
 
 The English beetle, or may he, contains the thin sound of i, while 
 the full sound (written i^ is heard in the English heet, bee, machine, 
 etc. The English i in il , is, etc., is not heard in French. Pronounce 
 »7, Ve, abime. 
 
24 
 
 The Key to French Sounds. 
 
 a thin and a full. 
 
 The thin a corresponds to the English a in chance^ ask, half, pant, 
 etc., as heard in good society in England, while the full a (written 
 d) corresponds to the English a \n father, are, farther, etc. Or we 
 may take the American a in a«« (not in at) to represent the French 
 thin a, and the. slightly broader and fuller sound which is heard in 
 the English are to represent the French d {a full). The cockney 
 gives the broad English a the sound of o, pronouncing are as or, 
 ass as OS, etc. So, many French people pronounce due as " on," and 
 mdle as " maul," etc. This error should be avoided as well as that — 
 so common among English people — of pronouncing the French 
 thin a like the English a in "t. Let it be remembered that between 
 the thin and full sounds of French vowels, there is but a mere 
 shade of a diflference. Pronounce: Anne, due, malle, mdle. Open 
 the mouth a little more for the d than for the a. 
 
 o thin and o full. 
 
 The thin o is heard in the English obstruct, and the full o in the 
 English rob, or, etc. Many persons pronounce obstruct as nhstruet, 
 making the thin o into a full e {ce). The French thin o has also a 
 tendency to become ce, so that most English persons on hearing 
 thf French words mode, robe, bonne, etc., imagine they hear the 
 sounds mud, rub, ban, etc. It must be said the diflference between 
 the sound of o thin and that of oc. is not very great ; and yet the 
 student should make the difference plainly felt in his pronuncia- 
 tion. For o thin, the tongue and lips narrow, while for oe they do 
 not. The full o, though quite common in English, is rare in 
 French, being only heard in words ending in or, as encore, port 1 1 
 silent), etc., and hence we hardly require a mark to distinguish this 
 sound from that of the thin o. 
 
 6 thin and 6 full. 
 
 The word piano furnishes an example of the thin o', while dome 
 contains the o full (written o). Pronounce : dome, zero'. 
 
 M 
 
 ■<■. 
 
 A- 
 
 m 
 
The Thin and Full Nasals. 
 
 25 
 
 ou thin and ou full. 
 
 The thin ou is heard in the English foohiuvp and the full ou 
 (written tA) in the English /oo/, gtoup, etc. Pronounce /on, vAle. 
 
 eu and eu, u and 0. 
 
 As these vowels are not heard in English, it is impossible to 
 give examples of their thin and full sounds. The full sounds are, 
 as in the case of the other vowels, simply exaggerations of the 
 thin ones. Pronounce : //w, d'ti^ m, stir. 
 
 The Thin and Full Nasals. 
 
 As a rule, the nasal vowels should be given their full sound. At 
 the end of certain vvords, however, they are somewhat thinner 
 than usual, although most persons would not notice the fact. 
 
 It will be evident to the student that between the thin and full 
 sounds of a vowel the difference is but slight. It is safe to say 
 that nine out of ten English persons never notice this difference in 
 their own language, although they unconsciously make it felt in 
 their .speech. The great fault v/ith all French-English dictionaries 
 and books on French pronunciation is that they make too great a 
 distinction between the thin and full sounds of vowels, even intro- 
 ducing sounds foreign to French speech in order to illustrate the 
 subject. Thus the English / in mill is often given as " short" sound 
 of the French /, and the English u in ///// is made to represent the 
 French " short" oM. If the student would like to see lor himself 
 how very far the two above English sounds are from being French, 
 he has only to ask a Frenchman ignorant of English to pronounce 
 full mill. We are confident that the latter will answer /m>/ meol, 
 and that it will be difficult to persuade him that his pronunciation 
 is wrong. 
 
26 
 
 The Keij to French Sounds. 
 
 Table of French Vowel vSounds. 
 
 1 
 
 Wide Vowels. 
 
 Eng. key-words. 
 
 French key-words. 
 
 e 
 
 upon 
 
 cela 
 
 oe 
 h 
 
 6 
 
 • 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 up 
 
 yes 
 
 yes 'American) 
 
 Friday 
 
 day 
 
 may be 
 
 bee, machine. 
 
 me 
 
 f^ve 
 
 jneme 
 
 etd 
 
 f^e 
 
 il 
 
 lie 
 
 eu 
 
 
 feu. 
 
 efi 
 
 
 jeune 
 
 u 
 
 
 sur 
 
 ft 
 
 
 siir 
 
 Narrow Vowels. 
 
 
 
 a 
 
 past 
 father, far 
 
 Anne 
 ane 
 
 o 
 
 obstruct 
 
 robe 
 
 o (full) 
 
 roD, or 
 
 or, encore 
 
 6 
 6 
 
 piano 
 dome 
 
 piano' (i) 
 dome 
 
 ou 
 
 foolscap 
 fool 
 
 fou 
 • voute 
 
 Wide Nasals. 
 
 
 
 eun 
 ^n (in) 
 
 
 brun, jeun 
 e.xamen, vin 
 
 Narfow Nasals. 
 
 
 V 
 
 an 
 
 
 plan 
 
 on 
 
 
 mon 
 
 (i) In ordinary writing the sound '> is represented by the same character a- the o 
 sound (open o). 
 
Diphthonf/s. 
 
 27 
 
 CHA^^TER IV. 
 
 DIPHTHONCiS. 
 
 A DIPHTHONd is a prolonged vocal sound, in uttering which the 
 tongue first assumes one vowel position and then moves almost 
 immediately to another. A simple vowel sound is produced with 
 the tongue at rest. 
 
 The English pronoun / is a diphthong, for to produce this sound 
 the tongue first assumes the .position for n (a very low position), 
 and then rises until it reaches the / position tthe highest possible 
 vowel position), the vocal chords continuing to vibrate during 
 the passage of the tongue between these two extreme posi- 
 tions. If it were possible to analyze minutely the sound of the 
 pronoun /, it would probably be found to contain the sounds 
 n, (', e\ /, but to the ear (unassisted by any acoustic instruments) 
 the first and last elements of the sound are alone plainly distin- 
 guishable, the intermediate element being very obscure and 
 \anishing. 
 
 The word tliphtlwmi is derived from the Greek dis^ twice, and 
 plithoHi/os, sound, and means, therefore, a doithlr soitntl. Two 
 vowels pronounced in quick succession do not form a diphthong if 
 the vocal chords cease to vibrate during the passage of the tongue 
 from the one vowel position to the other. Thus, in the words 
 po-ct que, tlie'-dtre, rti-inlt\ ha-ir, etc., there is no diphthong, but 
 two distinct and separate vowel sounds. 
 
 The French diphthongs, beginning with the i sound, are repre- 
 sented as follows : 
 
 pUce, fi^i're, s/i)cl€ 
 pietou, tieileitr 
 piaHtre, <Iitilih\ p'mnn 
 f/iochi\ Ji •/<;, viohru 
 ch'umrme 
 IHeit, lieit 
 
 /e : 
 
 /e : 
 
 /a : 
 
 to : 
 
 /ou : 
 
 /eu : 
 
 ihn inasal) : biea riea, inie.u (written bien, mirn, etc.) 
 
 mn 
 ion 
 
 vimtde, diantre 
 piini, pnHsitm^ uvutus 
 
28 
 
 The Key to French Sounch. 
 
 
 To pronounce the above sounds the tongue first assumes the 
 position for i and without hngering there, falls to the position for 
 a, ^, ^, o, oil, etc. During this movement of the tongue the vocal 
 chords never cease to vibrate, for if they did, the sound of the 
 diphthong would be ruined. English persons frequently pronounce 
 pih'e, (ivi(iNn,a.s pi-L-e, avi-ons, etc., because they silence the larynx 
 during the movement of the tongue. There is' no great objection 
 to allowing the tongue to linger in its first position before lowering 
 it — at least by so doing, we do not necessarily ruin the sound of 
 the diphthong. This is however not usually done, the first element 
 in all the above sounds being very brief and almost equivalent to 
 the consonant y. The second element is on the other hand, quite 
 long, (i) In pronouncing the above diphthongs, let it not be for- 
 gotten that the tongue must be kept forward, and the sounds made 
 guttural and sonorous, as in the case of the simple vowels. Pioche 
 Jiole, etc., must not be pronounced pio'eh<',/i</le, etc. The o is open 
 not close. 
 
 Diphthongs beginning with the sound o".' 
 
 ouettt, aloriette 
 oni, lonis 
 do^mne 
 
 marsoniii, burnyotiin 
 roiinn 
 
 Here, again, the first element, ok, is very brief, so that it is often 
 mistaken for a ir. In fact, many French-English dictionaries give 
 ir^, wi, wa, etc., as the pronunciation of the above diphthongs. 
 Even in the Grand Dktionnairedn XI Xe Steele, hif Pierre Larousse, 
 we find it stated that the first element in the above sounds corre- 
 
 ou6 
 
 om : 
 o»'a : 
 
 oithn (ouin) 
 oMan : 
 
 (i) To pronounce a {f the tongue comes into closer contact with the palate than for ' 
 (as the student may see for himself by pronouncing the English .V = //*), so that even if 
 the consonant were prolonged, no clear vocal sound would result. The first element of 
 the diphthongs '", 16, 10U, etc., is usually toobrief foran ' sound, but when prolonged 
 the t is clearly heard, showing that the tongue assumes the ? position rather than the // 
 position. It must be said, however, that most English persons in pronouncing words 
 like "yes," *' you," etc., raise the tongue only to the i position, and that a real y is 
 heard in English only when followed by t sound, as "ye," "year," etc. The M in 
 English often represents the diphthong lou, as in " mule " (mioule). 
 
DiphthomjH. 
 
 29 
 
 umes the 
 
 sition for 
 
 the vocal 
 
 id of the 
 
 ronounce 
 
 »e larynx 
 
 objection 
 
 lowering 
 
 sound of 
 
 t element 
 
 valent to 
 
 nd, quite 
 
 )t be for- 
 
 ids made 
 
 . Pioche 
 > 
 
 '> is open 
 
 t is often 
 ries give 
 ithongs. 
 jaron,sse, 
 s corre- 
 
 ; than for ' 
 hat even if 
 element of 
 
 prolonged 
 than the // 
 cing words 
 a real y is 
 
 The U in 
 
 sponds exactly to the English tr. To us, it is difficult to see how 
 any careful observer could confound the two sounds. Nothing is 
 more certain than the fact that when an English person says fve 
 for oiii, he discloses his nationality to every Frenchman who may 
 hear him pronounce this word. 
 
 The English consonant iv differs from the first element of the 
 above sounds just as the consonant // differs from the first element 
 of the diphthong in or ie. It is produced by forcing the breath 
 through a narrow aperture formed by partially closing the lips. 
 An indistinct murmur is also heard in the larynx, but this murmur 
 is by no means an on, but merely that indistinct sound which 
 accompanies the articulation of c, c, etc. If w were merely a short 
 OH, there could be no difference between tcoo and ouou. To pro- 
 nonnce the French uui, oiik, etc., the tongue and mouth must be 
 adjusted for on and not for ir. The student is advised to pronounce 
 the foregoing diphthongs quite slowly at first, prolonging the <ni 
 sound in order to pronounce it more perfectly. 
 
 The English name Loim contains no diphthong, but two dis- 
 tinct vowel sounds. The first vowel is also long, and the second 
 short. The French Lotiis contains a diphthong, the first element 
 of which is short and the second lotuj. 
 
 Diphthongs beginning with the sound </ (close) are represented 
 as follows : 
 
 oh : 
 
 oe: 
 
 osL (written oi) 
 
 oa. ( „ 01) 
 
 ohn (oin) : 
 
 moelle 
 
 poele 
 
 loi, moi, tol, soir 
 
 croUrey rfoitre 
 
 loin, pointe, coin 
 
 The first element of the above diphthongs is very brief, so that 
 English persons mistake it, as before, for a w. The student should 
 at first pronounce these diphthongs slowly, prolonging more th^n 
 usual their first element. (2) Special care should be taken with 
 
 (2) It will be remembered that this element is " (close), not (open). It has not 
 been thought necessary to mark the O close in the aliove diphthongs. An open O never 
 forms the first element of a diphthong in French, though it does in English, e.g., " oil." 
 
^^m 
 
 80 
 
 The Key to Freiieh Soiutda. 
 
 the diphthong oa (written ui ;. English persons, besides making 
 
 the first element of this diphthong u\ make the second <> (open) ; 
 
 that is to say, they make bunsuir, rei: ir, etc., rhyme with or or ivar 
 
 instead of with <tie. 
 
 There is an etymological reason only for writing this diphthong 
 
 oi, for there is no / sound to it at all. In old French, «»/ was pro- 
 nounced like ^ or e, though sometimes it was nvide diphthongal, 
 i.e., like e or <>e, so that to-day we find a few words with a double 
 orthography and pronunciation, as nr.e'nu' and poeln^ more often 
 written and pronounced nvoiHc and //o/7/'. In the country districts 
 of France (and Canada) the ancient pronunciation of this diph- 
 thong may still be heard in words like xoif, xoir, etc. (soef, soer). 
 In other districts the diphthong oe may be heard, mo/, /<>/, soir 
 being pronounced ntoe, tae, sne'r. This pronunciation is also quite 
 common in Canada, but must not be imitated The student will 
 notice that the diphthong oe is not included in the list above given. 
 The oe in pdetupte should therefore be pronounced as two distinct 
 vowels. 
 
 Diphthongs beginning with the sound ii: 
 
 uh : eciu'llc, eqtiestre 
 
 ■?« : sidte^ h(i^ cuife 
 
 ■}>hn (uin) • i'""» xxhite 
 
 Of the above diphthongs, ni is the only one which occurs fre- 
 quently, the others being only found in a few words. The student 
 must again be careful not to say siveet^ Jwee, etc., for snife, lui, etc., 
 as most English persons do. The n sound, while very brief, is 
 ne\ertheless n, and the tongue must assume the »« position in 
 order to pronounce it. It is, however, perhaps preferable to begin 
 this diphthong with a iv than with- an ok, for tnere is quite a dis- 
 tinction between id and <nii, as, for example, in the words bii and 
 f.-iiii.'f. Equal care must be taken not to convert the diphthong 
 into a dissyllable (.sv.-ite). 
 
 Diphthongs in which the First Element is Prolonged. 
 — In all the diphthongs which have been so far considered, the 
 first element is very brief, while the closing sound of these diph- 
 
])ij)}ft}i()Hi/H. 
 
 81 
 
 s making 
 o (open) ; 
 "/• or tear 
 
 iph thong 
 was pro- 
 ithongal, 
 a double 
 ore often 
 districts 
 lis diph- 
 oef\ suer). 
 
 !, ft It, soil' 
 
 ilso quite 
 dent will 
 ve given, 
 o distinct 
 
 curs fre- 
 2 student 
 Ini, etc., 
 brief, is 
 isition in 
 to begin 
 te a dis- 
 i hii and 
 phthong 
 
 ihongs nay be prolonged indefinitely. We now come to a class 
 of diphthongs whose first element is prolonged and whose closing 
 sound is very brief and vanishing. Of such a nature is also the 
 English I (ai). To pronounce this sound, the tongue lingers a 
 little in the bottom of the mouth and then rises, but as soon as it 
 approaches the palate the vocal chords cease to vibrate. Of course 
 we can prolong the closing sound if we please, but this is not 
 generally done. All diphthongs of this class end with the i 
 sound, viz. : 
 
 trnv&il, evfjitail, /ntrt&H 
 so/eH^ fuireil 
 teil, .seu/7, deuil 
 fe/iouil 
 
 ai (written <iil) : 
 6i ( „ nl) : 
 OB/ (fdl, cinl) ; 
 oui (written ouil) 
 
 These diphthongs are always followed in writ'ng by / ''which, 
 however, must be kept silent), and consequently may easily be 
 distinguished from the sounds before considered. The student 
 should be careful to always prolong the first element of these 
 diphthongs, and to make the second element very brief. The 
 diphthong (ni is generally written fvi, but, as we will see later, 
 fc is also written ey in many other cases. The diphthong 
 ou/ is a little difficult for English persons, who make it «ifi, i.e., with 
 the last syllable prolonged instead of the first. The tongue should 
 rise gradually, not with a jerk, just as for "/. The closing element 
 of ovil should be exactly like that of <fil or eil. 
 
 TRIPHTHONGS. 
 
 A triphthong {iris, three times, phthongoSy sound) is a prolonged 
 vocal sound, in uttering which the tongue moves through three 
 different vowel positions, lingering for a very brief moment in each. 
 Such a sound may be heard in the Frenchman's pronunciation of 
 the English word wi'^e (owaid), the to being pronounced as a brief 
 ou and joined in pronunciation with the diphthong iia.\). To utter 
 this sound the tongue first assumes the position for ou, next moves 
 to the '( position and lastly rises to the position for i. During this 
 movement of the tongue, the vocal chords never cease to vibrate, 
 for if they did there could be no triphthong. 
 
1 
 
 11 mil 
 
 32 
 
 The Key to French Sounds. 
 
 S 
 
 !jii>i| 
 
 II ii 
 
 The French word licil (ri^i) contains a triphthong, but there are 
 only a few words of this class in French, the triphthong being 
 almost confined to words like /o//'^/, rotfn/, etd, in which a // is 
 written between two vowels. The pronunciation of these two latter 
 words is luai-ynl and roru-j/a/, that is to say, during a single vocal 
 utterance, the tongue starting with the 6 (close) position, next 
 assumes the ft position and finally rises to the i position, the vocal 
 sound being here almost immediately interrupted by the tongue 
 rising still higher and coming into contact with the palate for 
 the consonant //. 
 
 The above words (and others like them) are sometimes pro- 
 nounced in such a way that the // following the triphthong is not 
 heard, i!ie tongue failing to touch the palate and interrupt the 
 vocal utterance. In such a case, the sound (which we may write 
 ottiti) might be termed a " tetraphthong " {tetr<(h'is four times, 
 jihthofnjiis, sound), but It is hardly worth while to coin a new word 
 for the sake of naming a sound which is not good French. In 
 most dictionaries the pronunciation of the above words is usually 
 given as loa-ial (or lwa-ynl\ roa-ial, etc. If the hyphen means 
 anything here, it must mean that there is a break between the n 
 and / ; but nothing is more certain than that these words are never 
 pronounced in that way : there must be no pause or break in the 
 vocal utterance until the / sound is heard. In the English hn/til 
 and roj/tii there is the diphthong oi merely, followed by </ in the 
 next syllable, the // not being heard af. all, thus, mi-al. The pro- 
 nunciation mi-!i<il is however, also occasionally heard. ^3) 
 
 Here are further examples of words containing triphthongs : 
 voyez (roni-i/e)y voyonx (votii-j/on), voyant (votii-yon), moycn {moai- 
 yen\ citoyeti, (sitoai-yen). 
 
 It is always the middle element of a triphthong that is prolonged? 
 e.g., nieil, lo&i-iHiI (loyal) 
 
 The O sound in the English " loyal " is open, that in the French " loyal " and other 
 Kimilar words is " close." 
 
 ')• 
 
 I 
 
 
 \^^ 
 
 ^4- 
 
77^' ( '(>ns(ni((ntii. 
 
 ua 
 
 there are 
 ing being 
 ich a // is 
 two latter 
 igle vocal 
 ion, next 
 the vocal 
 he tongue 
 3alate for 
 
 mes pro- 
 )ng is not 
 rrupt the 
 nay write 
 Lir times, 
 lew word 
 ;nch. In 
 is usually 
 n means 
 sen the // 
 are never 
 ik in the 
 lish lof/tfl 
 <i in the 
 The pro- 
 
 I thongs : 
 n {mnai^ 
 
 olongedf 
 
 ' and other 
 
 CFIAl'TEK V. 
 
 THK CONSONANTS. 
 
 Since the tongue is drawn back into the mouth for the T'lnglish 
 vowels, it is quite easy to understand that it should do the same 
 for the English consonants. Accordingly we find that most of the 
 consonants are articulated further back in the English mouth than 
 they are in the French mouth. 
 
 Since vowels and consonants are pronounced in rapid succession, 
 
 it would be very unnatural for the tongue to come forward for the 
 
 former and then withdraw for the latter, or I'lnt in.sft. Hence, if the 
 
 I student has acquired the habit of pronouncing the vowels with the 
 
 tongue well forward, he will have little difficulty in still keeping it 
 
 forward as it rises to articulate the consonants, as for example in 
 
 at, (((I, (iiuit; III, etc. In fact, he will find that he cannot withdraw 
 
 [the tongue for the consonants without ruining the sound of the 
 
 I'vowels. We have also seen that the mouth must be more open — 
 
 |or rather the jaws further apart- for the French vowels than for 
 
 |the F2nglish vowels. We will see presently that this is also essential 
 
 |to the proper articulation of the French consonants. 
 
 To keep the tongue always forward, and the jaws a certain 
 distance apart, seems a vcy simple iriatter, and yet it will require 
 some patience and perse\ erance to overcome a habit very different 
 to this one, which all English pei^sons acquire in their childhood, 
 and hence the absolute necessity of speaking constantly before a 
 mirror and watching with the greatest care the tongue and mouth. 
 Our little " prop" for the jaws, to which we have already made 
 allusion, can be used very advantageously in practising the 
 consonants. 
 
 Classification of Consonants.— If the student will hold his 
 ■hand before his mouth as he pronounces successively //, h (puh, 
 buh), he will find that for the first consonant the breath will strike 
 ^his hand with considerable force, whereas in the second case he 
 ^ill barely be able to feel the breath. The first consonant (p) may 
 
mr^ 
 
 u 
 
 Thi' K('!i tit Fnnrli SoumU. 
 
 % 
 
 therefore be called utinini and the second (b nonk. If he will now 
 place his hands to his ears as he articulates these same two letters, 
 he will find that the articulation of the // is accompanied by a sligh 
 murmur in the larynx, while for y/ the vocal chords are cjuite silent, 
 that is to say, the strong consonant (p) is a ««/'/, while the weak 
 one (b) is a sunuHt. 
 
 If we experiment with the other pairs of consonants (/and r, / 
 and '/, K and ^, k and //), we will find that the result will be always 
 the same -that for the strong consonant the larynx will be silent, 
 while for the weak consonant it will give forth an indistinct sound. 
 It is easy to explain why the sonant consonant is weak. In order 
 for a consonant to be sonant, the vocal chords must come together : 
 this impedes the breath, so that the small quantity which escapes 
 through the vibrating vocal membranes makes but a feeble articu- 
 lation. When the vocal membranes are separated, a much larger 
 volume of brqath may come into the mouth and though the articu- 
 lation which follows will be surd, it will also be etntnif. 
 
 The character c is very little used in English or French, the x 
 representing both the strong (surd) and weak (sonant; sibilant, e.g., 
 .v'-s, his hiz). The English //* likewise represents both a surd and 
 a sonant, the surd being heard in thin and the sonant in theii (ij. 
 We might ?.lso dispense with separate characters for the weak or 
 sonant sounds of }), /, t, c7<, A', as is frequently done in writing 
 stenography, but little would be gained by so doing. 
 
 The difference between the surds and sonants is more marked 
 in French than in English, for many of the English sonants are in 
 reality not very »<ma.ttt. 
 
 Consf aants, we have seen, are formed b.y obstructing the breath in 
 the mouth and then suddenly removing the obstruction and allow- 
 ing the breath to escape in a single puflf. For some consonants, 
 such as /», t, fc, th i stoppage of the breath is complete, so that the 
 whole energy of the consonant is contained in the single puff which 
 is heard on removing the barrier to the breath, while for other 
 consonants such as /, s, /-, /«, there is considerable leakage of the 
 breath 6efore the barrier is removed, and the final puflf is conse- 
 
 (i) The surd w is, however, written wh. 
 
The LahiaU, 
 
 85 
 
 c will now 
 wo letters, 
 by a sligli 
 uite silent, 
 i the weak 
 
 /and i\ / 
 
 be always 
 
 1 be silent, 
 
 net sound. 
 
 In order 
 
 togcther : 
 
 h escapes 
 
 3le articu- 
 
 uch larger 
 
 the articu- 
 
 :nch, the s 
 >ilant, e.g., 
 I surd and 
 a then (i;. 
 e weak or 
 in writing 
 
 re marked 
 mts are in 
 
 i breath in 
 »nd allow- 
 nsonants, 
 o that the 
 3uff which 
 
 for other 
 ige of the 
 
 is conse- 
 
 -Vi^. 
 
 quently very feeble. The sound of the former is therefore very 
 brief, while that of the latter is of much longer duration : we may 
 call the former fx//o.i/nvs and the latter ./fMc/j/.v. 
 
 The above classifications apply merely to the sound of the c(m- 
 stmants. It is also convenient to name these sounds according to 
 the organs used in articulating them. For the consonants ;>, />, r, 
 /, m, the breath is obstructed by the lips, while the ^o-f/ufl serves as 
 the harrier in the case of the other consonants. Accordingly we 
 may speak of hihin/s (lip letters) and litiifuuls (tongue letters). In 
 articulating some of the Unguals (/, '/, /, «), the tongue is brouj^ht 
 in contact with the teeth, while the others (.s, c, rh,,}, /r, //, ////, if), 
 require the tongue to cgme into contact with the palate. The for- 
 mer are thtrcforG (lento-litujnalH, and the \ntter jHiido-li i(fH(ilK. In 
 English the only dento-linffual is the th, for the tongue in articu- 
 lating the Knglish /, '/, //, /, falls considerably short -of the teeth. 
 This is not at .ill surprising, since the English vowels also require 
 the tongue to recede. 
 
 THE LABIALS. 
 
 There are five labial consonants in French, two strong and surd, 
 three weak and sonant. 
 
 (Strong and surd) (Weak and sonant) 
 
 p (explosive) b .explosive) 
 
 f (fluent) V (fluent) 
 
 m (fluent) 
 These letters are called labials because they are articulated with 
 the lips. With the tongue cut out we could still articulate these 
 consonants. The teeth are, however, also necessary for r and / 
 and the nose for m. (2) 
 
 P and b. —These two consonants are formed by first closing the 
 lips as the breath is forced outward by the lungs, and then 
 suddenly opening the lips and allowing the breath to escape in a 
 single puff. F is surd while b is sonant. 
 
 When an English person pronounces // or 6, his lips do not 
 
 (s) The student should speak of a tne, a pe, &/e, etc. , not of an emm, an ejff", a //, etc. 
 
li ir 
 
 3S 
 
 77//' Kcii to Franch SohikJu. 
 
 ,1 
 
 require to stretch very much in order to meet and close the mouth, 
 for the jaws being close together, the distance between the two lips 
 is not very great. The lower lip alone rises to meet the upper 
 one, the latter remaining quite motionless and devoid of expression. 
 To pronounce a p or b in French, both lips must stretch in order 
 to meet, for the tongue being kept forward, the jaws cannot come 
 together as in English. It has often been remarked that French 
 people make good use of their lips in speaking, and English 
 persons are often exhorted to imitate them, just as though it were 
 natural to stretch the lips when the jaws are nearly closed. In pro- 
 nouncing the English p or />, the lips separate almost before the 
 breath has time to press against them, whereas for the F'rench f> or />, 
 the lipsare heldtogeth jr until thebreath burststhem open, as itvvere. 
 At any rate, f6r the Engl'shy) or />, the lips stick closely to the teeth, 
 while for the French /* or h, both the lips and cheeks bulge out 
 be 'ore the breath escapes. The difference is especially noticeable 
 in the case of A, for this consonant becomes much more sonant 
 when the lips arc not opened too soon. A distinct murmur should 
 precede the articulation of the /», just like that which is heard for 
 r or V. Pronounce he'-be\ pi-fM., b tt b >ii. 
 
 M. This sound is. made by first closing the lips as for h and 
 forcing the vocalized breath through the nasal passages, and then 
 suddenly opening the lips and allowing the remainder of the 
 breath to escape from the mouth in a single puff. 
 
 The m is, like />, a sonant and differs only in its organic forma- 
 tion from the latter consonant in that it is produced with the 
 velum or palatal curtain lowered, so that the nasal cavities serve 
 as a resonance chamber to re-echo the murmur from the larynx. 
 M when properly pronounced is a jinent, for part of the breath 
 escapes through the nose before the lips open. It is, however, 
 possible by blocking the nostrils, to produce an e.vplunire m, or 
 in other words a nasal b. This is the kind of m we are apt to 
 pronounce when we are troubled with a cold in the head, and in 
 cases when the nasal resonance chamber is completely obstructed 
 by catarrh, the attempt to pronounce a iii results only in pro- 
 nouncing an ordinary h. 
 
 *f,f$ 
 
TJie Labials. 
 
 37 
 
 The English /// differs from the PVench m much in the same 
 way as the English h differs from the French />, that is to say, the 
 lips open much sooner for the PLnglish labial, so that its sonant 
 element is much briefer than that of the French ///. The nasal 
 vibrations heard in the French word rtiam in begin before the lips 
 open for the first w, and continue almost without a break until 
 after the second m has been articulated. How different sounds 
 the English ma-nui, in which a feeble nasal sound is heard just as 
 the I'ps open for each /// / Let the student not neglect to keep his 
 tongu^. forward in pronouncing the in, in order to prevent the jaws 
 from closing too n\uch, for the li|)s must stretch and slightly pro- 
 trude for m, just as they do for /^ or h. Pronounce mtuif, mappe. 
 
 F and v. -These two consonants are produced by pressing the 
 lower lip against the upper teeth, and thus p i.rtixdbj obstructing the 
 flow of the breath, and then suddenly lowering the lip and al- 
 lowing the remainder of the breath to issue in a single puff. The 
 / differs from the /in being weak and sonant. 
 
 The jaws being always close together for the English consonants, 
 the lower lip has not far *o rise in order to meet the upper teeth, 
 and when it does meet them, it merely touches them and falls 
 again almost immediately. The result is a ./'or r very weak in 
 fricatirc sound, the v being also \ery weak in sonant quality. For 
 the French/ or i\ the lower lip has farther to rise, owing to the 
 greater separation of the jaws, and when it meets the teeth, it 
 presses against them quite firmly, falling only after a fairly long 
 contact. The result is a consonant very long in fricative sound, 
 and in the case of i', long in sonant quality. Pronounce /e-tv, ri-ve. 
 
 The lips should protrude slightly as in the case of the other 
 labials. 
 
 Rf.capitul.\TION. -We have now finished our study of the 
 French labials and it will be evident that they differ from the cor- 
 responding FInglish consonants, not in a multitude of small details, 
 but in one or two broad principles : (i) The contact of the lips for 
 the French labials is firm and of long duration, the sonants being 
 therefore more sonant than in English. (2) The jaws being kept 
 well apart, the lips require to stretch more in order to meet, and, 
 
! ' ) 
 
 mi'.' 
 '; 'hi-'. 
 
 88 
 
 The Keif to French Sounds. 
 
 in the case of/ and v, for the lower lip to touch the teeth. (3) The 
 lips protrude for the French labials, instead of sticking close to the 
 teeth as in English. The forward position of the tongue favors 
 this latter movement, for it will be found that if the tongue recedes 
 the lips will also flatten, as for the English labials. 
 
 THE LINGUALS. 
 
 The Unguals, we have seen, may be divided into two classes— 
 (i) those which are articulated by pressing the tongue against the 
 teeth (dento-linguals), and (2) those which are articulated by press- 
 ing the tongue against the palate {palato-linguals\ 
 
 Dento-linguals. 
 
 (Strong and surd) (Weak and sonant) 
 
 (explosive) ' ''• ::plosive) 
 
 n (fluent) 
 I (fluent) 
 
 T and d.— ^These two letters are formed by applying the point o» 
 the tongue against the upper front teeth in such a manner as to 
 obstruct completely the flow of the breath through the mouth, and 
 then suddenly dropping the tongue and allowing the breath to 
 escape in a sudden puff. The d differs from the t in being weak 
 and sonant. 
 
 If the student will pronounce ft and d'l in his accustomed way 
 he will find that the body of the tongue remains flat in the 
 bottom of the mouth, its tip rising to touch the pttl'i'f a short dis- 
 tance back of the teeth If he will now pronoui ? the above 
 sounds a second time, making the tip of the tongue cor- e in con- 
 tact with the teeth instead of with the palate, he will imitate a 
 Frenchman's pronunciation of t/i, di, more or less exactly. It is 
 probable that he will be tempted to merely raise the tip of the 
 tongue and to leave the rest of the organ flat. For the sounds to 
 be perfectly French, the whole body of the tongue should rise : 
 the little trick of bending the tip of the tongue upward and leav- 
 ing the body of the tongue flat is English, not French, ('i) 
 
 (i) We see, therefore, why so few French persons ever learn to pronounce the Eng- 
 lish M. To produce this sound, only the tip of the tongue should rise to the teeth • the 
 
 ^k:^ 
 
The Dento-Linguah. 
 
 89 
 
 This fact is very important, as it holds true, not only for 
 the t and ^/, but also for all linguals which are articulated in 
 the front part of the mouth. It is quite in accordance with 
 what we might expect, for, as we have already seen, the English 
 vowels require a flat or low position of the tongue, while the 
 French vowels require a raised position of this organ. It need 
 hardly be said that the French dento-linguals also require the jaws 
 more apart than for the corresponding English consonants. 
 
 In pronouncing the French t and d, the breath is obstructed 
 longer than for the English ?, rf, and hence the French d will be 
 more sonant than that of the English. Pronounce d<(-ti', ma-da-me. 
 
 When t or d is followed immediately by / or u as in ti, tiiy di, du, 
 the final pujff of these consonants is apt to become a light /w'.v.y, 
 resembling very much the sound of s or z. Many French people 
 say midzi for mi-di and f^sii for tii, etc. This is because the / and 
 u are pronounced with the jaws only slightly more apart than for 
 d to t, and the tongue, being kept forward for both vowel and con- 
 sonant, leaves but a very narrow space for the pufif of the t or d 
 to issue forth. 
 
 English persons in pronouncing tu and du keep the t and d dry, 
 because in articulating these consonants they merely raise the tip 
 ot the tongue to the i»d<ite, so that when it falls plenty of space is left 
 for the final puff. A slight hisn in the case above mentioned is not 
 objectionable, since it is very natural and very French, but the full 
 .N or z sound, which is often heard, should be avoided. This can be 
 done by opening the mouth a little more for the / or u. 
 
 N. — This sound is produced by raising the tongue to the upper 
 teeth, as for t or d, and forcing a vocalized stream of breath through 
 the nasal cavities, and then suddenly lowering the tongue and 
 allowing the remaining breath to escape m a sudden puff. 
 
 N is, like d, a sonant, differing in its organic formation from the 
 
 body of the tongue must remain flat in order that there may be a free passage for the 
 breath to the teeth. When an attempt is made to pronounce ih with the body of the 
 tongue raised, a hissing sound appears like that of s or z, hence the Frenchman's dze 
 for the. Sometimes the tongue is pressed firmly against the teeth, so as to obstruct the 
 breath completely ; and in that case, the attempt to pronounce th results only in p»o- 
 ducing a French d. 
 
40 
 
 TJte Kcj) to French Soiiiuh. 
 
 • ..■ 
 
 latter consonant only in that it is produced with the velum lowered, 
 so that the- nasal cavities serve as a resonant chamber to re-echo 
 the murmur from the larynx. It frequently happens that persons 
 troubled with nasal catarrh utter a a in attemj ting^ to pronounce 
 a w. When the consonant is properly pronounced, however, it is 
 like m a fluent. The n also resembles ni in -respect to its nasal 
 quality, and hence we are as justified in representing the nasal 
 vowels by <(ni, oui, etc., as in writing them <f?i, cv, etc. 
 
 To articulate the English //, the tip of the tongue rises to the 
 palate, the body o' the tongue rer.iaining lowered, as in the case of 
 the English / or tl : whereas for the French 11 the whole body of 
 the tongue rises until its tip or point comes into contact with the 
 ft't'th. The tongue is held in this position for some time before 
 being lowered, instead of falling immediately after the contact as 
 it does in English. The result is that the French // is much more 
 sonant than the English >i. 
 
 I^ronounce not too done, first as in English (i.e., with the tongue 
 striking the palate for n, /, d) and then as in French. The French 
 " accent " will be quite apparent in the second case. Then try 
 the French words ///, mijijie, noitx. 
 
 L — This sound is produced by pressing the poirt of the tongue 
 firmly against the upper teeth in such a manner that, while the 
 passage for the breath is obstructed in front, an opening is left on 
 cither side of the tongue between the grinders for the breath to 
 flow out. The tongue then falls from the teeth and the remaining 
 breath escapes in a single puff. The / is like the n—ajhwHt and a 
 
 To articulate the English ^ the tip of the tongue bends 
 upward until it touches the palate, and then falls almost immedi- 
 ately, so that the sonant element of the consonant is very brief. 
 This is especially noticeable when we pronounce alternately the 
 French and English la. The murmur in the larynx preceding the 
 French articulation is quite prolonged, that preceding the English 
 articulation, very brief 
 
 In articulating the English /, the tongue is sometimes kept 
 pressed against the palate for a considerable time before its fall. 
 
The Dento-LiuiiuiU. 
 
 41 
 
 and in that case the sonant element of the I is quite as prolonged 
 as in French ; but the consonant is not on that account more 
 French than usual, for the spaces between the sides of the tongue 
 and the grinders (through which the breath flows) are so wide that 
 the sonant element becomes too distinct, and, in fact, equivalent 
 to the vowel e uh). Thus, if in attempting to pronounce the 
 English /a, we allowed the tip of the tongue to remain for any 
 considerable time in contact with the palate, we would obtain the 
 sound e la (uh-la). This, indeed, is what happens when the Eng- 
 lish / is final, the wofds PituJ, sole, etc., being often pronounced 
 Pdii-iil and .s'o-'?J-, etc., and words like tahh and maple, always as 
 fah'Ul, Hittp-ul, etc. This could never happen in French, for how- 
 ever prolonged the sonant element of a French consonant may be, 
 it is always too much in the nature of a murmur to be equivalent 
 to a vowel. The student will tuerefore be careful in pronouncing 
 the French ttf-hle, mi-se-ra-hle, not to say ftth-ul, miser a-hiil, etc. 
 The space between the tongue and grinders is so narrow for the 
 French I that the breath in escaping causes the sides of the tongue 
 to vibrate quite violently. This vibration is not noticeable when 
 the English / is pronounced, because the passage for the breath is 
 too wide. . 
 
 Recapitulation. — In pronouncing the French dento-linguals 
 the main facts to be kept in mind are : (i) That the point of the 
 tongue must come in contact with the upper teeth, not with the 
 palate as in English. (2) That the whole tongue must rise, not 
 merely the tip. (3) That the contact of tongue and teeth must be 
 firm and of longer duration than in English. 
 
 (Surd) 
 s (fluent) 
 ch (fluent 
 
 k (explosive) 
 
 THE FALATO LINGUALS. 
 
 (Sonant) 
 z Influent) 
 j (.fluent) 
 r (fluent) 
 y (fluent) 
 g 'explosive) 
 gn (fluent) 
 
■1 
 
 l< i 
 
 42 
 
 TJia Kcfi to I^'irncJt SoKuds. 
 
 :l:; i 
 
 i 
 
 S and z. - These two consonants are produced by raising the 
 tongue until it conies into contact with the palate immediately 
 back of the front teeth, (and in such a way that a small grooved 
 passage is left to allow the breath to flow out), and then sud- 
 denly lowering the tongue and allowing the breath to escape in a 
 single puff. The -: differs from the .s in being weak and sonant. 
 
 The tongue touches the palate in about the same place for the 
 French and English « (or c). In the English articulation, how- 
 ever, merely the tip of the tongue rises, the rest of the organ 
 occupying a low position in the mouth. For the F'rench s or s, 
 the body of the tongue must rise until its upper surface (at some 
 distance from the tip) touches the palate. The tip o' the tongue 
 bends downward slightly, in order not to come in contact with the 
 upper teeth (for the organ occupies its usual forward position), and 
 thus produce a / or a li.sji. We can pronounce a good French s or 
 .: with the tip of the tongue touching the edges of the lower front 
 teeth. 
 
 Pronounce .w, sa, sd/lr, ze'm, ftosa {p6:.a). Let the contact of the 
 tongue and palate be quite firm, sc that the c will be more sonant 
 than in English. The character z is rarely used in French, though 
 the sound which this character represents is quite common. 
 
 Ch and J. -The sound represented by the French c/i is gene- 
 rally written fih in English, but the English words nmchiiu, rhiirrnh; 
 and a few others contain the French digraph with its approximate 
 sound. The ./' is simply a sonant ch, and might therefore be 
 written in English zh. It is heard appro.ximately in the English 
 iiziire {azhnrc), jiImi^xuic {zhvre), as well as in the English inusswji'^ 
 roiuie, etc. 
 
 To pronounce a French ch or j, the upper surface of the tongue 
 comes into partial contact with the palate a little above the upper 
 gums (and hence a little further back than for « or 2), in such a 
 manner that sufficient space is left between the tongue and palate 
 for the breath to gush out. The tongue is then lowered, and the 
 remaining breath escapes in a single puff. The ch is, therefore, 
 a species of a, and the J a species of z.' The .v and z may be de- 
 scribed as hissinif sounds, and the ch and j as (/nshiny sounds. 
 
 
Thr Pahito'Lhcnials. 
 
 43 
 
 The French cli and j di.Tcr from the correspondinj; English 
 sounds just in the same manner as the French .s and z differ from 
 the Enj^hsh .v and z. For the former, the body of the tonj^ue rises 
 to the palate, its tip bending slightly downward. The contact of 
 tongue and palate is also firmer and of longer duration for the 
 P'rench sounds than for the corresponding English ones, the 
 sonant element of the French ./' being, therefore, more marked than 
 that of the English yJi. 
 
 The English character c/i is often pronounced tch, and the Eng- 
 lish ./', th-h. The student must be careful never to lend these 
 sounds to French words. Pronounce : /; cJif(iit<\ jon-joit, hoHJimr. 
 Let the tongue be raised, and come as far forward as possible. 
 
 R. — This sound is formed by forcing a strong blast of breath 
 through the mouth and offering to it no resistance save the tip of 
 the tongue, which, bouncing up and striking the palate just above 
 the upper teeth (in the s position), is pushed back and made to 
 vibrate by the outgoing breath. The tongue then falls, and the 
 remaining breath escapes in a single puff. 
 
 The r resembles the / very much, both in regard to its 'sound 
 and in regard to the manner in which it is formed. Both are fluent 
 and sonant, but in the case of the latter, the breath escapes over 
 the sides of the tongue (causing them to vibrate), while for the 
 former the breath flows over the tip of the tongue. The Chinese 
 have no r in their speech, and hence in speaking English or 
 French generally pronounce / in place of r. 
 
 The English r is a very feeble consonant, and is too ojn-ii, 
 to be trilled.- When followed by a vowel sound, it is too 
 quickly articulated to be very sonant, but when final it is very 
 slowly articulated, and is so ojten that its sonant element is equi- 
 valent to the vowel >• (see also /). Thus, hen-, fire^ fair are pro- 
 nounced hee-cr, Ji-er, fni-er. Londoners scarcely raise the tongue 
 at all for the final r, and hence only the sound e is heard, as in 
 " he that hath ea-nns to lieti-ufi, let him hen-nh." Thisr is not 
 recognized as r at all in France : tlTe American final r (which is a 
 little more consonantal, but not trilled) is looked upon as a feeble 
 tr. The Scotch r is much nearer that of the French because it 
 
44 
 
 Tlic Kcff to French Souiidif. 
 
 is strong and trilled, being articulated by raising the tip of the 
 tongue very near to the palate. The main difference between the 
 Scotch /• and the French /• is this : For the former, the body of the 
 tongue occupies a low position, its tip alone rising and touching 
 the palate as far back as the r// position ; whereas for the latter, 
 the whole tongue rises, its tip bending upward but slightly, and 
 coming into contact with the palate immediately back of the teeth, 
 or in the s position. Pronounce jie-rc, m^-re, pi-ie. There is no 
 difference between a final r and an initial /• in French. The stu- 
 dent should first pronounce the final e in the above words, in order 
 to get the /• correct, and then try the words a second time, with 
 the e silent. 
 
 When r is preceded by another consonant, as mfie-re,^ ties, }rrh, 
 it is very apt to be weakened by English persons. The final b\ 
 IT, <lr, etc., is especially difficult, as in no-tre, ca-t/rc, hfi-vn\ pro- 
 nounced Hofi; curb', hurt', not tioter, vadar, haver. (2) 
 
 Most Parisians make the /• very guttural, i.e., instead of ob- 
 structing the breath with the tip of the tongue, raise the tongue at 
 the root just as for k and ;/. This guttural r robs French speech 
 of a great deal of its beauty and clearness, and is not permitted 
 at the Ope'ni or at the 'J'hedfre Frangats. 
 
 Elocutionists are unanimous in condemning the yrasseycmeut — 
 as the guttural pronunciation of the r is called, — and at the C'lrn- 
 xervntoire de Dechimation, in Paris, special pains are taken to cor- 
 rect those who have this defect in their speech. 
 
 Y. — This consonant is formed by raising the tongue near its 
 base until it comes into contact with the posterior part of the 
 palate, in such a way as to partially obstruct the breath, (but leav- 
 ing, nevertheless, a narrow space for it to escape), and then 
 suddenly lowering the tongue and allowing the remaining breath 
 to escape in a single puff. 
 
 The y is sonant and fluent, but less fluent in French than 
 in English, because the tongue presses more firmly against the 
 palate in the French articufation, and consequently leaves .a 
 
 (3) In English, centre, metre, etc., are pronounced center, meter, etc., just as 
 maple and table are pronounced ma-fttl, ta-hul. See p. 41. 
 
The Palato-LiHffiuds. 
 
 45 
 
 much narrower space for the fl^w^d breath. When an English 
 person pronounces i/e, !i('<ii\ etc., he barely touches his palate 
 with his tongue, whereas a Frenchman in pronouncing these 
 words almost makes the \) an explosive, so firmly does the tongue 
 press against the palate. (4) The contact with the palate is also 
 further back in Fre.i:b than it is in English. Of course, the tip 
 of the tongue must remain forward, as for the French /. Pro- 
 nounce waj/ez (ooU-yd), loif (I (/oat-////), r >yal. Be careful not to 
 say vuai-e and loai- «/, as most English persons are apt to do, 
 
 K and g. — To pronounce these two consonants, the root of the 
 tongue rises until it comes in contact with the upper part of the 
 velum, or palatal curtain, thus completely obstructing the breath 
 and confining it in the pharynx. The tongue is then suddenly 
 lowered, and the breath escapes in a single puff. The A; is surd, 
 
 the (f sonant. 
 
 On account of the contact of the tongue and palate being so 
 far back in the mouth for h- and //, these consonants are often 
 called gutturals throat letters). They are, of course, explosives, 
 the peculiar nature of the explosion being due to the fact that it 
 takes place at the buccal entrance of the pharynx, instead of in 
 the mouth proper. 
 
 In order thai, the root of the tongue may come in contact with 
 the velum, the tongue must bend upward at a point more or less 
 near its centre. In the case of the English k or </, this bend is 
 pretty well forward, so that it is impossible to see very far into 
 the mouth, whereas in the case of the French k or g, the tongue, 
 occupying a forward position, must bend at a point further back ; 
 for otherwise the passage between the root of the tongue and 
 velum would not be completely closed. When the French k or </ 
 is being articulated, the view is clear right to the back of the 
 
 mouth. 
 
 The contact of the tongue and velum is also firmer and of 
 longer duration in French than in English, so that the French 
 
 (4) An explosive^ is sometimes actually heard in French, especially among unedu- 
 cated people. To the English ear, it sounds like gi. 
 
4() 
 
 The Kct/ to Fr<nrh Soiimlti. 
 
 m 
 
 ^'uttiinils arc stronger than the roirespoiulin^ English souiuls, the 
 French (j Ijcing also more sonant than the Knj^lish //. 
 
 Pronounce rini ijn, Ihst as in English, and then as in French. 
 In the seconfl case, keep the tip of the tongue against the lower 
 front teeth for the /• and //. 
 
 The character k is not Roman, and is little used in French, the 
 <- and 7 representing the same sound. Unfortunately, however, 
 the c sometimes represents the sound. of .s, and (j the sound of j, 
 as we will see later. Pronounce <iueMe cote (kt)/ koh')^ qn'nu //■ utr. 
 
 As the character j' represents the two consonants ks (or r.s\ its 
 formation will differ in English and French, just as the two con- 
 sonants k and ^ respectively ditiCer in these languages. Pronounce 
 tuxe, rxprh {hiks, ek-sprv). When ex is followed by a vowel, the 
 X becomes sonant, i.e., it becomes ;/■: : {'xviiijilc, rxiilfe (v<f-zaii-pfv, 
 efi-y.(il-t('}. 
 
 
 On. This digraph represents a sound which is not heard in 
 English, but which may be described as a nasal //. To produce 
 it, the tongue rises to the // position, the velum at the same time 
 lowering. The connection between the mouth and pharynx is thus 
 completely shut off, but the nasal passages, being open, afford an 
 issue to the breath, as well as a resonance chamber to the murmur 
 from the larynx. The tongue then suddenly lowers, and the velum 
 flics back to close the nasal passages, so that the remaining breath 
 escapes in a sudden puff through the mouth, producing the closing 
 sound of the consonant //. 
 
 A careful reading of the a])o\e description of the ifn will show 
 that bv a nasal // we mean a sound verv different from the ordinarv 
 n followed by a //. To pronounce a dental /(-, the tongue does not 
 " rise to the // position." The French j/u is approximately heard 
 in the English udm/. The tongue for the n;/ in this word rises to 
 the // position, but remains there until all the )>reath has escaped 
 through the nose, instead of falling and allowing the final puff to 
 escape through the mouth. The sound is the French (JN begun, 
 but not finished. Similarly, the English // in man is a dental n 
 begun but not finished, for it lacks the final puff which is. heard in 
 the n of lit: Instead of calling the gii a nasal ly, it would perhaps 
 
Tha Pdlato'Ijini/nulx. 
 
 47 
 
 he better to call it a ^^iittural /i, in contradistinction to the dental //, 
 which is articulated by raisinj^ the tonj^aie to the upper teeth. 'I'he 
 11 sound which completes the y// answers to the final puff of the 
 dental n. 
 
 In the English word niKjer, a guttural n is also heard, but it is 
 followed immediately by the sound of //, so that it has no more 
 final pulT than has the // of s<in;f. (5) 
 
 Pronounce : si-i/ual, xi-yne, i-yno-te, rliinn-p(i-<jiu', JloH-lo-ijnf, 
 ni<i-;/fii-ti-i]Ue. 
 
 Care must be taken not to split the (/h in two and make of it 
 two distinct sounds Thus, ni-ijnul must not be pronounced .s/////- 
 ]/«/, because there is no break in the <///. The pause or break 
 should occur after the / ; that is to say, pronounced .st, then let the 
 vowel utterance cease while the tongue rises to the // position. The 
 sonant element of the gn must not be spoiled by letting the tongue 
 drop too soon after reaching the palate : the contact should be firm 
 and prolonged, as in the case of the other French consonants. 
 Let the tip of the tongue be kept against the lower front teeth, as 
 for I/, a d the raised surface of the tongue touch the palate as far 
 back as possible. 
 
 Some very extraordinary statements are sometimes made con- 
 cerning the F'rench ////. Most writers say it is like the English // 
 in o//^'>u (un-yun), just as though the h in this word were not like 
 any ordinary dental n. Other writers imagine they have found the 
 sound in the English word ravoH (^can-yon), which they call a 
 liquid //, but which is precisely like the /' in candij. The fact that 
 a " sound appears in the second syllable of cahon does not in the 
 least change the nature of the // in the first syllable cnu. Indeed 
 the student must distinguish the sounds jm-fiier, pa-nion which 
 contain the dental // from the sounds pn-yne and pa-ifiurn which 
 contain a guttural n. 
 
 The Aspirate. 
 
 The h is not a consonant, but simply an unobstructed emission 
 of breath, or in other words ' a breathing." It is heard in French 
 
 (5) In the sound sang- there is noi^ for, as we have seen, a^ is pronounced by press- 
 ing the root of the tongue against the velum, which is not lowered, but drawn back to 
 co\er the nasal passages. 
 
48 
 
 The Key to French Soiuuh. 
 
 \n ho ! ha! he! and in one or two otlicr words expressing deep 
 emotion, as httint\ h<>iiti\ etc. In all other cases when the // is 
 written, it must not be pronounced. In words like //"//////<;, hfthit^ 
 etc., th^' h probably never was pronounced, at least, not since these 
 words ceased to be Latin and b came I'^rench ; for, from the earliest 
 times, le hntnmi' was pronounced J'omtiie and If hahit, I'dbU^ the 
 elision of the <• in h' showing that no /* separated the two vowels. 
 On the other hand, it seems beyond doubt that the h was heard 
 until quite recently in harhf, herof, ett., for the vowel of /<• and hi 
 instead of suffering elision, when coming before these words, re- 
 mains. We say In itihc and le e'los (written la h xhf and le he'ros)^ 
 that is to say, though the // is gone its effect is still felt. In many 
 of the rural districts of France the aspirate can be faintly heard, 
 as indeed it also can among French-Canadians. 
 
 Rkc AiMTULATlON.— It will be evident that the palato-linguals 
 may be divided into two groups : those which are articulated by 
 bringing the tongue in contact with the ant' • part of the palate 
 (v, c, c//, j, r) forming the first group, and .^c which are articu- 
 lated by bringing the tongue in contact with ths posterior part of 
 the palate (y, k, </, gn) constituting the second group. 
 
 In articulating the first group, the tongue must as usual occupy 
 a high position, and come more forward than it would for the cor- 
 responding Eng^lish consonants. The contact with the palate must 
 in every case be firm and prolonged. In articulating the second 
 group, the same points are to be observed, but the tip of the tongue 
 should also rest on the lower front teeth, and the tongue bend 
 upward further back than for the corresponding English sounds. 
 
 
 
lh'tri'uc)nih'ut of CiniHnnniitH, «('v 
 
 V.) 
 
 CIlAl'TKll VI, 
 
 RF/FkENCHMKNT ()K CONSONANTS, SVI.KABICA- 
 
 TION, Etc. 
 
 \Vk have already seen that every consonant may be divided into 
 two elements, the first of which is formeil by obstructin}^ (com- 
 pletely or partially) the breath, and the second by removinj^ the 
 obstruction and allowing the breath to escape in a single puff. 
 
 In the case of the fluents, the first element is strong, and the 
 second weak. The explosives, on the other hand, are weak in the 
 first cLinent and strong in the second. It is t)nly when a vowel or 
 a fluent consonant precedes an explosive (as in a/, ml, asf, nj'l) that 
 the latter can be recognized by its first clement alone. 
 
 At the beginning and end of words, consonants are generally 
 fully pronounced ; tha' is to say, both their initial and final ele- 
 ments are heard ; as, for instance, in the English words //"/, /^o/, 
 cook^ r<ip, etc., or in the French words /><</, liitit\ Rome^ <-'>r, A/.s, 
 r(/', etc When a surd explosive is not well pronounced at the end 
 of a word, it is apt to sound like its corresponding sonant The 
 final i)ulTf of a sonant is, however, naturally weak, and in English 
 it is apt to be neglected altogether at the end of words ; as, for 
 instance, in mf/, had, hahe. Perhaps the puff of the (/, d, h is never 
 entirely suppressed when these consonants are final, but it is, at 
 least, made very weak by most English persons. In the case of 
 the sonant fluents (/, ni, ;/, /•, /•, 2, etc.), it is safe to say that the 
 puff is never heard when these consonants arc final in English, as, 
 for instance, in am, ule, an, atr, hurt; Ikiz (has), etc. Special care 
 must, therefore, be taken to pronounce these consonants in full 
 when they end French words. A final // is not heard at all in 
 F^nglish, and the final English r is little more than a vowel sound. 
 (See p. 43.) 
 
 Pronounce cur, b tl, ame, due, fere, fret, (j iz, vis, fillv (fiy). 
 
 When thp: Final Puff Must be Suppressed. — When one 
 consonant is followed immediately by ^another, as in a'i-mit, 
 id-most, the final puff of the first consonant is completely sup- 
 
50 
 
 Tltr Kcjl to FrciirJi Stmuds. 
 
 :i» 
 
 i< 
 
 H 
 
 pressed If this were not so, an awkward gap would intervene 
 between the two consonants. As it is, a sHght pause is felt before 
 the second consonant is articulated, and this pause serves to divide 
 the word into two distinct sounds or syUables. It is possible, 
 however, to pronounce two consonants together without making 
 any pause between them, when the first consonant is a fluent and 
 the second an explosive, as in mad-n\ p<irt-'in.(f, aft-er^etc. In the 
 above words, the puff of both consonants is suppressed, and the 
 break occurs between the second consonant and the vowel. This 
 happens very frequently in English, but is much rarer in French. 
 Frenchmen are apt to pronounce the above words as iiiati-frr, par- 
 tlinj, iif-ti'i\ giving the second consonant its full puff. 
 
 Pronounce ar-mee, al-tc'-re, jiir-tir. 
 
 The law regarding the suppression of the final puff .lolds good 
 not only when the two consonants occur in the same word, but 
 also when they occur in two different words pronounced in quick 
 succession, as <(f me, look ikiw. Speech would be very broken if 
 we were obliged to pause and emit a puff of breatli between words 
 I'ke the above. The brief pause which intervenes between the 
 two words loiil- nnir is identical with that which divides the syl- 
 lables of the word Lvcknoiv. The f> of look cannot here be treated 
 as a final consonant. So, although we would pronounce fully the 
 k (or c) in Hac when this word stands alone, we would retrench the 
 final element of the consonant in .sv^^' de farine. 
 
 When a consonant is followed by a vowel, its final puff is some- 
 imes suppressed. This happens in French only when the vowel 
 belongs to a word following the consonant, as vet arhre, tel ami, 
 pour <imi, ?''■•«• (lt)z) on(H;/<'s. The full pronunciation of the conso- 
 nant would m such cases cause it to run on to the vowel of the 
 second word, ruin the syllabication, and cause great confusion in 
 the sounds, 'lei oini sounds as different from te bnni as //// eii/ht 
 does from tet I late ; and 'W orhre is just ns distinguishable from 
 re tarbre as (p't nil is from//*} full. So, we miist not say le zanii, but 
 Uz ami. It is true that it is often stated that the consonant o^" the 
 first word is run onto the vowel of the second word, but such is 
 clearly not the fact. There being no pause between the consonant 
 and the vowel, the two sounds are bound to be more or less 
 
lli'troifhtncnt o/ CoiisonantH, <('r. 
 
 51 
 
 united (and the suppression of the final puff is not as complete as 
 when two consonants are pronounced in succession), but the con- 
 sonant lacks that energy which it always possesses when pro- 
 nounced on a vowel. 
 
 Particular care should be paid to the pronunciation of the nasal 
 vowels when followed by a vowel in another worrl. In //// umi^ 
 on (I, hii'ti (irnie\ the nasal vowels are heard as usual, but before 
 the sound of these vowels dies away the tongue rises to the teeth, 
 so that the initial element of // is heard. There is, however, no 
 f'nal puff to this //. It is an error to suppose, as most authorities 
 do, that '/// anu is pronounced nii naiiii^ on. ((, on fi<i, and hicii 
 finiie, ^lirn imrme. Some lexicographers would have us pronounce 
 these expressions as i( }iam,i, <> na, hie naniuK claiming that the 
 nasal vowel disappears before the vowel of the next word. This 
 pronunciation totally violates the phonetic principles we have 
 enunciated, and is, moreover, seldom heard. . If there are French 
 persons who say o im for (tii o, they are no more to be imitated 
 than those English persons who say ( e tout for //^/ out. 
 
 In English, the final puff is often suppressed before a vowel, 
 even when the latter is in the same word as the consonant, as, for 
 instance, in Ctin-((-</ti, or-d^ i(i)-er (upper), in<ist-ci\ fxiii-iiof, etc. The 
 final puff of the p is no more heard in ///<('/• (upper) than it is in uji or 
 down. There may be persons w ho say jxtr-titnj and tikis Icr, but 
 the usual and correct pronunciation of these words is undoubtedly 
 pdrf-iiig and iiiKsl-er. The object of suppressing" the final puff of 
 a consonant is to separate it from the following vowel and to join 
 it with the preceding one. For some reason or other, the jt in 
 iip-er (upper) is made to belong to the n instead of to the fv, just 
 as ihough the word were made up of two separate words, vp and 
 er ; whereas in upon the p is detached from the n and joined to 
 the <»(, as though the word were mad(,> up of two separate sounds, 
 w and pon. 
 
 In French the final puff of a consonant is never suppressed 
 before a vowel when the latter falls in the same word as the con- 
 sonant. The sound cau is not heard in the FVench word Ouunlo, 
 because this word is pronounced cnt\<i-(hi. So Imiricr {lnmr/)\ii 
 not pronounced luri-e, but lo'-ric'. 
 
52 
 
 The Kci/ to French Soioids. 
 
 The glidin<( of a vowel onto a consonant is effected by ob- 
 structing the breath before the vowel sound has ceased, thus cutting 
 the vowel short, as it were. When the vowel is not glided onto 
 the consonant, the vowel sound ceases just before the obstruction 
 of the breath takes place, making a very l)ricf but yet perceptible 
 pause or break between the vowel and consonant. The sounds 
 to(>l((:>' may be decomposed into the two sounds tnit late or tool a^', 
 according as we pronounce the consonant / on the oo or on the o. 
 
 Pronounce iiii-se-ra-h (\ th'-fi-iii-ti-te, i-;/Ni)-n(n-te, a-vh/'-re. (i) 
 
 The consonants r and / partake somewhat of the nature of the 
 vowels, inasmuch as they are readily pronounced after another 
 consonant without any pause or break. We pronounce and syl- 
 lable t'lhlc, f(ihlin;rei>ll'{iie\snct'e, sucrt\ livre^ etc., as t((-hlt\ta-Ull-d^ 
 re'-f)U-qi(e\ su cr<'\ sn en; li-rre, not as tnh-le, t<ih-lie\ re''i>ll-qne', 
 )iHc-rt\ etc. Nothing could be more simple or more natural than 
 the French method of syllabication, and nothing much more diffi- 
 cult and more exasperating than the method used in English. 
 
 It is worth while remarking that we rarely pronounce more than 
 two consonants in succession in P>ench. Such sounds as tro»7rf.y, 
 tiri']fth>i, /lostacripttf, etc., containing as many as four successive 
 consonants, are quite natural for £Lnglish organs — because the 
 consonants aie feebly and imperfectly articulated in English — but 
 for French people they are exceedingly difficult. 
 
 Duplication of Consonants.— We sometimes articulate two 
 consonants of the same kind in succession, as in the English 
 words ■'<(nillesn, iinniituriil, and in the French words anKalen, ille'f/al^ 
 etc. In such case, the first consonant is retrenched as usual and 
 pronounced on the vowel preceding it, a slight pause occurring 
 before the second consonant is articulated. W^e pronounce and 
 syllable these words, 'rn-nn-les, il-le-ydl, etc. 
 
 It was quite a common thing in Latin to articulate two consonants 
 of the same kind in succession as above, but this is rather excep- 
 tional in French and English, for, although two such consonants 
 are frequently written, the first is generally silent, as in abhe, 
 ajf<(irt\ commerce^ etc., pronounced ti-hty n-fe-ri; co-nih'ce, etc. 
 
 (i) The digraph g» or fAmust not be mistaken for two separate consonants. 
 
Tonic Accent. 
 
 53 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 TONIC ACCENT. 
 
 Before proceeding to study the nature of French tonic accent, 
 it is well to have a clear understanding of what is meant by tonic 
 accent in English. The subject is a difficult one, and much that 
 has been written concerning it is of cjuestionable value. Mr. Alex- 
 ander J. Ellis, the well-known English scholar, states in his work. 
 The QuantUath'e I'lonuticinfion of Lxtitt, that he is " unable to 
 come to any definite conclusion upon the nature of what is usually 
 called accent even in French and English." Webster understands 
 by accent a " .s7/r.s.s' or effort of voice upon certain syllables of 
 words, which distinguishes them from others by a greater distinct- 
 ness and loudness of pronunciation ; " and this theory seems to 
 correspond to the popular idea on the subject. We think it can 
 be shown, however, that the underlying principle of English toric 
 accent is altogether independent of strfK.s or force if voice. 
 
 The accent on the English word nnv-iny is said to be on the first 
 syllable, and yet, except when a special emphasis is given to this 
 word, its first syllable is not pronounced any louder or stYonger 
 than the second. When we say, " He is .sv^/ing his money, not 
 .'ipentl'wig it," then indeed the syllables sur and nfieud are forcibly 
 uttered. The stress or emphasis which is noticeable here has to 
 do with what is known as nratorirnl acceid, and may vary with each 
 individual. It is evident that the word uion-ei/ has also the accent 
 on the first syllable, and yet, if we stressed this syllable in the 
 above sentence along with the other two syllables, wq would not 
 be speaking English at all. A single line of English pronounced 
 with a stress or force on every accented syllable would be exceed- 
 ingly shocking to the ear. While it is true, therefore, that when a 
 word is stressed or emphasized, that stress is always placed on the 
 accented or tonic syllable, it is quite incorrect to suppose that 
 every tonic syllable is stressed. French is spoken with more 
 changes in the pitch of the voice than is English, and whenever 
 
U' 
 
 h 
 
 54 
 
 T1((' Kcjj to French Sounds. 
 
 ' 5 
 
 III 
 
 the voice is raised on a word, it is always in pronouncing^ a tonic 
 syllable, but it is quite incorrect to suppose, as most French 
 writers do, that tonic accent in French means the deration of the . 
 voice on the tonic syllable of every word. If we raised the voice 
 on every tonic syllable in French, there would be little beauty to 
 French speech. 
 
 No matter how gently we pronounce the first syllable of the 
 English word mtut'Ciu it still retains that peculiar feature which we 
 call f'liii'- wfciil. What, then, is it that gives the syllable mox, in 
 money, a prominence over the syllable nj 'i The simple fact that 
 it is a longer syllable- that is to say, that it occupies a longer time 
 in its pronunciation. Instead of being hurried over, it is pro- 
 longed, and in order to facilitate its prolongation the consonant // 
 is drawn onto it, instead of going with the following syllable, as it 
 otherwise would. If the student will say ino-Hcif instead of iiioti-ey, 
 he will find that, in order to retain the accent on the first syllable, 
 he will have to prolong somewhat unnaturally the sound o^ the 
 vowel o. The reason for the syllabicaticm in Caii-"-(ln, ov-al, iip-er 
 (upper), nia.st-ir, etc., will now be clearly seen. English persons 
 in pronouncing Latin use the English method of syllabication, 
 because it aids them in prolonging the sound of certain syllables 
 and of curtailing the sound of others, and lience of placing the 
 accent in the right place. Thus, pater and later, etc., are pro- 
 nounced by English persons /lat-er and lat-er, that is to say, the 
 Vs in both words are attached to the first syllable in order to 
 lengthen it or make it tonic. What the Romans meant by tonic 
 accent was, however, t[uite a different thing from prolonging a 
 syllable. 
 
 If all syllables were of the same length there could be no tonic 
 accent,— at least, no English tonic accent. Thus, if we pronounce 
 the two words ijnod and man in succession, giving each word its 
 natural and full sound, the one sound will be as prominent as the 
 other. If, however, we lengthen the first word more than usual, it 
 will immediately become touie, that is to say, it will have more 
 prominence than the second \\ord. The same result, however, 
 can be obtained by shortening the sound of the second word, and 
 giving the first its usual sound. This is, indeed, the method usu- 
 
Tatnc Accent. 
 
 '"»''. 
 »'»» 
 
 ally employed in English. Thus, in the word GoinhiKiii, the sylla- 
 ble .v^o^/ is not unusually prolonged, but the second syllable is made 
 very short, its vowel sound almost disappearing. In faci^ i/ood ni it, 
 represents the sound of the word better than (jmulniini. 
 
 The difference in the length of syllables in Engl'sh is \ery 
 great, and .hence Iv glish is said to have a strong tonic accent. 
 The atonic syllables are all so quickly pronounced that the 
 brief vowel sound which they contain is nearly always that of 
 e. In many cases, no vowel sound is heard at all, but merely the 
 murmur of sonant consonants, as in pfit'l-r-mnf, tiiizre-U^ etc. 
 
 In most English words there is but one long (or accented) 
 syllable, but in some words we find two or even three long syl- 
 lables, as, for instance, in sv-i-cide, nd-i-cnie, in-n>iit-}>rr-hniHi-})'d-i- 
 tij. In such case, however, there is always one tonic syllabic which 
 is more prolonged than the others, and hence this syllable is said 
 to have the jnincipnl arcei't, while the other tonic syllal)lesare said 
 to have a S'cotidtiry uccent. In !<ii-i-ci(k, the first syllable is long, 
 the second short, and the third also long. If w^ now also prolong 
 the second syllable, we will have a word all of whose syllables arc 
 long. If these three syllables are all of the same length, the wortl 
 will be without accent : if, on the other hand, we make one syl- 
 lable a little longer than the others, then this prolonged syllable 
 will be slightly more prominent than the others, or, in other \\or(ls, 
 it will be slightly accented. 
 
 In French words all the syllables are of nearly equal length, the 
 final syllable being however, slightly more prolonged than the 
 (Hhers. It follows, therefore, that the tonic accent is very light in 
 French, and that it is always on the last syllable The English 
 words 2we-rail and rc-dnre are accented on the last syllable, but 
 this accent is very marked because of the short nature of the first 
 syllables in those words. If the first syllable of jtrernil and rcdnci- 
 l)e lengthened, as is frequently done by persons who speak delib- 
 erately, the accent will not be nearly so marked. The pronuncia- 
 tion prci'-ru'd and ree dncc is .American, not English, but it is also 
 Frjnch as far as the tonic accent is conce;-ned. 
 
 The difference between the long and short syllables in French is 
 so slight that many writers have maintained that there was no such 
 
56 
 
 The Kei/ to French Sounds. 
 
 thing' as tonic accent in this language. It is quite true that in 
 French poetry one syllable is looked upon as equivalent to ano- 
 ther, the long and short feet of Englisli or Latin verse not being 
 recognized ; bu. it is equally true that if in ordinary speech all 
 syllables were made equal in length such speech would lack char- 
 acter and expression. The student, therefore, while being careful 
 never to glide over syllables as he rs accusti^.ned to do in English, 
 should also be careful to dwell a little on the last syllable of every 
 French word, (i) The last syllable is the soul of the word, and 
 receives the stress, when stress is to be given ; and when \ve raise 
 the voice on a word, we do so on the last syllable. Usually, the 
 last syllable is only slightly prolonged, as in re'-ri-te, but it is always 
 permissible to exaggerate '*^ length for oratorical effect, just as we 
 may do in English, e.g., fu prc-vai-aU. The prolongation of a final 
 syllable is quite noticeable before a pause in a sentence, for in that 
 case only can a syllable be really final. 
 
 When several monosyllabic words are pronounced in succession, 
 as Je lie sais jj.is, the last only is prolonged, unless, of course, 
 there is some special reason for emphasizing some other word. (2) 
 Many PInglish persons, in rendering / tlo nob know in French, say, 
 Je lie. sais }iiis. This prolongation or accentuation of the word 
 .SV//.S- is here quite meaningless, and sounds very odd. The phrase 
 should be treated as a word of four syllables ( je'Ve-se'-pd), and 
 the final syllable given a slight prolongation or accent. 
 
 (i) The final e (as in notrc, vcsff, etc.) is usually silent in French, and hence does not 
 make a separate syllable with the consonant preceding it, but when it is pronounced it 
 is ne\er prolonged, and hence the ;-yll.able preceding it receives the accent. This must 
 be borne in mind in reading the above rule. Pronounce /a-d/e, li-bre, as tabl, libr. 
 
 (2) \\y the last we mean, of course, the one immediately preceding the pause. Thii» 
 pause need not necessarily be the end of a sentence. 
 
 r 
 
SupprcasioK of Final E. 
 
 67 
 
 CHAPTER Vlll. 
 
 THE SUPPRESSION OF THE FINAL E. 
 
 In reading French poetry the final e is nearly always pro- 
 nounced, and forms with the consonant preceding it a separate 
 syllable, the only exception being when the e is followed by another 
 vowel or comes at the end of a line, e.g. : 
 
 Mais ou I va ma | dou-leur | cher-cher \ u-ne | vic-time ,'' 
 
 It will be seen that the e in niic is pronounced (so that this word 
 has two syllables), but that the t' in victime is silent. In ordinary 
 speech, however, the final e is generally silent and the consonant 
 preceding it is pronounced on the preceding vowel, thus making 
 the word a syllable shorter. The same thing may happen to an 
 e in the body of a word. Thus Koii-re-nit\ sd-im'-di, pro-me nude 
 become inordinary speech .st)ni;-nit\ shih. ^//, proni-fitule. It is no 
 effort to pronounce two consonants in succession when they come 
 between two vowels, for one consonant can go with either vowel. 
 It is more difficult, however (and sometimes impossible), to pro- 
 nounce three consonants in succession, and for this reason ^>o-/r- 
 nir, pur-le-menf, jus-tc-nu'itt^ (ir-mc-nient, etc., do not become 7>'</t- 
 )ni\ jMid-mcnt, tirm-mfnt, etc. (i) 
 
 The last word would be especially mutilated by dropping from 
 it the e, on account of the two m'.s* coming togeth ir Even if this 
 woi i contained no /• {tiiiiement} the c could not be -suppressed. (2) 
 !t V ill be evident also that we cannot suppress the e in tiotre jour- 
 nal, dou-hie j)lalstr, votre Jils, etc., and say 'notr journal, douhl 
 plaisir, voir fils, etc., for too many consonants would come to- 
 gether. (3) Similarly, it is much easier and more elegant — to 
 
 (i) The { in the diphthongs ia, ie, etc., is so nearly a.y, that it has the effect of a con- 
 sonant on the e. Hence words like aimet'iez, refuseriez, etc., are not pronounced 
 ainuriez, fe-ftis-ricz, etc. For the same reason the e remains in the words atelier, 
 batelier, chapelier, coutelier, and a few other words ending in Her. 
 
 (i) The student will, however, be careful not to mistake the n or m, which is written 
 after the nasal vowel, for a consonant. We can drop the e mfondement just as easily 
 as we can vnfodement, for the on is only a nasal vowel. 
 
 (3) Uneducated people very unwillingly restore the e to words like the above, but 
 
58 
 
 The Key to French Soiiiifh. 
 
 say I'xis-k' pas, niur-che hien, pn'-le pev, nor-te pas, etc., than to say 
 exist pas, march hiea, etc., although tho latter pronunciatioft is quite 
 commonly heard. Of course, whenever the final e is followed by a 
 vowel in the next word, or wh.-n a pause follows, then the e must be 
 suppressed, e.g., intttr ami, inairhc ainnt, pronounced //"//• ami, 
 march arant. 
 
 The e in the little words nr, <h', qne, ce, le, me, ti', tr is usually 
 quite distinctly pronounced, but when these words are preceded 
 immediately by a vowel (as in a If) their consonants are drawn 
 on to the latter, and the final e becomes silent as before. Thus 
 si hfiiH is pronounced sile fou, and can de vie, ande vie, the final e 
 disappearingjust as it does in nne, Xme, etc. In early French a h- 
 (ta the) actually became (d, which again later became av, by a 
 softening of the I into u. 
 
 The attraction of the de, me, re, etc., into the vowel of a preceding 
 word is a fact which is too often overlooked by teachers of French, 
 and this is one of the chief reasons why English peroons find 
 French speech so difficult to understand. Most English persons 
 will understand the meaning of the three words ati de vie when 
 each of these words is pronounced distinctly and separately, but it 
 is almost as certain that these same persons would be bewildered 
 by the usual French pronunciation of the above words, and would 
 ask for an explanation of the word ande, little doubting that this 
 sound represented two words. Here are further examples for 
 practice : 
 
 Feu de feu 
 Tu me parle 
 Je ne parle pas 
 On le parle 
 Loin de Ik 
 On me parle 
 
 pronounced 
 
 (( 
 
 (t 
 
 peude feu 
 tum<? parle 
 jcene parle pa 
 onle parle 
 loend<' la 
 onm« parle (4) 
 
 When a word ending in a consonant precedes di\ mr, l>; etc., of 
 course the latter cannot be joined to it, l)ut will always form a 
 
 being unable to pronounce all the consonants without a vowel, drop the ;• or /, and say 
 not Journal, dotib f^laisir, etc. 
 
 (4) Make the final c silent in ajl the^e example*.. 
 
Supjyrcssion of Final K. 
 
 59 
 
 separate syllable, as // iih^ nitrh: In the last three examples above 
 g^iven the /( must not be mistaken for a consonant, for it is only 
 written to show that the vowel is nasal. Onwe is meant to repre- 
 sent a nasal o followed by a ///. (See also obs. 2.) 
 
 We may pronounce Uou de. le voir either as bwi,de le voir or as fhm 
 fheh' voir, that is to say, we may join the ue to the 6o?t, or the le to 
 the 'ie. The latter is perhaps the more usual way, the little words, 
 <li\ le, me, etc., having an affinity for one another. Sometimes, 
 however, the first method is preferable, as in hofulr le lire (not hon 
 (hele lire). Here it is evident that it is better to pronouce the e in 
 le in order to prevent two Vs from coming together. A x should 
 also be separated when possible from a ch or a j, for the two con- 
 sonants are nearly alike. Hence we must not say dme chapitre 
 and dvece ji'v, but de ce chtpitre and de cejeu. 
 
 It sometimes happens that three little words like de, ne, le, etc., 
 succeed one another, and in such case wc generally run the first 
 two together, and pronounce the third separately, as in je ne le 
 ptii'lc pitH ' jwiw le parli' pan). \{ four such words occur in succes- 
 sion, they may l3e taken in pairs, as in <jue je tc le dise (kojt. toie 
 disf) Euphony, however, sometimes requires some ither method 
 of pronunciation. The (jne is less liable to disappear than the 
 other words of its kind : the ne, on the other hand, is got rid of 
 whenever possible. 
 
 There are a number of French words whose first syllables end 
 in the vowel e, such as re-roir, ve-nir, che-rnl, pe-tite, re-fuse, etc. 
 This e should usually be distinctly pronounced, but if its conso- 
 nant is immediately |jreceded by the vowel of a preceding word 
 (as an reroir), the consonant will be drawn on to the latter, and 
 the e will disappear as before. Thus tni re-voW becomes in rapid 
 spec -h .mre-voir, de ve-nir becomes deve-uir, /a pe-tite, lape-tite, 
 Je re-fiise, jcere-f ..'<e, mon che-nd, monch-v/d, etc. The euphonic 
 princ'ple here involved is the same as before. If re-ce-nir becomes 
 rere-nir (two syllables), it is easy to understand why de ve-nir 
 should become dere-nir (two syllables), for there is no more pause 
 between two words closely connected than between two syllables 
 of the same word. Of course, la pre-niiere could never become 
 
(JO 
 
 Tilt Kvfi to French Soandn. 
 
 
 /(if)tr-mleie, on account of the three consonants />, r, ///, comin^^ 
 toj,'^ether (sec p, 57). 
 
 We have already seen that an '• will disappear before another 
 vowel -that nofre xmi becomes / otr (imi, and innnhr tnaxt, mnrrh 
 iimut, etc. We have also seen that the consonant which precedes 
 the <' is in such case retrenched, in order not to run on to the vowel 
 of the next word (p. 50), that we must not say no-fni-nn, r'ntr-chti- 
 idfif, etc. The consonants in the little words, de, nf, le, etc., how- 
 ever, must violate this rule, because they have no .owel {jrecedinj,*^ 
 them to which they can be joined. We therefore say hinii for le 
 'tmi and </(hif for 'Ir <hif (though we write these sounds P<nni and 
 i/\hie in order to show that the / and '/ are really separate words). 
 
 An f may also disappear under another euphonic principle. We 
 know how readily the consonant s will glide on certain other con- 
 sonants, as in .v/, .vy, .sm, a?*, etc. Hence we can understand how 
 vcl I, (xrld) is apt to become in rapid speech .s'/f<, and how ce qui, ce 
 que, ri' //V'.v/, etc., may similarly become sijui ski) sqc, sfie\ etc. The 
 j being a species of.v partakes of this peculiarity of the latter con- 
 sonant, hence jf tif purlc and jfi Ic pavle instead of becoming jijene 
 park and Jaie piir/e as before stated, may become Jne parle and 
 jh p/it'l(\ which is at least as justifiable on euphonic grounds as the 
 Irishman's fJinore ivhen I Metp. Ik when followed by / (as in iJf 
 III) is also apt to become <//, as dla fmiiec for de hi fiime'e. 
 
 The Effkct op Silent Consonants. 
 We have seen (p. 48) that the letter h is generally silent, and 
 must be treated as non-existent. Hence we say Vhnrttmr and Pfmltif 
 just as if the words hoiiniif and luibit began with a vowel. There 
 are also in FVench many words in which the final consonants are 
 silent. Thus, the j> in trap and hcduniiip must not be pronounced : 
 we say tm' and bomv. In such case, the law relating to the 
 suppression of the e holds good, for if these words do not end with 
 a vowel in writing, they do in speech, and the ear and tongue knows 
 nothing of consonants that are not pronounced. We therefore 
 ]^rono\x\\CQ trop dt' feu SLS trod fell and beaiiroup df fm as Inicovd 
 fen. Here are further examples : 
 
Stfppreasion (tf Final K. 
 
 61 
 
 Pa"* dc Sucre 
 Tou/ le mondc 
 Danj* le cafe 
 Sanx ine dire 
 Je veu»' te voir 
 Tout, ce cafd 
 
 pad sucr 
 toul inond 
 dani caft^ 
 sanm dir 
 jo veut voir 
 tous cafe (5) 
 
 (5) Be sure and make the vowels nasal in tianl, saiim. Keep the tip of tin; tonKiif 
 oil the lower front teeth for the nasals ««,««, etc. If it rises to ilie upper teeili the 
 >ound of M will be produced. In daiil, the tonj^ue must rise to the upper teeth f<jr /, 
 but only after the an sound has been heard. 
 
()2 
 
 The Key 1(1 French Sounds. 
 
 PART II. 
 
 CHAl'TEll I. 
 
 
 II 
 
 :i 
 
 F R K N C H () K r H 0( '. R A V H Y. 
 
 So far we have (u ( upiecl ourselves with the study of French sounds 
 alone, without inquiring very minutely how these sounds are repre- 
 sented in writing. We have merely seen that French makes use 
 of the Roman characters with certain signs of her own for the 
 vowels, and that the Latin alphabet being too limited to represent 
 all the sounds of French speech, it had been necessary in certain 
 cases to combine two characters to represent a single sound, as 
 in the digraphs ni, nu (which are not diphthongs) and f/», rh. We 
 must not forget that the pronunciation of French words has 
 changed very much sinct; the language was first reduced to writ- 
 ing, and that, although F'rench orthography has undergone to 
 son\e extent corresponding changes, it has not kef)t pace 
 with the pronunciation, and that consequently the present ortho- 
 graphy represents very often, not what is now the correct pronun- 
 ciation, but what was considered correct in ancient times. It is 
 for the sake of tradition merely that we write veine instead of renc, 
 jiltirc for j)Ieft, Ini for / <t, and hi'aii for ho', (i) 
 
 (i) Ei in early French was pronounced 6' (diphthong): in the i6ih century it had 
 
 liecome Ci(a.s in soleif), and later flattened into the single sounds (except when followed 
 by/ ; see p. 31). 
 
 Ai was formerly always diphthongal as in fravail: it later hecame C/', and still later 
 flattened into <', its present sound. 
 
 Oi once .epresented the sound of the English diphthong oi {oil) : it was subsequently 
 pronounced oC, and in many words, oe. This o© sound was frequently flattened into 
 f, as in the words ntiglois, /raucois (pronounced anglC, frniicf'). Voltaire substituted 
 «/ for 0/ when the latter w.-is pronounced C, hence the present orthography, anglais, 
 francais, tic. In words like moi, toi, soir, voir, etc., the diphthong of' remained, 
 but in popular speech it tended towards the more open sounds o^, until finally the 
 present sound on was reached. For a long time, however, the literary class held to 
 the pronunciation o^, and ridiculed the more ignorant people who said oa. The stage 
 only abandoned the ot' sound in the present century. In Carada such words as wo/. 
 toi, soir, etc., may still be heard pronounced nto6, foe, vo^V— the aristocratic pronunci- 
 ation of a few years ago. 
 
Frt'ni'h Orthofiraphfj. 
 
 68 
 
 Were the .ortliograpliy of I'rench made perfectly plionetir to- 
 day, it is certain that before another century liad elapsed, many 
 further changes would be necessary in order to keep it phonetic. 
 'Ihe tendency of the pres.ent time is to make the pronunciation 
 conform to the orthography. This is especially true in regard to 
 the pronunciation of the final consonants. Not many years ago, 
 everybody pronounced ///•<, i^mn, jmlis, etc., without sounding the 
 linal .1, whereas it is now consitlered correct to pronounce the ■>-• in 
 these words. 
 
 While the orthography of French is not phonetic, it is very 
 nearly consistent, and does not present the difficulties which are 
 to be met with in English. There are certain rules by which we 
 can determine the phonetic values of the written letters in French, 
 and these rules we will now consider. 
 
 £ 
 
 I. — When ending a syllable this letter has its pr' per sound ; 
 re-W)ir, vi'-nir, Ic-ve, ini\ ti\ t/r. In such case, it is generally thiri 
 and may become silent altogether under certain conditions (see 
 p. 57). Hut if it is preceded by hr or bl (or any other consonant 
 similarly joined with r and /), it has its full sound : Jiie-hujiir, 
 cre-ve, pre-mih'i% ift'e-lof, lUa-lde-rif, do>i-hle-nn'nf, etc. This full 
 e is written a; in this key.* The (r is used in French in the words 
 ii',if,(t!illrf (where it has its true sound), and in a few learned words 
 such aaftrtHs, (esophaye, etc., but in this last case it represents the 
 sound of e. (2) 
 
 II.— When « is written after another vowel, as in inc, ri<:,ji>it',fee^ 
 it is always silent (even in poetry), but signifies that the vowel is 
 full. Pronounce r»/,r, vie, ,jou\ etc., as vi\ ?•?, joa, etc. 
 
 III. — E, written after // when this consonant comes before a or o, 
 is a mere orthographical sign to show that the <j has the sound of 
 /■ : ma)i'feo, pi;p'<>n, ijeole, pronounced iiimiJH, pijotu .l<'>lc- E was 
 once similarly written after c when this consonant was pronounced 
 
 U) In the little words me, te, de, etc., the e is often full, the pronunciation of these 
 words depending, as we have seen, on the words preceding and following them. 
 
64 
 
 The Key to French Sounds. 
 
 i 
 It 
 
 L'H 
 
 s before a, o, or m, as in maceon, laticea, receii^ but we now use 
 another sign — the cedilla — for this purpose : hntca, ina^oii^ regn. 
 
 IV. — In the endings er and ^'i, the e is pronouhced e, the r and c 
 being silent • parlet\ idler, hiurier, avez, marchez. Also in the 
 words pied, sled (including compounds /issied, mhied)^ and clef. 
 Pronounce/rie, sie, eU. 
 
 V. — Except in the cases just mentioned, when e is followed by a 
 consonant in the same syllable, it represents the vowel e : hel, cet, 
 res-te, verse, ex-cep-te, per-drc, ex-i-le (^y-zZ-Ze), ex-er-ce (hj-zh'-se), 
 pronounced hel, cet, ves-te, etc. The rule holds good in case of 
 double consonants, even when the first of such consonants is 
 silent: hd-ld-trc, drcs-se, ef-force, net-te, det-te, pronounced b()-l(i-tr(', 
 dre-se, e-for-re, ne-te, de-te {or net, dt). When a finaW is silent, 
 the rule still holds : va-let, cor-sef, ca-hi-uef, pronounced vn-le 
 cor-se, ci(-bl-)ie. Before a final s, however, e represents its natural 
 sound, and of course may become silent : jr>rtc$, fortes, dettcs, 
 pronounced like jmrtc, forte, dette. (3) 
 
 VI.— E represents e before a final articulated r or r/r : ver, hiver, 
 fer, eufer. Her, hier, mer, nmer, cher, cancer, cniUer, helreder, Ju- 
 piter, ^ther, revolver, terrc, (juerre. (4). Pronounce ver, hirer, etc. 
 This rule holds good when the /• is followed by a silent t, d, or .•< : 
 rert, vers, nnivcrs, perd, pronounced ver, oer, etc. 
 
 VII. - E has the sound of a in femmf, sole i.-iel, hennir, indemniser. 
 Pronounce /'^/«e, ha-nir, so-hi-nU, en-da-ni-ze. In adverbs formed 
 from adjectives ending in ent, as itrdemmcnt (from tudent), prndem- 
 meiit (from prndent), the em has also the sound of a. (5) 
 
 *•• ./!« 
 
 I.— This letter has usually its proper sound : re-me-de, es-p^-ce. 
 tik-gre, sys-t^-me, Ik-vre. 
 
 (3) The e in the litrle words es, res, des, les, mes, tes, ses is, however, pronounced ^. 
 In conversalion it may be pronounced e, 
 
 (4) The ending er of most words is pronounced C, the ;- being silent. The words given 
 above are exceptions. See IV. 
 
 (5) Ent is pronounced an (nasal), and hence when followed by ment it easily loses its 
 nasal quality and becomes simply a. 
 
French Orthof/rajihi/. 
 
 65 
 
 II. — It represents e in the ending ere : mi-s^-re, chi-me-re, che-rc. 
 III. — It represents e in the ending ex (s being silent) : jftrh, tipris, 
 l>roch, de'ces, pronounced pre, p^'o-ce, etc. 
 
 I.— This letter has usually its proper sound : ce-le-bre, te'-me-ri4^^ 
 e'te\ cre-e. 
 
 Il.-^When followed by e it is full : juur-iiet, ot-mee^ vtd-lee. 
 
 I 
 
 I, — This letter usually represents its proper sound : i,', ti-mi, 
 
 II. — When followed by <', it represents t : amie^jolie, Me. 
 III. — It repres nts t in the ending ise : prhe, mise, e'-ylise. 
 
 I.— This letter usually represents its true sound : p (p'l, pape, 
 II nal, joiir-nal, dn-ine. 
 
 II. — It represents n before .se (ze) or sinti : vusc, phitf.se, ijuze, 
 e'msion, {e vd-zi<nk\ jms.sutn (j)d-siou , tuition {naaiiin), roci'tum, 
 relation. (6) 
 
 III. It is equivalent to d before a final s (which is generally 
 silent) : I'ls, hitx, inntehis, pas, tas, pronounced /a, hk, etc. 
 
 IV. — It is equivalent to a before the ending hie : tti-hle, sa-ble, 
 nd-ml-ra-hle, fa-ble, din -hie. 
 
 V. It is equivalent to a before hrv or die: also before vt or 
 ■,re : m-bre, ca-dre, en-nidri', ma-re, d-vu-re, ra-re, har-re, a-inar-re. 
 
 VI. — It is equivalent to a in a few other words, the following 
 bein'> some of the most important : ijramnu; Jlnnime, damner 
 ida.ue), (yupier, f»pcice. 
 
 VII. — When a < omes before y it is pronounced like the diph- 
 thong ei{p. 31;: poif^, essayer {p^i-'fe, e-sei-ije). 
 
 VIII. — The word pnyn is pronounced pei-ifi. 
 
 (6> .S between two vowels - ». In the ending /ion of nouns / - s, hence we include 
 words like «flr/wM, .v/rt//bM, etc., in the above rule, llefore s.v, rt is generally thin, but 
 it is full in the adjectives ^ror.«.v.", /n.i.sf, basse, in the tumns />asse, Insse, classe, niassf, 
 and in the verbs /tassrr, casser, class 'r, amasser, and a few others. 
 
66 
 
 The Key to French Sounds. 
 
 ^ ' 
 
 I. — This letter represents two very different vewel sounds— the 
 open o and the close <>. The open sound is by far the most com- 
 mon. 'I'his open o is nearly always thin : nfive, jjitsh; notir, vntrc, 
 honnf, ItDsse, coniine, forte, mtfc, robe, Rome, wo d e, homme, wth'e, 
 .vo'//v', etc. 
 
 II. -It represents the !"ull open o in the ending or (or or followed 
 by a silent letter) : essor, decor, encore, ohord, nord, port, tort, xort, 
 olitrs, mort, effort, fort, {y* 
 
 III. — It represents the thin close o {o of this Key, but which is 
 not used elsewhere) when it ends a word : « lano, hnivo, zero, rtinot 
 (/ silent), mot, abrico'. horicot, jmletot, pot (t silent in all these 
 words\ repos, voh, t/ros, mts, this (s silent in these words), troji, 
 strop { p silent in these words'. 
 
 IV. —It represents o before the endings xe and tioti : rhoKe, pose, 
 rose, dose, prose, repose, tjlose, alose, emotion (e'mo-sion^, devotion, 
 notion. 
 
 V. — It represents 6 in the different forms of the verb poser (in- 
 cluding its compounds proposer, composer, etc.), and of the verb 
 oser. 
 
 VI. — It represents 6 in the words rosi'e, tjosier, dths'er, fosse, 
 posse, tjrosse (and other derivatives oi <jros) ; in tome,<tt)me, idiome. 
 axiome. urotiie, zone, cijiloiie, and a few other words. ''8) 
 
 OU 
 
 This digraph usually has its thin sound, but when followed by '' 
 it is full : me, moite, Jotie, pronounced rofi, mon, jtru. 
 
 EU or (KU (rare). 
 
 I, When ci« (or ten) ends a word, it has its true sound : bleu, 
 feu, jen, tvr»f, /'/>// (diphthong). This rule holds good even when 
 a silent consonant follows the vowel : deux, fenx, jenx, fameva^ 
 
 (7) Heware of pronouncing th« final .', d, s in these words. When the / or ti i* 
 pronounced, as in paste, morde, etr., the o is thin : compart- parte and port, altorde antl 
 abord. The o must not l)e made rit>'Xt' in any of these words : mode and robe sound 
 very different to the Knglish " iixxle, " rohe." 
 
 (8) The /i in Jff,t,>f and hopit^tl '^ thin 
 
FriH eh rtluxj raphy . 
 
 67 
 
 """/«(/« silent), hiKufa (fx silent), bleus (s silent), mmii*ienc (mc- 
 sii'H). 
 
 II. —It has its true sound when it ends a syllable : I'ht-ropf, 
 t'lt-phniue^ eu-nu'pie, jci'-tliy Jieu-rir, hen-reax. 
 
 III. — It has its full sound before xe and t re : fnmeviff, crciine, 
 peu-reAise, hen-rensp. feu-tre, neu-frc. 
 
 IV. — When it is pronounced on a consonant it has the sound of 
 o' : nenf, 8evl, Jimuf^ cenf, i>n'uve, ni'iiih, veuve, jeune, valenr, nutlhevi\ 
 neteur, st^ur, cwnr, heure, beiirrc. (9) 
 
 V. — In the diphthong enil, the o' sound is also heard ; xeuily 
 ienil, feuil, funteuif, vcuUlez. See p. 31. 
 
 En is written ne in ciK'illir, recneil, cernicil, and a few other simi- 
 lar words, in order to show that the r is hard in these words. If 
 we wrote cneillir, receiiil, etc., the c might be pronounced soft 
 before c. 
 
 VI. ~ In the different forms of the verb ocoir, en is pronounced 
 H : fni eW', nons enmes, jen»»c. 
 
 u 
 
 I.— This letter represents usually its true sound : sxr, </»f, /m, Inne. 
 
 II. — It is full before re or hc : pirt\ pure, tlmr, injure, refuxe, use. 
 uhuse. Pronounce j{ire, nxc, etc. 
 
 III.- Tt is full when followed by e : rue, rue. 
 
 IV. — L in the digraph »ju has no value : qui, que, quoi, quel, 
 t/ueiie, pronounced ki, ke, kct, khl, ken. So equerre, equity, equi- 
 I'oqii^, etc., are pronounced e'ker, e'kite, e'ki-ruk, etc. However, in a 
 few words, recently taken from Latin, un preceded by 7 is pro- 
 nounced '»'*« (diphthong) : e'qutitique, e'qunteur, qumlrupede, pro- 
 nounced ekftuatic, e'kouatmr, etc. 
 
 V. — U is written after 7 simply to show that this consonant is to 
 have its hard or proper sound before e (including e and e) and i : 
 
 (9) In w*m6s \\\ie fi^fu-ve, neu-ve, etc., the eu theoretic.nlly ends the syllable, but 
 pr.tctk'^itly it does not, for wc pronounce these words /ir»'M7', «<"!«', etc. In words like 
 vaieuf-, Hfteuf, etc., ending in r, the en or a- sound is slightly more open than usual. 
 
r4' 
 
 I ' 4 
 
 U' 
 
 
 68 
 
 The Key to French Sounds. 
 
 <ju'i<h\ <jum\ (fuit'irc, (fxinei; iininder, tjufrre^ {iuHr<\ {fuenle, Jicffie^ 
 h)H(jm: Pronounce : </hiiI, (jhw\ tjh/fiiie\ gher, g(d, Jitjhe {ov Jiij). (lo) 
 When II is to be pronounced in the ending ////<', the e takes the 
 (liiieresiH : aiipu', (ttnhigui', pronounced ^(jii, an-hi-ijn. 
 
 Thk Digraphs AU (EAU\ AI and EI. 
 
 We have already seen that the digraphs on and e>i represent 
 simple vowel sounds which are different from any of the sounds 
 represented by t\ e, <>, it, etc. These digraphs are therefore indis- 
 pensable to a French phonetic alphabet. The same cannot be 
 said of the digraphs ai or ei and av which are simply substitutes 
 for the 6 and i' respectively. 
 
 rv,. 
 
 i 
 
 .) - 
 
 ' 1 r 
 
 If 
 
 Ir '.I'T 
 
 AU (or EAU). 
 
 I. — This digraph has nearly always the sound of o' : nii-dace, 
 lau-rier, s<oi,-te, chateau, nuu-venn^ thand ((/silent), hean, beaux {j' 
 silent), >(ussi. 
 
 II. — Before a single consonant, followed by '' (nott'or e , it has 
 the sound of 6 : faittc, nmjc, i)iiinri\ snurc, piiK-vre, nii-tre (i i). 
 
 II I.— It has the sound of 6 before ss -. hnu.ssf-, faiixse. 
 
 W. It has the sound of <* (open") in «?oo)'e, restautr. 
 
 A I AND EI. 
 
 I.— We have already seen that ai and ri followed by I represent 
 diphthongs (p. 31). In all other cases they represent simple 
 sounds— generally that of t' .faitr, aimer, amiiicahw, tfraine, aider, 
 ailc. haisrr, hnJai, hdt {( silent), /'/// (t silent), peine, peiajiier, reiia\ 
 sri-,jm'ur, haleiuc. Pronounce fet, e-me, le, }hie, vene, etc., not 
 fe't, e-me', le, etc. 
 
 II. -When tii bears a circumflex (over the / , it has the sound of 
 e : maitre, jtaraitre, frnrhe. 
 
 (k)) It is to be regretted that // is not used for this piirpcsj instead of n, whicli iy 
 somewhat inisleadinj?. In aiguille and its derivatives the ui is a diphthong. 
 
 (11) For the purpose of the ahove rule//-, »';-, etc., may be considered single lou- 
 .soiKints. 
 
French Orthoifraphi/. 
 
 60 
 
 lll.— Ai has the sound of ^ before final r or n- : nir, iKiir<\ 
 i'ii(iiri\ fiiiri'. 
 
 IV. — It has the sound of e in the endings ««/.s and <//> or nkm- : 
 frui^'inx is sWent), fiti(/hns, rnois^ junnfix {s silent in all such words); 
 fr.iixf^ iHtnivaifn;, rhttise, hnixne., (jriisse. (12) 
 
 V. — Ai followed by c is full : vrdc. 
 
 Ei also sounds like e in reJiie, aeize, rntre, and a few other 
 words. 
 
 VI. -The verb jV// (I have is pronounced ,/V, not je. Hence also 
 the future ending of all verbs (as je patlcr-al, je doNner-ai, etc.), 
 being in reality the verb ni, is also pronounced e. The ending ni 
 of the past definite of all verbs is also pronounced e, to distinguish 
 the tense from the Imperfect : k jt/nhii.s (Imperfect, / 11 as spmJdinj) 
 but je jxtrhii (Past definite, 1 sfnike). 
 
 VII. — The words gai and qnai, je sais, je vais are generally pro- 
 nounced in conversation as ghe', he, je se and je ve. In all other 
 cases than those just mentioned, the student should take particular 
 pains to pronounce ai as /' or e. Nothing is more common than 
 to hear English persons say : je / arTe Vangle\ m,e pas le frmi^'e for 
 je '< 'tie Pamjhiis, m'lis pus le fraia^'ais. In Paris, we may often hear 
 thf same thing, it is true, but chiefly among the ignorant, or those 
 wl V have paid little attention to elocution. 
 
 THE NASAL VOWELS. 
 There are several ways of writing the nasal vowels : 
 
 nm — un : parfmii, humble. 
 
 Om = on : 'jtom, (iinhrelle, (inihn; /»> ■>?»/»*'. 
 
 am, em, or en = an : amlre, inemhre^ehcre, encore. 
 
 ini. In, ain or ein = 6n : ////' /'//% *•///, .s,iin, sein. (13) 
 
 Note. — ^J is written in place of n chiefly before /* and /*. Since 
 ft/ and ei - <■, it is easily seen why '//// and ein should - en. The 
 en is itself not written (except in this Key), for in the diphthong 
 
 (12) Kxceptions : The ending <//s of verbs (as Je par/a is) is pronouneed t' (thin). The 
 ai in the different forms of the verlj loi.isef is also pronounced e. 
 
70 
 
 The Key to French Sounds. 
 
 ien (as bien, mien, etc.\ and in the ending yen (citni/i>n, moyen) the « 
 has no mark over it. (14) When en occurs elsewhere it represents 
 an : eittre and nntre^ e»cre and murf^ are pronounced alike. We must 
 except the words eMimen and IJunt/je'en, which are pronounced 
 etj-za-men and Enntpe-Sn. The student will also observe that a 
 nasal vowel is never followed by another vowel. Thus tin is nasal, 
 but une is not ; in plein, vain, stun, and vin there are nasal vowels, 
 but not in pleine, viine, .saine, vi-nnUjre, 
 
 (13) Do not confound ein with the diphthong ien, p. 27. Aim also occurs in a few 
 words, an /aim, essaim. It is, of course, pronounced like ain. 
 
 (14) The diphthong ien in the endings ient and ience of nouns and adjectives is pro- 
 nounced ian : patient, science. 
 
 .1 . 
 
The Vahiex of the ConmmautH. 
 
 71 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 THE VALUES OF THE CONSONANTS. 
 
 P AND B. 
 
 I. These two letters nearly always have their true value. The 
 final p is, however, silent : conjp, champ, <1r<ip, frajt, Unip (pro- 
 nounced con, chan, <ira, fro', hm). We must except cn^t, cep, jnfnp, 
 jnhp. 
 
 II.- -The b is silent in plinnh and its derivative 'iphnnh. 
 
 III. — P is also silent in the following words: haptiner. .v>pf, 
 arulpter, dompter, compter, and derivatives. The pi is silent in 
 pr.tmpt and exempt, the ps in temps, romps and corps. 
 
 IV. — Ph is pronounced/: phonelique, philosophie. 
 
 V AND F. 
 
 I. — These two letters usually have their true value. The r is 
 never silent ; the / is silent only in ccrf, def, mrf, thef-iVouvw, 
 Ihch/s, (cufs. 
 
 M 
 
 I. — This letter is silent in iiMtomw and iftniiner f^pronounced 
 avttmc, (ldner). 
 
 Note. — It will be remembered that m, when final or followed 
 by another consonant, is not articulated, but merely indicates that 
 the vowel preceding it is nasal. When m is doubled this rule does 
 not hold, for two //*'.v are treated as one. Hence in <jrammc, homnic, 
 etc., there is no nasal vowel (i). In the words rhutn, forum, oHiim, 
 museum, maximum, aiid a few other words taken recently from 
 foreign languages, the m is articulated, the nm being in such case 
 pronounced ome. 
 
 T AND D. 
 
 I, — The final / and d are nearly always silent. The final '/ is 
 pronounced only in snd and a few proper names. 
 
 II. — Final / is pronounced in hrut, chut, dot, fot, fret, est (east\ 
 
72 
 
 The Ki'ff to French Sin(H(li{. 
 
 
 oncst, kitt, mulfy nitif, s^'pf, knit, lit, rapt, yuchl, ijmnit, tottxf, ir///.v/, 
 Zi'iiilh, avimlt, t/ejiiit, hilhist timl, nhitipt, /iie'/e'tit, apt, Ch ist ; 
 and in the following, ending in d : ront^nt, anred, strid, distrid, 
 ifiint, iiij'cd. 
 
 III. In the ending t'lon and tie. of nouns / has the sound of x 
 (tKttit'ti, i-imi/ititm, democratic, aridocfatic), except when preceded 
 by «, when it has its true value : (jncdion, digedioUy modedif\ 
 hod it'. (2) 
 
 IV'.— 7' has the sound of s in the endings tint, tiel, ticu.i; tieust : 
 ft ntiiil, jHirtiti, ambdititx, ahdntieits<: 
 
 V^ - /' has the sound of n in the endings timt and tie ce of nouns 
 and adjectives • patient, paticnre, jmticHte. In such case the diph- 
 thong /<'// is pronounced ian, not j<^//. 
 
 N 
 
 I— When this letter is final or followed by a consonant, it 
 
 simply denotes that the vowel preceding it is nasal : don, man, 
 
 'oiiifctir, etc. The final n is, however, articulated in aiiwH, hipiien, 
 
 nhilnnu'.n, and a few other words lately taken from Latin or Greek. 
 
 The vowel preceding the u in these words is, of course, not nasal. 
 
 II. — ^ has no value in the word mmisienr {nn'-aieu). 
 
 III. — In the 3rd Person pi. of verbs ent has no phonetic value : 
 pintcnt, portent, doit,- e t (pronounced parte, jtorte, donne). 
 
 I. This letter has usually its true value : bal, solle, pile, tie, fa. 
 
 II. When // is preceded by i it has the value of y : hr llaid, 
 filtette, billet, JiUe, f mille (pronounced hri-ipni, fi-ijet, fi-ye, fa- 
 iiit-i/e). This rule holds good when / is the last element of a 
 diphthong : trtfvuiUti, bronillard, meUleiir, honteille {fravai-ipt 
 broui-yar, niei-] cer, bimtii-ye). (3) 
 
 (i) In a few words beginning with rmm, the em being a prehx is, however, pro- 
 nounced nasal (like «»/) : em-mener, em-mancher. 
 
 (2) T must never be pronounced :? in the ending tions of verbs : ctions, fartions, etc. 
 
 (3) But in the words, ville, mille, tranqiiille, imb^cille, codicille, distiller, and one 
 or two others, the // is pronounced /. And in words beginning with ill, both Is are 
 pronounced : i!-legal, il-licite, iUlustre. 
 
Vahwa <*/* thr (^onsonantx. 
 
 78 
 
 III. — When final / is preceded by a diphthong whose last ele- 
 ment is i {as on p. 31) a light // sound may also he heard after 
 the diphthong : salt'i/, tnirai/, nil, JhionU (."«'/<'"/»/, frm-oiij, (f/i/, 
 fnioniif). (4) 
 
 IV.— The final / is silent in /xt/i , rhrnil, routH./imil, >fefifil, yiil, 
 (ir((sil, nomlnil, oniV, /x'.rsil, soinril, Jih. (5) 
 
 S AND Z. 
 
 II.— Final .v and s are silent. The former is, however, pro- 
 nounced in the following words : aloes, «.v, ti/hm, he'/. is, his, iria, 
 jadin, ifrafis, lis,, metis, iiia'i», tandis, i-is,JiLs, as, merinos, rhintxr'ros, 
 oiirx, nuns, viovvh, tons (pronoun), sevti, laps, and a few Latin words 
 in US : chorus, rims, omnibus, Jiiotiis, re'biis, etc. 
 
 II. — When a single » comes between two vowels, it is pro- 
 nounced z : rose, base, maison, etc. In compound words, however, 
 the s retains its true sound : eniresol, ftarasol, rraisemblahle, etc. 
 
 III. — Double v is pronounced .s : j/lisser, baisser. 
 
 (4) They sound is mucli more marked in wordh like bn'llniit, truvailla, et;:. |in wliiili 
 a vowel follows the //], than in words like soleil, travail, etc. In prononncing the 
 latter, the tongue should rise as usual to the palate after the diphthong ai or I'i is 
 heard, hut on falling, only a faint pufl" of hreath, unaccompanied hy any vocal sound, 
 should escape. In words !ikey?7/r, fatnillr, travaillr, etc., in which //is followetl hy 
 e, the sound of r may accompany \.\\&y. In poetry, this yr \llc\ woidd coinit as a 
 syllahle. In ordinary speech, however, the final c would he silent in both cases, so 
 that the y in travaille would he precisely like that in travail. Of course, if a consonant 
 follows in the next « ord, as in travail iliir, travaillr pour voiis. Jlllr dr Monsinir, 
 the puff of the J' would he suppresstd, according to rule p. 50, which means that the 't- 
 would he completely ohliterated. V/hen. therefore, words like yirV/r, /;r,T'«//, //v«'rt///r, 
 etc., stand alone or are followed hy vowels, the / or // may he pronouncfd as ,i', hut if 
 followed hy consonants, the y,l, or lie will he completely silent : fi or .\fi--sicit, travai 
 dttr, travai /lottr voii. In some parts of France the // or final / in W(>rds like the 
 above is pronounced like the Italian g;l, and is called / mouilie. Littre, in his die- 
 tionary, inauitanis that this / mouilie, and not y, is the correct sound. While there 
 seems no doubt that / mouilie was at one time the usual pronunciation of the ///, //, it 
 is now scarcely ever heard in Varis, and seems to be graciually disappearing wherever 
 French is spoken. 
 
 (a) Careless speakers also suppress the / in /'/, ils. The expression s'ivons f>laU for 
 s'il vous filalt is so common that in conversation it can hjirdly he considered wrong. 
 
74 
 
 Tlic Kc}i to I't'cnch Sonudu, 
 
 . K 
 
 I.— This letter is silent in the endinj,'^ ei\ also in the word mon- 
 sieur : (hhnit't', fxoii'r, ltiurli'i\ tdtlcr, etc. Exceptions. -/J is pro- 
 nounced in the following words ending in '/• ; iin'i; iniifi\ ffi\ enfe/\ 
 n'i\ Iiii'i'i; Jia\ iher, ainr>^<', ciii/ltr, i'lhr)\ Jupiter, ht'lrriler, 
 rrruli'vr. (6) 
 
 CU AND J. 
 
 II. — The letter /■ always represents its true sound, ('h is pro- 
 nounced /.' in words taken recently from (Ireek, Heljrew, and 
 Italian : nrrhcsirc, ch'ios, chorus, e't-lr; rhole'ri. When followed by 
 another consonant, it is generally of (ireekorij^in, .md must always 
 be pronounced as r (or fc) simply : ('hrisf, i-hronohfjic, fechniqur. 
 
 II. — Ch is silent in nhmvuach. 
 
 I.— This letter re, resents sometimes a vowel and sometimes a 
 consonant. When it stands I)etween two consonants, it is equiva- 
 lent to the vowel l : s\ilhihc, c\nii\ stiilc (pronounced . .s/V-Ar-^e, 
 si -de., s(i-lt'). 
 
 II.— When // is followed by a vowol, it is a consonant : jiole, 
 Ifucht. 
 
 NOTK.— F begins only one or two words. The word i/en.r is 
 simply the diphthong iefi. Here // also represents /. 
 
 III.— When 1/ stands between two vowels, the first vowel is 
 generally 'liphfhowjal, ending in the sound / : itjtjntyer ('(-pnii/e), 
 nitiHt/cr (<ni-nui-yt^), payer {pel-ye), essKycr. The vowel <>, however, 
 becomes in such case triphtliov.y>il, as we have seen (p. 32) : Idj/til, 
 eifoip'n {l.imi-yal, sitoai-yht). 
 
 IV.- The word pays is pronounced pei-yi. 
 
 K (C, Q) AND G. 
 
 I. ^is not used in French, except in a'few words taken from 
 foreign languages. It has in such words its true sound. 
 
 II.-C has the sound of /.• {lac, ml, mu) except when followed by 
 
 (6) It is rfinembered that e/- in tl tse words is pronounced c/'. See p. (^4, VI. 
 
Vulld'H (if (h' Ci^HttOHilHtH. 
 
 75 
 
 »• or / (j/), vvlicn it is protK-imced ••« : fvA/, r/7, r///7r. It somctinies 
 also has the sound of -t brfore '/, o, and ii, but in such ( asc it 
 aluays takes a mark called the cedilla : <a, h'CDn, rtrn, ftirn\-<n.s. 
 
 III. When two '.v arc written before/ or*, tin lirst is 
 noiuux'd as A\ and rhe secrjnd as .s : mri's, firrr/itr/; iir<iilfiii. 
 
 P' 
 
 ()• 
 
 i\^-(' 
 
 is pronounced// in sinuiJ, i::iir, zim 
 
 V. Final c is silent in /// 
 
 <K' I nir, niv. arnenir 
 
 till 
 
 iiif, fsfoiii'ir, 
 
 liet'c, pore, mure, hnnr, l>lu)n\ jl)iio\ fnuu, /mm; join-, t/iim. (7) 
 \'I. • Ct is silent in iisfter/^ nnnpert, 'ihjvrt, ins/ifirf. 
 
 \'II. -Q is pronounced A, but is nearly always written 7'/, except 
 in ciiKi, '-oil : 7'//, que, ijhdI, tjneiw {ki,bi, /.(««, /. ). (<S) 
 
 The q in riii,f becomes silent before another consonant : rlmi 
 lierex {ckn, livre). 
 
 \'1II. - before '' (including f', r) or / is pronouni cd / : ;fvmir. 
 lujir. ijilitt. The letter w is therefore w ritten after </ when an e or / 
 follows, if the consonant is to have its true sound : ijuvm; lituijut, 
 ;/viil>; tiifur, fSec j). 67, \'.) 
 
 1\. — h' final is silent in Ixmrfi, t'tonij, Inin'mj, nitui^ sang, aeiiKj. 
 lotnj, fntinii, onniif'OiihnKj. ijt in iloi'jl, rlmit, and ;/•< in /^f/.s (le). 
 
 r.s 
 
 I. — These letters usuall) reprc^sent a single ^.ounil : 'i-ifiiiiui, 
 I'll ni jut -ijn<\ Hi-ijuu . In a few words recenth taken from L.iiin the 
 ijn represents the sounds of .7 and // : iij-nUion, tihiij-miHiui, 
 
 II. — Siijni't is pronounced sl-ttv. 
 
 I. — This letter j4enerally represents the sound /.>• : cx-pres, 
 I'.e-pliqKfr', ex-pi rn\Jixrr, etc. 
 
 II. — When ex is followed by a \owel, it rej)rcsents the sound of 
 </■: : ex-errise, ex-ih\ ex-alter, ex-hav}<.^er (h silent), e.x-hiinier. (9; 
 Hence e is often w ritten after ex to show that the kx sound is to be 
 
 (7) The (" in lintic is pronounced when the word comes before a vowel, or stands at 
 l.ie beginiiiiij; oi end of a sentence. 
 
 (8) In a few words, such a> equiitiquc, egunlciir, etc., the ii ha- a \ahie distinct 
 from the (]. See page 67. 
 
7(5 
 
 'J'hr Keif fit F re licit SihiikIh. 
 
 preserved : cr-citir, rj'-i-e/itt'r, v.u\ In the middle of words, how- 
 ever, * r followed l)y inn or tr re])resents the kn sound : rejle.rion, 
 r nnjilrrinii, rexer, annt'xt'f'. 
 
 III. — Final .»• represents s simply, and is silent, except in nix and 
 »/'.r, ill \vlii( h it only becomes silent before a consonant ; xix 
 jnUTK, (lix Jonri {sijoiii^ ili joMr). (lo) 
 
 IV. — X has the value of ;. in tiix-lmif^ dix-iifuj', tle.uxihac^ 
 aixiiuiu:, dixietiK'. 
 
 H 
 
 I. -We have already seen that /« is never really pronounced in 
 French (except in a few interjections), but in a number of words 
 the // has the value of a consonant, inasmuch as it prevents elision 
 and " liaison " (see p. 78). We ^ivc below some of the commoner 
 words in which h has the value al)ove mentioned ; 
 
 hache, axe 
 haine, hatred 
 harnais, harness 
 harpe, harp 
 hasard, hazard 
 hdte, haste 
 haltc, halt 
 hameau, hamlet 
 
 haricot, bean 
 havre, harbor 
 heros, hero 
 heron, heron 
 herse, harrow 
 heurter, to hit against 
 hibou, owl 
 
 haut, hijfh 
 houle, surge 
 hors, outside 
 hideux, hideous 
 homard, lobster 
 honte, shame 
 houblon, hops 
 hutte, hut 
 hurler, to howl 
 hussard, hussar. 
 
 hair, to hate 
 hardi, brave, bold harrasser, to harrass 
 hardes, clothing hanche, hip 
 hareng, herring 
 
 II.— The letter/* is used in the digraphs r//, /ih, and th. For 
 the pronunciation of ch see p. 42. Ph is pronounced /. In th, 
 however, // has no value : the'irrie {te-o-ri , <ithee. {n-tee). 
 
 •w 
 
 I. — This character is not used in French except in one or two 
 
 (9) The h ill exhumer, exhausser, etc., not being pronounced, the .v is followed by 
 ii vowel in these words. 
 
 (10) In a few words, such as index, prefix, larynx, recently taken from Latin, the 
 fnial -v ' Ics. 
 
ValueH of the ConsunanU. 
 
 i i 
 
 words borrowed from Kn^disli and Cierman. In inujon it is pro- 
 nounced (', this word beinj^ also written nttjna. (\\) 
 
 II. W'hixl, iiliishi/, niinnnt are pronounced miia/^ tnnsli 
 tinnnrnt, on bcin^' as near as most French persons ever get to the 
 Knglish w or wh. 
 
 d-juhlk consonants. 
 
 Double consonants have j,'encrallv the \akie of a single conso- 
 nant only. In words beginning with ill, imm, /////, ;>r, ami, it is 
 preferable to pronounce both consonants : il-leijal, im-m' nuc, in-m\ 
 ir-rc'iiistibh', an- miles 
 
 THP: "ACCENTS." 
 
 The marks ' ' * which we have been using over the French 
 vowels are generally called " accents." because they were taken 
 from the (ireek, in which language they scivcd to indicate the 
 position and nature of the accent in (ireek words, ihese marks 
 serve a very different purpose in French, as we have seen. The 
 " circumflex " may be found on any of the vowels it, r, /, «, u. The 
 "acute " and the "grave" are found on the <: The grave is also 
 occasionally found on ii anil u. In such case it has no phonetic 
 value, but merely serves to distinguish two words whose ortho- 
 graphy would be otherwise alike . In {flu'', In (tlwre , on (/</•), m) 
 {where). 
 
 THE NAMES OF THE LEITEKS. 
 
 A li 
 
 C I) 
 
 E 
 
 F 
 
 C. 
 
 H 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 K 
 
 a l)e 
 
 se dt5 
 
 e(i2) 
 
 ef 
 
 je 
 
 ach 
 
 i 
 
 J' 
 
 ka 
 
 L M 
 
 N O 
 
 P 
 
 Q 
 
 K 
 
 S 
 
 r 
 
 C 
 
 \' 
 
 b\ 6me 
 
 ene o 
 
 pe 
 
 ku 
 
 L'V 
 
 es 
 
 te 
 
 u 
 
 ve 
 
 W 
 
 X Y 
 
 Z 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 )uble-ve 
 
 iks i gr6c 
 
 zed 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The modern names of the consonants are : In-, xc, <lf, j'r, ijhr, he, 
 je, /e, me, ne, pr, ke, re, s^, te, re, kse, ye, ze. 
 
 (ii) Tlic Cierinan tv sounds something like an Knclish or French ?■ (but to pronounce 
 ii the lower lip must not touch liie upper teetbj ami when it occurs in ( Icrinan wortls 
 used in Frencli it is protioiuiced i'. Only one or two such vvords, however, are to be 
 found ill the dictionary of the French .\cadeiny. 
 
 (12) The ihrce characters *' C (' ha\c only one name (,/), ihi)u;;h the tirst is often called 
 f niitft, the 2iid r acd'tit grave, arul the third e iiccrHt tit'ij^u. 
 
 fl| 
 
78 
 
 Tin' Kcf/ to Frowli Sounds. 
 
 C 11 A V T P: li 111. 
 FINAI. CONSONANTS, LIAISON, Etc. 
 
 We have just seen thai many of the final consonants that are 
 written are not pronounced. As a general rule, the final ^ (includ- 
 inj^ .V and :.), the final / or f/, and the final /> are silent. 
 
 In early Krench these final consonants were of course articu- 
 lated, otherwise they would not be written to-day. WJien ih y 
 came into contact with a consonant of a following word they were 
 retrenched and weakened, until finally they ceased to be articulated 
 altogether. They generally persisted, however, when followed b>' 
 a vowel, as in rlwz rile, ilc.ii.r dUvti, ha nntres^ for in such case the 
 articulation of the consonant is most n.itural and pre\ents a gap 
 or hi'ifiiH between two xowcls. The tinai .s or .»•, it should be said, 
 always weakened into :., so that \\e pronounce <irit\ diU'it, Ics aiii-.f, 
 etc., <is (h'.iiz ("'/(', /('.:; vli\ etc. ( i ) 
 
 The final / and '/ persisted before a xowel nearly as tenaciously 
 as the v and r:, but with this tlifference that the / instead of becom- 
 ing weak and sonant (instead of becoming '/ ) remained surd, and 
 the '/also bename surd (became /j. Wvncc </iifH(l lu)}time^ iiiuind 
 on iKirb\ etc., is pronounceil ifvatit <>tni\ qinait on pnih\ etc. (2). 
 
 The little word at {h<i.s) has a curious history. Tlie final / was 
 soon suppressed in this \\()rd, which was written n. It persisted 
 however, whenever it vias followed by the pronouns fl, die, or on, 
 in the interrogative, as in nl-il .' <if-cllc .' nl-on'f The early gram- 
 marians, not knowing the meaning of this /, which was heard in 
 the above e.xpressions, imagined that it was added for the sake 
 
 (i) In old French documciils we find .i- and z written iiidifTerently for .« in ili<- pliiriil. 
 To-day tlif X is still iisud tn mark the pliirut of words ending in rii and nii : /'cn.v, 
 Iwnu.v, etL-. 
 
 (->) Tin- l.alin .< regularly lieronies c lietweeii two vowels in French (as rvsa heronu-s 
 ivzc) anil it is chiclly heiwei-n two \iiwcls (.c in lis aitrs, i/tii.v ai'lrs) that the coiinuon 
 people pronoiuice tin: (nuil ,v. The change of this itinsonant into z in such ta.se is 
 therefore easily accounted for. \ final <i on the other hand is only heard in suit ;iitd 
 one or two proper names, whereas a fnial / is much more fretjuent. The cli.-insii- of fni;t-l 
 d '\;\^o I is therefore njt unnatural. 
 
Final (^<>iiiioniinti<, Liaison, Ktc. 
 
 71) 
 
 of euphony, and so they separated it from the n by a hyplien and 
 wrote a-t-if,n-t-<'ll(\ n-t-on. This error has not yet been effaced. (3) 
 
 'I'he arti( uhition of the final consonants when they conic before 
 a 'vord be},Mnnin^ with a vowel is, as we have said, very natural, 
 and in certain expressions, su( h as noux nntrcs, lis mil. out vU\ fsf 
 /r'(', I'DUn rteii, hc.aiix tirts, leu rt//j./.s, (hiiK oniNi/i's, etc., it is never neg- 
 lected even by the most illiterate French peo|)le. When we go 
 beyond expressions like these, however, and articulate the final 
 consonants in expressions like /i/iiiih's tii.si'tnl>lt\ rhit'i\ (UjiC'ihh\ jt'itnex 
 rl liiiix, efi\, we are no lonj^er followed by the common |)eople, for 
 this pronunciation is mor(.' <n less artilic ial and aft'ecti-d, however 
 elegant .md correct it may be Frnest Legouve, in his book, 
 LWrt ilr Id fjiv/iin; relates that Mme. de(iirardin once corrected a 
 young actress for articulating the s iii j>liinfe'rH i'nsfiihfi\ on the 
 ground that it was (|uite unnatural for a young person to pronounce 
 in that way. In reading poetr)-, the final c:()nsonants should always 
 be articulated when they come before a vowel, but in |)rose there 
 are many cases where; this rule cannot be followed too strictly, 
 and in familiar conversation the rule should be apj)lied still more 
 cautiously ; for we can appear too formal, stiff and cold by de\ iat- 
 ing too widely from the common habits of speech. \\\ _i;i\e 
 below some sj)e(ific directions for the treatment of tin- (inal < on- 
 sonants, which no doubt will pro\e useful to the student. 
 
 Fix A LP OK H, C OK ('.. 
 
 These letters, when naturally silent, remain silent before a vowel. 
 Exceptions : The /> in fri>ft ami iKntiiconp violate the rule : lin\\ iir>ni\ 
 hi'nnn>n\i () fill re. 
 
 KIN.Al. F AM) \'. 
 
 V is really never final. F is fre(|uently final, but rarely silent. 
 The fmal ,/' of iniif t)eronies /• b(;fore a \(»W('l : unif tins, j)ro- 
 nouiK fd nnir •ui. 
 
 ( )) A «itllilar t rmr ua-i in.ulc in scpaiatiii;; ilic/ in ;r<l pfis. sini;. nf vx-rlpsof tlie i^-t 
 ciiMJUg.»lii)ii wlit^ii iiHCil interrogatively, c-K. : ilouur-tii ? tionnf-t-rl!v? duiinv-i-nn? 
 
80 
 
 T}(e Key to French Sounds, 
 
 FINAL L. 
 
 This letter, when naturally silent, remain'^ silent before a vowel : 
 fusil a iie.ntbe. 
 
 FINAL M AND N. 
 
 These letters when final simply denote thr't the vowel precedinj,^ 
 them is nasal, and consequently they must not be pronounced : 
 pcrfntn a I'tudre, un nom inti'ipr, du rin excellent, 
 
 I'.[PORTANT PIXCKPTION,- The final /( of a'/jertives is articu- 
 lated when followed b)' a vowel : mmi mni uioiji'u uijf, nii niifn; 
 boil elal^ etc. The a in the words fH„ on, h'n-ii, nnnhlcn, and rien 
 is also articulatetl in such case : "// a, hifH iirmi\ romhirH nvez-voiifi, 
 rifii () f'lirr. Care must be taken not to ruin the nasal vowel by 
 articulating; the n. too soon. Let the nasal vowel be fully pro- 
 nouncetl before the tonj^iie rises to the teeth. We may represent 
 the pronunciation of the above words as follows ; rno/ill ami, 
 loiu autn\ onli (i, etc. 
 
 FINAL K. 
 
 This letter, when naturulh- .ilent, remains silent before a vowel : 
 aimjuHfr rt fdar'tl. If f»mtiis. a venir, le fevm'tvr t>st nrriir 
 
 ExcKPTIONS. The final r of adjectives may be articulated 
 before a aotoi bej^innini^ with a vcwel : sImjHiicr «'_fl'et, firemifr 
 mitour, (((•rnirr cufinit. 
 
 The ;- of verbs ending in >'r n^ay also be articulated before a 
 vowel : (liuur a hnin; fnirh'r d nionn'unir, iOUr 'in i-li nn/i. Care 
 must be taken to preserve the >•' sound of the <■ in <•/-, and not to 
 pronounce it i>. In fatniliar conversation the students would per- 
 haps do as well to keej) the ;• silent in the above cases. In reading, 
 however, he should articulate it. 
 
 FINAL T AM) I). 
 
 I. Final / when naturally silent is often pron«)unced before a 
 vow i, especially in verbs : rsf iri, miJ. etv\ ri>iii 'ilnrs. 
 
 IL — The final d of verbs may be jironounced / before a vowel : 
 pirnd line lid)U\ 'ijiprt'iid a lin-, r<,iid-il. This rule must be applied 
 
Final C()HHoH(tittx, Llriixnn, Ktr 
 
 81 
 
 with caution, especially in conversation. Thus, // n-i„l <\ i„>'sr„l 
 niiKlu be taken for // n-nte a /nrHnU if the d of mul were pro- 
 niMnued as /. When final / or <! is preceded by /', il should be 
 left silent : il jmrl a /,n's,:ii/, 1/ pvnl inir filh: We must except, 
 however, such interrogative forni*! as /jenl-i/ ." fudt-on 'i etc., in 
 which the articulation of the i (or d must never be ne^dected. (4) 
 
 III. riielinal / or '/ of nouns and adjectives should remain 
 silent at least in ordinary speech : '/// vul <;4 rcnu, il mi rnn/ 
 'iNssi. E.xceptions.— We should ne\er fail to articulate the / in 
 the adjective /n/^/, and the >l in the adjective ;/r<in>/ when these 
 words are followed by a vowc! : tnnf n mii, iji'iitd toui {;/r<iiit <tmi.) 
 
 IV. — The final / of several other words >.uch as hint riniimmi^ 
 etc., mav be articulated before a vowel. The '/ of the word nii,(uil 
 should never be nej.;lected in that i:ase : ijumnl on, /in/' ^jittoif on). 
 
 V. -The / of the rf is always kept silent, no doubt to distinguish 
 the word from (.n/. 
 
 FINAL S, /. Ok X. 
 
 1. These three letters when hnal and naturally silent are pio- 
 nounced : when the> come before a vowel, ./c siiin ir,^ l,s 'inii,s, 
 rtniH ai-i'A r'f,'. It is particularly important not to neglect the .v (ov 
 rather v) in les, tlfn, rrv, nus, nrr::, and other words of frequent 
 occurrence when they come before a vowel. We would sc arcelv 
 be understood if we said nnu tn-nn for nun:, Knm, r !>■ a mi for 
 //',: <imi (Irs (I mis). Exception, l-'inal .s preceded by r remain^ 
 silent : i'its mic lnnri\ />■ piirs anr liii. (5; 
 
 THK X'.M.l'K OK II. 
 
 In most French words /( lia> n(» \alue whatever. Thus the 
 words /i<imiiu\ hi'iin\ li<il>ii, luminur, (;tc., are to be treated as 
 
 (4) Tlie/ |niw/| in tlu'NC iiitcrn)n;iti\<- r.)iiii> !■> niii nii to the //, c//*", or«»< : proiioiitKe 
 f>er-til, fitir-Uiit, lou-lil Uoiui-t'l], etr. 
 
 (5) One of ilic rliicf leiisons fin .u tii.iilatiim .i (inal consonant s\hii:li is liy nature 
 silent, is to prevent /</<//«.%•. When no hiattis i an <« c iir. tht;ie is nnuh less reason for 
 artiuulaiiiin the silent consonant. .VtcordiiiKl) , in words emlinj; in r.t, /-/, rd, there is no 
 good reason for pronouiH int; th.' linal .\', /, </, •^illl f the /-prti t-ding these letters i-piD- 
 noiinced. 
 
82 
 
 Tli(t Kcfi to FnfHch S<ni)t(j!i. 
 
 words beginniiiK^ with a vowel, and a final consonant before these 
 words must be articulated : (h'vx lumimes, troin heurns, lf» hahitu, 
 ■■<inn lioiitH'Uy. 
 
 There are certain words, however, in which the h is pronounced 
 — or at least was pronounced until quite recently,— and in such 
 words h has the value of a consonant. We pronounce les hirhes, 
 (tfn.v Iioiu'iii/k, hon fiihdU, as Ic nche, den unitir, bun ibou, not 
 /f'/j (iilir, himn ihun, etc. See p. 76. 
 
 THE VALUE OF LMTIAL Y. 
 
 Y only begins one or two words. In i/o/.h and yathf (i/fif) // is a 
 
 true consonant, and hence in /rs i/n/cs and /rs i/ochts we keep the .v 
 
 of /cs silent. In the word yen\. // simply represents /, and hence 
 
 we pronounce the .v in As vcn\ (/t-: ten). The word // (there), is 
 
 also pronounced / ; hence we say 't//i>nB '/ (<i/i)nz /), ,s<ins y n-ftrr 
 etc. 
 
 PRACTICAL EXERCISES. 
 
 Further |)ractical exercises illustrating the rules and principles 
 set forth in this work will be found in Part I. of our Analytical 
 French Method. 
 
THE Dh BRISAY 
 
 2se 
 
 itn, 
 
 :ecl 
 ich 
 
 not 
 
 s a 
 
 e .V 
 
 )ce 
 
 is 
 
 les 
 :al 
 
 ANALYTICAL METHOD 
 
 —OF— 
 
 LEARNlNe LATIN AND FRENCH. 
 
 -o- 
 
 By means of this method any i)erson of average intelli- 
 gence can acquire a practical knowledge of either Latin 
 or French in three months, so as to fit himself for any 
 of the ordinary examinations in these languages. 
 
 The system has nothing in common with any of the 
 superficial ronreniational methods which have lately come 
 into use. It emhraces a vocahulary of (5,000 words, 
 presenting these words in such a way that ten are almost 
 as easily learned as one. It, moreover, acquaints the 
 student with the manner in which words are formed, 
 thus enahling him to form them for himself when his 
 memory fails him. 
 
 The grammar of the language is taught analytically — 
 from the language itself, — and the reasons (historical 
 and logical) are given for the principles noted. In this 
 way, French and Latin grammar, instead of heing a 
 mass of arhitrary rules, is made logical, consistent, and 
 full of interest. 
 
 Every lesson contains conversational exercises, com- 
 posed, not of sentences like, " llarc j/on seen nii/ father's 
 old hat / " hut of natural idiomatic speech. 
 
 In the Latin lessons full directions are given for the 
 reading of Latin in the Iloman order, so that a Latin 
 period can he understood without heing reconstructed 
 on the English model. 
 
 Part I. (either language) will he mailed to any address 
 on receipt of 25 cents. A [)amphlet descriptive of our 
 Latin method will he sent free. 
 
 ACADEMIE DE BRISAY, 
 
 2 CoUeg^e St.. Toronto, Ont.