Tafel.] 3QQ [October. 



five general voxoel-sounds common to all nations, and no other sounds 

 are designated by these letters in any other except in the English 

 language. 



Besides these general vowel-sounds common to all languages, there 

 are also particular vowel-sounds, peculiar to individual tongues. 

 They are variations or shades of the general vowel-sounds, produced 

 either by changes in the opening of the mouth, or by slight alterations 

 in the positions occupied by the tongue in the pronunciation of each 

 of the general vowel-sounds. For instance, the vowel-sounds, a in 

 father^ a in age, and i in machine, which are naturally pronounced 

 with the opening of the mouth enlarged, may also be pronounced 

 with the same contracted ] or, leaving the opening of the mouth un- 

 disturbed, the tongue may be slightly raised from the standard posi- 

 tion which it occupies in the pronunciation of a in father, or else it 

 may be slightly lowered from the positions which it occupies in the 

 pronunciation of ci in age, i in machine, u in flute, and o in note ; 

 always supposing, however, these changes to be attended with corre- 

 sponding alterations in the disposition of the internal organs of speech, 

 or rather regarding them as the effects of slight modifications wrought 

 in the arrangement of these internal parts. 



As regards the former method of varying the general vowel-sounds, 

 viz., by a change in the opening of the mouth, it must be observed 

 that no change in the anterior parts of the mouth can possibly affect 

 the pronunciation of the general vowel-sounds, o in note and u in 

 flute, because their modulation is effected in the posterior part of the 

 mouth, near the soft palate, independently from any subsequent 

 change in the opening of the mouth ; these two vowel-sounds, there- 

 fore, although a contraction of the mouth is of great assistance in 

 their pronunciation, can still be distinctly uttered with the opening 

 of the mouth as much enlarged as in the pronunciation of a m father. 

 In the case of a in age and i in machine it is different, for their 

 modulation is effected in the anterior part of the mouth, and any 

 change there necessarily affects their sound. However, even in their 

 case a mere superficial contraction of the opening of the mouth, as in 

 the pronunciation of o in note, and even of u in flute, does not vary 

 their sound much, but the very cheeks also require to be contracted 

 in order to produce any decided change. If, then, we pronounce 

 the sound of a in age with the cheeks contracted, we get the sound 

 of the German letter o or of the French eu and oeu, and if we pro- 

 nounce i in machine in the same way we obtain the sound of the 

 German ii and of the French u. The only difference between the 



