1861.] 301 L^'owels. 



German and French sounds consists in the latter being pronounced 

 with the tongue a little more depressed than is the case with the 

 German sounds. As regards the relation of these two particular 

 vowel-sounds in respect to the general vowel-sounds, it must be ob- 

 served that the German o or French eii is an intermediate sound 

 between o in note and e in edge or a in age, and its place is conse- 

 quently in the middle of our diagram ; the German ii or French n, 

 on the other hand, is an intermediate sound between i in machine 

 and u in flute, and it is consequently a member of the vowel-line. 

 The only variation of the general vowel-sounds obtained by this 

 method which is found in the English language, is the sound of a 

 in all or aw in law. In its pronunciation the tongue remains in the 

 position of a in father, with the lower jaw more depressed, and the 

 cheeks and mouth contracted in the same manner as in the pronun- 

 ciation of and ii. It is an intermediate sound between a m father 

 and o in note, and is con.sequently a member of the vowel-line. This 

 sound is confined to the English and Swedish tongues ] in the latter 

 it is represented by the 



adopt in the present 

 work ] this sound is also 

 found in some of the 

 southern German dia- 

 lects, viz., the Suabian, 

 Bavarian, and Austrian. 

 The relations between a°, 

 6, and ii, are the same as 

 between a m father, a in 



age, and i in machine ; they form a sort of inner circle in that de- 

 scribed by the five general vowel-sounds, as may be seen in the dia- 

 gram. They all have this feature in common, that in their pronun- 

 ciation the cheeks and mouth are contracted ] in a° the tongue is at 

 rest, though slightly raised towards o in note, in o it is raised half- 

 way, and in ii it reaches the roof of the mouth ; between each of 

 these sounds also there is an indefinite number of intermediate sounds, 

 establishing a connection between them. 



In respect to the second method of varying the general vowel- 

 sounds, viz. J by a slight alteration in the position of the tongue, the 

 pronunciation of all the general vowels is affected thereby. How- 

 ever, only variations of the sounds of a m father and a in age are in 

 use. It has been noticed above that in the pronunciation of a in 



VOL. VIII. — 2p 



