Tafel.] 304 ' [October. 



by Fliigel in his German and English Dictionary. It had also pre- 

 viously been noticed by Perry (Pronouncing Dictionary, London, 

 1805), and Ellh (x\lphabet of Nature, London, 1845) ; while others, 

 as Walher, Webster, Smart, &c., have classed it with a in ar/e ; and 

 still others with a in fat, as Sproat (Endeavor towards a Universal 

 Alphabet, Chillicothe, 1857). That there is a difference between 

 the sounds of a in fate and fare, can be very readily seen by pro- 

 nouncing the word fate half-way, as far as fa, and then passing over 

 into/a?'e, \'iz., fd-dre. By this experiment, the reader will find that 

 in passing from the sound of a in fate into that of a in fare, the 

 tongue is slightly lowered, and the sound made broader. In French, 

 this distinction is indicated by a change of accent, e having the sound 

 of a in fate, and e that of « in /are. A similar distinction may be 

 observed between the sounds of a in fare, and fat or staff, upon pro- 

 nouncing fai-e half-way, and concluding the word by passing into 

 staff] viz., fd-aff\ This expedient was adopted by R. von Raumer 

 in tracing the distinction between the long and short vowels, and I 

 apply it here in order to show the various sounds of a.] 



[Rem. 2. — With regard to the sound of o in love and u in hut, it 

 is regarded as identical with the primary or indistinct vowel-sound 

 by Max Miiller (Survey of Languages, page xlv) and Dr. Rapp 

 (Physiologic der Sprache, Vol. I, page 21). 



Concerning this sound, which is also called by some writers the 

 original or unmodified vowel-sound. Dr. Briicke (pages 24 and 117) 

 makes the following remarks : '' A careful analysis of languages will 

 convince us that the extent of this sound is more limited than is 

 generally supposed; for, upon attempting to imitate such sounds as 

 frequently appear quite indistinct and unmodified, we find that they 

 are regular vowel-sounds imperfectly formed. In many instances, 

 even where the primitive vowel-sound is said to be produced, it does 

 not exist at all, but the consonants follow each other without the in- 

 tervention of any vowel .... Such is the case with the termina- 

 tion on, en, in English, e. g., in mutton, written, &c., where, as the 

 reader will observe, the letter n is added to t without opening the 

 mouth at all for the emission of a vowel. '^ Although there is some 

 truth in what Dr. Briicke states concerning the extent of the indis- 

 tinct vowel-sound, still its existence in the English language cannot 

 be denied, especially in unaccented syllables. For, although in so- 

 lemn speech, when the unaccented syllables are distinctly pronounced, 

 the original sound of the vowels is usually heard in the place of the 

 indistinct vowel-sound, it is still universally used in these syllables 

 in common pronunciation. 



