Tafel.] 332 [October. 



through it, the sound of z in zeal. The fluid consonants of the third 

 dental series are obtained by drawing the tongue a little farther into 

 the mouth than is done in the pronunciation of s, and there lowering 

 the posterior part of the tongue, so that it presents a somewhat con- 

 cave surface to the opposing breath; by blowing against this surface, 

 the rushing noise of the consonant sh is heard, and by breathing 

 against it, and, at the same time, render- 

 ing the air. sonorous, the sound of z in 

 azure. In the dental station there are thus 

 produced the following consonants (as is 

 illustrated by the accompanying diagram) : 

 1, the hard consonant t ; 2, the German and 

 English soft consonants b and d; 3, the 

 fluid consonants th^ in thunder, th- in this, 

 s^ in sajj or ss in hlessing, s'- in icas, z^ in 

 zealj sh and z^ in azure. 

 [Rem. — Dr. Briicke notices a fourth series of dental consonants, 

 which is produced by pressing the tip of the tongue against the lower 

 front teeth, while the middle portion of the tongue is held against 

 the upper gum : this he calls the dorsal series; but the hard and 

 fluid consonants there produced are but slight variations of the 

 alveolar t and s, and they are, indeed, so much like them, that I do 

 not deem it necessary to make a separate series of them. 



I difi"er, also, from Dr. Briicke in his explanation of sh, which he 

 holds to be an amalgamation of the guttural and dental fluid conso- 

 nants ; it is a clear dental letter and nothing else. I do not even 

 hesitate to call it a dental letter, although in its pronunciation the 

 tongue is drawn away from the teeth and touches the palate ; for in 

 pronouncing sh as well as s, the teeth are closed, while in the gut- 

 tural consonants they are open. 



§ 14. In the guttural station we obtain two series of consonants, 

 by pressing the middle of the tongue either against the hard or soft 

 palates (see figures 8 and 9 in plate). This circle is defective in the En- 

 glish language in some of its members. The hard guttural conso- 

 nant k is produced by pressing the middle of the tongue against any 

 part of the palate which it can reach, and exploding the closed aper- 

 ture by a blow, just as the hard dental consonant t is formed by 

 pressing the tip of the tongue against any part of the palate which 

 it can reach, and afterwards exploding the closed aperture. By re- 

 laxing the pressure and exploding the station by breathing against 

 it, we obtain the German soft guttural letter g, and by making the 



