ON TEACHING THE DEAF AND DUMB TOSPEAK. 311 
but the man that hears nothing, has not the advantage of 
a child who learns by the conftant chat of his parents and 
attendants, and who can obtain no pleafures but through 
the medium of {peech—he hears and is conftantly learn- 
ing—to teach him is the amufement of every one; but the: 
deaf receives his ftated leffons, difficultly and feldom.—- 
There is no book which by the figures or drawings of 
things have appropriate terms, nor is-there a language. 
which has appropriate characters. —The more I revolve 
in my mind this fubje@, the more I am aftonifhed that 
even the moft improved nations have neglected fo import- 
ant a matter as that of correcting their language; | know 
of none, not even the * Italian, that isnot replete with ab- 
furdity ; and I fhall endeavourto fhew the facility with 
which the deaf. might be taught to fpeak, if proper atten- 
tion were once paid to this important point. 
I have attempted to fhew that in the Englith language 
there are thirty charaCters, and muft fuppofe a + di€tio-. 
nary according to this fcheme of the alphabet, upon: 
which I mean to build: 
the Method of teaching the Surd and confequent ly 
Dumb to /peak, 
It is neceffary to examine firft, whether the dumbnefs 
be occafioned by merely the want of hearing, or by mal- 
conformation of the organs of fpeech. If the latter there 
1§ 
* “© Ciafcheduno fa, che, come, non w’ é cofa, che pil difpiaccia a Dio, che Vingratitudine, 
edinoflervanza de’ fuoi precetti; cosi non v’é niente che cagioni maggiormente la defola- 
zione dell’ univerfo, che la cecita, ¢ la fuperbia degli uomini, la pazzia de’ Gentili, Vignoran~ 
za, e l’oftinazione de’ Giudei, e Scifmatici.” 
Corrected. 
Thafkeduno fa, ke kome, non v’é coza, ke piu difpiatha a Dio, ke Pingratitudine ed tnossarvantsa 
de fuot precthtti; \cofi non veé niente ke hadjioni madjormennte la defolatfione dell’ univerfo, ke la 
thetlita, e la fuperbia del*i emini, la pat/ia de? Djentili, Piniorantlz, eV Htinatfione de Djudeei, ¢ iz~ 
wratitli. 
+ Mr. Sheridan’s or Dr. Kenrick’'s may give fome aid, till a di@ionary be publithed upon this 
plan. 
» Requires a new character (the afpirate of /) 
