314 ON TEACHING THE DEAF AND DUMB TO SPEAK. 
deaf man’s converfing with himfelf before it, but in pre- 
fence of his teacher, to prevent his making miftakes, in 
the formation of the true founds: and there are more 
guides in acquiring what words are fpoken by others, than 
people in general imagine ; for fo many of the letters which. 
make a vilible effect upon the organs, in their formation, 
enter into the compofition of words,’ which may indeed 
contain many that do not make much effect, that if all. 
the former were written down, it would give to the eye,. 
a kind of fhort-hand; and is almoft as eafily caught by 
the watchful eye of the attentive deaf, as fhort-hand with- 
out vowels is read by the experienced flenographer. Both: 
arts require long practice, but both are very attainable. 
When he has learned the true * founds of the thirty let=. 
ters, in the Englith language, he will be capable of read-. 
ing as well as of fpeaking, and he ought to have a cata- 
logue of objects, defigned or reprefented, that he may af-. 
fix proper ideas to proper terms.—Thus a child may be 
taught to read, to fpeak, to underftand others, to write, and. 
obtain a knowledge of things at the fame time. 
The greateft difficulty that the deaf have to furmount, 
in making a quick progrefs, in general converfation, has 
been the want of a proper dictionary, or, rather, of a pro- 
perly written language; for if they pronounce the letters 
well, and attempt to join them, fo as to read words as they 
arenow written, it would be unintelligible—The diati- 
onaries of Dr. Kenrick and Mr. Sheridan, would very 
much affift at prefent, for the deaf fhould have an oppor- 
tunity of acquiring the founds of words, whenever they 
were difpofed to learn, without being obliged to have re- 
courfe to others: but there are many defects, as well as 
mifiakes, in Mr. Sheridan’s, and though I have not feen 
Dr. Kenrick’s, I know the manner, and it muft alfo be de- 
fective, 
* Sce the preceding differtation Page 280 et feq:—alfo the table of founds, 
