114 
J = G soft (as inGeorge, John, &c-). 
A softer pressure from a broader sur- 
face against the gums, the point of the 
tongue bending downwards upon the 
teeth,..and the. vocal impulse being 
given, with asmart aspiration, as. the 
tongue retires, produces the sonisibi~ 
lant element represented by J:or G. 
J, French—generally represented in 
English orthography by the characters 
S, [: as conclusion, confusion, &c.* 
* I haye stated, in the previous note, 
that Dr. Darwin and myself differ. very 
essentially in our mode of accounting for 
the production, and even in the application 
of several elements. But Dr. D. had 
himself a considerable impediment ; and 
though I remember to have heard him 
stammer out, with equal confidence and 
truth, the important axiom, that “ every 
man might speak plainly if he would ;” yet 
if, in certain instances, I were to follow his 
written directions (if they be really his, for 
there was an assuming young physician, 
whom I met with some time ago at Derby, 
who claimed the merit of the whole of 
these definitions), I should find it impos- 
sible to utter the sounds intended. _ And, 
indeed, after all the allowances that could 
be made on the score of the different 
structure of different mouths, &c. I found 
it, heretofore, difficult to believe that the 
following definitions of K, G hard, and G 
soft, or J, French (for Dr. D. marks no 
distinction between the latter two), could 
applied to any good purpose of practical 
pronunciation. 
“ K. If the point of the tongue be re- 
tracted, and applied to the middle part of the 
alate, and some air condensed in the 
mouth behind, on withdrawing the tongue 
downwards, the mute consonant K is pro- 
duced, which may begin or terminate a 
syllable.” : 
“ Ga. If, in the above situation of the 
tongue and palate, a sound be previously 
produced in the mouth behind, the conso- 
nant G is formed, as pronounced in the 
word go, and may begin or terminate a 
syllable.” 
“J, French. If, in the above situation of 
the tongue and palate, a sound be produced 
in the mouth, as in the letter Ga, and the 
sonorous air be forced between them, the 
J consonant of the French is formed ; 
which is a sonisibilant letter, as in the 
words conclusion, confusion, pigeon,” &c. 
I confess, however, that I have since 
found, in some cases that have been 
under my care, where there have been ac- 
tual deficiencies of the uvula and velum 
palati, with fissures at the back part of the 
roof, that something like the attitude dic- 
tated by Dr. D. for the G hard and K, 
may be adopted, to supply the deficiency. 
But how, in such position, to pronounce 
the J, French, Iam still at a loss to dis- 
The Anatomy of Speech. 
(Sept. 1, 
If the tongue be a little more raised 
towards the palate, and the point, still 
bending, downwards, be partially re- 
tracted from the teeth, a relative, and 
somewhat more sibilant'sound will ‘be 
produced, ‘such 'as) French: pronuncia- 
tion assigns to the initials above de- 
fined; but for ‘which (though ‘a 'fre- 
quent element of our language) we have 
no specific sign. ' buat ont 
‘ N. The complete ‘contact \ of \'the 
whole edge of 'thetongue; with’ the 
almost entire circle of the’ gums, ‘forces 
the vocal undulation partially and: cir- 
cuitously, into the: nostrils, and pro- 
duces the sound of the N: which, as 
Dr. D. observes, * may be elongated 
like those of vowels.”’+ 
R. A vibrating, or jarring ‘stroke, 
from the tip of the tongue, against the 
rough part of the front gums, at the 
root of the upper teeth, as the aerial 
vibrations press forward from the throat, 
produces the trilled or initial R—as in 
rough, rude, right, rail, realm, &c. as 
also in break, broom, brush, bring, &c. 
thrust, Phrygian, &c., and in some few 
words beginning with legitimate double 
consonants—as strike, spread, shrink, 
&c., and sometimes after double con- 
sonants in the middle of words—as 
approach, approbation, &c. Also after 
compounds of negationt or reiteration 
—as un-repressed, re-reduced ; and 
generally in all compounds, as thrice- 
redoubted, &c. : 
' The second, or intermediate R (as 
sounded, by correct speakers, in the 
word 
cover. And as for the illustrations—if 
Dr. D. (which, from what I recollect, of 
him, would probably have been the case) 
would really have pronounced in the same 
way, geon in the last word, and sion in the 
two preceding, I should not recommend him 
as a model of elocutionary precision. ' 
+ “If, in the above situation of the 
tongue and palate [the point of the tongue 
applied to the fore part of the palate, at 
the roots of the upper teeth] a sound be 
produced through the nostrils, the nasal 
letter N is formed; the sound of which 
may be elongated like those of yowels,”’ 
Dr. D. might have added, as may. the 
sounds of all the liquids, and-some other of 
the elements that ought, among the liquids, 
to haye been ranked. 4G 
+ “ Compounds of negation, and reitera- 
tion,” &c. The prefixes, un, 7¢, &c.,, to 
words that are originally, or haye been fully 
legitimated in our language, in their simple 
and affirmative sense, should neyer alter 
the initial or other qualities of the syllables 
they precede. 
