on the Englifh Alphabet. 161 
he will, moreover, be fenfible of the varied pofition 
of the tongue, during the latter part of the found; 
but if his ear will not fuffer him to make this 
diftinction, let him prefs upon the tongue with the 
whole length of a finger, and, at the fame inftant, let 
him attempt to found the long I, as it is fometimes 
called. One half of this found he will pronounce 
very readily ; and it will be as, or nearly as, a {hort 
open A orO. The latter moiety of the found will 
be asthe I in field: And he will be convinced, in com- 
pleting the found, that though the firft part 
thereof can be formed without interruption from 
the finger, yet the tongue will ftrongly refift and 
raife the finger towards the palate, in forming the 
remaining portion of the diphthong. 
Dr. Johnfon fays of I, ‘ that it has a long found 
‘* as in fine; and a fhort one, as in fin; and that 
“* it is eminently obfervable in i, which may be 
“ obferved in other letters, that the fhort foun 
X is 
The Englifh,” obferves one of the Grammarians al— 
luded to, “have fix vowels, which have a twofold pro- 
nunciation, that is isto fay, long and fhort, as; 
when it is fhort, like 
a when long, is like ah 
e - - 2h 
i - “ ; te 
° < ce oh 
é ; é 
y 
fometimes like 7, 
$ 
Zur] “19H 943 uy 
2A 8.0 
~Zury ‘195 943 uy 
J 
fometimes like - ey 
