VOICE ARTICULATE LANGUAGE. 485 



so accurate a grammarian as Dr. Lowth could pronounce so definitely 

 on the nature of y, and insist on its being always a vowel, can only be 

 accounted for by considering the small attention which is generally paid 

 to this part of grammar." No stronger argument, however, could be 

 used against the useless expenditure of time on this subject, than the 

 conclusion to which Mr. Walker himself has arrived; and for which he 

 can find no stronger reasons, than that "if w and y have every pro- 

 perty of a vowel, and not one of a consonant; why, when they begin 

 a word, do they not admit of the euphonic article an before them?"! 



The consonants are usually divided into mutes, semi-vowels, and 

 liquids. Mutes are such as emit no sound without a vowel, 6, p, t, d, 

 k, and c and g hard. Semi-vowels are such as emit a sound, without 

 the concurrence of a vowel, as/, v, *, 2, x, g soft or j. Liquids are such 

 as flow into, or unite easily with, mutes, as Z, m, n, r. These letters 

 issue without much obstacle; hence perhaps their name. 



In tracing the modes in which the different consonants are articulated, 

 we find, that certain of them are produced by an analogous action of 

 the vocal tube ; so that the physiology of one will suffice for the other. 

 For instance, the following nearly correspond: 



p f t s k ch 

 &&&&& 

 b v d z g j 



B and P are produced when the lips, previously closed, are suddenly 

 opened. B differs from P in the absence, in the latter, of an accom- 

 panying vocal sound. F and V are formed by pressing the upper 

 incisor teeth upon the lower lip. They are, consequently, not well 

 enunciated by the aged, who have lost their teeth. F differs from V 

 only in the absence of an accompanying vocal sound. T and D are 

 formed by pressing the tip of the tongue against the gums behind the 

 upper incisor teeth. D is accompanied by a vocal sound; T not. S 

 and Z are produced by bringing the point of the tongue nearly in con- 

 tact with the upper teeth, and forcing the air against the edges of the 

 teeth with violence. S differs from Z in the absence of the vocal sound. 

 K and G are formed by pressing the middle of the tongue against the 

 roof of the mouth, near the throat ; separating the parts a little more 

 rapidly to form the former, and more gently to form the latter of those 

 letters. In K, the accompanying vocal sound is absent. Ch and J 

 are formed by pressing t to sh; and d to zh. In Ch, there is no ac- 

 companying vocal sound. SH and ZH are formed in the same part of 

 the tube as s and z. TH is formed by protruding the tongue between 

 the incisor teeth, and pressing it against the upper incisors to produce 

 its sound in think. Its sound in that is effected by pressing the tongue 

 behind the upper incisor teeth. In the former case, it is unaccompanied 

 by a vocal sound. In M, the lips are closed, as in B and P; and the 

 voice issues by the nose. N is formed by resting the tongue against 

 the gums, as in the enunciation of t and d; breathing through the nose 

 with the mouth open. In L, the tip of the tongue is pressed against 

 the palate, the sound escaping laterally. In forming the letter K, the 

 middle and point of the tongue strike the palate with a vibratory mo- 

 tion; the tip being drawn back. Lastly, in the formation of H, the 



