64 COMPOUND EUEMENTS. 



fcy is attained (000.) Accordingly, th, dh, sh, zh and ny, 

 are two-letter-combinations, each of which represents 

 a single sound ; and tsli and dzh represent two sounds 

 each, or are the equivalents of t, sh and d, zJt. These 

 combinations are however so close, and behave so 

 nearly, in various ways, like simple sounds, that it is 

 convenient to admit them into the Alphabet, and to 

 treat them as such. They may be compared to 

 Cyanogen and other Compound Elements in Chemis- 

 try. Th and dh are used for the two sounds of th in 

 thigh and thy, (dhy) ; zh is the French j, or the Eng- 

 lish z in azure. The ng is a single sound of the nasal 

 group, the g having no value as such, as appears 

 when this combination takes a true (" hard ") (/-sound 

 after it ; so, for example, the two words .singer and 

 finger are phonetically represented (in this Alphabet) 

 by singer undjingger (sing-er, fing-ger). 



100. The Yowel-Signs o, it, a, having no other dis- 

 tinction from o, u, a, than that of being italicized (94), 

 they should be changed to small capitals if the body 

 of the word in which they occur is already italic, 

 thus brod, for broad, etc. It has been thought im- 

 portant to avoid by such means the introduction of 

 any new letters or types. Observe that the English 

 long i (in pme) is really a diphthong equal to ai (ah, 

 ee), very closely pronounced ; the two sounds squeezed 

 as it were together ; and that the English u (long) is 

 also, in a similar way, a diphthong, equal to ee, oo or 

 yoo, as in wnion. 



101. Of the Solid (or true) Consonant Sounds, 

 those which are printed in the Table in a Light Line 



