rOL. XVI.] MflLOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 311 



nor any one sound be expressed by more than one character, it cannot happen 

 that any character should be falsely pronounced, without being soon discovered ; 

 for this false sound must be the true sound of some other letter of this 

 alphabet. 



In this collection 1 proceed according to these rules. — 1. That no true single 

 sound can be justly described or expressed by the conjunction of any two or 

 more other single sounds, viz. if a vowel, by the conjunction of other single 

 vowels, or if a consonant, by the conjunction of other single consonants. 2. 

 That whatever sound cannot be expressed or described, except by the conjunc- 

 tion of two or more single sounds, it is no single but a compounded sound. 

 3. That in every composition of single sounds, the particular single sounds 

 which make up that composition ought to be truly and clearly discerned in the 

 sound of the composition, otherwise it cannot be truly said to be a composition 

 and composed of such single sounds. 



The single sounds, commonly named letters, are usually distinguished into 

 vowels and consonants. Vowels are such as are singly expressible, as a, e, o, 

 &c. Consonants are such as cannot singly be expressed without the conjunc- 

 tion of a vowel, as, b, d, f, g, &c. 



The whole number of vowels are these 1 4 following ; to which, for the better 

 distinguishing their sounds, are annexed as many words in which they are ex- 

 pressed, all English except three, viz. 7> Sj 12, because no English words oc- 

 curred in which they are expressed. 



French 



These vowels have each a long and a short sound. Short, as in the words, 

 Grod, man, sin ; and long, as in ball, demand, seen, &c. 



Of dipthongs. — A diphthong, in the ordinary use of the word, signifies ^ 

 compound of two vowels, but those commonly so named are most of them no- 

 thing but single vowels, as ea, oo, ou, eo, ai, in the words teal, tool, tould, 

 people, main, &c. That these are only single sounds will appear if we consider 

 the sounds of the vowels singly, which make those supposed compositions; 

 and then whether those sounds in composition will make out the true sound re- 

 quired, so as both of them may be clearly discerned in these pretended com- 

 pounds. For instance, as ea in teal, consider the sound of e in the word sent 



