352 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol,. II., No. 32 



1 . The straight line means voice. 



2. The bar across the line means contrac- 

 tion or rounding of the lips. 



3. The solid point means compression of the 

 back cavity of the mouth. 



4. The open hook means expansion of the 

 back cavity of the mouth. 



The position of the point or hook on the 

 straight line denotes the position of the tongue 

 in reference to the palate. Thus : — 



a. When on the right side, the meaning is, 

 that the tongue is advanced towards the front 

 of the palate. 



b. When on the left side, that the tongue is 

 retracted towards the back of the mouth. 



c. AVhen on both sides, that the tongue oc- 

 cupies a middle position between front and 

 back. 



d. When at the top of the line, that the 

 tongue is raised towards the palate. 



e. When at the bottom, that the tongue is 

 depressed. 



f. When at both ends, that the tongue oc- 

 cupies a middle position between high and low. 

 - Nothing could be simpler than these ele- 

 ments, the meanings of which are remembered 

 by every person after a single explanation ; 

 yet froin these four elements alone the entire 

 series of normal vowels, thirty-six in number, 

 are built up. Two diacritic sigiis extend the 

 possible number of shades of vowel-sound, 

 -which these four elements can be made to 

 represent, to the largely superfluous total of 

 one hundred and eighty. 



The English alphabet contains only five 

 vowel-letters, while our speech makes use of 

 at least sixteen vowel-sounds, without includ- 

 ing diphthongs. No wonder, therefore, that 

 the relation between letters and sounds is one 

 of irreconcilable confusion. A purely phonetic 

 alphabet, in addition to the common system 

 of letters, is a necessity for the intelligible 

 writing of English alone ; much more is it in- 

 dispensable for the writing of all languages 

 intelligibly to all readers. 



The system of Visible speech is the ready 

 vehicle for a universal language, when that 

 shall be evolved ; but it is also immediately 

 serviceable for the conveyance of the diverse 

 utterances of every existing language. No 

 matter what foreign words may be written in 

 this universal character, they will be pro- 

 nounced by readers in any country with ab- 

 solute uniformity. The means have been 

 explained by which vowels are represented for 

 this purpose. The principles are now to be 

 shown on which consonants are written with 

 the same effect. 



Elementakv symbols of consonants. 



Five elementary symbols furnish letters for 

 all the consonant actions of the lips and 

 tongue. These symbols are — 



c i \ f i 



As with vowels, so with consonants : all the 

 elements of each class have one symbol in 

 common. The vowel-symbol was shown to be 

 a straight line : the consonant-sj'mbol is a 

 curve; and the direction in which the curve is 

 turned denotes the part of the mouth b}- which 

 the consonant is formed. Thus : — 



a. The curve turned to the right denotes the 

 lips. 



b. The curve turned to the left denotes the 

 back of the tongue. 



c. The curve turned archwise, with its end 

 down, denotes the top of the tongue. 



d. The curve turned with its end up de- 

 notes the point of the tongue. 



The five radical symbols have the following 

 meanings in every combination : — 



1. The first (C ) is the sign of a part of the 

 mouth used to fomi a consonant. 



2. The second (j ) is the sign of a part of 

 the mouth which divides the breath. 



3. The third (I) is drawn across the ends 

 of a curve to denote a consonant that stops 

 the breath. 



4. The fourth (J) is the sign of emission 

 of breath through the nose. 



5. The fifth ( J ) is added to the ends of a 

 curve to denote simultaneous modification b}- 

 two parts of the mouth. 



These elements, combined into si.v forms of 

 letters, suffice for the whole series of conso- 

 nant actions of the lips and tongue. The six 

 forms turned in the four directions, as above, 

 j-ield twenty-four letters ; aud the uniform ad- 

 dition of one sign for voice — a straight line in 

 the centre of the curves — converts the tweutj'- 

 four into fortj'- eight letters.' 



Every part of every letter has thus a mean- 

 ing legible at a glance ; and the most complex 

 letter in the alphabet — combining four of the 

 elementarj' symbols to exhibit the sound of m 

 — is as simple in form as the common Eomaa 

 letter for the same consonant. Thus : — 



S M, m. 



The following are the four symbols com- 

 bined in this letter : — 



1. A curve to the right, which denotes the 

 lips. 



2. A centre straight line, which denotes 

 voice. 



