S. Porter on the Vowel Elements in Speech. 181 
labial modification: one of the affectations of some public speak- 
ers. It might possibly be identified as an Irish or Scottish peeu- 
liarity, or both. , 
egree 2.— Vowel o?', Heard in syllables which take a sort of 
secondary accent, as opinion, cotemporary, agony, mulatto, mel- 
low, propose, proceed. And in a considerable number of words, 
such as stone, coat, toad, loaf, &c., the best taste will, perhaps, 
prefer this to the extreme close 0, not neglecting, however, some- 
thing of the vanish ; also in torn, lorn, board, door, &e. 
Ve have here the shorter o in French, as obéir, noble, &c. 
The German short o may, as I think, fall sometimes here an 
sometimes in the third or open degree. 
owelo?. An extremely improper pronunciation of a class 
of words just alluded to, coat, stone, toad, throat, whole, loaf, 
&c., quite common in America, and more especially in the rustic 
dialect of New England. The fault is commonly described as 
consisting simply in the omission of the vanish (Prine. of Pron., 
$20), but the non-labial character and the more open degree 
are in fact equally essential. Board, door, oar, torn, are 
also frequently and faultily so pronounced. 
egree 3.— Vowel o?. Not, dot, hop, &c., which with those un- 
der a? (nor, off, sod, &c.,) are the “short o” in English. The 
distinction between o* and @%, though slight and usually not 
regarded by orthoépists, is actually existent in practice, but 
depends mostly, we believe, on the influence of consonants 
associated. 
Here, I think, belongs the shortest German 0, Gott, Ross, 
flott; as also the French, sotte, culotte, folle, &c. 
egree 4.— Vowel o*. Differs not greatly, but I think apprecia- 
bly, from the d*. Here belongs, if I mistake not, the French 
encore, corps, alors, aurore. We hear it in one of the several 
mispronunciations of beard, ear, torn, forth, &c. 
IV. Tae w Voweis.—The palato-lingual passage reaches 
another step forward on the tongue, and to a higher point upon 
the soft-palate; the vocal current is nearly vertical in direction, 
and the soft-palate is arched upward extremely: the group 
stands as the terminus of an ascending series from the throat. : 
n this group, the tongue, in passing from open to close, is 
perceived to be distinctly elevated as well as retracted. 
Degree 1.— Vowel ut. The closer and usually longer oo, as 
food, &c.; the o in do, &c.; oe in shoe, &c.; ou in you, &.; the 
main and final part of the compound in wnion, view, few, eres 
&c. Whether the u in rude, ruin, &c., should take a slight 
initial sound of another vowel, is made a matter of question. 
I think it strikes, or should do so, a more open vowel of the 
group, and then falls upon this; as it does also in dew, new, 4 
tube, lure, suit, &e. : . 
Am. Jour. Sc1.—Szconp Series, Vou. XLII, No. 125.—Sepr., 1866, 
24 3 
