296 ORTHOGRAPHY AND PRONUNCIATION OF 28, 29, June, 
nor useless in this place, to notice, in the note below *, some of 
the essential particulars ; and which are more especially necessary 
* The vowels may be considered as having the sound which most of the European 
nations, excepting the English, give to them. This may serve as a general precept ; but 
their more exact pronunciation is reserved for a future opportunity. 
The a, without here making nice distinctions, may be sounded as the a, in father or 
farther : but d with the circumflex accent above it, is intended to represent that broad 
vocal sound which is heard in the words all, awl, nor, nought, caught. 
The e in most cases resembles the short e in tell ; but when separate or bearing the 
accent it is like the a in able : and ee or e like the long a in save. It is sometimes used 
with the grave accent {e) instead of e, [See the note at page 254.] to avoid the incon- 
venience of foreign characters in the text. 
The i is the same as the e in delai/ ; and the ii or i as ee in deep. 
The o is sounded as in motive. It has very rarely the English sound which is heard 
in cottage, solid ; but in this case it is marked with the grave accent (o). The oo or o, 
is to be pronounced the same as the long o in boiic ; but not as the oo in boot. In the 
same manner all the other double vowels are to be pronounced as the single vowel much 
lengthened in sound : they always bear the accent, and generally one of them is omitted 
when the ' acute accent' is placed over the other ; as Tj ''.aalcun or TAtulmn. The ow is 
most frequently used in the text instead of the Greek character s, and sounds as in the 
words owl, now. J 
The u in Sichuana, is sounded as the oo in tool, or the u in rule : it is the same as the 
German or the Italian u. It may generally be substituted for the w. I have used the u 
with the grave accent (') to signify that vocal sound which is heard in the words sun, one, 
undone, begun, and which is, I believe, almost peculiar to the English tongue. 
. . The 3/ is always a vowel, and is sounded as in my or as the long i in mine. 
Two vowels coming together are to be taken as diphthongs ; unless separated by a 
diaeresis ("). 
The ch must be pronounced as in chin ; and as the Spanish ch : it is the same as the 
Italian c before e or i. • ' 
I'he j is the same as the y in yes ; and in general an i might be substituted for it. 
When m, or n, begins a word, and is followed by a consonant, it forms a syllable by 
itself, and is to be pronounced in a close and peculiar manner, as though it were preceded 
by a very faint vowel rather more resembling an u than an e or an i. 
The ng, when coming together, are not to be separated in pronunciation ; they form 
a true and peculiar consonant, which I have in writing expressed by a character composed 
partly of the 71 and partly of the g ; but this could not be imitated in printing, without 
casting a type for the purpose. 
The ph is merely a p followed -by a strong aspiration, but is never as an y or as we 
commonly pronounce the Greek In the same manner, the th is not the Saxon ^, nor 
our Greek 9, but simply an aspirated t. 
The ts is to be considered as forming an indivisible consonant ; and also the tz, which 
is merely a modification of the same, and by some natives is used in its place. 
For further explanations, the observations at the words ' three,' ' four,' ' sun,' 
* moon decreasing,' and ' ford,' at page 253. may be consulted; as also may, the remarks 
on the Sichuana language, to be found in the last chapter of this volume. 
