2. SUB-TONICS

whose sound has also tone or

vocality, but inferior to that of the tonics in fulness and power of sustainment.

Such is the sound of b as heard in b-ad, d in d-ear, l in l-one m in m-ode, n in n-ose, &c.

3. ATONICS-whose sound is without tone; that is, an impulsion of breath without vocality.

Such is the sound of p heard in p-ad, t-in t-ime, s in s-igh, fin f-ade; the utterance of which is in the nature of an explosive whisper.

TONICS.

The following is a list of the pure Tones or Tonic Elements; their sound is given in the separated italic of each word, according to its ordinary pronunciation.

1. The tonic sound of a in a-il, and of o in o-n, is organi

cally the same; with this difference in quantity, than in d-11

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it is long, in o-n it is short; they are accordingly here marked, under the same numeral, with the distinctive mark - long, or short.

6. So the tonic of e in e-ve, and of i in -ll, is organically the same, differing only in quantity; numbered and marked accordingly.

5. The same of e in there, and e in end. 8. The same of o in d-ō, and u in b-ŭll. 9. And of u in ū-rn, and u in ŭ-s.

We have in the above scheme nine distinct pure tonic elements, whose sound is monothongal; that is, capable of being produced by one simple process of articulation, and of being prolonged to an indefinite time, without any change of tone, or alteration of the vocal organs, from the commencement to the close of its sound.

The term monothongal is used in contradistinction to

which are

Ai-l,

MIXED OR DIPHTHONGAL TONICS,

I-sle, Ou-r, Oi-1, U-nion.

The above two lists of pure and mixed tonics contain all the tonic sounds, monothongal and diphthongal, that are found in our language.*

Of course, in speaking here of diphthongal tonics, I discard the grammatical definition of a diphthong: for, according to that, the sound of oo, as in ooze, is called diphthongal, whereas

* It is necessary to observe, that in adopting the nomenclature of the elementary sounds, propounded by Dr. Rush, I have thought it advisable to depart in some instances from his arrangement and definition of those sounds, and also to make additions thereto. I mention this, that that learned and philosophical writer may not, by any chance, have to bear the imputation of any errors which may appear in my arrangement or definition of those elementary sounds, or of their power

it is really a pure tonic element; it is the sound of o in d-o. In articulation, a diphthong is the union of two tonics, in which the actual utterance of each takes place : the radical, or commencing sound, being different from that which is heard at its close or vanish; thus the sound of the name of the letter

6

u (as heard in the word u-nion) is compounded of the e in

8

6

e-ve, and the o in d-o: that is, its radical (or root) is e, its

8

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vanish is o, making eo, or ü, as in u-nion.

The following table will show the teacher at one view the whole system of Tonic Elements, pure or monothongal, and mixed or diphthongal: and she will practise her pupils carefully upon the examples on the right hand columr

borrowed-one pure, diph. 9 6.Ÿ-by-my-dye.

has one tonic sound, 8(-) now-cow-bow.

NOTES FOR THE TEACHER ON THE MIXED OR DIPHTHONGAL

TONICS.

Ï. The diphthongal sound of i has been by some writers

1

6 1

resolved into the tonic sounds of a and e; a being given as the

6

radical or opening. and e as the vanish or close of the sound.

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But this combination (ae) would produce the diphthongal sound oi, as in voice; which is, in fact, a provincial pronunciation of the diphthongal sound of ï (in such words as find, mind, &c.) prevalent among the vulgar in some of the northern

16

counties in England, where we may hear foind for find,

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koind for kind, &c.

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9

The true radical of ï is u, as in us, and

its vanish e, as in eve. This will be manifest by articulating these two sounds, separately and slowly at first, and gradually blending them by a closer and more rapid utterance, till the two tonics run together, and are lost in each other, thus:

9

6 9 u --e; u

6

9 6 9 6 9 6 96
-e; u-e; u--e; u-e; ue; or 1.

Ü.-The diphthongal sound of u, as in ünion, tüne, has for

its radical, e, and for its vanish, o; that is, is produced by the

blending of the e, in eve, with the o, in do, thus:

Y-The diphthongal sound of ÿ, as in by, try, is resolvable into the same elements as that of ï, as above given.

W. The character of the sound of this sign, as in the above examples, is clearly diphthongal, though its elements are

1

difficult to trace with exactitude; perhaps its radical is a, its