long sound; as in procès, (lawsuit); and also to distinguish different parts of speech; as 5. (^) The circumflex is placed over a, e, i, o, u, to denote a long sound, as in château,* (castle); and also to distinguish certain words, having the same. form, but different significations; as, LETLE crú, múr, owed, from du, sûr, tú, tâche, vôler, certain, to fly, sur, upon tu, tache, spot to steal There are three marksf-the diæresis, the cedilla, and the apostrophe. 6. (") The diæresis is placed over the vowels e, i, u, to show that they must be pronounced separately; 7. (c) The cedilla is placed under the letter c, before The circumflex generally shows that an s has been omitted, as château was formerly spelled chasteau. It sometimes shows also that an a, e, or o is omitted, as gaîment was spelled gaiement; and in poetry, the e in paierai is sometimes omitted, and is spelled paîrai, (I will pay.) Also, áge and rôle were formerly spelled aage and roole, &c. See, at the end of the Grammar, the lesson on Orthographical Signs. The diæresis is always placed on the second vowel. a, o, u, to show that the c must be pronounced like s; as, façade, the front of a building, pronounced fa-sa-de leçon, lesson, reçu, received, ... le-son re-su 8. () The apostrophe shows the suppression of the final vowels (a, e, i,) in certain words, when the next word begins with a vowel or h mute, to prevent the unpleasant sound of two vowels meeting; as, WHEN TO OMIT THE FINAL VOWEL AND TO SUBSTITUTE THE APOSTROPHE. 9. The vowel is always omitted in the following words, ce,* de,* je, le,* me, ne, que,* se, and te, when the next word begins with a vowel or h mute. 10. La.* The a is omitted only in the article and personal pronoun; as, l'ame, (the soul); l'église, (the church); je l'entends, (I hear him). 11.-Observe. However, after an imperative the vowel is not omitted before another vowel in the pronouns, la, le, and là adverb; as Envoyez-la à Dublin, send him to Dublin; Envoyez-le à Londres, send him to London; Viendra-t-il là avec moi? shall he come there with me? *12.-The VOWEL is NEVER OMITTED before un, unième, onze, onzième, and oui; as, le un, le unième, le onze, le onzième, le oui, que oui, entre onze heures et midi. 13. Entre. The e is omitted only before the reciprocal verbs beginning with a vowel; s'entr' aimer, (to love one another); s'entr' aider, (to help one another); and in the compound word, entr'acte, (interlude), &c. You may or you may not omit the e before elle, elles, eux, and autres; as, entre elle, or entr'elle, &c. 14. Jusque. The e is omitted only before à, au, aux, à la, à l', ici, and où. 15. Moi and Toi. Oi is omitted only after an imperative before en; as, apportez-m' en, (bring me some); va-t' en, (go thou away.) 16. Presque. The e is omitted only before ile, (an island). 17. Puisque,) The e is omitted only before il, ils, elle, elles, un, une, ainsi, and on. and 18. Quoique. S 19.- Observe. In puisque and quoique, before aider, un peu, étranger, you may or you may not omit the vowel; as, puisqu'aider, or puisque aider; quoiqu'étranger, or quoique étranger, &c. 20. Quelque. The e is omitted only before il, ils, elle, elles, un, and une. 21. Si. The i is omitted only before il and ils. 22. Grande. The e is omitted in the adjective grande, before a substantive feminine beginning with a consonant, and an apostrophe placed instead But if these words are preceded by très, une, fort, or la plus, you must not omit the e of grande; as, j'ai une grande maison, la plus grande faim, &c. QUESTIONS FOR THE PUPILS. Do you always omit a final vowel, when the next word begins with a vowel? No. How do you know when to do so?—In the 4th and 5th pages of this work we have all the rules when it ought to be omitted. What do you remark in the 12th rule?—The vowel is never omitted before un (one), unième (first), onze (eleven), onzième (eleventh), and oui (yes.) THIRD LESSON. ON LETTERS. The elements of a language are represented by characters, called letters; they are twenty-five in number, which constitute the French alphabet: thus, a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, x, y, z.† * t, u, v, Letters are divided into Vowels and Consonants. ON VOWELS. A vowel has a perfect sound, without the aid of any other letter. * There is no w in the French language. When we use it, (in words not belonging to the French) as in Waterloo, Warwick, we pronounce it like a single v; as, Vaterlo, Varvick, &c. For the pronunciation of every letter, and their exceptions, see Du Gué's "Key to the French Pronunciation," where the most accurate rules are given for pronouncing every word in the language. They are six in number-a, e, i, o, u, and y.* They are classified into-guttural, lingual, and labial. The gutturals are a,t e,t so called because pronounced from the throat. The linguals are é, i; so called because pronounced with the tongue. For the pronunciation of é and è, see No. 24 & 25. The labials are, o, u; so called because pronounced with the lips. For pronunciation of o, u, see No. 27 and 28. The vowels are long or short. HOW TO DISTINGUISH THEM. Long vowels are generally marked by a circumflex (^), or a grave accent (). Short vowels have no ac do. * vîte, quickly, apôtre, apostle, dévote, pious dispute, dispute Many grammarians consider the y (i grec) not a vowel; others The French Academy receive only five. Why not consider it a vowel, as it is pronounced like an i; as, style, yeux, pronounced stile, i-eux. After a vowel it is sounded like double i; as, pays voyager, pronounced pai-i voi-ia-jé. † A short is pronounced like a in the English word hat. E short is pronounced like e in the English word the, followed by a consonant; as, the man. § The a, though not marked by a circumflex, is long in pas, pronounced på. Long á is pronounced like a in the English word far. Pate is also spelled with double t.-See Gattel's Dictionary. |