It is short in Paul, and before two consonants, as in augmenter, etc. It is long and broad before re, as in restaure, etc.; in all other cases it is generally doubtful, as in audace, épauler, joyau, etc.

E. The French Academy admits three sounds of the letter e: the close, the open, and the mute.

But the open may be more or less so. It is a little open in ferme, and entirely so in procès. When it is a little open, the Academy calls it open acute, and assigns for its standard the first e in trompette. Dumarsais and others call it the common or middle e: when it is entirely open, it is called open grave. Therefore we must distinguish three masculine e's, viz., the close, the open acute, and the open grave.

These are termed masculine, in opposition to the mute e, the sign of the feminine gender in most adjectives, and past participles.

The close é is so called from its being pronounced with the mouth almost closed, and from its slender sound.

It may be deemed short, if compared with its feminine termination, wherein the e mute obliges us to dwell somewhat more upon it, as is obvious in aisé, aisée; but it is long if compared with the open acute, which is shorter, though it frequently bears the same accent. This is observable in créé, wherein the first é is somewhat more open than the last, and evidently shorter, according to the general rule which is to be found in page 6.

The natural standard for this é is the primitive sound by which it is known in the French alphabet, as in bonté.

The open acute e, so named from being somewhat more open than the close é, and from the acute accent which it frequently bears, is always short. It is found in the first é of créé or trompette.

The open grave è is so called from requiring a greater opening of the mouth, and from the grave or circumflex accent which generally attends it, as in après and tête.

The mute e is a mere emission of the voice, similar to the faint sound after p and t in cap, cat.-In monosyllables however, and in the first syllables of other words, the imperfect sound of this letter is more perceptible, and may be termed guttural.

At the end of polysyllables, where it is entirely mute, it is like the second e in there, and generally serves to lengthen or open the preceding vowel; when it is more perceptible, it is like the e in battery or over; and even then the French suppress it as often as they can, especially when the preceding or following syllable has a full sound.

É, when under the acute accent, is generally close at the end of words as bonté, aisé; 2dly, in adverbs derived from adjectives ending in é, as aisément; 3dly, before the feminine termination of adjectives, where it is

somewhat longer, as in aisée; in every other place it is almost always open acute. It is close likewise in the termination ez and er, when the r is silent. It is generally open grave under the circumflex and grave accent. Em, en. See Aim and An. But there is no nasal sound in Bethlehem, item, amen, hymen, etc. And whenever the m or n is articulated, the e is open acute.

Er is long and open in fer, enfer, mer, amer, hiver; long and close in léger, altier; and in all nouns and verbs, as aimer, berger, etc., when the r is silent; but when the r is articulated, as it must be, especially in verbs, before a word beginning with a vowel, the e is open acute, and short as in the English word ebb, see Table of the Simple Sounds, p. 6. This articulation of the r, however, is principally applicable to solemn reading.

Eu. This diphthong has three different sounds: it is long and close in jeûne (fasting), short in jeune (young); long and open in beurre.

N. B. All the terminations of the three following vowels not noticed in these Rules, are constantly short.

I has two sounds; it is long in gîte, and short in ami.

Ien, when it is a dissyllable, both syllables are short, as in li-en; but it is doubtful when it is a monosyllable, as in mien, tien, etc.; when it is long it has the sound of in in vin. See An, en.

Im, in. See Ain.

O has three sounds; it is long and open in trône, and short in noble. It is long and broad when the o precedes the final syllable re: adore, flore, aurore; when the or is connected with the following consonant, as in corps, alors, fort; as also when it constitutes a word: or.

Om, on. This nasal vowel has no exact standard in English; but something like it is heard in song. See Aim. In French its standard is on, in mon, and it is always long.

Ou, a false diphthong, which is long in roule, and short in boule.

U has two sounds; it is long in buse, and short in but.

There is no standard for these sounds in English.

Um, un. See Aim. This nasal vowel has no standard in English.

Y sounds like i, but when between two vowels, or preceded by one vowel, it sounds like i i, the first i being pronounced in combination with the preceding vowel, the second i is sounded by itself: balayer, pronounce, balai ver; paysan, pronounce, pai-isan.

[N B. American students will take notice that the English sound of i or y (in kite, and my') does not exist in French.]

DIRECTIONS FOR THE ARTICULATION OF THE FINAL CONSONANTS BEFORE A VOWEL OR H MUTE.

1st General Rule: Final consonants are to be articulated before a word beginning with a vowel or h mute.*

2d General Rule: All final consonants that are articulated when the word stands alone, or before the consonant of another word, preserve the same articulation before a vowel. The exceptions will be remarked in the following observations.

B is articulated only in radoub, and proper names, even before a conso

nant.

C. When the final c is articulated, it has the articulation of a k.

It is always silent in accroc, arsenic, broc, cotignac, marc (weight or sediment), estomac, lacs (love-knots); in the last syllable of succinct, and of porc-épic; and after the nasal sounds, as banc, convainc, etc.

However, it is articulated in donc at the beginning of a sentence and before a vowel; also in franc-encens, franc-alleu, du blanc au noir.

D. When the final d is heard before a vowel or h mute, it has the articulation of a t.

It is always silent in sourd, nid, in the terminations in ond, rond, etc. and after an r, as in fuyard, accord, etc.

In other words it is frequently suppressed in conversation.

It should never be suppressed, 1st, in de fond en comble; 2d, after quand, before il, ils, eux, elles, on, en, a, au, aux, 3d, after adjectives followed by their substantives: grand homme, grand arbre, etc.; 4th, after the third person of verbs, when they are followed by their pronoun personal or the preposition à; répond-il ? il entend à demi, etc.

F. The final ƒ is generally articulated even before a consonant.
It is silent, even before a vowel; 1st, in baillif, clef, cerf; 2d, in chef

* No rule is more frequently cited, and yet few have more exceptions, even in public speaking, wherein it ought to be more strictly adhered to. On this point, harmony must be first attended to. Whenever the connection of a final consonant produces a discordant sound, it must be avoided; for, "the French prefer an irregularity to a discordance."

In cases, however, where a disagreeable sound is not the consequence, the connection should take place, even in conversation, when the first word determines, qualifies, or modifies the second, as the article before its noun; the adjective or pronoun before its substantive; the substantive before its adjective; the noun or pronoun before its verb; the verb before its pronoun, adverb, object, or end; the adverb before an adjective or participle.

and nerf when used in the following expressions, chef d'œuvre, nerf de bœuf, although it must be articulated in any other place; 3d, in plural nouns, as bœufs, œufs, etc.; except in chefs and corne de cerf, wherein it is always articulated.

G. The final g, when it is not silent, has the articulation of a k.

et eau,

It is articulated, 1st, in sang and rang before an adjective, sang échauffé, rang élevé, etc.; 2d, in these or similar sentences, suer sang de rang en rang, etc.; 3d, always in bourg.

H seldom is, and never ought to be, final in French. It has no articulation.

"When it is deemed aspirate, it only communicates to the vowel the properties of a consonant; that is to say, if the preceding word ends with a vowel, that vowel is never suppressed; if it ends with a consonant, that consonant is never connected with the vowel which follows. To this is confined all the effect of the aspirated h."-D'Olivet.

This pretended aspiration, so different from that of the English, is nothing else than the hiatus occasioned by the meeting of two vowels, as in go on, go again.

It is proper to notice here some irregularities of this letter.

In conversation or prose h is mute in Henri; it may be aspirated in poetry.

According to the Academy, it is better to aspirate it in hideux. The contrary custom still prevails.

It is aspirated in Hollande and Hongrie, but mute in toile or fromage d'Hollande, or point d'Hongrie.

It is mute in huit and its derivatives; however, we spell and pronounce le huit, le huitième, la huitaine, as if it were aspirated.

Onze and its derivatives, and oui used substantively, produce the effect of the aspirated h. The vowel is not suppressed before these words, nor any consonant connected with them, les onze, les onzièmes, etc., le oui et le non, tous vos oui, etc., although we spell and pronounce je crois qu'oui, instead of je crois que oui.

L. The final 7 is never pronounced in baril, chenil, fusil, gentil, gril, outil, nombril, persil, soul, sourcil, pouls, fils, cul. But gentil in gentil homme, and gril in verse, take the liquid articulation of gl in seraglio.

It is sometimes familiarly suppressed in quelque, quelquefois, quelqu'un ; though never in quel and quelconque. To suppress the l in il dit, ils ont dit, parle-t-il? would be to imitate a pronunciation in use only with the vulgar.

M. The final m is never articulated when it makes a nasal sound. It is always articulated in hem! item, and in foreign names, Amsterdam, etc. However m is silent in Adam and Absalom, which have a nasal sound.

N. The final n, when it makes a nasal sound, is articulated before a vowel only in the following cases:

1st. Adjectives pefore their substantives, and mon, ton, son, rien, un and bien (adverb), lose their nasal sound in connecting their n with a following vowel, as certain auteur, bon ami, rien au monde, un homme, bien-aimé, etc.

2d. En and on preserve their nasal sound, but a second n is articulated before a vowel: en entrant, on assure, etc., pronounced en-nen-tran, onna-sure. But en after an imperative and on after its verb, are never connected: par-lez-en à votre ami, a-t-on appris, etc.

P. The final p of coup, beaucoup and trop, and of the words that have it articulated before a consonant, are the only ones heard before a vowel. Q. When the final is not silent, it has the articulation of a k. It is always heard in cinq, when alone and before a vowel; also in coq.

R. The final r is generally articulated before vowels, at least in reading. Except, 1st, monsieur, messieurs, though it be always heard in le sieur, les sieurs;

2d, The plural of nouns ending in er, wherein the s alone is articulated like a z;

3d, In conversation it is often suppressed before consonants, as in notre, votre, quatre, pronounced not, vot, quat; but never in notre Père qui êtes aux cieux, Notre-Dame, quatre-vingts, nor at the end of a sentence;

4th, Sometimes also it is suppressed in conversation in the verbs and nouns ending in er; but never in proper names, words derived from foreign languages, nor when the e is open grave, as in Jupiter, pater, mer, etc.

S. The final s, in reading, is always heard before a vowel. It is articulated as in yes, even before a consonant, in the words vis and cens; and in the Latin and proper names, Pallas, bolus, etc.

In every other word, before a vowel, it has the articulation of a z, in which case it is often suppressed in conversation; but this would be a fault in reading.

T The t final is generally articulated before a vowel; except,

1st, When it is preceded by another consonant: respect humain, effort étonnant, etc.

2d, In quatre-vingt-un, quatre-vingt-onze, though it be articulated in vingt et un, and even before consonants in the following numbers, up to vingt-neuf inclusively;

3d, In all plural nouns, and in et, teint, contrat, moût, têt, protêt, puits;

B