10. There are, in French, three sorts of e: 11. Y has the same sound as i; as, style, tyran; but between two vowels it is equivalent to ii; as, royal, payer, ayant; also in pays, paysan, paysage. 12. The French distinguish four different sorts of vowel sounds; viz. 1. the simple; 2. the compound; 3. the nasal; and 4. the diphthongs. These are: 1. Simple vowel sounds, a, e, i, o, u, y. 2. Compound vowel sounds, ai, ao, au, ea, eai, eau, ei, eu, eo, oe, ou. 3. Nasal vowel sounds, am, an, em, en, im, in, aim, ain, ein, om, on, um, un. 4. Diphthongs, ia, ié, io, iau, ieu, iou, iant, ient, ien, ion, oe, oue, oi, eoi, oin, ouan, ouen, oua, oui, ua, ue, ui, uin. 13. Note.-a is not sounded in août, aoriste, Saône, taon. ai has the sound of e mute in faisant, faisons, &c. i is not sounded in poignard, poignée, poignet. o is not sounded in faon, Laon, paon. u has the sound of o in club, album, opium, minimum, and in all words in um derived from the Latin. Exercise of Pronunciation on Vowels. Banal, matelas, acheva, allât, marchât, que, de, dé, menace, fermer, pied, clef, honnête, timide, midi, visite, finir, mort, robe, côte, pur, pour, cure, cour, bout, but, mou, mû, mythologie, myrte, tuyau, joyeux. Mais, faire, avais, mangea, mangeais, eau, côteau, reine, peine, feu, peu, George, sœur, cœur, œuvre, pourvoir, courir. Ambulant, ancre, ange, enfant, empereur, impératrice, infiniment, faim, pain, sein, mon, ton, son, compliment, humble, bien, gagnons, en un moment, main, parfum, long temps, combien, un instant seulement. Diamant, diadême, pièce, diocèse, prieur, criant, impatient, lien, mien, lieu, proportion, clouer, bourgeois, roi, foi, moi, couloir, tiroir, coin, loin, moins, rouage, lui, Louis, cuir, fuir, nuage, nuit, juin. OF CONSONANTS. 14. The consonants, with few exceptions, are almost always silent at the end of words. B has the same sound as in English. It is pronounced at the end of foreign words, and silent in plomb, lead. C is sounded like k before a, o, u, and like s before e, i, y. It is generally sounded at the end of words, as in avec, with; except in broc, jug; croc, hook; accroc, rent; échecs, chess; jonc, reed; tronc, trunk; je vaincs, I conquer; almanach; estomac; tabac; flanc; blanc; instinct; marc d'argent; clerc. C sounds like g in second, secondement, seconder. Ç with a cedilla sounds like ss. CH sounds like the English sh; as chose, thing; Michel; Achéron. CH is sounded like k in chaos, écho, eucharistie, chœur, orchestre, archange, anachorète, archonte, Chanaan, Achab. D is sounded like t at the end of words, when joined to a following vowel or h mute; as un grand homme. F is generally sounded at the end of words, except in bœufs, oxen; nerfs, nerves; œufs, eggs; but the f is pronounced in the singular, as un bœuf, un nerf, un œuf. It is not sounded in chef-d'œuvre; nerf de bœuf, cerf, clef. G is hard before a, o, u, and soft before e, i, y. GN has a liquid sound; as digne, champagne, gagne, agneau, Bourgogne, except in the following words, in which gn is sounded hard: Stagnant, inexpugnable, magnétique, magnésie, diagnostique, agnat. Gu. The u only serves to make the g hard; as, guerre, guider; the u is pronounced in aiguille, needle; aiguillon, sting; aiguiser, to whet. G sounds like k before a vowel, as, un long entretien ; sang et eau; un rang honorable. It is mute in legs, legacy; faubourg, suburb; étang, pond; sang, blood; hareng, herring; vingt, twenty; doigt, finger; long, long; rang, rank. H is either mute, as in l'homme, or aspirated, as in le héros. The following words begin with h aspirated: Habler, hache, hagard, haie, haïr, haine, haillon, hâle, hâlé, haleter, halle, hanche, hanneton, hangar, hanter, happer, haquet, hareng, harangue, harasser, harceler, hardes, hallebarde, hardiment, hargneux, haricots, harnacher, harnais, harpe, harpon, harpie, hazard, hâte, havre-sac, haut-bois, hausser, hardi, hardiesse, haut, hautain, hauteur, hennir, héraut, héros, hérisser, hérisson, héron, herser, heurter, hibou, hideux, Hollande, &c. &c. L is sounded at the end of words, except in baril, cask; sourcil, eye-brow; outil, tool; gril, gridiron; persil, parsley; gentil, pretty; fusil, gun; fils, son; pouls, pulse: 11 have generally a liquid sound, as in famille, paille; except in ville, mille, tranquille, imbécille, cocidille, Achille, armillaire, distiller, idylle, pupille, syllabe, vaciller, and all words beginning with ill; as illustre, illuminer, &c. P is sounded in cap, cep; it is silent in baptéme, exempt, prompt, compte, sept, corps, sculpture, temps, champs, camp, drap, loup, coup, galop. PH is sounded like ƒ; as phare, philosophe. Q is sounded like k; as quitter, querelle. QUA is sounded coua in quadrupède, aquatique, équation, équateur, loquacité, liquation, quadruple. QUE is sounded like cuè in équestre and liquéfier. QUI is sounded cui in équitation, équilatéral, quintuple. S is sounded between two vowels like z; as usez, rose, misère. T is sounded in brut, dot, alert, fat, rapt, tact, exact, direct, abject, correct, est, ouest. TH is sounded like t; as theme, théologie. X is sounded like ks; as réflexion, Alexandre; like gz, as exercice, examen; like ss, as Bruxelles; like z, as deuxième, sixième. EXERCISE OF PRONUNCIATION. Blamable, bourse, carcasse, calibre, code, combat, collége, cube, cour, cœur, ceci, cendre, circuit, chaleur, chaumière, coucher, dédale, déduire, dur, fanfare, gant, gomme, glace, germer, gilet, magnanimité, magnifique, montagne, Espagne, Allemagne, vignoble, enseigner, vieillard, vieux, gentilhomme, monsieur, main, mien, rien, bien, guerre, ici, illimité, jeudi, jadis, juste, joindre, labourable, molle, volaille, feuille, palpiter, prison, perplexe, quatre, qualité, quelconque, sagesse, réserver, aller, courir, raccourcir, voir, hier, revenir, retenir, retentir, tumulte, tuer, tuteur, bastion, partions, action, résolution, pitié, moitié, amitié, vivacité, vif, vive, actif, active, exemple, excès, zône. OF THE ARTICLES. 15. An article is a word prefixed to substantives, to point them out, and to show how far their signification extends. 16. There are, in French, three articles: the definite, the partitive, and the indefinite. There are only two genders in French: the masculine, and the feminine. Of the Definite Article. 17. The English definite article the, before a noun singular, beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, y), is rendered into French, in both genders, by L', the; DE L', of the, or from the; AL', to the or at the. DE L'oncle, of the or from the uncle. DE L'école, ofthe or from the school. À L'oncle, to the uncle. À L'école, to the school, 18. The English definite article the, before a noun singular, beginning with a consonant, is rendered into French, for the masculine gender, by LE, the; DU, of the or from the; AU, to the or at the; for the feminine gender, by LA, the; DE LA, of the or from the; À LA, to the or at the. de la chambre. Du toit de la maison. La clef du jardin. room. roof house. key garden. Au pupître du maître. Au bout de la table. Le palais du |