Audiences however, do not trouble themselves to distinguish an elegant from a clumsy articulation, provided they are enabled readily to catch the principal sound of every syllable. For practical purposes of speaking, the refinement of phonology and orthoëpy are lost upon them. We shall presently devote a section to the head of distinctness, considered as different from articulation; by which we mean the avoidance, either of omitting syllables, or of huddling them together. If audiences can distinctly catch the vowel of each syllable, they never complain of the imperfect articulation of a speaker, unless he has a lisp or some habit which is commonly referred to "impediment of speech."

Training therefore, in what properly belongs to articulation, is the duty of parents and school teachers; and when their instruction or example has left bad habits, the teacher of elocution generally has time and opportunity to do little more, than inform his pupil of the fact, and advise him to institute some course of self-cultivation. But if the student learns to explain thought, and give natural earnestness of expression, his articulation will necessarily be sufficiently perfect for practical purposes in speaking. Elegant reading and artistic recitation of poetry, indeed, as also vocal music, require a careful analysis of letters in the minutest points, and a patient and persevering discipline of the vocal organs and the ear. But these subjects do not come within the scope of the present treatise.

Yet as some directions are required for the management of articulation in speaking, the following are given as the result of experience in teaching.

VOWELS.

In studying articulation, it is not strictly necessary to investigate the different sounds of the vowels. Any errors in these, will fall under the head of pronunciation.

Yet we must be careful that no vowel be omitted.

A large part of the faults of articulation, consist in omitting short vowels, and thus contracting words by huddling the consonants together.

E. g. p'rtic'lar for particular; 'xample for example, &c. The first practical rule, then, in articulation, is NEVER

TO OMIT A VOWEL.

It may happen, however, that the best custom in pronunciation drops it, in order to prevent what is called in Latin and Greek a hiatus, as in the word extraordinary, which is to be pronounced extrordinary.

A certain degree of easy and pleasant deliberation, such as is heard from the citizens of Philadelphia, and in general from the polished inhabitants of the southern states-a deliberation just sufficient to admit of room for every vowel even in the most rapid and fluent utterance, is the most attractive beauty of articulation.

It must be carefully borne in mind, that the more syllables a word contains, the more time will be required for its complete utterance.

The most common faults under this head, proceed from an improper shortening of words, or clipping them, as it is called; or from what the French, when they describe the English pronunciation of their own tongue, term the swallowing of vowels.

Still it is very common to observe, that those who have taken considerable pains to acquire a good articulation, enunciate with a pedantic slowness and stiffness, somewhat like a school teacher putting out words to be spelled. Such do not accent with sufficient spirit to make the utterance of the unaccented syllables light and fluent.

A strong accent must be studiously cultivated by all who would acquire a good articulation of the English tongue.

This causes the voice to glide lightly and gracefully over the unaccented vowels, while at the same time they are uttered with perfect distinctness.

It is a curious fact in regard to speech, that if in addressing even a very large assembly, the accented syllables of words are heard, the others will also be sufficiently audible. It will not be necessary for the speaker to bestow attention upon the others, further than not to skip them or huddle them together.

It is also an important fact, that by cultivating a vigorous accent, it becomes easy to avoid the most important of all the errors which distinguish an elegant from a slovenly pronunciation. And as a truly elegant pronunciation is inseparably connected with a clear and graceful articulation, we shall mention under the present head the following fault.

It is that of not sounding vowels distinctly and definitely when they occur in unaccented syllables, but on the contrary, either dropping them or changing them into short u.

It will be useful for many, to practise upon the left hand column of the following table.

On the other hand, many who aim to be distinct, mispronounce words in their endeavors to become so. They often change short a and short i, of unaccented syllables, into the (shortened) long sounds of the same letters. Thus,

Americă becomes Americay ligăment becomes ligayment

We might furnish such tables in reference to the other vowels, but a and i are the most important. Let us again repeat that it will be useless to attempt to correct such faults, without cultivating a spirited accent. When they exist in a high degree, the tone of voice is generally drawling.

naturalization

organization

generalization

CONSONANTS.

The English language is remarkably distinguished by a strong enunciation of consonants at the ends of syllables. A large number of its syllables are also characterized by ending with clusters of consonants which are difficult to enunciate.

It is highly useful in reference merely to speaking, to discipline the articulating organs in their enunciation. By so doing, we characterize the general sound of our utterance by a manly firmness and energy. Some consonants, however, are never, even in the most careless utterance, enunciated indistinctly, except by those who have what is called "an impediment of speech."

Those that are liable to be imperfectly articulated, are T and D, K and G, J, S and Z.

The care necessary to be taken with consonants is, however, very much reduced by the fact, that those at the beginning of syllables are not, as a general rule, to be dwelt upon, or uttered with intentional energy. No one fails in distinctness in reference to these.

It is only at the end of a syllable, that they are liable to be enunciated too weakly to be heard, or if heard, to give a feeble and effeminate character to the enunciation.

Observe, we say feeble and effeminate. Our language, when correctly enunciated, is remarkable for the manly energy which is bestowed upon it by our vigorous accent and strong enunciation of terminal consonants. On this account, it really seems the most difficult of all European dialects to enunciate well. Even the Polish and Russian are probably easier, by reason of the less close sounds of their vowels, and the weaker and more whispering utterance of their consonants.

The following practical directions, however, are found on trial to be of so great assistance, as to remove most of this difficulty in the case of clusters of consonants at the ends of syllables.

When several consonants follow a vowel, do not dwell too long on the vowel, but expend the articulating effort principally on the consonants that follow.

Pass on rather rapidly to the very last consonant of the terminal cluster, and let that be dwelt upon.

For example, in uttering the word storm'dst, no pains should be taken with the st preceding the vowel, neither must the vowel be much prolonged. But as r, m, d, s and t are all to be uttered at one impulse, there still is danger of dwelling too long on some one of them before the voice arrives at the t.

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