INTRODUCTORY.

ELEMENTS OF GOOD READING.

I. ARTICULATION.

ARTICULATION is the art of uttering accurately, and distinctly, the various vocal sounds represented by letters, syllables, and words.

Correct articulation is the basis of good reading and speaking. It implies an exact knowledge of the vocal sounds, and their use in words as determined by the best speakers.

ELEMENTARY VOCAL SOUNDS.

The elementary vocal sounds may be divided into three classes: eighteen Tonics, or pure tones, represented by the vowels a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y; fifteen Subtonics, or modified tones, represented by the consonants b, d, g hard, j, l, m, n, ng, r, th soft, v, w, y, z, zh, and ten Atonics, or mere breathings modified by the organs of speech, and represented by the Aspirates f, h, k, p, s, t, th sharp, ch, sh, and wh.

EXERCISE I.-Tonic Sounds.

In the following table let the pupil give, first, the name by which the sound is designated, then the example, and, lastly, the element. After this, let him give the elements only.

* By many considered the same as short a (ă); by others as intermediate between a in

fat, and a in für.

EXERCISE II.-Tonic Sounds, continued.

Let the pupil pronounce the following words accurately and distinctly, giving to the letters in Italics the sound denoted by the vowel at the head of the paragraph.

A long, as in fate: fame, ale, ape, date, slate, gate, tame, same, flame, wave, save, whale; sail, hail, gauge, say, great, freight, deign, they, com-plain', con-vey', in-veigh', neigh'-bor.

A short, as in fat: bat, fat, lad, hat, man, pan, can, began', fan'-cy, mar'-ry, com-pan'-ion; plaid, guar'-an-ty. A Italian, as in fär: barn, farm, mart, fa'-ther, star, car, har'-py, mar'-tyr, a-larm', balm, parch'-ment; heart, hearth, guard, haunt, daunt, flaunt, launch, gaunt'-let, jaun'-dice, a-vaunt'.

A broad, as in fall: ball, call, hall, tall, salt, nor, form, storm, fought, sought, ought; fault, cause, au'-ger, aw'-ful, au'-thor, law'-yer, al'-ways, au'-gust, bal'-sam, bau'-ble, pal'-sy.

A, as in fare: care, share, dare, rare, snare, stare; hair, there, heir, com-pare', for-bear', de-clare'.

A, as in last grass, pass, staff, dance, branch, chance, chant, graft, waft, blast, grasp, class, mas'-tiff, past'-ure, plas'-ter, bom'-bast.

E long, as in mēte: theme, scene, scheme; beard, field, yield, fiend, grieve, brief, leaf, quay, seize, pique, ma-rine', treat'-y, re-lief', be-lief', re-ceive', de-ceive', re-ceipt, len'-ient.

E short, as in mět: men, wren, bed, fed, helm, yes, chest, egg, ket'-tle, mer'-it, tep'-id; bread, said, says, saith, friend, realm, man'-y, guess, leop'-ard, spe'-cial, pref'-ace, heif'-er, a-gain'.

I long, as in pine: fine, twine, shine, smile, mile, vine, kind, child, might, isle, blight, flight, o-blige'; height, type, buy, sky, al-ly', de-fy', ap-ply', aisle, guile.

I short, as in pin: tin, fin, since, fill, pill, miss, hiss, bid, hid, ring, prince, quince, skip, whip, ser'-vile, ag'-ile; myth, lyr'-ic, bu'-sy, sieve, cyn'-ic, cyl'-in-der.

O long, as in note: told, fold, sold, vote, dome, roll, port, home, more, on'-ly, po'-et; loathe, dough, glow, flow, soul, sew, beau, bu'-reau, yeo'-man, en-croach', haut'-boy.

O short, as in not: blot, dot, bond, fond, pond, fox, shot, odd, rob, sob, fos'-sil, fos'-ter, do'-cile, pros'-pect; was, wash, wand, watch, wasp, knowl'-edge.

O, like long oo, as in möve: prove, lose, tomb, do, who, dis-prove'.

U long, as in tube: tune, use, mute, cube, tube, fume, pure, lute, flute, du'-ty, cu'-bic, cu'-rate, mu'-sic, re-sume', en-dure'; new, few, pew, Tues'-day, pur-suit', beau'-ti-ful.

U short, as in tub: tun, sun, hut, just, dust, cull, buzz, sung, thumb, vul'-gar, hur'-ry, husk'-y; son, dove, does, rough, tongue; her, sir, term, verge, earth, verd'-ure.

U obtuse, as in full: pull, bull, bush, push, puss, pul'-pit, pul'-ley, butch'-er, cuck'-oo, cush'-ion; could, would, should, good, hood, wolf, wool, foot, book.

Oi, as in toil: boil, coil, foil, void, coin, tur-moil', embroil', foi'-ble, re-joice'; coy, toy, joy, boy, em-ploy', oys'-ter.

Ou, as in bound: sour, hour, pound, proud, noun, doubt, trout, ground, shout, de-vout', a-round'; now, vow, brown, town, crowd, vow'-el, en-dow'.

EXERCISE III.-Subtonic Sounds.

The following will be found useful exercises for securing distinctness of articulation. Pronounce the Italic letters very distinctly; also, give the vowel sounds correctly.

B, as in bāle, băd, bär, ball, bâre, bass; bēast, běst; bind, bill; bōne, bot, boor; bū'-gle, bug'-gy, bul'-ly; boil, bound. Bābe, drăb, rõbe, prōbe, bab'-ble, bab'-bler, in-hab'-it.

D, as in dale, dab, dark, dawn, dâre, dast'-ard; deal, děbt; dive, did; dōme, dot, mood; du'-ty, dust, good. Mod'-est, de-duce', ad'-ded, wed'-ded, da'-ted, fa'-ded, si'-ded.

G, as in gale, găg, gärb, gall, gâir'-ish, gås; gear, guest; guile, gill; gōre, got, goose; leg-üme', in-gulf', goi'-tre, gout. Beg'-gar, gew'-gaw, guin'-ea, plague, guard, egg, jug.

J, as in jail, jack, jär, jaw; jěst, gest'-ure, gēn'-ius; gī'-ant, gib'-bet; jū-ry, judge, judg'-ment, jus'-tice. Edge, ledge, wedge.

L, as in lame, lamb, lärk, tall, lâir, lass; least, less; line, bill; lōne, lot, loose; lū'-rid, lŭg'-ging, bul'-ly. Loll, live'-ly, love'-ly, aw'-ful-ly.

M, as in māde, măd, mär, mall, mâre, måss; mēat, měnd; mīnd, mill; mōan, mot'-to, möve; müle, mŭl'-lin. Mam'mon, mo'-ment, hymn, mem'-o-ry, me-men'-to.

N, as in name, na'-val, năp'-kin, när-cot'-ic, naught, nau'-tilus, nȧst'-y; neat'-ly, nět'-tle; night'-ly, nin'-ny; no'-ble, non'-sense, noose; nude, num'-ber. Ban'-ner, gnaw, kneel, kitch'-en, hy'-phen.

Ng, as in băng, king, răng-ăng, fling'-ing, an-ger, con' gress, noth'-ing, pro-long', drink, plank, lynx, tin'-ker, ran'kle, mon'-key, con'-quer, an'-chor.

R, as in raid, răd'-i-cal, de-bär', râre, råsp, rear, rěst, rise, riv'-er, rō'-ver, rot-ten, rood, ru'-ral, rush. E-ter'-nal, for'-mer, for-bear', mur'-mur.

Th, soft, as in that, this, these, those, with, thus, tithe, clothe, breth'-ren, far'-thing, fa'-ther, breathe, wreathe, hea'-then, there'-fore.

V, as in vain, văǎl'-id, vär'-nish, vást, vēal, věst, vīle, vil'-lain, võte, viv'-id. Weave, sev'-en, re-vive', re-volve', pre-serve'. W, as in wail, wag, wall, wâre, weak, wěst, wild, will, wōve, woof. Be-wâre', way'-ward, worth'-less, wel'-come.

Y, as in you, use, use'-ful, year, yawn, yawl, young, yon'der, mill'-ion, fil'-ial, pon'-iard, span'-iel.

Z, as in zeal, zěst, zinc, zōne, as, was, maze, prize, flies, a-rise', dai'-sies, prais'-es, breez'-es.

Zh, as in az'-ure, bra'-sier, glā'-zier, leis'-ure, meas'-ure, o'-sier, seiz'-ure, vis'-ion, col-lis'-ion, pleas'-ure, treas'-ure,

EXERCISE IV.-Atonic Sounds.

F, as in fame, făn, får, fall, fâre, fast, feast, in-fest, find, fill, fõam, fond, food, fü'-el, fun'-nel, ful-ly, foil, found. Fan'-ci-ful, prof'-fer, craft'-y, rough, e-nough', cough, trough, laugh, laugh'-ter, phys'-ic, phan'-tom.

H, as in hate, had, hall, hair, hearse, held, hive, hill, hōne,

hot, hoot, hū'-mid, hŭm'-ble, hound. Hot'-house, be-hest', off'-hand.

K, as in kale, kal'-mi-a, kaw, keel, kědge, kind, kill, cāne, căn, cải, seek. Ech’-o, cho-rus, ep-och, con’-quest.

P, as in pāle, păn'-el, pär'-don, pal'-sy, peâr, påss, pēace, pěst, pīne, pin, põle, pond, poor, pū'-pil, pŭn'-ish, pul'-ley, poi'-son, pound. Hap'py, pip'-pin, pup'-pet, rap'-id, creep, grope.

S, as in sail, săd, stär, salt, cor'-sâir, sẽal, send, slīme, slim, sōle, sŏl-id, stū'-por, sub'-ject, soil, sound. Sin'-less, sci'-ence, scene, schism.

T, as in tāme, tăn, tär, tall, teâr, tåsk, tear, těnt, tīme, till, tōne, top, töur, tune, turn. Tit'-ter, mat-ter, crit'-ic, debt, taught, to'-tal.

Th, sharp, as in thāne, thănk, think, thorn, truth. The'-o-ry, thank'-ful, thought'-ful, think'-ing, a'-the-ist.

Ch, as in chāse, chặt, chärm, chalk, chair, cheese, chěst, chime, chin, chōre, chop, choose, churn. Church, hatch, march, satch'-el, touch'-ing.

Sh, as in shade, shăm, shärp, shâre, shēēp, shelf, shine, shìn, shoal, shot, shoot, shun. Gush, rush, sure, o'-cean, ac'-tion, man'-sion, chev-a-lier', cham-paign'.

Wh, as in whale, whack, wharf, whêre, wheel, whelp, whīne, whiff. Wheth'-er, whip'-ping, whis'-per, whi'-ten.

EXERCISE V.-Miscellaneous Subtonic and Atonic Combi

nations.

1. Brave, breathe, breath; draw, drift; fled, flounce; glen, glide; cleave, cleft; crime, crust.

2. Play, plead; pray, prove; quell, quill; shriek, shrink; screen, scrawl; smite, smote; speak, space.

3. Splice, splash, splunge; spring, spread; squib, squill, square; stream, straw; threw, throw, thrift; thwack, thwart; tweed, twine.

4. Barb, curb, bulb; urge, dirge; wolf, self; humph, tri'umph; punch, lunch; harsh, marsh; earl, purl; helm, film; prism, rhythm; vamp, clamp; delve, helve.

5. Act, tact; learnt, burnt; first, worst, thirst; most, lost; sent, lent; felt, pelt..