Distinctness of articulation is not only necessary, in order to be heard and understood, it is a positive beauty of delivery. The elementary sounds of speech, when properly uttered, are in themselves agreeable. But to render them so, the following directions of a modern writer must be observed. "In just articulation the words are not to be hurried over, nor precipitated syllable over syllable; nor, as it were, melted together into a mass of confusion. They should neither be abridged nor prolonged, nor swallowed, nor forced; they should not be trailed nor drawled, nor let to slip out carelessly. They are to be delivered out from the lips as beautiful coins, newly issued from the mint; deeply and accurately impressed, perfectly finished, neatly struck by the proper organs, distinct, in due succession and of due weight."* A good articulation is an affair altogether mechanical. It requires nothing more than attention and continued elementary practice. It depends upon a few certain definite positions of the organs of speech, and the power of varying those positions with rapidity, precision and energy. Now though every body admits this, scarcely any one attends to it. Experience shows that in order to ensure a good articulation to persons in general, some methods must be adopted not at present in use. What should those methods be? I answer the only sure means are a SERIES OF PRACTICAL ELEMENTARY EXERCISES, which shall constitute a sort of gymnastics of the voice. These must be practiced-and persevered in. If the training, the methods of which will be pointed out

*Austin's Choronomia.

in this recitation, is steadily enforced, our experience enables us to say, it will be successful in ensuring to young persons a distinct, a forcible, and an impressive articulation: if it be not adopted and steadily pursued, as a preparatory exercise, and for such a length of time as the deficiencies of individuals may require, the usual defects will continue. Reading books on elocution, and receiving directions in lectures, have been already tried long enough, and tried in vain. PRACTICE, practice upon a series of elementary tables of the primitive sounds of speech and of their varied combinations is the only remedy. We therefore advise that no pupil be ever permitted to proceed to reading or declamation, until distinctness of utterance is ensured by repeated exercises upon the sounds contained in the following tables.

Before we proceed to exhibit them, a few preparatory observations are necessary, in order to render the nature of the analysis, upon which we propose to found our instruction, better understood.

A good articulation consists in the precise, forcible and sufficiently prolonged utterance of syllables, according to an approved standard of pronunciation. Now a syllable is sometimes a single indivisible sound: but sometimes it consists of several simple distinguishable sounds, into which it can be divided by the voice. If I pronounce the word MAN, it appears to a hearer unaccustomed to a scientific consideration of speech, to be one sound, not capable of division. It is evident to such person that an effort of the organs of utterance has been made, and that such effort is intentional, that it is in its nature, like that which I make with my arm, when I intentionally

put it forth to lay hold of any object within my reach: that the pronunciation of the word MAN is the effect of voluntary muscular action, that the inner part of the mouth, the tongue, and the lips have undergone an alteration during the pronunciation, in obedience to the will. But, it is hardly to be supposed he would proceed farther than this in his inquiries. The word MAN comes upon his ear as a single impulse, and is contemplated as a single and indivisible sound. It is not at all to be expected that the person in question, should perceive that there are in this single word three distinct sounds. But the real order of things may be thus explained. In pronouncing the word MAN the lips are first intentionally brought together, and pressed in a certain way against each other, and air being, at the same time, forcibly impelled from the throat, a sound is heard which somewhat resembles the lowing of an ox. This sound is the one represented by the letter M. The lips, which before were held in somewhat forcible contact, are now separated, the mouth is opened and its cavity is put into a particular shape; and air being again impelled from the throat during this position of the mouth the sound of A is heard, as that letter is pronounced in the word a-t. Finally this last sound being completed, the tip of the tongue is carried upwards from the lower part of the mouth, and pressed against the upper gums, and roof of the mouth, and, air issuing from the throat in a forcible manner during this state of the parts, the peculiar sound appropriate to the letter N, is heard. In order to obtain a demonstration of the particulars of this description, let the word MAN be pronounced in a drawling manner, and let the process of articulation be

carefully attended to during its continuance. Let the position which the lips first adopt be maintained for some time, while the murmur by which the sound of M is produced, is continued from the throat; avoiding at the same time to proceed to the sound of the A: then ceasing to sound the M, let the A be next sounded alone, observing the particular shape which the mouth assumes during the sound, as well as the character of the sound itself: after this stop again, and whilst the tip of the tongue is pressed against the roof of the mouth and the upper gums, let the N be, slowly, murmured through the organs. After the three sounds of the word have thus been separately pronounced, let MAN be slowly uttered, so that each separate sound and the coalescence of them with each other, may be distinctly perceived at the same time.

Now, for the purposes of science we call the three sounds, heard in the word MAN, elements; because they are the simplest possible sounds into which the word can be resolved. An element is the simplest known form of a thing: for instance, water appears to be perfectly simple; but it can be divided into two airs, called hydrogen and oxygen. The first of these is highly inflammable, and if set fire to, burns with a bright bluish flame : the other will consume a piece of burning charcoal, if plunged into it with extraordinary rapidity, and with greater heat and brightness than are produced when the charcoal is burned in common air. We therefore say that the chemical elements of water, are hydrogen and oxygen.

A vocal element is a simple sound of the voice, or a sound not capable of being farther divided. The vocal

elements of a language consist of the simplest possible sounds into which its syllables can be divided, or resolved. The division of syllables into their elementary parts is a branch of vocal analysis. This analysis shows that the vocal elements of the English language are (including the short vowels) forty-six in number. We shall for the present retain their common division into vowels and consonants, and shall first give a table of the vowel elements.

Before proceeding to do this I would observe, that I am persuaded that tables of elements, if diligently used, will be found effective in teaching very young persons a distinct and graceful articulation. This must be at once admitted by the reader, when he is informed that the forty-six elements exposed in our first tables do in different combinations, make up all the syllables of our language. Elements make syllables, syllables words, and words discourse. If each element which ought to be sounded in a word is distinctly formed by the organs of utterance, the word must be well pronounced, and if all the words are thus pronounced in a discourse, the articulation of such a discourse must be faultless. I should feel ashamed of urging such plain matters of fact, were it not for our extraordinary ignorance on the subject. I never yet pronounced the vocal elements of our language, in my public lectures, without exciting the mirthful wonder of the audience. Perpetually using, or, often, misusing these elements, persons in general are ignorant of their existence, as single specific sounds. I add another testimony to the importance of exercise on the elementary sounds.