E (unaccented) called E muet*, mute; and EU. Position of the mouth for the sound of e (unaccented) and eu as in le, the; je, I; me, me; te, thee; de, of; ce, that; ne, not; que, that; taxe, tax; âge; chasse, chase; partage, distribution;-jeune, young; peuple, people; heure, hour; peur, fear; beurre, butter.

To pronounce the vowel e or eu in the above examples, the tongue rests lightly on the border of the lower teeth, and is somewhat curved in order to let the sound flow on in its progress until it resounds on the teeth. The lips protrude a little, but without being contracted. Eu in the diagram denotes also the E of the above examples.

e unaccented is short, as in table, amie, friend; eu is generally long, as in peur. The e unaccented final of words is called a feminine termination †.

EU, Eû (unlike any English sound).

Position of the mouth for the sound of EU, as in peu, little; yeux bleus, blue eyes; deux œufs, two eggs; neutre, neuter; creuser, to hollow; jeûne, fasting.

To pronounce the vowel eu in the above examples, the tongue is in a downward direction, the teeth are apart, the lips project and become somewhat rounded or curved. The sound is uttered powerfully, and resounds between the teeth and the lips.

* On distingue trois sortes d'E: l'E ouvert, l'E fermé, l'E muet. Ainsi, dans sévère, le premier e est fermé, le second est ouvert, et le troisième est muet.-ACADÉMIE.

It may be useful to observe that, whether as a feminine termination, or as e unaccented in any syllable of a word, as in sOUVENANCE, remembrance, this E is heard more distinctly in singing than in ordinary language:

In the last line cette, with the vowel a following it, is pronounced cè ta (31.).

É (with an acute accent) called é fermé or close,
E (followed by certain consonants), AI.

Position of the mouth for the sound of É, E (followed by certain consonants), or AI, as in dé, dice; né, born; été, summer; café, coffee; taxé, taxed; âgé, aged; chassé, chased; partagé, distributed; dégénéré, degenerated; répété, repeated; révéré, revered; célébrité ;-clef, key; pied, foot; (e before r and z mute), aimer, to love; venez, come ;-aigu, sharp; j'ai, I have; je parlai, I spoke ; je parlerai, I shall speak.

To pronounce the vowel é (or e fermé) or ai in the above examples, the larynx is contracted, the lungs emit but little air, the tip of the tongue touches the lower teeth, the corners of the lips are drawn back, and the vowel in a clear and rather sharp manner resounds within the mouth on the uvula and the palate. É in the diagram denotes also the e fermé or ai of the above examples.

NOTE. Ai has the sound of é in the first person singular of the preterperfect of verbs of the first conjugation; as, je parlai; j'allai, I went. Also in the first person singular of the future of all verbs; as, je parlerai ; j'irai, I shall go. È (with a grave accent); Ê (with a circumflex accent), called È, ouvert or open; E (followed by certain consonants); AI, aie, eai, ei.

Position of the mouth for the sound of è, é, e (followed by certain consonants); ai, aie, eai, ei, as in très, very; progrès; il dégénère, he degenerates; je répète, I repeat; il révère, he reveres ;-fête, feast; honnête, honest;-amer, bitter; cher, dear; fer, iron;—mes, my; tes, thy; les, the; ses, his, her or its ; ces, these or those;-maison, house; maître, master; je parlais, I was speaking; je parlerais, I should speak;-plaie, wound; ils parlaient, they were speaking; ils parleraient, they would speak;-ils partageaient, they were dividing;-reine, queen.

To pronounce the vowel è (e ouvert), the tip of the tongue rests on the lower teeth, the tongue is drawn back a little towards the bottom of the mouth, the teeth and the lips are apart, and the vowel resounds at the bottom of the palate. È in the diagram denotes also the é, e (e ouvert), ai, aie, eai, and ei of the above examples.

NOTE. Ai, aie or eai, have the sound of è in the terminations ais, ait, aient or eais, eait, eaient, of the imperfect and conditional of all verbs; as, j'avais, I had; tu avais, thou hadst; il avait, he had; ils avaient, they had. J'aurais, I should have, etc. Je parlais, etc. Je parlerais, etc.

Comparative opening of the mouth required for the pronunciation of the e mute, the é close, and the è and a broad:

e muet (e mute). Ce, de, je, le, me, ne, se, te, etc.

é fermé (e close). Dé, né, thé, lé, décédé, etc. (J'aimai, j'allai, j'aimerai, j'irai, etc.)

é ouvert (e open). Très, près, grès, tête, fête, rêve, etc. (J'aimais, j'allais, j'aimerais, j'irais, etc.)

a long or ouvert (a broad or open). Pâte, plâtre, blâme, âtre, pâtre, mâle, etc.

I, Î, (y after a consonant).

Position of the mouth for the sound of i, y (after a con

y

sonant), î, as in ici, here; ni, nor; timidité; divisible; imiter, to imitate; style, syllabe, mystère, physique; gite, home.

I and y in the above examples are sounded like the English e in me, or i in it; like the long e in

bee.

between two vowels is sounded like two i's, as in moyen, means; joyeux, joyful; ayant, having; pronounced moi-ien, joi-ieux, ai-iant; -also in pays, country; paysan, countryman; paysage, landscape; pronounced pai-is, pai-i-san, pai-i-sage.

o, ô, AU, EAU.

Position of the mouth for the sound of o as in abricot, apricot:

The o is either short, like the English o in not, as in pomme, apple; école, school; notre, our; votre, your; intermediate like o in the example abricot, illustrated by the wood-cut; or long, like o in pole. The o intermediate requires an opening of the mouth greater than the opening required for the o short. To pronounce the o long, the lips protrude more than for the o intermediate, and the o resounds longer on the palate and near the teeth; as in chose, thing; rose, grosse (feminine of gros), big; côte, coast; le nôtre, ours; le vôtre, yours. AU, EAU are either sounded like ó long, as in pause; heaume, helmet; or like o intermediate, as in au, to the; eau, water.

v, û (unlike any English sound).

Position of the mouth for the sound of u as in vertu, virtue; tumulte; nul, none; ultra; utile, useful; duc, duke; murmure,

murmur.

To sound the u, the lips protrude and are drawn together so as to form a very small opening; the tongue is extended in the whole length of the mouth so as to let the sound flow on until it strikes the lips, between which it is heard powerfully*. The lips are more or less protruded, according as the u is long or short: thus u is long in je brûle, I burn; muse, and short in nuage, cloud.

NOTE. EU is sounded like u in gageure, wager; eu, had; j'eus, I had; tu eus, thou hadst; il eut, he had; nous eûmes, we had; vous eûtes, you had; ils eurent, they had; que j'eusse, that I might have; que tu eusses, that thou mightst have; qu'il eût, that he might have; que nous eussions, that we might have; que vous eussiez, that you might have; qu'ils eussent, that they might have.

OU.

Position of the mouth for the sound of ou as in rouge ; clou, nail; tout, all; toujours, always; doux, sweet; mou, soft; il loue, he praises.

Ou is sounded like the English oo in the word loo.

NOTE. The difference between u and ou should be thoroughly understood, and strictly observed in pronunciation; as in couru, run; voulu, been willing; avez-vous vu? have you seen? as-tu tout ce qu'il faut? hast thou all that is necessary? ils se turent à leur tour, they were silent in their turn; tu doutes, thou doubtest; doutes-tu? dost

thou doubt; la rue, the street; la roue, the wheel; tu jures, thou swearest ; toujours, always.

NOTE. The ear should also become accustomed to distinguish rapidly between the various vowel sounds which approximate to each other in pronunciation; as in de, of; deux, two; doux, sweet; du, of the; créateur, creator; créature; atours, attire; donnez-moi deux eufs, give me two eggs; douze œufs, twelve eggs.

* Like u in the Scotch words gude (good), or schule (school).

NASAL SOUNDS.

17. The nasal sounds are emissions of the voice peculiar to the French language, and are generally represented by n or m preceded by one or more vowels :

AN, EAN, EN, AM, EM; IN, IM, AIN, AIM, YN, YM; ON, om,

EON; UN, UM, EUN (unlike any English sounds).

AN, EAN, EN, AM, EM.

Position of the mouth for the sound of an (ean, en, am or em), as in an, year; rampant, creeping; Jean, John; ensuite, then; membre, member; en entrant, in entering.

To pronounce the nasal vowel an, one of the most difficult sounds of the French language, the mouth must be quite open, the end of the tongue must rest on the root of the lower teeth, in order that the tongue may be raised up at the bottom of the mouth. That position of the tongue forces the sound towards the bottom of the palate and in the nose, where the vowel partly resounds. The mouth must be kept

open until the sound is entirely expressed. An in the diagram denotes also the ean, en, am or em of the above examples.

NOTE. En is nasal in ennui, and its derivatives ennuyer, etc.; also in ennoblir, to ennoble. En is not nasal in ennemi, which is pronounced è-nemi. En in nenni, no; solennité and its derivatives; hennir, to neigh, and its derivatives, is pronounced a: nani, solanité, hanir.

IN, IM, AIN, AIM, YN, YM.

Position of the mouth for the sound of in (im, ain, aim, yn or ym), as in lin, flax; impossible; pain, bread; faim, hunger; syntaxe; symphonie, symphony.

To pronounce the nasal vowels the mouth must be very open, and continue in that position until the sound is entirely expressed. Thus to sound in the tip of the tongue rests firmly on the root of the lower teeth. The base of the tongue is raised up towards the uvula, the mouth is very open, and the vowel resounds forcibly on the palate and a little in the nose. IN in the dia

gram denotes also the im, ain, aim, yn or ym, of the above examples.