voice, if he articulate correctly, will be better understood, and heard with greater pleasure, than one who vociferates without judgment. The voice of the latter may, indeed, extend to a considerable distance, but the sound will be dissipated in confusion; while not the smallest vibration of the former is wasted every tone is perceived at the utmost distance to which it reaches, and hence it has often the appearance of penetrating farther than one which is loud, but badly articulated.

According to the description of Mr. Sheridan, a good articulation consists in giving every letter in a syllable its due proportion of sound, according to the most approved mode of pronouncing it, and in making such a distinction between the syllables of which words are composed, that the ear shall without difficulty acknowledge their number, and perceive at once to which syllable each letter belongs. Where these points are not observed, the articulation must be proportionally defective. In correct articulation, the words are not hurried over, nor precipitated syllable over syllable, and melted as it were together into a mass of confusion. They are neither cut short nor prolonged; neither swallowed, nor forced from the mouth as if they were shot; neither trailed, nor drawled, nor let slip out carelessly, so as to drop unfinished. They are rather delivered out from the lips, as Mr. Austin

says, like beautiful coins newly issued from the mint, deeply and accurately impressed, perfectly finished, neatly struck, distinct, sharp,-in due succession and of due weight.

The great Roman orator was of opinion that good articulation is not only conducive to the improvement of the voice in clearness, strength, and sweetness, but that it is a criterion of the speaker's knowledge of his language. It is required of the voice, he says, that it be strong and sweet; but we must allow that nature alone can effectually bestow these qualities, though practice will improve the one, and the imitation of those who articulate distinctly and deliberately will improve the other. It was distinct articulation alone, indeed, which obtained for the Catuli such high literary reputation; for though they were men of letters, they were not more so than others, and yet they were esteemed to be the best speakers of the Latin language. Their tones were sweet, their syllables neither strongly marked nor smothered-neither affected nor indistinct; and their voice, without effort, was neither languid nor clamorous.

In the English language, the difficulty of acquiring a correct articulation being unusually great, the foundation must be laid at an early age, when the organs are most tractable. If this be not attended to, unconquerable imperfections in utter

ance may be the consequence, as is often observed in those who in their infancy have been given up to the care of vulgar speakers. In the English language, the articulation is sometimes rendered difficult from the harsh combination of consonants, both in single words and from the meeting of words in their arrangement in sentences. Sometimes it occurs that a word terminates with one or more consonants which require to be articulated by the organs, adjusted in such a manner that they cannot be suddenly and easily changed in order to accommodate the articulation of the following words. The ancient languages, particularly the Greek, allow of, or rather require, many alterations of such letters, in order to prevent such difficult and disagreeable collisions; and also to strengthen the sound where an hiatus would otherwise take place, and in every manner to facilitate the articulation. Several modern languages have also contrivances for this purpose, but the English language hardly admits any indulgence of this kind. In composition, therefore, attention ought to be paid to this circumstance; and, as far as smoothness of style is considered important, care should be taken to avoid collisions of this nature. It is not to be desired, however, that this harshness should be altogether polished away, as it forms the strength of our language, and upon its judicious

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use much of its vigour and variety depends, Harshness, it has been well remarked by Demetrius Pha larius, contributes in many instances to magnificence. In some respects, the collision of the letters may be unpleasing to the ear; but they have the advantage of strongly demonstrating the magnificence of the hero; for the finically polished style, and that which merely pleases the ear by its melody, are seldom used in grand subjects: such were the principles acted upon by the refined Greeks, and the same will apply to the English compositions of the present day.

A very common cause of indistinctness in articulation, is a short and quick way of speaking, which must be corrected by taking more time and leisure; though caution should be taken not to fall into the other extreme-of a lifeless or whining manner of speaking. A due regard to quantity is also indispensable; though this is not an error so likely to be committed in these days as it was formerly, before the multiplication of dictionaries and works on elocution. Above all, a pedantic or affected pronunciation should be avoided; for this is often a cause of imperfect articulation and bad speaking; such, for example, as the changing of open and long into narrow and short vowels, or dropping the consonants, or sounding them very soft and with a supposed air of politeness, which is

in reality mincing and vulgar. An old author well remarks, that if some men, to ingratiate themselves with the other sex, Sardanapalus-like, think affectation necessary in conversing with them, they would do well to confine the prim mouth and the soft voice to those occasions only; and when they speak in public, then to assume the voice and speech of men, that we may not have a female senate, nor women to speak at the bar or in the church.

In singing, a clear and distinct articulation is no less requisite than in speaking; and no classical ear can endure a singer, who pronounces doy for die, moy for my, thoy for thy, &c. The present school of English bass singing, however, proceeds upon the erroneous principle of rounding the mouth in this manner; so that the line "When the din of arms is past," is sung "Ooen thoa duin oof ooarms is pooast." The sounding of the syllable ly at the end of words, as if it were loy, is no less affected and objectionable.

IMPERFECT AND DEFICIENT ARTICULATION.

Whether persons who are subject in any great degree to this defect can ever conquer it, may strongly be doubted; but supposing success possible, the constant vigilance, and the incessant efforts necessary in difficult cases, are such as must