A SYLLABUS —IN SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION By EDWIN C. BROOME Superintendent of Public Instruction AND JACQUES W. REDWAY Board of Education Mount Vernon, N. Y. THOMPSON BROWN COMPANY Johnson Blagden & McTurnan Boston New York Inianapolis A SYLLABUS IN SPELLING AND PRONUNCIATION By EDWIN C. BROOME Superintendent of Public Instruction AND JACQUES W. REDWAY Board of Education Mount Vernon, N. Y. Adopted for Use in the Public Schools of Mount Vernon, New York THOMPSON BROWN COMPANY Johnson Blagden & McTurnan Boston New York Inianapolis K y& Copyright 1912, by Johnson Blagden & McTurnan Inc. ©CU328810 A SYLLABUS OF SPELLING AND ORTHOEPY A.— SPELLING I. — Steps in the Preparation of the Lesson: No word has been mastered by a pupil until he knows its pronunciation, its syllabication (if a word of more than one syl- lable), its meaning or use, and its spelling. Pupils should be trained to observe these four requirements in preparing a new lesson. II. — Methods to be Employed in the Preparation of a Lesson: 1. — Pronunciation. — In the primary grades the teacher must be the authority in pronunciation. In assigning a new lesson, the teacher should pronounce each new word correctly, slowly, and distinctly, the children repeating. In the upper grades (above the fifth), the children should be taught to use the dictionary in the preparation of the lessons. 2. — Syllabication. — In the primary grades the teacher should write the syllabicated words on the board, if they are not syllabi- cated in the speller. Children in the upper grades should get the syllabication from the dictionary, if it is not indicated in the spelling book. S. — Meaning and Use. — Do not waste time in defining com- mon words, like horse, house, man. Concentrate effort on the new and unusual words. In the primary grades the meaning can sometimes be obtained from the better informed pupils. Usually, however, the teacher will need to supply it when assigning the new lesson. In the upper grades the children should consult the dic- tionary. Considerable care is necessary to induce pupils to select the most appropriate meaning of several meanings given. 4. — Spelling. — There are several ways in which a pupil may prepare the spelling of a word. Writing the word on paper five or ten times is not recommended. The following procedure is sug- gested: The pupil notes the words in the assigned lessons which appear unusual, or which he cannot spell. He concentrates his attention upon these words, one at a time, as follows: (1) He looks closely at the word as printed in the book or written on the board; (2) he writes it once on paper, dividing into syllables (if a word of two or more syllables) ; (3) he scrutinizes closely the written word; (4) he closes his eyes, or turns the paper over, and spells the word mentally, trying to form a picture of it; (5) he looks again at the written word, if necessary, and writes it on the back of the paper from memory. After he has dealt with each word in this manner, he should try to write the whole list from memory. The object of this method is not only to provide several approaches to the new word, but also to train the memory to retain its form. Mere repetition, whether written or oral, will not pro*- duce a lasting impression. III. — Conducting the Lesson: Both written and oral spelling should be practiced. It is a good plan to have the words spelled orally before they are written. In dictating the words a teacher's pronunciation should be strictly accurate, and her enunciation distinct. The meaning of each word, excepting the most common ones, should be brought out. The following method has brought excellent results : The teacher gives a sentence which illustrates the meaning of the word, and then repeats the word ; for example, "The eel is a kind of fish — eel." The pupils write the word, syllabicating, if a word of two or more syllables. Another successful method is as follows : The teacher pronounces each word slowly and distinctly; the pupils write the words as given. After each word is written a pupil is called upon to recite orally a sentence illustrating the meaning of the word. In the upper grades giving the definition will usually suf- fice. Also, in the upper grades the pupils may be required to use the last half of the spelling period for writing original sentences using the words of the day's lesson. Concert recitations are not recommended. In oral spelling pupils should pronounce the words distinctly before and after spelling, and indicate the syllabication by a pause between syllables. Words commencing with a capital letter should be always thus designated. Words with double let- ters, like book, should be spelled as follows : b, double-o, k — book. IV. — The Assignment of the New Lesson. Where the lesson is not a review, only three or four new 4 words a day should be given in the primary grades, and five or six in the grammar grades. Remember that a complete mastery of a hundred new words during a term is preferable to a superficial knowledge of five hundred. In assigning a new lesson, the teacher should pronounce distinctly each new word, and point out peculiar difficulties, such as those in colonel, separate, February, and re- ceive. The pupils should be urged to concentrate attention on the difficult words. When a new word has one or more homonyms, like (see, sea), (vain, vein, vane), (hear, here), the homonyms should be dwelt upon and the differences in meaning pointed out. V. — The Sources from Which the Lessons May Be Drawn. 1. In Grades 1 and % the spelling words will come chiefly from the reading lessons. Other sources, such as nature, the home, play, and games, may be drawn upon. Simple and common words should be selected, in preference to those which are difficult and unusual. 2. At the beginning of the third grade a spelling book should be used. It is too much to ask the teacher to prepare the lists of words used in the daily lessons. 3. In every grade the lists from the spelling book should be supplemented by words from other sources — history, geography, arithmetic, physiology, etc. VI. — Reviews. Reviews should be frequent. Dictation exercises are a very satisfactory form of review in the primary grades. Each teacher should keep in a notebook an alphabetical list of the words which give her class especial difficulty, and should give occasional reviews from this list. It is well for every pupil to write in a notebook every word misspelled in the daily spelling lesson. This list should be supplemented by words misspelled by the pupil in writ- ten composition. Every Friday, for review, the teacher might require the members of the class to spell the words in their lists. This could be made either an oral or a blackboard exercise. The teacher should include in her general list of difficult words the words which occur most frequently in the lists given by the pupils. It is a good plan, also, to keep a list of the most troublesome words on the blackboard where the pupils may see them frequently. When words from this list are to be given in a lesson, the list may be concealed. When the teacher feels reasonably certain that a word in the list has been mastered by all members of the class, it may be erased, and another may be placed in the space. Some teachers have had good results by writing the more troublesome words in the board list with colored chalk. Where there is one especially difficult element in a word, like the colo in colonel, that element only should be written in colored chalk. Words may be written or printed on "sight cards" for rapid review. A good substitute is to write the word slowly on the board, and then erase. In reviews, again, concentrate effort on the difficult words. The frequency of reviews depends upon so many conditions that no definite directions can be given. The following proportion, however, is suggested : Three lessons a week from the speller, one lesson from the supplementary list, one review. Under reviews comes the spelling match. An occasional "spelling down" is both interesting and stimulating; but a few cautions should be given: (1) Don't have spelling matches too often; (2) don't array girls against boys; (3) don't leave the choosing of the sides entirely to the pupils; (4) don't give words which only one pupil in a hundred will ever use again in his life- time, even if they do appear in the spelling book. When high school students constantly stumble on such words as there, practice, distinct, principal (of a school), receive, and separate, it is folly to waste time in the elementary school upon such words as transubstantiation, ecumenical, and eleemosynary. VII. — Methods of Correction: The practice of exchanging papers for correction is not wise. It is better for the children to correct their own papers, while the teacher, or one of the best spellers in the class, gives the correct spelling. The check mark ( V ) is used in the business world as a mark of approval or accuracy. The cross ( X ) is used to indicate errors. These marks, when used, should always be placed at the left of the word. The children should be trained to mark and rate their own papers. It is a useful exercise to develop hon- esty. As a check on the pupils, however, the teacher should fre- quently review the corrected papers. Before pupils hand in writ- ten work of any kind, they should be required to look through it for errors in spelling. In this way man} 7 errors due to carelessness may be prevented. VIII. — Additional Suggestions : In addition to the several methods and devices presented above, there are others as good, if not better, which will occur to an ingenious and resourceful teacher. Some teachers will find a few simple rules to be helpful. Several rules will be found in almost any good spelling book. For instance, Van Wagenen's "Dictation Day by Day," Fifth Year, pp. 87, 88, 89, contains several good ones. Rules should always be taught inductively. That is, the pupils should be led to induce the rule from specific cases within their knowledge. The significance of prefixes and suffixes should receive some attention in the upper grades. OUTLINE. First Year. Modern methods of reading introduce new words through their phonetic elements. No regular lessons in spelling need be given. • Second Year — First Term. (Daily Lessons — 15 Minutes Each.) At least 100 common words selected from readers, and other sources. A simple speller is recommended. Recitations, both oral and written. Dictation. Frequent exercises in spelling words with a common phonic element, like light, fight, bright. For further directions see Syllabus. Second Year — Second Term. (Daily Lessons — 15 Minutes Each.) At least 100 common words selected from spelling book, also from readers and other sources. Review words frequently mis- spelled. Frequent exercises in spelling words with a common phonic element. Spelling, both oral and written. Dictation. For 7 method see Syllabus. Third Year — First Term. (Daily Lessons — 15 Mmutes Each.) At least 150 words selected from spelling book, readers, and other sources. Reviews of words frequently misspelled. Abbre- viations taught as spelling elements. Only common abbrevia- tions, such as Mr., Mrs., Dr., and those of days of the week, and the months. Spelling, both oral and written. Dictation. For method, see Syllabus. Third Year — Second Term. (Daily Lessons — 15 Minutes Each.) At least 150 words selected from spelling book, readers, and other sources. Review of words frequently misspelled. Abbre- viations continued. Oral and written spelling. Dictation. For method see Syllabus. Fourth Year — First Term. (Daily Lessons — 15 Minutes Each.) At least 200 words selected from the spelling book, readers, geography, and other sources. Reviews of words frequently mis- spelled. Simple contractions. Oral and written spelling. Dicta- tion. See Syllabus for method. Fourth Year — Second Term. (Daily Lessons — 15 Minutes Each.) At least 200 words selected from spelling book, readers, ge- ography, and other sources. Review of words frequently mis- spelled. Simple contractions. Oral and written spelling. Dicta- tion. See Syllabus for method. Fifth Year — First Term. (Daily Lessons — 20 Minutes Each.) At least 250 new words from spelling book, readers, geog- raphy, history, and other sources. Review of words frequently misspelled. Special attention to hyphenated words, and to sylla- bication, and to irregular plurals, like fly — flies, mouse — mice, leaf — leaves. Oral and written spelling. See Syllabus for method. Fifth Year — Second Term. (Daily Lessons — 20 Minutes Each.) At least 250 new words from spellers and other sources. Review of words frequently misspelled. Special attention to hyphenated words, and syllabication. Stems. The more common prefixes and suffixes, like con, com, pre, ab, ad, im, in, mis, un, and ness, less, ing, ful. Oral and written spelling. See Syllabus. Sixth Year — First Term (Daily Lessons — 20 Minutes Each.) At least 300 new words from spelling book and other sources. Review of words frequently misspelled. Stems, prefixes, and suf- fixes. Training in use of dictionary. Occasional exercises in ar- ranging lists of words alphabetically. Accurate spelling required in all written exercises. Oral and written spelling. See Syllabus. Sixth Year — Second Term. (Daily Lessons — 20 Minutes Each.) At least 300 new words from speller and other sources. Re- view of words frequently misspelled. Use of the dictionary. Oc- casional exercises in arranging lists of words alphabetically. Ex- ercises in analysis of words so that children will acquire the habit of getting the meaning of a word from its component parts. Ac- curate spelling required in all written exercises. Oral and written spelling. See Syllabus. Seventh Year — First Term. (Daily Lessons — 20 Minutes Each.) At least 300 new words from speller and other sources. Re- view of misspelled words. Use of the dictionary. Occasional exer- cises in arranging lists of words in alphabetical order. Continued exercises in analysis of words. Exercises in the use of synonyms ; for example, in a group of synonyms pupils should be trained (a) to give the meaning common to all the words of the group; (b) to give the special meaning of each word, and (c) to indicate the distinctive meaning of each word. Accuracy in spelling re- quired in all written work. Oral and written spelling. See Sylla- bus. Seventh Year — Second Term. (Daily Lessons — 20 Minutes Each.) At least 300 words from spelling book and other sources. Especial attention to historical and geographical names. Reviews of misspelled words. Continued exercises in use of the dictionary, analysis of words, and synonyms. Accurate spelling required in all written work. Oral and written spelling. See Syllabus. Eighth Year — First Term. (Daily Lessons — 20 Minutes Each.) At least 300 words from spelling book and other sources. Exercises in use of dictionary, the analysis of words, and syno- nyms continued. Reviews of misspelled words. Accuracy in spell- ing required in all written work. Oral and written spelling. See Syllabus. Eighth Year — Second Term. (Daily Lessons — 20 Minutes Each.) No specific amount of work is designated for this grade. There should be a great amount of drill upon words which the pupils have frequently misspelled in their written work. Mr. Prince, formerly secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education, compiled the following list of words most likely to be misspelled by pupils : Money, knife, shoes, ladies, which, whose, where, there, their, piece, would, watch-chain, lead-pencil, window-curtain, yours, comb, crayon, door-key, floor, believe, guess, through, threw, dropped, walked, laughed, aunt, father, ought, ache, dozen, fruit, Wednesday, beautiful, flowers, sugar, color, collar, brother's, baby's, whole, pair, eight, half, twelve, tough, button, caught, neighbor, minute. The review lists in* standard spelling books furnish good material. Past Regents' examination papers in spelling furnish good lists. The following list of 100 words was given at the inter-city spelling match, held at a recent meeting of the National Education Association : 10 poem precede brethren irrelevant which negroes surprise partition Arctic analyze professor sovereign until fulfill governor geography elm cleanse similar stationery pursue exercise foreigner accommodate iron together architect convenience except through millinery acquiesce deceit detached cemetery restaurant siege hygiene misspelled noticeable niece victuals benefited miniature alley athletic February management sugar a several conscience changeable ceiling equipage regretted occurrence chimney separate curiosity character capitol parallel persevere handkerchief muscle disease particular principal balloon potatoes divisible government cistern . business supersede prejudice origin judgment (judgement) committee admittance whether adj acent embarrass necessarily develop analysis beginning preparation grammar occasion descendant mischievous pumpkin mischief vertical laboratory lettuce disappear recognize privilege Continued drills in the use of the dictionary, in arranging lists of words alphabetically, in analysis of words, and in the use of synonyms. See Syllabus. 11 APPENDIX. I. — List of the more common abbreviations: Mr. — Mister Mrs. — Mistress Messrs. (Messieurs) — Gen- tlemen Dr. — Doctor Gov. — Governor Rev. — Reverend Prin. — Principal Lieut. — Lieutenant Capt. — Captain Maj. — Major Col.— Colonel Gen. — General Com. — Commander Pres. — President Prof. — Professor Supt. — Superintendent Used in catalogue lists, newspapers, etc., but not in formal writing. Hon. — Honorable Bro. — Brother Jr. — Junior Sr. — Senior Esq. — Esquire Sec. — Secretary Treas. — Treasurer Ave. — Avenue St. — Street, Saint U. S. A. — United States Army, or United States of America U. S. N. — United States Navy U. S. M. — United States Mail Fri. — Friday Sat. — Saturday Jan. — January Feb. — February Mar. — March Apr. — April Aug. — August Sept. — September Oct. — October Nov. — November Dec. — December No abbreviations for May, June, July, min. — minute hr. — hour da. — day wk. — week mo. — month yr. — year in. — inch ft.— foot yd. — yard rd. — rod mi. — mile doz. — dozen pk. — peck bu. — bushel gi.— gill pt. — pint qt. — quart gal. — gallon oz. — ounce lb. — pound T.— ton ex. — example ans. — answer 12 G. A. R. — Grand Army of the Republic Co. — Company, County P. O.— Post Office P. S. — Postscript MS. — Manuscript N. B.— Take notice R. S. V. P. — Please answer R. R. — Railroad Nat . — National N. E. — Northeast N. W.— Northwest S. E. — Southeast S. W.— Southwest C. O. D. — Cash on delivery Cr. — Creditor or credit Dr. — Debtor or debit F. O. B. — Free on board B. C— Before Christ A. D.— After birth of Christ A. M. — Before noon M. — Midday P. M. — Afternoon, also Post Master Sun. — Sunday Mon. — Monday Tues . — Tuesday Wed. — Wednesday Thurs . — Thursday no. — number. amt. — amount fig. — figure vol. — volume p.— page pp. — pages pr. — pair doz. — dozen qr. — quire bbl. — barrel lat. — latitude long. — longitude acct. or a/c — account bal. — balance agt. — agent coll. — collect pd. — paid payt. — payment reed. — received rect. — receipt mdse. — merchandise int. — interest dis. — discount chap. — chapter per. — by, per cent. do. — ditto etc. — and so forth pkg. — package Consult a standard geography for the abbreviations of the names of States, and other geographical names. There are no legitimate abbreviations for cities and towns. II. — Some common contractions: I'm — I am isn't — is not she's — she is I've— I have aren't — are not he's — he is I'll — I will wasn't — was not it's — it is we're — we are weren't — were not who's — who is we've — we have hasn't — has not that's — that is we'll — we will haven't — have not what's — what is you're — you are hadn't — had not here's — here is you've — you have can't — can not there's — there is you'll — you will won't — will not where's — where is they're — they are sha'n't — shall not 'tis — it is they've — they have couldn't — could not e'en — even they'll — they will wouldn't — would not e'er — ever don't — do not shouldn't — should not ne'er — never doesn't — does not he'd — he would oe'r — over didn't — did not she'd — she would 'mid — amid III. — List of the more common prefixes: e, ex — out, out of; examples — eject, extract, mis — wrong, wrongly; examples — misuse, misunderstand, re — back, again; examples — return, rebuild, un — not, back; examples — uncommon, unbend, in, im — in, into, not ; examples — invade, incorrect, out — more than, beyond; examples — outline, outside, over — above, beyond; examples — overcharge, overlook, pre — before; examples — prescribe, prevent, dis — not, away; examples — disagree, discharge, trans — across, beyond, through; examples — transcontinental, transport, transparent. en — in, into ; example — enclose. a — on, in; examples — afoot, abed. be — at; examples — before, beside. con, com — together; examples — conduct, compress. de — from away; examples — detract, depart. inter — among, between; examples — intermix, international. mal — badly ; example — maltreat. 14 IV. — Some common suffixes: or, ar, er — one who, that which ; examples — director, beggar, builder. er — more ; examples — greater, larger. est — most ; examples — brightest, longest. less — without; examples — endless, motionless. ful — full of; example — truthful, beautiful. ly — in manner of; examples — surely, rapidly. ous, ious, eous — full of, worthy of ; examples — dangerous, in- dustrious, righteous. eer, ier — one who ; examples — engineer, cashier. an, ian — one who, pertaining to ; examples — American, his- torian. ness — having quality of ; example — weakness. ish — having quality of; examples — foolish, gawkish. en — made of, to make; examples — golden, cheapen. ward — toward ; example — homeward. 15 B.— ORTHOEPY An analysis of the various letters will be helpful in establish- ing a better pronunciation of English words. I. — Consonants. C. The consonant "c" is not likely to give trouble. It is well to bear in mind that in English it has no specific sound of its own. In most words in which it is followed by "e," "i," or "y" it has the sound of "s"; followed by "a," "o," or "u," it is like "k" ; in a few exceptional words, "discern," "suffice," and "sacri- fice," it takes the sound of "z"; in such words as "oceanic" and "pronunciation," it acquires the sound of "sh." Ch. The digraph "ch" is used empirically to represent a sound which has no specific character to represent it. The com- bination "tsh," which is sometimes used to indicate it, is at best a very crude and imperfect representation. The normal sound of the combination occurs in the words "church," "much," etc. There will be little or no difficulty in exacting the proper pro- nunciation. It will be well to note the words in which it has the sound represented by "sh" — "chaise," "machine," "chandelier," etc. ; note also a number of words in which it has the sound of "k," as "chorus," "echo," etc. CI, Gl. The combinations "cl" and "gl" rarely give trouble, and certainly they should not. Now and then, however, a pupil will be found who substitutes "tl" and "dl" therefor. The differ- ence is difficult to detect, and will elude the teacher's notice unless carefully sought. It will be wise to make a test upon suspected cases, using a list of a dozen selected words. Gh. The digraph "gh" may have the sound of "g," as in "ghost" ; of "f," as in "laugh" ; or it may be silent, as in "though." Formerly it possessed a coarse, gutteral sound much like "ch" in the German tongue. This sound is partly preserved in Scotch and Irish names to-day, as in "lough," "Dougherty." J. The consonant "j" has normally the sonant sound of "ch," as in "jug"; it also is represented by "g" where the latter is followed by "e," "i," or "y." In a few words, such as "ver- dure," slipshod pronunciation tends to give "du" the sound of 16 "ju." It will be wise to stamp out such a tendency. N. The letter "n" followed by "g" is modified by a coales- cence with the latter, while the latter retains also its individual sound in some words, as "linger," but not in others, as in "singer." There may be a slight tendency to pronounce the first named "ling-er" ; rarely it may be pronounced "lin-ger" instead of "ling- ger." The teacher should exact a good sonorous sound of "ng" in such words as "ring," "strong." The last word itself is difficult to pronounce, and its repetition in unison is a good exercise. The chief difficulty, however, will be found in such words as "length," "strength," etc. Be careful to exa'ct the full sound of "ng"; be careful also to detect such slipshod pronunciation as "len'th" and "stren'th," and give the offenders individual practice. Note also that "n" before the sound of "k" has usually the value of "ng," as in "ink," "rank." Ph. The digraph "ph" is used to represent a letter in Greek having the sound of "f." In "Stephen" it naturally is modified to the sound of "v." In a few words — "diphthong," "naphtha," etc. — there is a distinct tendency to give it the sound of "p." And although this is recognized by several lexicographers, it can- not be regarded otherwise than slipshod and careless pronuncia- tion. The pupils should be held to the historic sound. Q. This is the least useful letter of the alphabet ; it is al- ways used in conjunction with "u." The combination has the value of "kw," except in a few words ending in "que," as "unique," "grotesque," and several others. R. Of the consonants, the sound of "r" is about the only one presenting much difficulty. Its chief sound, best represented by a repetition of the sound, as "r-r-r-r-r," the rough breathing of the Greek tongue, is rarely heard in English speech. In such combinations as "hero," "ruddy," "bright," etc., it is rarely mis- pronounced. It is apt to be slighted in such words and combina- tions as "part,", "more," etc. — that is, when preceded by a vowel. Thus, part may be pronounced "paht"; more, "mo-uh"; after, "af-tuh"; girl, "goil," etc. Many pupils are prone to eliminate the sound of "r" from such words as "first," "burn," "were," "hurt," etc. It will be well to look over the lessons for the pur- 17 pose of giving a necessary drill upon such words. In the words noted above, "r" has become practically a vowel. S. The consonant "s" has several sounds. Its normal sound occurs in "miss," "sir," "rest," etc. ; in "is," "please," "desire," and many other words, it takes the sound of "z." In most cases the approved pronunciation will be evident ; one cannot easily mispro- nounce such words as "yes," "sky," "lips," "snow," "ribs," "rides," "reason," or "dismal" ; but in such words as "discern," "disarm," etc., the teacher must be alert. Before "e," "i," and "u" this letter often takes the sound of "sh," as in "Asiatic," "nau- sea," "sure," and "mission"; or of "zh" in "pleasure," "confu- sion," and "visual." Errors in pronunciation are apt to occur in such words as "equation," "Asia," "version," "pronunciation," etc., and the teacher should look for them. Sh. The digraph "sh" has practically but one value — that in "wish," "ship," etc. It is not likely to be mispronounced. T. The consonant "t" is not likely to give trouble in pro- nunciation when preceded by a vowel. When preceded by "p," as in "apt," "crept," the combination requires practice. In com- bination with "ch," "gh," "b," and "c" in "yacht," "night," "doubt," and "indict," it has rendered those letters silent. In "mortgage," the letter itself has become silent. It is silent in such words as "hasten," "listen," "often," etc. Watch carefully for such faulty pronunciation. Th. The digraph "th" has two sounds, as in "thin" and "neither." These sounds do not occur in the German language, and pupils of German parentage are apt to use "t" and "d" to represent the corresponding sounds. In such cases direct the pupil to place the tongue between the teeth, breathe, and then add the rest of the word; thus — "th. . .in," "th. . .us." Look for any words in the lesson containing this combination that are likely to be incorrectly pronounced. The combination "thr" is very difficult, and pupils need to be drilled thoroughly on such words as "three," "thrifty," "thrill," "thrash," "throng," "throt- tle," "throat," etc. Look out for "t'rash," "t'roat," etc. Note some of the more common words, such as "Thomas," "thyme," and "Esther," in which the "h" is silent. 18 W. The letter "w" is a consonant in such words as "whip," "we," "wet," "will," etc., and practically a vowel in such words as "law," "how," "plow," "row," etc. Watch carefully for such pronunciation as "ror" and "lor," for "raw" and "law." X. The letter "x" has the value of "ks" in "box," "extra," "wax," "ox," and similar combinations ; in "extraordinary" and similar compounds, and in "luxurious," it acquires the sound of "kz"; in "anxious," "luxury," and a few others it gives to the vowel following it the sound of "sh." It will be well to look care- fully after the doubtful words, such as "exit," "exhaust," "lux- urious," "exhilarate," "exemplary" and others. At the beginning of a word, "x" has empirically the value of "z." Y. The letter "y" is used both as a consonant and a vowel. In such words as "yard," the sound is purely that of a consonant ; when preceded by a vowel, however, it is usually a vowel itself, hav- ing the sound of "a," or of "i." The sounds of "n" and "1" take after them the sound of consonant "y," in such words as "union," "pinion," "halliard," "million." In a number of such words as "joyous," "buoyant," etc., the sound of "y" is practically dou- bled, the first part being vowel, the last part consonant "y," the actual pronunciation being "joy-yus," and not "joy-us," as is commonly marked. There are several combinations that will require watchful care on the part of the teacher — mainly syllables from which the vowel sound is eliminated. Thus, the "e" in such words as "widen," "hidden," etc., is silent, and the words are pronounced "wid-'n," "hid-d'n," etc. ; in "fasten," "hasten," and similar words the "t" sound is also eliminated. Let us admit that this may be called slipshod pronunciation, but it is in the interest of agreeable sound. In a similar manner the final syllable of "bubble," "castle," "thistle," and similar words in each case is pronounced without a vowel sound ; in the last two words the "t" is also eliminated. The careless omission of the "g" from certain words ending in "ing" will also require watchfulness. In most cases the omission is con- fined to the present participial form. German, Russian, Italian, and Slavic children, especially those born in European countries, have each peculiarities of speech 19 that are commonly called "accent." There is but one thing before the teacher — namely, to eradicate such peculiarities, and train the pupils to acquire a standard English orthoepy. Nothing but con- stant and careful practice will yield the result. II. — Vowels. By far the greatest difficulty is found in reproducing the various qualities of the vowel letters. Two keys are in common use ; these are found in the Webster and the Standard dictionaries. Pupils should be familiar with both. For convenience the Web- ster key is used in this syllabus. Vowel letters differ both in quality and quantity ; thus "a" in "mat" differs in quality from "a" in "ball" ; "a" in "art" is quantitatively long, but in "artistic" it is short. Similarly, initial "e" in "even" is long in quantity; in "event" it is short. But "e" in "met" differs from either in quality. As a matter of fact, the quantity of a vowel will take care of itself. One cannot easily mispronounce the initial sounds of "at" and "air," "even" and "event," or "art" and "artistic." The study of quantity need not, therefore, demand any effort or time on the part of pupils of the elementary schools. The question of the quality of vowel sounds is one of not a little difficulty. Thus, the letter "a" is used to represent eight different sounds in the Webster, and four in the Standard; the letters "e," "i," "o," and "u" represent each three or more vowel sounds. A. Thus one may find the letter "a" used to represent the following : a as in "male," "fade," "debate," "remain" is a diph- thong, and is composed of the sound of "e" in "met" followed by the sound of "e" in "me," but quite as often having the value of "e-i." The difference between the two sounds is chiefly quantita- tive, and ranges between the sounds occurring in "ale" and "senate." 20 a as in "art" is usually called the Italian sound. It is long in quantity in "arm," short in "artistic," and somewhat modified in such words as "dance," "ask," "glass," etc. Educated people in England, Ireland, and some parts of the United States pre- serve the full Italian sound of the letter in such words, however; and certainly, if a musical pronunciation is desirable, the preserva- tion of the sound in these words is justifiable. a as in "at" is long in "air" and short in "mat." Its proper quality will give no trouble. It has been derived from the Italian sound by a natural change. Many actors and singers eschew it, using the shortened Italian sound instead. a as in "all" is sometimes called the broad sound of the letter. In several words, such as "daunt," "flaunt," etc., there is a strong tendency to revert to the Italian sound of the letter. In many words, such as "what," "wander," "quality," etc., the sound of the letter is practically lost, being replaced by a sound approaching "o" in "not." In "many," "any," and "against" it takes the sound of "e" in "met." In such words as "pare," "fare," the sound is practically identical with its sound in "air," although Webster and the Standard dictionaries note a distinction. This sound seems to have been derived from the sound of "a" in "male." E. "e" as in "eve" and "concrete" is long; in "event" it is short. There will be but little difficulty in obtaining the proper sound value. "e" as in "met," "better," "content" is frequently mispro- nounced in such words as "faucet," "budget," "argument," "re- cent," "sudden," "added," etc. In a few words "e" has the sound of "a," as in "prey," "feign." I. "I" as in "fine," "mighty," "hide" is clearly a diph- thong, having the -two sounds "a-e," or "a-i." It is not apt to be mispronounced. "I" as in "pin," "admit," "until" is sometimes incorrectly used for "e" before "d." Chemical names ending in "ine" and 21 "ide" are frequently mispronounced ; it is "iodine," not "iodine," "bromide," etc. "i" in a few words, "pique," "machine," etc., has the sound of "e." O. "6" as in "note" is a diphthong having very nearly the sound "u-oo," "o-oo," or "a-oo." Its diphthongal character is apparent, but there are no letters that exactly express the value of the elements composing it. In a few words, such as "obey," "poetic," and "tobacco," it is considered by some orthoepists as the quantitatively short sound of "o." Certain it is that it loses almost wholly its diphthongal character and becomes a single vowel. In a few words, such as "throat," there is a tendency to shorten the vowel so that the word sounds almost "thrut." In such words as "orb," "lord," "abhor," the sound of the vowel is con- siderably modified, almost losing its essential quality. In such words as "wolf" this is apparent ; in "son," "welcome," "other," etc., the sound of "u" is clear. "6" as in "not," "copy," "hostile," has a clear and distinct value that is not often mispronounced. In a few words, however, such as "often," "God," "song," "long," etc., there is a tendency to give it the sound of "a," as in all. This will require not a little watchfulness. U. "ii" as in "mute," "bureau," "pure," "emulate," "unite," is a diphthong having the sounds "1-00." The Standard Diction- ary represents it by two characters. In the words given above it cannot be readily mispronounced. In most other words, such as "issue," "Tuesday," "tune," "suit," "duty," it is almost always pronounced like "oo" in "hoot" — a slipshod speech which should be vigorously corrected. "u," as in "but," "circus," "much," is rarely mispronounced ; indeed it seems to be a goal toward which the sounds of "o" and "u" are tending. There are several other sounds of this vowel ; in "rude" it has practically the sound of "oo" in "food" ; in "push" it has the sound of "oo" in "foot." These seem to be the normal sounds, and they are the dominant sounds of the letter in most Teutonic languages to-day. It is well to drill pupils thoroughly on the distinction between the sounds of "u" in "mute" and 22 "rude" by making a list of a dozen or more words for occasional practice. There are several vowel combinations, as "ae," "ai," "au," "ea," "ei," "ie," "oa," "oo," "oi," "ou," "oy," "ua," "ue," "ui," and "uy." Of these "oi," "ou," and "oy" are diph- thongs, both vowels being sounded. In the others one or the other of the two is silent ; thus, in "broad" and "groats" the "o" is silent; in "foam" and "moat" the "a" is silent. III. — Suggested Exercises. Require the analytical pronunciation of words having diffi- cult letter combinations in conjunction with the reading lesson. Most likely the faulty pronunciation will be in one or another of the following series : bd, bid — robbed, drubbed, cribbed, throbbed, mobbed, stabbed, nabbed, bribed, inscribed, troubled, scribbled, scrambled, doubled, etc. dl, tl — needle (not nee-dul), paddle, middle, noddle, whittle, throttle, battle, hospital. dn, tn — pardon (the "o" is silent), widen, burden, listen (liss'n), batten, cotton, mutton, wooden. fl — flame, flight, flock, flatter, flageolet, flag. ft, fv — thrift, craft, mufti, crafty, draught, lofty, wives, thrives, contrives, waves, loaves, grooves, loathes. gd, gld — drugged, bagged, nagged, struggled, gurgled, haggled, wriggled, rugged, wrinkled. gr — graves, graphite, griffith, programme, graphophone, griggs, groats. kt — knocked, strict, thwacked, mocked, wrecked, fact, kicked. mth, nth — warmth, tenth, eleventh, anthem, anthropology. ngth — length, strength. pt — whipped, stripped, rapped, cropped, abrupt, corrupt. r, er — after (not af-tiih), part, Arthur, car-fare, artery, 23 DEC 17 1912 roar, raw, wrestle, through, fern, third, work, burn. str — straight, strong, struggle, stringency, structural, strongmindedness, straightforwardness, strangeness. thr, thw — thrown, threadbare, thrust, throng, throttle, threshold, thralldom, thwack, thwart. a — fame, party, faulty, spatter, arm, artistic, aeroplane, aerated, psalm, ask, dance, Bahia (ba-e'-a), law, natural. e — travel (not -il), budget (not -it), couplet, bevel, recent, argument, equipment, faucet, noted, open. i — juvenile (not -lie), puerile, appendicitis, iodine, chlo- ride. o — hortatory, God (not gawd), oracle, 5racular, oval, opera, onwards, companion. u — produce (not oos), nature (nat-yur, not na-cher), mute, turn, Tuesday, creature, moisture, usage, nuisance, fortune, tune, rude, Munich, Irkutsk, Russia, Lulu, Luzon. The foregoing are merely suggested. The best exercises will be those which teachers themselves prepare, using their daily lessons as a basis for selection. 24 !:,!,?, RARY 0F CONGRESS 021 773 066 1