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§ 11. We may call these words in brackets KEY-WORDS, as they give a key to the pronunciation.
It is, of course, absolutely necessary that we should know what is the sound of each letter, and each combination of letters, in the key-words.
§ 12. Sounds are divided into vowel sounds and consonant sounds.
THE VOWEL SOUNDS.
The vowel sounds of the English language are tabulated as follows by Mr. Pitman, the great authority on phonetics:—
I.—THE SIX LONG VOWEL-SOUNDS.
| 1. | The vowel-sound in the word | half; |
| 2. | do.do.do. | pay; |
| 3. | do.do.do. | he; |
| 4. | do.do.do. | thought; |
| 5. | do.do.do. | so; |
| 6. | do.do.do. | poor; |
II.—THE SIX SHORT VOWEL-SOUNDS.
| 7. | The vowel-sound in the word | that; |
| 8. | do.do.do. | bell; |
| 9. | do.do.do. | is; |
| 10. | do.do.do. | not; |
| 11. | do.do.do. | much; |
| 12. | do.do.do. | good; |
The six long vowel-sounds, then, are brought to mind when we repeat the words:—
- “Half-pay he thought so poor.”
