For a farther illustration of this subject, the reader is referred to Dr. Rush's "Philosophy of the Human Voice," page 59.

THEORY OF SYLLABICATION.

Of the formation of Syllables.

The foregoing development of the elementary sounds, and of the radical and vanishing function, furnishes information which completely lays open the doctrine of syllabication.

In treating this subject, Dr. Rush philosophically illustrates the three following, important points: The peculiar operations of the voice in the production of syllables-The circumstantial causes of their length-The basis of the rule which ordains but one accent to a syllable.

The radical and vanishing movements of the voice, constitute the essential properties of a syllable. Every syllable consisting of one or more elementary sounds, derives its characteristicks of length and singleness of impulse, from the concrete move. ment, and from the various properties of the tonick, subtonick, and atonick elements of which it is composed. Then, as the concrete movement of the voice through a tone or other interval of the scale, is the essential function of a syllable, it follows, that each of the tonick elements, may, by itself, form a syllable; for none of these can be pronounced singly, without producing the radical and vanishing movement.

It follows, also, from the assumed causation of a syllable, that two tonick elements cannot be united in one syllable, or one vocal impulse; for each having its own radical and vanish, they must necessarily produce two syllables. We find, therefore, that whenever two or more tonicks are in sequence, each forms (except when silent) a separate syllable.

From what has been said, it will readily be perceived, that, as the atonick elements have not the radical and vanishing concrete, they cannot produce distinct impulses, and, consequently, when joined with tonicks, do not produce separate syllables. If the word olio, or Ohio, be properly pronounced so as to give each of the three tonicks its radical and vanish, it will be im

possible to condense them all into one impulse or syllable. Similar remarks are applicable to the words aorta, Eta, Ion, or any others including two or more tonick elements. But in the word speaks, the syllabick function is contained in the tonick ee-l, whilst the atonicks s, p, k, and s, add to the time, but do not destroy the monosyllabick character of the word.

In regard to the various lengths of syllables, considered without reference to prosodial quantities, or to those abridgments and prolongations of voice adopted for the purpose of oratorical expression, it may now be shown, that they are unalterably fixed by the constituent elements of which they are composed.

The length of a syllable is increased, in the first place, by adding atonicks to a tonick: thus, by adding, for example, ƒ to a, the syllable fa is formed; and if to these, the atonick c be subjoined, the word face will be longer than the element a, or the syllable fa, and still the triple compound will be but one syllable, as it can have but one concrete movement. Although the atonicks may be distinctly heard, (e is mute,) as forming a part of the length of the syllable, yet they being incapable of the concrete function, the transition through the given interval, is made altogether on a, as if the word consisted only of that element.

Secondly, if the subtonick 7 be prefixed to the tonick a, the syllable la will be longer than a, but will still have but one function of the radical and vanish; for when a subtonick is uttered before a tonick, the vanish of the subtonick does not occur: its radical continues on a level line of pitch, till the tonick opens on that line with a more emphatick radical, and carries on the concrete of the syllable. If to la, the subtonick v be affixed, the compound lave will be still longer than la, and its syllabick character will still be preserved by the singleness of its radical and vanishing movement. In the pronunciation of lave, the intonation of l and a will be as before, except that a will not move quite through the concrete, before v will fall in with it, and thus complete the vanish of the syllable.

When an abrupt atonick is affixed and another prefixed to a short tonick, as in cat, pet, tik, they form the shortest syllables

in the language: and in the pronunciation of such syllables, however short they may be, the concrete movement of the radical and vanish, is still performed. This union of abrupt elements with tonicks, is a third mode of preserving the unity of syllables, with a variation of their length.

A fourth mode of combining elements, is, by a union of all the four kinds in one syllable: and this arrangement produces the longest syllables in the language. Whenever there is a pause after a subtonick, and, consequently, whenever it is uttered singly, or at the close of a syllable, it unavoidably takes the concrete movement: and the same thing occurs when it is followed by an atonick; for, in this case, there is a termination of vocality. It follows, therefore, that whenever both subtonicks and atonicks are prefixed and affixed with a tonick in forming a syllable, the atonicks must be placed on the extremes, otherwise, the single, syllabick impulse would be destroyed. In pronouncing the words strange (properly strandzh) and strength, but one radical and vanishing movement is performed on each; and the syllabick unity, or singleness of impulse, is preserved by the peculiar arrangement of the various kinds of elements of which they are composed. Each of these consists of seven elementary sounds, which is the greatest number that the nature of the elements admits of being combined into one syllable. It will readily be perceived, that if the atonick and subtonick elements in these words, were transposed, so as to remove the former from their appropriate places on the extremes, as in the arrangement rstange, srtange, trsange, all the elements could not be pronounced in one syllable.

To the inquiring mind, it cannot but be interesting thus to discover, that, in the formation of syllables and words, which, to the ordinary observer, appear to be composed of letters accidentally thrown together, and, as it were, grouped at random, nature, silent and unseen, has all the while superintended her own handywork, and directed the whole operation by the unalterable and most rigid rules of philosophy.

From the influence of the radical and vanish, the constituents of a syllable, the duration of its utterance is quickly arrested.

The nine atonicks, and the three abrupt subtonicks, cause an interruption to the continuity of the syllabick impulse; and the mingling of the different elements, must give one of these interrupters of sound, a position in every third or fourth place among the tonicks and the other subtonicks, and thereby set a limit to the duration of syllabick sound. For farther information on this subject, the student is again referred to the "Philosophy of the Human Voice,” p. 72.

The foregoing development shows, that a syllable may consist of one elementary sound, or of several. The word mat, for example, to one unaccustomed to a scientifick analysis of the elements of speech, may appear to be one indivisible sound, uttered by a single impulse of the voice. A little attention, however, to the operation of the vocal organs in pronouncing it, will enable any one to perceive, that there are in the word, three, distinct, elementary sounds. In producing these sounds, and in combining them in such a manner as to form the word mat, in the first place, the lips are pressed together in a peculiar manner, and, at the same time, air being forcibly impelled through the nostrils, "a sound is heard which somewhat resembles the lowing of an ox." The sound thus produced, is the one represented by the letter м. The mouth is then opened, through which air is emitted, and in its passage from the throat, so modulated by the action of the palate, tongue, and other organs of speech, as to produce the sound represented by the tonick a, as heard in the word a-t. Lastly, the tip of the tongue is pressed against the roof of the mouth, and by a simultaneous action, air is again impelled from the throat, and the tongue is withdrawn from the roof of the mouth; and thus, that peculiar element is produced which is denoted by the abrupt atonick T. By pronouncing the word very slowly, the three elementary sounds here described, may readily be perceived.

Similar experiments on the words MAN, NOT, GET, bud, far, and the like, will show that each is composed of three, distinct, elementary sounds.

These explanations are given with the hope, that they will enable the unpractised student, by a little attention, readily to

analyze any word, and ascertain what its elementary principles are: for, indeed, it is but too true, that many a one who passes for an accomplished speaker, is yet quite ignorant of both the number and the character of the elementary sounds of his language; and what is still more to be deplored, owing to the same species of ignorance, many a teacher is utterly incapable of correcting the perverted and defective enunciation of his pupils. It may not, therefore, be improper here to remark, that the only expeditious and sure method of teaching a foreigner, or a native whose pronunciation is imperfect and corrupt, to pronounce words according to their true idiom, and the best usage of those who speak the language, is, by teaching him those elements in which he fails, separately, as single and detached things, as well as to cause him to pronounce them in their combined state.

Why does the foreigner or the half-taught child, say tinks or dinks, instead of thinks? trift or drift, instead of thrift? or dat, instead of That? Why does he say tory, when he should say story? pos-ce, instead of pos-ts? was-ce, instead of was-tes? fores-ce, instead of fores-ts? fif, instead of fif-th? lenth, instead of len-gth? and why all the other innumerable omissions, suppressions, perversions, and distortions of the elementary sounds which occur so frequently with those who attempt to speak our language? The whole proceeds from a want of attention to the proper method of exploding the elementary sounds: and, as previously stated, the only effectual remedy for such deficiencies, is, to teach the elemental sounds SEPARATELY, as well as in their combined state. It is in vain to attempt to correct such defects by teaching pronunciation in the gross; that is, by teaching a pupil to pronounce, successively, whole sentences or parts of sentences. No; the thing is altogether impracticable. He must be taught, not merely to pronounce each word in which he fails, separately, but each, elementary part of the word separately. He must be taught to analyze every word in the pronunciation of which he blunders, and practice upon each of its elements until he can explode it clearly and perfectly.

This is a point of paramount importance to him who would