in speech that may need the aid of a surgeon, any one can, by sufficient attention and practice, learn to speak or read clearly, and at the same time naturally. If you lisp, giving the th sound for s, you must learn to get control of the tip of the tongue, in giving the s sound. If you close the jaw and whistle the s's, or do not close the lips in sounding b, p, v, or fail to bring out distinctly the initial or final consonants in a word, whenever any special trouble in articulation is discovered, practice this until the fault is corrected. A little attention to this matter of sounding the consonants will show the number and variety of muscular movements, in and about the mouth, required for the proper enunciation of a word like civilization. In enunciating such a word as this, the common fault is lack of time-taking for bringing out the syllables distinctly.

In articulation, then, primary attention must be directed to the syllabication, rather than to the word as a whole. Many syllables are composed of several elementary sounds, although they may strike the car as a single sound. The word man has three and strands has seven elementary sounds (elements), and proper articulation requires that each of these sounds be brought out distinctly. Do not say jography for geography, artic for arctic, Amerka for America, acrost for across, genelmun for gentleman, etc.

Again, the words should be clearly separated. Careless readers and speakers are apt to give phrases or sentences as a single word; "Light and dark" is given as lighten dark; "that will do," as that'll doo; "Don't you" as don chew; and "what are you going to do" as whachegondo. Such slovenly articulation is astonishingly common, and, as has been said, it stands in the way of securing the primary requisite of effective utterance, that of being understood. In those rare cases where a child has been trained to articulate clearly, each word coming out clear-cut, like a coin fresh from the mint, how easily is he understood, and with what pleasure he is heard!

In practice for overcoming faults of articulation, as in overcoming any fault, it is well to overdo at first. In the exercises that follow, therefore, be over-precise, if you please, so that you bring out clearly every elementary sound. (The elementary sounds in our language have been estimated as forty-four in number.)

PRONUNCIATION. While Enunciation refers to distinctness in speech, Pronunciation refers to correctness. Correctness in speech generally is a recognized mark of culture. A person often is judged by his pronunciation: his speech either commends or betrays him. Since pronunciation is a matter of custom, uniform correctness is rarely attained by any individual, and yet wide departures from the prevailing usage grate upon the ear, just as misspelled words disturb the eye, and we variously characterize one's pronunciation as "pedantic," "peculiar," "provincial," or "bad." These adjectives represent the two extremes of faulty pronunciation: the careless and provincial on the one hand, and the unusual and precise on the other. He who pronounces for as fur, since as sence, window as winder, now as naow, catch as ketch, from as frum, and so on, represents the provincial class that usually has the further faults of slovenly articulation and bad grammar. On the other hand, we have the over-precise, affectedly cultured class not infrequently represented by the country school teacher-that pronounces neither as nīther, pretty as pretty, nature as natyoor, laugh as lawf, and so on. But while an over-precise and pedantic pronunciation is a common fault, carelessness and incorrectness are far more common.

The test of good pronunciation is the common practice of the best speakers. True, this test is not always easy of application, but with the aid of a modern dictionary, the best usage can be discovered and acquired. As was remarked above, pronunciation is a matter of custom; it is a matter of having uniformity for the sake of convenience. While we

have in America no one locality that can properly assume to set the standard of correct English pronunciation, we have, after all, a generally recognized standard of speech; and the main point is, our pronunciation should not reveal an ignorance of this standard, especially with respect to words in common use.

EXERCISES. Table I gives the elementary sounds. Tables II and III show the relative position of the articulating organs in the enunciation of each sound. These tables, especially Table II, will enable the pupil who has not a "good ear" for sound to depend on the "feel" of the tongue to aid him in securing a correct enunciation.

Practice on these elementary sounds until the vocal organs assume the proper and natural positions unconsciously. Some students need much practice on certain difficult sounds.

Bring out very clearly-overdoing it-the final sounds

Bring out clearly, and separate distinctly, the syllables

in the following words:

Articulate clearly the following, with over-precision, if you please, only aim for absolute distinctness:

1. Reading and writing are arts of striking importance. 2. Make clean our hearts.

3.

A big black bug hit a big black bear.

4. Bring a bit of buttered brown bread.

5. Bring me some ice, not some mice.

6. Some shun sunshine, but why should you shun sunshine?

7. Accomplished speakers display aptitude in properly applying the principles of aspiration and inspiration. Goodness centers in the heart.

8.

9. He saw six slim, sleek, slender saplings.

10. Henry Hingham has hung his harp on the hook where he hithereto hung his hope.

11. Jasper, the jolly juror, justly joked John, the journalist.

12.

Nine neutral nations negotiated numerous nuptials.