Table Of ContentHE NATIONAL ST^KniRJ&|
bliahedinthisCountryarebased
ndardoftheEnglish igniage.
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PREFACE
IN this revision of the Elementary SpellingBook, the chief
objectaimedatistobringitsnotationintoacorrespondence
with that of the recently issued Quarto Dictionary,inwhich a
more extended system of orthoepical markshasbeen adopted
for the purpose of exhibiting the nicer discriminations of
vowel sounds. A fewofthe Tables,however, and afew single
columns ofwords,areleft without diacritical signs as exercises
in notation, a familiarity with which is importantto all who
consult the dictionary. A little attention to the Key to the
Soundsofthe marlced Letterswill aid bothteacherand pupil in
this interesting exercise. Asithasbeen found inconvenient to
insert the whole Key at the top of the page, as heretofore,
frequent reference to thefull explanationofthejointedletters
on page 14 may be desirable.
In Syllabication it has been thought best not to givethe
etymological division of the Quarto Dictionary, but to retain
the old mode of Dr. Webster as best calculated to teachyoung
scholars the true pronunciation ofwords.
The plan of classification here executed is extendedso as to
comprehend everyimportant varietyofEnglish words,andthe
classes are so arranged, with suitable directions for thepro-
nunciation, that any pupil, who shall be master of these Ele-
mentary Tables, will find little difficulty in learning to form
and pronounce any words that properly belong to our ver-
nacularlanguage.
The Tables intended forExercises in Spelling and forming
words, contain the original words, with the terminations only
of their derivatives. These Tables will answerthe important
purposes of teachingthe manner offorming the various deriv-
atives, and the distinctions of the parts of speech, and thus:
PREFACE.
6
anticipate, in some degree, the knowledge ofgrammar at the
;
same time, they bring into a small compass a much greater
number of words than could be otherwise comprised in so
small a book.
The 2^ronunciation here given is that which is sanctioned
by the most general usage of educated people, both in the
United States andinEngland. Thereare a fewwordsinboth
countries whose pronunciation is not settledbeyond dispute.
In cases of this kind, the Editor hasleanedto regular analo-
gies as furnishingthe best rule ofdecision.
In orthography there are some classes of words in which
usage is not uniform. No two English writersagreeonthis
subject; andwhatisworse,nolexicographeris consistentwith
himself. In this book, as in Dr. Webster's dictionaries, that
mode of spellinghasbeen adopted which is the most simple
andbest authorized. TheEditor has followed the rules that
areheld tobelegitimate, andhasrendered uniform allclasses
of words fallingwithin them. Ifestablished rules and anal-
ogieswillnotcontrol the practice of writers, there is no au-
thority by which uniformitycanbeproduced.
The reading lessons are adapted, as far as possible, to the
capacities ofchildren, andto theirgradual progressinknowl-
edge. These lessons wTill serve to substitute variety for the
dullmonotony of spelling, show thepractical use of wordsin
significant sentences, and thus enable the learner the better
to understand them. The consideration of diversifying the
studies of the pupil has also haditsinfluence inthe arrange-
ment ofthe lessonsforspelling. Itis useful to teach children
the signification of words, as soon as they can comprehend
them but the understanding can hardlykeep pace with the
;
memory, andthe minds of children mayw?ell beemployedin
learning to spell and pronounce words whose significationis
not within the reach of their capacities; for what they do
not clearly comprehend at first, they will understand as their
capacities are enlarged.
The objects of awork of this kind being chiefly to teach
orthography and pronunciation, it is judged most proper to
adapt the various Tables to these specific objects, and omit_
extraneousmatter. In short, thislittle bookis so constructed
|
asto condenseinto the smallest compass a complete System
: ; ; ;
PREFACE.
of Elements for teaching the language; andhowever small
such a book mayappear,it may be considered as the most
important class-book, not of a religious character, which the
youth ofourcountry are destined to use.
W. G. W.
New York, 1866.
PREFACE TO THE LATEST EDITION.
The modifications in this revision (of 1880) are not of a
character to embarrass those teachers who use the previous
editionsin the sameclass. The principal changes whichhave
beenmade are
Inmany instances an improved form*oftype
;
The substitution ofliving wordsin the place ofthose words
which havebecome obsolete
The omission of orthoepical markswhere they are clearly
unnecessary, asexplainedbelow
The correction ofafew errorsin pronunciation, etc., etc.
The addition, at the end of the book, of four new pages of
common wordsdifficult to spell.
The repetition of the orthoepical mark has l^een omitted as
needless in a succession of two or more words having the
samevowe—lletter and sound. Insuchcasesonlythefirstword
ismarked the marked syllable ofthis leadingwordbeingthe
key to the corresponding unmarked syllables in the words
which follow. But whenever there is a liability to mispro-
nunciation, the right way is indicated by marking the doubt-
ful syllable.
March, 1880.
THE ELEMENTARY
ANALYSIS OF SOUNDS
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE,
I1V
The Elementary Sounds of the English language
are divided into two classes, vowels and conso-
nants.
A
vowel is a clear sound made through, an open
position ofthe mouth-channel, whichmoldsorshapes
the voice without obstructing its utterance as a (in
:
far, in fate, etc.), e, o.
A consonant is a sound formed by a closer position
ofthe articulating organs than anyposition by which
a vowel is formed, as b, d, t, g, sh. In formingacon-
sonant the voice is qpmpressed or stopped.
A
diphthong is the union of two simple vowel
sounds, as ou (ado) in out, oi (ai) in noise.
The EnglishAlphabetconsistsoftwenty-sixletters,
or single characters, which rep—resent vowel, conso-
nant, and diphthongal sounds a. b, c, d, e, f, g, h,
L |, k, 1, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t u, v.. w, x, y, z. ' The
combinations ch, sh, th, and ng are also used to repre-
sent elementary sounds; and another sound is ex-
pressed by s, or z; as, in measure, azure, pronounced
mezh'yoor, azh'ur.
Of the foregoing letters, a, e, o, are always simple
vowels; i and u are vowels (as in in, its), or diph-
thongs (as in time, tune); and y is either a vowel (as
in any), a diphthong (as in my), or a consonant (as
in ye).
Each of the vowels has its regular long and short
soundswhicharemostused andalsocertainoccasional
;
sounds, as that of a in last, far, care,fall, what; e in
term, there, prey; i in firm, marine; o in dove, for,
wolf prove; and u infarl,rude, and^w^. These will
;
now be considered separately.
A, Theregularlongsoundofaisdenotedbyahori-
zontal mark over it; as, an'cient, pro-fane'; and the
regular shortsoundbyacurve overit; as, cat,parVy.
—
;
SPELLING BOOK
—
Occasional sounds. The Italian s—ound is indicated
bytwo dotsoverit; as, bar, fa'ther; the short sound
o—fthe Italian a, by.a single dot over it; as, fast, last-;
the—broad sound, by two dots below it; as, ball,
stall; the short sound of br—oad a, by a single dot
under it; as, what, quad'rant; the soundofabefore
r in certain words like care, fair, etc., is represented
by a sharp or pointed circumflex over the «, as, care,
hair, fair, etc.
E. The regular long sound of e is indicated by a
horizontal mark over it; as, mete, se-rene'; the regu-
lar short sound, by a—curve over it ; as, met, re-bel'.
Occasionalsounds. The sound ofe like a in care is
indicated by a pointed circumflex over the e, as in
their, where; and of short e before r in cases where
it verges toward short u, bya rounded circumflex, or
wavy line, over it; as, her, pre-fer'.
I, O, IT. Theregularlong and short soundsof% o,
and u are indicated like those qf a and e by a hori-
zontal mark and by a curve; as, bind, bin; dole,
doll; tune, tun. —
Occasional sounds. When i has the sound of long
e it is—marked by two dots over it; as, fa-tigue', ma-
rine'; when o has the sound ofshort,u,—it is marked
by a single dot over it; as, dove, son; when it has
the sound ofdo, i—t is marked with two dots under it;
as, move, prove; when it has the sound of do, it is
markedwithasingleclotunderit; as,wolf,wo'man;
when it has the sound ofbroada,this is indicated by
a—pointed circumflex over the vowel; as, north, sort
the twolettersoo, with ahorizontal markover—them,
havethe sound heardinthewordsboom, loom; with
a curve mark, they hav—e a shorter form of the same
sound; as, book, good ; when uis sounded likeshort
00, it has a single dot under it; as, full, pull; while
its lengthened sound, as when preceded by r is indi-
f
cated by two dots; as in rude, ru'ral, ru'by.
—
Note. The long u in unaccented syllables has, to a great
extent, the sound of oo, preceded by y, as in educate, pro-
nounced ed'yoo-kiite; nature, pronouncednat'yoor.
;
THE ELEMENTARY
10
Thelongsoundofain late,when shortened,coincides nearly
with that ofein let; as, adequate, disconsolate, inveterate.
The long e, when shortened, coincides nearly with the short
i in pit (comparefeet andJit). Thisshortsound of i isthat
ofy unaccented, atthe end ofwords; as, inglory.
The short soundof broadainholly isthat of the shortoin
holly, and ofainwhat.
The shortsound of longoo in pool, is thatof u in pull, and
ooin wool.
The short sound of o in not, is somewhat lengthened before
s, th, andM£7; asincross, broth, belong.
The pronunciationof the diphthongs oi and oyisthe same
anduniform; as, injoin,joy.
Thepronunciation of the diphthongsouand owisthe same
and uniform; as, in sound, now. But in the termination ous,
ou is not a diphthong, and the pronunciation is us; as, in
pious, glorious.
A
combinationof two lettersusedtoexpress asingle sound
iscalleda digraph; as, eain head, orthinbath.
The digraphsaianday, inwordsofone syllable, andinac-
centedsyllables, havethe soundofalong. Inthe unaccented
syllablesofafew words,the sound ofaisnearlyorquite lost;
as,incertain,curtain. Thedigraphsauandaw,havethesound
ofbroada (ainfall); ew, thatof%ilong, asin new; andey, in
unaccentedsyllables,thatofyorishort, asinvalley.
When onevowel of a digraph is marked, the otherhas no
sound; as, incourt, road, slow.
The digraphs ea, ee, ei, ie, when not marked,have, in this
book, the sound of elong; as, innear, meet, seize, grieve.
The digraph oa, when unmarked, hasthe soundofolong.
Vowels, inwords of one syllable, followed bya single con-
sonant and e final, arelong; as, infate, mete, mite, note, mute,
unlessmarked, asindove, give.
The articulations or sounds represented bythe consonants
arebestapprehended byplacing avowel beforetheminpro-
nunciation, and prolonging the second of the two elements
thus, eb, ed, ef, eg, ek, el, em, en, ep, er, es, et, ev, ez.
Those articulations which wholly stop the passage of the
breath fromthe mouth, are called close, or mute, as b, d, g, k,
p, t.
Those articulations which are formed either wholly or in
partbythe lips, are calledlabials; as, b, f, m, p, v.
Those which are formed by the tip of the tongue andthe
teeth, or the gum covering the roots of the teeth, are called
dentals; as, d, t, th (asin thin, this).
Thosewhich are formed by the flat surface of the tongue
andthepalate, are called pdUttdU; as, g, k, ng, sh,j, y.
The letters s andzarecalled also sibilants,orhissingletters.
