Independent Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1842-1844, 1843-06-03

same sounds. AS il would nvt be .nadIni.-
sibIe TO refer to anatomy, or the organic
structure ofthe human constitution, i Is
certain las Mr.. Murray contende) that the
gloiiS, or opening in the larynx, (somt,me.
called the crater of the h0racic carity,)
which is only about one tenth of an inch
in diameter, admits of about Sirtytour de-
grees of expansion and coatraction,-cor.
responding with the same number Of "5tc9
or FOCAL slides, as noticed above: while
only fourteen yowels, or uDcompressed 70.
cal sounds, can proceed (from the tioraT)
this organ. Thirteen Of these vowels ale
employed in our oral, or col!oquion lag
guage, and one in French.
What may be termed con'empti6le, OF
reduced voweIs, may be considered as con-
shutting an exception to this rule: but
this does not app y, nor even exist, with re-
gard TO Philosophc language; but in refer
ence TO those tortured and barbarouS tones
(lrosgcs. or corrupt dialects which cor
respond with groceling mimicry; and which
car hardly be considered. in any possible
ease. ~o-.ay Il even Sa!;rical imitation.
These To@~ccd sounds are formed Y an
opposition 10 v,,a; is STYLED euptoag Tor
naturdl Gcr5ah,c7css Of rocal Somis,) ty
protrdctiag yowe's of short quantity, and
by sudden explosion Of sowels of long
quantity.
1t may be added, that these reduced
vowels are perfectly acceptable in the tru-
ly pleasing and fascinating science Of ro-
cal music; and that, perhaps, language
was never marred by them until the inter.
colonization between the to SCIENCES
was attempted to be filed up, by 4 sort of
chanting transition from music 10 Ian
guage.
In system Of the PHILOSOPHY OF OR
GANG SOUNDS" (Which | published, some
years since, in the city of Tuscaloosa, }
which sustained itself under the fair but
unsparing criticism Of the appropriate
officers of the University of Alabama" |
have classified all the elementary sounds OF
our language, in an alphabet, containing
thirty-ivc distinct sounds, (all the sounds
in our Ianguage,) designated b. the same
number of characters, presenting (by side
noes) the quantity Of each vowel, (whosc
sound is its name,) the genius of each con-
sonant (whose name contains the sound
intended and is nearest allied, naturally, r.
this SOUND and clear distinction between
the rocalized and atomic consonant sounds
with the distinguishing characteristics o
the brief and dilatcd consonants, &c. &c
According to the plan Of this a phabet
containing thirty-ivc simple sounds all
six compounds, represented by separate
characters,) amounting II forty-one, in all
each word in our language and, (il We in
clude the French vowel,* noticed else.
where,) in every other language, can be
spelled, with the incest precisi N, as i! is
pronounced; without employing one char.
acter in stead Of another; without doGb
ling consonanls, and without pressing into
the service any dead, Tor silent) letter:
dead men and invalid being removed from
the ranks, az insult ,be to mngIc with eff
fective troops.
We call not upon our old friends, (whicl
all acknowledge to be dead. to perform
lmpossibiIites by exercising the function
Of aciire animation; when they possess
alone, Visjaertia," or the po,cer Of in
ertnesS; and, therefore, democd Of us VIII,
they cannot perform themscves,--d dc
cent iutermcnt: and "hiS last trjtutc of re
spect," we feel pious inclination to be
stow.
Some notices having more special refer
ence to the conSOnants, may next deman,
our attention. Notwithstanding the wort
articulation is usually understood to mcar
pronunciation, in general; it has a srric
and exclusive application to the conso
nants. 1t is derived from the verb articu
late, whose accePtation is, to joint; an,
conveys the idea Of that particular aPpa1sc
fitting together or jOiating of the speaking
organs peculiar to the formation of eacl
consonant sound.
The term cOasoHcnt implies association
and is applied to that great class of sounds
in language, whose distinctive qualitie.