The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-05-12
Educational.

One lady informs mo in writing
that she has never attended can
Ormal School," In answer to the
question, "Have you taught" ono
writes, "Not eney." Blind Tom, |
you are eclipsed in spelling by sound. |
One writes that "sicnes," prevented |
her attending the last lnstitdte.-I
One on being asked, "What is Or
biography" replied, after some
study, that she did not know, as she
had neverstudied "the higher branch
es." To the question, "What is your
native state?" one replied that she
"can hardly tell, as she has lived in
Ioaca about as long as she did in
Missouri.
1 trust that, to save me the pain
full duty of turning applicants away
without certificates, and them the
modification of failing, persons
desiring to teach will make some
preparation for the work before they
demand certificates,
No person holding q certificate
given for less time than six months,
will receive another at this Office,
unlessit be ola higher grade. There
must be some improvement, where
there is SO much room for it.
The above is only meant for those
to whom it applies.
ELEMENTARY SOUNDS.
find majority of the teachers
ignorant of the elementary sounds
Of the English language. They
(some of them) are careful to tell
their pupils the number of sounds,
and the number that each vowel has;
but they give none of these sounds,
and the pupils are as ignorant of
them as the class | heard questioned
the ether day was of accent and en-
phasis,
Teacher-"What is accent"
Class-"Accent is stress of voice
on a particular syllable in a word?"
T.-"What is emphasis 7"
C.-"Emphasis is additional force
given word or words in u sentenced"
l gave a sentence in which some
words were emphatic, and the class
could not point them out. l pro-
nounced word, and they could rot
tell what part of the word was
accented. When will teachers learn
that definitions are useless, unless
the thoughts conveyed by them
are Understood ?
am convinced that nothing cult.
Yates the ear and utterance more
surely or quickly than intelligent
drill in the elementary sounds. One
half of the wrong pronunciation is
from an ignorance Of the sounds
constituting (not constitootihg) the
words.
shall give directions in the utter
ance of these sounds which, if strictly
followed, will lead to correct artIc-
ulation.
In the English language there are
forty-four sounds. As all the English
words are formed by the use of
twenty-six letters, so are they all
pronounced by the use Of forty four
sounds.
f as in eve: marked with bar over it.
Il as in her; marked with a double curve oyer
A as in aim; marked with a bar over 1t.
a as IN air marked with caret over 1t.
as IN In ar arm marked With two dots oyer It,
9 as in ode; marked with bar overit.,
Q as In oose; marked with two dots underit.
These are termed s'long vowels,'
because more time and sound are
used in pronouncing them than in
pronouncing the others.
SHORT NOVELS.
4 as in add; marked with a curve over 1t.
% as In ell; marked with curve over IL,
as IN up; marked with curve over it.
as in Ill; marked with a curve over it.
y as In on; marked with a curve over It,
A as In ask; with a dot under it.
U as in pull; mark ed with dot under it.
DIPHTHoNGs.
I as in ice; marked with q bar over it, and
formed by the union of a, as in far, and Q
Oh as in oil; mot marked) found by the union
of o as in or, and as in i'll.
union of a as in arm, and 90 as in Dose.
U as in tune; marked with bar over it, and
formed by the union of i, as in Ill, and 90
By pronouncing these dirhthongs
very slowly, you can discover the
different elements.
'Name vowels," A, E, S, O and u.
As those of US who know our let
ters can pronounce these sounds, we
can pass on to some others.
Pronounce at, ct, it, OF, ut, several
times. You will notice that each
vowel is composed of two sounds.
Leaving off the sound of t, you have
the proper short vowels. These are
very easily given, and l think will
need no further explanation.
Pronounce ask, aims, (not ams)
task, fast, past. You have in these
words a sound of Il between Its
sound in at and in arm. This is
difficult to give. Practice carefully.
Pronounce her, earth, fur, dearth,
writ, were. Do this more and more
slowly as you repeat, and you will
find "tilde" g. This sound is always
followed by r. In giving the sound
do not include the sound of +. Do
not call it err.
Pronounce air, face, bear, swear,
rare, pear, PAIR, pare, prayer Ca petit.
tion.) This sound is always follow
ed by r. 1t is called 'long fiat a"
Pronounce payer and pairs, slayer
and stair, prayer and prayer, and
you will observe the difference be-
tween a, as in day, and "long fat a"
Pronounce rood, fool, rude, two,
too, to, do, hool. In each of these
words you have the sound of 90 as
Dose or as in do.
Pronounce pull, foot, put, took,
wolk, hood. Do this till the vowel
sound is fixed in your mind, then
leave Oft the consonant sounds and
you have as in pull.
Pronounce awe and you have the
exact sound Of 0, rs in or, nor, walk,
fall, awl, ought.
might have given directions for
the position OF the vocal organs in
giving these sounds, but am led to
believe that the earnest teacher will
be enabled to give item by reference
to the representative words. Ifany
find that thoy cannot do this, they
will confer favor by letting me
know of it. Do not fail to try.
n 4