Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-02-08
PRONUNCIATION OF SPANISH.
Chicago Inter-Ocean.

Chicago Inter-Ocean.
Spanish, besides being one Of the
most beautiful, it, indeed, not the most
beautiful, Of spoken languages, is so
simple in its photography and SO regu-
lar in its pronunciation that even the
children of foreigners resident in Span
ish countries love to lisp it with their
baby lips and, later, write it with their
student pens. 1t is logical to a degree
and merits far more consideration than
it receives from the SaXons Of this Wes-
tern continent
Young America is duly taught Ger
man. Well and good, particularly in
this Germanized West. a numerous
Yankee contingent also struggles with
the French in the hope, doubtless, that
when the americana paradise" shall
have been attained 'all Carl will Won
der and praise the ease with which its
polite nasals are rolled out of the Gle
yer foreigners throats.
But how many of us can take up the
daily newspapers and real aloud, it may
be, the assembled family and accept
able account of the dreadful doings in
and about the Queen of the Antilles?
More likely than not the names of
those much-discussed people and places
will fall from our lips in form quite
unacceptable to our hearers. The
pleasing result will probably be a jul
diciOus admiXture of English and Ital
ian, with just a soupcOn of French 10
lend variety.
Many Italian words do, indeed, bear
a noticeable resemblance TO the Span
ish. being similar, as are all the Ro
nance languages, so called, in racinal
derivation. Italian photography, how
ever. is far more complicated than
Spanish, and differs from it widely, be-
ing quite free from the Arabic tircture
pervading the language Of the Iberian
Peninsula.
Cheap writer's invariably confuse the
Spanish and Italian-reputable ones
occasionally. A notable instance Of
this latter is TIE case Of the loved, la
mented author of Ramona She has
immcrtalized her Spanish-Indian hero
under an Italian name. Surely no man
or boy of his blood ever called himself
Alessandro! He would write his name
Alexandra, or, if he preferred the new
err spelling, which substitutes the j
(hotah) for the Y in that similar words,
Alexandra.
A few facts concerning the Spanish
tongue such as can be condensed with
in the limits of this article may not be
untimely at such juncture.
To begin with. every vowel is full.
Every letter has its own, distinct sound,
except h, which is hardly considered a
letter any more but is merely used as
an chronological sign to denote the for
eign derivation Of a word, and which
is silent.
A and written together are like the
German au. each letter being distinctly
spoken. but so rapidly as TO seem al
most one single sound. as 'cacao" (caek
owl, the chocolate bean.
The same is naturally true Of au, it.
self.
To show the distinct sound Of other
vowels coming together take paraiso
(par-ah-ee-so), paradise OF the con-
sonants none are doubled except c, n
and r. Even then they may also be
regarded as two letters, since each is
spoken quite distinctly. This repiti-
ton of the consonant sound is man
aged well enough by foreign tongue,
except when it attempts the 7. The
Anglo-Saxon who acquires Castilian in
mature life always gives away that
fact in trying to roll the r. If be does