The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-06-30
0, \. BERRY G co.
Main and 10th SITS.

United States on a mission 10 President
Mckinley from the insurgents camp
pronounces his name kapotay, ana not
Kepoat (Capote) Sagua la Grande
should have the full benefit OF its last
syllable. and not be clipped of into an
inelegant Sagua la Grand. on the other
hand. the tonic accent never falls In
Spanish on a final G, as 1t does in
French when it bears the acute accent.
Puerto Principe, as an instance. Is Prln-
cipay and not Pincipa-ay
The vowel a Is already broad, In every
combination Santiago should be pro-
nounced, therefore. With an English or
BostOnese or a Nirginian an. viz. san
tiahga. Santiago is extensively fat to
the ear. and should be suppressed at
once.
We need not trouble ourselves to catch
the peculiar and fascinating manner In
which a pretty Castilian says Madrid
Il does not sound like our Madrid. GER
tainly. and the treatment or the lptter
Il by a Spanish tongue is something alto
eethor not 10 be described I'm black and
white; nor do we need 10 concern our
solves 10 change our long accustomed
Kewba into COoba. Cuba and Madrid are
names that have been on English speak
ing tongues for generations. and orr An
l.licized usage OF them is I'm good stand
ing. II Is different with names not 80
well known There is no Anglicized pro-
nunciatiOn OF them universally recognlz-
ed and the correct way 10 speak them
IS 10 get as close 10 the original as posi-
bic
2 and 9 are two letters that give much
trouble to Germans. Frenchmen and
Italians who ara learning Spanish but
they offer no difficulties 10 us. Il is In
every case given with one sound. and
C. has the same sound when IL occurs
before the novels and I. Thus Cervera.
Centa. MaceO. Garcia. CionfuegOs
vera. Thenta. Matheo. Garthia, Then
fueeos \. though invariably represent
ed as I say by our m, is sometimes
softened a little when II occurs at the
very end OF a word. Thus Gomez IS
oftener sounded perhaps. az II IL were
Comes than as Gometh: or. AZ least the
final Is made 10 glide off into some
thing between the two. With the Gu
bans Il f. an almost universal practice
10 change the pure IN sound Of and
10 s. The Spaniards. particularly tho In
habitants Of Castillo. the true "CastcN-
amos" make no end Of sport Of the lisp
ing emasculated Cuban-Spanish. The
great beauty Of the Spanish language
lies. indeed. in its virility and resonance.
and I'm its crispness when properly enun-
ciatcd. and much of all these qualities
Is lost I'm the indOlent. sinE-sOng fashion
I'm which the Cubaus speak II. Ia Ioca-
pa the fortress opposite the Moro at
Santiago. Is Thocapa on \ Spanish tom
que but Il becomes Socapa TO the Gu
bans who. on their side md the Span
ish enunciati0n very hard and dry So
the main island Of the Philippines. Luzon
Is TOothon 10 the Spanish and Loosen
to the Cuban: the insurgent patriot there
who was shot by the Spaniards n while
ago-Rizal-is Ritual. or Risal according
10 whether n H. q Spaniard or Cuban
who is speaking or him. and so on.
The Spanish g. the jota. is the letter
most troublesome 10 FOREIGNERS. and the
precise sound and enunciarfon Of II are
really never quite achieved. save BY me
native born n corresponds more rear
" 10 our asnirate than 10 anything else.
But when we have pronounced lunta.
and Jimcncz. and San Juan and jose.
and so forth. ne hoonta. Himenaz. San
HOGAN. Hose. there Is still n cultural
sound 20 the that we have not attained
to The cons0nant e when il precedcs o
and has the same sound as the Jota.
Corregidor Island. I'm Manila bay. IS thus
CorrehIdor. The Queen Regent
The soft OF Sagasta, becomes
followed by {. a hard aspirate IN Giber-
fa-Hiberha-and artists who have been
some time I'm Spain learn 70 sneak ~ the
'Hiralda" as they speak Of the Aka
thar"
The Spanish ! IS n cultural asD'rate. as
Is 2 I'm the circumstances mentioned and
this cultural aspirate is the very back
bone OF the language, the bass VOL as
r. were. IN those magnificent sonorities
that have caused Spanish TO be spoken
Of rs the tongue i'm which To address
God but the itself Is not pronounced
as an aspirate: I'm fact n Is the only
Sparish letter that IS a mere silent sign.
Americans are familiar with the Spanish
pronunciation Of Havana. not sounding
the initial n. n il so with All other
words in which the h occurs.-New York
Evening Post