The English Alphabet contains twenty-six letters.
They are divided into vowels and consonants.
A vowel is a letter that can be perfectly sounded by itself. The vowels
are _a, e, i, o, u,_ and sometimes _w_ and _y_. _W_ and _y_ are
consonants when they begin a word or syllable; but in every other
situation they are vowels.
A consonant is a letter that cannot be perfectly sounded without the
help of a vowel; as, _b, d, f, l_. All letters except the vowels are
consonants.
Consonants are divided into mutes and semi-vowels.
The mutes cannot be sounded _at all_ without the aid of a vowel. They
are _b, p, t, d, k_, and _c_ and _g_ hard.
The semi-vowels have an imperfect sound of themselves. They are _f, l,
m, n, r, v, s, z, x_, and _c_ and _g_ soft.
Four of the semi-vowels, namely, _l, m, n, r_, are called _liquids_,
because they readily unite with other consonants, and flow, as it were,
into their sounds.
A diphthong is the union of _two_ vowels, pronounced by a single impulse
of the voice; as _oi_ in voice, _ou_ in sound.
A triphthong is the union of _three_ vowels pronounced in like manner;
as, _eau_ in beau, _iew_ in view.
A _proper_ diphthong has _both_ the vowels sounded; as, _ou_ in ounce.
An _improper_ diphthong has only _one_ of the vowels sounded; as, _oa_
in boat.
II. SYLLABLES. A Syllable is a distinct sound, uttered by a single
impulse of the voice; as, _a, an, ant_.
A word of one syllable, is termed a Monosyllable; a word of two
syllables, a Dissyllable; a word of three syllables, a Trisyllable; a
word of four or more syllables, a Polysyllable.
III. WORDS. Words are articulate sounds, used by common consent, as
signs of our ideas.
Words are of two sorts, primitive and derivative.
A _primitive_ word is that which cannot be reduced to a simpler word in
the language; as, _man, good_.
A _derivative_ word is that which may be reduced to a simpler word; as,
_manful, goodness_.
There is little or no difference between derivative and compound words.
The terminations or added syllables, such as _ed, es, ess, est, an, ant,
en, ence, ent, dom, hood, ly, ous, ful, ness_, and the like, were,
originally, distinct and separate words, which, by long use, have been
contracted, and made to coalesce with other words.