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.

OF THE SOUNDS OF THE LETTERS.

A.—­A has four sounds; the long; as in name, basin; the broad; as in ball, wall; the short; as in fagot, glass; and the flat, Italian sound; as in bar, farther.  The improper diphthong, aa, has the short sound of a in Balaam, Canaan, Isaac; and the long sound of a in Baal, Gaal, Aaron.

The Latin diphthong, ae, has the long sound of e in aenigma, Caesar, and some other words.  But many authors reject this useless excrescence of antiquity, and write, enigma, Cesar.

The diphthong, ai, has the long sound of a; as in pail, sail; except in plaid, said, again, raillery, fountain, Britain, and some others.