GENERAL RULES FOR PRONUNCIATIOÎ

L In the syllables of English words a consonant between tTO vowels, or merely preceded by a vowel, is frequently joined in pronnnciation to that preceding vowel, as in af-om, manf -u-al, choc' -o-late, ig'-no-rant ; whereas in French words a consonant between two vowels is always joined to the foUowing vowel or vowels, as in a-to-me, manu-el, cho-co-lat, i-gno-rant (gn is hère a liquid consonant), i-nu-ti-ïe, and the frequency of that kind of syllabic division causes the initial consonancy to predominate in French syllables, when compared to English syllables in pronunciation.

2. When double consonants occur in French words the first is seldom pronounced, as ss in res-sfm-blant, resembling ; tt in at-ta-quer, to attack ; Il in vil-la-ge.

3. When thsre are several consonants the first is joined to the preceding vowel, as in ac-teur, al-pha-bet.

4. L and r after a consonant generally belong to the following vowel, as in ta-bleau, picture ; pa-trie, country.

5. The final syllable of a word ending in e unaccented is joined to the first syllable of the following word, when the latter begins with a vowel or h mute ; as in chère amie, jeune homme (pronounce chè ramte, ieii nomme) ; this is to prevent the hiatus which would be occasioned by the meeting of two vowels.

6. As a gênerai rule, final consonants are not sounded in French.

7. But to prevent the hiatus, as in rule 5, the final consonant of a word is sounded with the initial vowel of the next, when the two words are so connected with each other that the second word is necessary to complète the sensé ; as in mes^amis, son^épouse, cinq^eures (pronounce mè zamis, son népouse, cin qheures).