Page:Aids to the Pronunciation of Irish - Christian Brothers.djvu/16

 2. The roof of the mouth consists of two portions, the hard and the soft palate. The two parts may be easily felt by pressing the finger on the palate just inside the teeth, and then sliding it back until the palate yields to the pressure. The pendulous portion of the palate at the back of the mouth is called the uvula (F). When the uvula is pressed back the passage from the pharynx to the nasal cavity is closed and the air is forced to escape by the mouth.

Just above the inside of the upper teeth there is a hard rim (g) which can easily be felt with the point of the tongue. We shall frequently refer to this as the hard rim.

3. Whenever a sound is said to be voiced, all that is intended to be conveyed is that the vocal chords take part in the production of the sound. When a sound is said to be voiceless, we mean that the vocal chords take no part in its production.

4. Press the forefinger on the pharynx, just above the larynx, and pronounce the word “bus” (omnibus), prolonging the hissing sound of the “s” for, at least, five or six seconds. The finger feels no vibration during the sounding of the “s,” though a short trill is felt at the commencement of the word. Now pronounce