Page:Aids to the Pronunciation of Irish - Christian Brothers.djvu/42

 which, forms an inherent component of them. There is besides a very close relation between the voiced spirants and the vowels. Pronounce (§ 35 (a)), broad, maintaining the sound for several seconds. Now slowly move the tongue forward so as to widen the distance between the back of the tongue and the soft palate; the result will be a pure vowel sound. Try a like experiment with the English “z,” in this case lowering the front of the tongue, the result will likewise be a pure vowel sound : Thus we see that the is the fact that for the former the air passage is narrow, and audible friction is the result, whilst for the latter the passage is wide, and audible friction is not produced.

31. Having carefully studied the directions given in the previous chapters for the positions of the organs required for the production of the various vowel and consonant sounds, the student should frequently be exercised on the following lists. The first step is to join a vowel and a consonant together, making sure that the, and the. A mere passable pronunciation is not sufficient. It is quite possible for any student, with care and practice, to pronounce these combinations with the accuracy and of a native speaker.

As soon as the chapter on Aspiration has been mastered, the student should come back to these