Page:Corean Primer (1877).djvu/11

 Note 1: The same Corean letter stands for ds and j; for ch and ts; for I and r. Chinese l is translated by n not by r; and f by b or p

Our w is formed by prefixing (오) to the vowel; a and i combine to form e, and u and i to form ê.

2. When closing a syllable, p, k, t (ㅂㄱㅅ) are to be pronounced precisely as in English, they holding an intermediate position between d, t, &c. which are harder than in English, having the same breathing as the Chinese; and d, t, like the Chinese, are pronounced with the tip of the tongue from the edge of the upper row of teeth, instead of from the roof of the mouth.

3. In pronouncing lip the Chinaman must make two syllables li-pu; the English speaker opening his lips after forming the p, but attering no audible sound. The Corean keeps his lips closed on every final consonant, permitting no breath to escape, neither vocal like the Chinese, nor inandible like the English speaker. This renders some finals in-distinct as is the case of the final English k, p, t of N. 2.

4. Euphony plays strange tricks with these finals, especially with ㅅ which should be s, but is so only before an s. It is assimilated by the succeeding consonant, becoming English t, before d or t; k before g, k; n, before n, &c. ㅂ final becomes m before n, and v before i, ㄱ very rarely becomes ng. ㄴ after ㄹ as l, becomes l; and ㄹ as r after n, becomes n.

5. When ㅅ precedes a consonant (ᄯᅩ, dó) it makes it very acute, like Chinese 4th tone: h after g, in the same syllable, softens g as it does t in “the," "thing," &c; as in Hebrew, Gaelic, Irish. But ogat is as readily understood as oghat

6. The sign ㅇ in Corean before the vowel index, serves to distinguish the affix, of which it forms part, from the root which immediately pre-cedes it; e. g. 가르도 and 갈으도 are similarly pronounced but the latter points out the root 갈, which the former cannot. It is also