Page:Grammar of the French language - De Vere - 1867.djvu/21

Rh pression, as was the case always in poetry, where these syllables remained altogether silent, when they were followed by a vowel.

This nasal sound is the same before n and m, so that am is pronounced like an, and is produced in the following combinations:

The nasal sound is not given to these syllables:

a. When they are followed by a vowel or a second m or n.

Ex. imiter, to imitate; inutile, useless; amener, to bring; omettre, to omit; uni, united; flamme, flame; dilemme, dilemma; ennemi, enemy; immobile, immovable; inné, innate; dommage, damage; bonne, good.

Except when emm and enn begin a word.

Ex. emmener, to carry off (pronounced as if spelt an-mener); ennui, weariness; ennoblir, to ennoble.

b. When they are found in words taken from foreign languages.

Ex. Ammon, Emmanuel, commotidi, Jérusalem, amen, Amsterdam.

Except in the words Adam, Joachim, Quidam, Chérubin and Seraphin, which have the nasal sound, being thoroughly naturalized.

c. When in precedes the letter h, which, is always silent.

Ex. inhumain, inhuman.

The syllable en, on the contrary, remains nasal before h, because it only occurs before an aspirate h.

Ex. enhardir, to embolden.

d. When ent forms the last syllable of the third person plural of the verb, when it is altogether silent.

Ex. ils parlent, they speak; ils viennent, they come.