The Shopkeeper Turned Gentleman. Жан-Батист Мольер
called because they are sounded with the vowels, and only mark the different articulations of the voice. There are five vowels or voices, a, e, i, o, u. [Footnote: It is scarcely necessary to say that this description, such as it is, only applies to the French vowels as they are pronounced in pâte, thé, ici, côté, du respectively.]
MR. JOUR. I understand all that.
PROF. PHIL. The vowel a is formed by opening the mouth very wide; a.
MR. JOUR. A, a; yes.
PROF. PHIL. The vowel e is formed by drawing the lower jaw a little nearer to the upper; a, e.
MR. JOUR. A, e; a, e; to be sure. Ah! how beautiful that is!
PROF. PHIL. And the vowel i by bringing the jaws still closer to one another, and stretching the two corners of the mouth towards the ears; a, e, i.
MR. JOUR. A, e, i, i, i, i. Quite true. Long live science!
PROF. PHIL. The vowel o is formed by opening the jaws, and drawing in the lips at the two corners, the upper and the lower; o.
MR. JOUR. O, o. Nothing can be more correct; a, e, i, o, i, o. It is admirable! I, o, i, o.
PROF. PHIL. The opening of the mouth exactly makes a little circle, which resembles an o.
MR. JOUR. O, o, o. You are right. O! Ah! what a fine thing it is to know something!
PROF. PHIL. The vowel u is formed by bringing the teeth near each other without entirely joining them, and thrusting out both the lips whilst also bringing them near together without quite joining them; u.
MR. JOUR. U, u. There is nothing more true; u.
PROF. PHIL. Your two lips lengthen as if you were pouting; so that, if you wish to make a grimace at anybody, and to laugh at him, you have only to u him.
MR. JOUR. U, u. It's true. Oh! that I had studied when I was younger, so as to know all this.
PROF. PHIL. To-morrow we will speak of the other letters, which are the consonants.
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