Page:AlgonquinSyllabary.djvu/11

There is no sign to indicate a diphthong. When the double sound is encountered, the sign of the first vowel is used.

In the description of the signs of the consonants, it may prove simpler to give the signs with approximate English equivalents, and afterwards to point out some of the various articulations which a part of them represent. The signs of the consonants are—

𝓁,	like p in pen.
𝓉,	like„ t in ten.
,	like„ s in see.
𝒹,	like„ sh in she.
𝓉𝓉,	like„ ch in church.
𝓎,	like„ y in you.
𝓌,	like„ w in we.
𝓂,	like„ m in me.
𝓃,	like„ n in no.
𝒦,	like„ k in kill.
𝓍,	like„ q in quit.

There are at least three slightly different articulations with each of the consonants 𝓁, 𝓉, and 𝒦; 𝓁 may be almost like the sonant b in bun; or most often it may be like p in pit; and it may be a bilabial stop preceded by a whispered continuant before articulation. In the same way, 𝓉 may be nearly like d in day, or like the voiceless t in ten; it may also represent a dental stop preceded by a gentle puff of breath. And so with 𝒦, the sign can be for a stop nearly like the sonant g in gun, or like the k in kill; as in the case of the other two consonants, it may represent a stop preceded by a hiss of breath.

There is no sign for the very common aspirate h.

It will thus be observed that the syllabary lacks in two very important features: it is weak in its range of expression, and it wants in delicate gradation of sound.

It is common to associate the consonants in combination with vowels; and in learning the syllabary, the vowels are told off first, and afterwards the consonants in combination with the vowels. The order followed is not vowel and then each consonant one after the other with that vowel, but first all the vowels and then one consonant at a time in connection with all the four vowels. The order of the symbols is usually as follows.