The consonant C has two sounds, neither of them peculiar to this letter; the one hard, like that of k, and the other soft, or rather hissing, like that of s. C before a, o, u, l, r, t, or when it ends a syllable, is generally hard, like k; as in can, come curb, clay, crab, act, action, accent, flaccid. C before e, i, or y, is always soft, like s; as in cent, civil, decency, acid.

In a few words, c takes the flat sound of s, like that of z; as in discern, suffice, sacrifice, sice. C before ea, ia, ie, io, or eou, when the accent precedes, sounds like sh; as in ocean, special, species, gracious, cetaceous. C is silent in czar, czarina, victuals, indict, muscle, corpuscle, and the second syllable of Connecticut.

Ch is generally sounded like tch, or tsh, which is the same to the ear; as in church, chance, child.  But in words derived from the learned languages, it has the sound of k; as in character, scheme, catechise, chorus, choir, chyle, patriarch, drachma, magna charta:  except in chart, charter, charity. Ch, in words derived from the French, takes the sound of sh; as in chaise, machine.  In Hebrew words or names, in general, ch sounds like k; as in Chebar, Sirach, Enoch:  but in Rachel, cherub, and cherubim, we have Anglicized the sound by uttering it as tch. Loch, a Scottish word, sometimes also a medical term, is heard as lok.

“Arch, before a vowel, is pronounced ark; as in archives, archangel, archipelago:  except in arched, archer, archery, archenemy.  Before a consonant it is pronounced artch; as in archbishop, archduke, archfiend.”—­See W.  Allen’s Gram., p. 10. Ch is silent in schism, yacht, and drachm.  In schedule, some utter it as k; others, as sh; and many make it mute:  I like the first practice.

IV.  OF THE LETTER D.

The general sound of the consonant D, is that which is heard in dog, eddy, did. D, in the termination ed, preceded by a sharp consonant, takes the sound of t, when the e is suppressed or unheard:  as in faced, stuffed, cracked, tripped, passed; pronounced faste, stuft, cract, tript, past.  D before ia, ie, io, or eou, when the accent precedes, generally sounds like j; as in Indian, soldier, tedious, hideous.  So in verdure, arduous, education.

V. OF THE LETTER E.

The vowel E has two sounds properly its own,—­and I incline to think, three:—­