2 A SPANISH REFERENCE GRAMMAR   SOUNDS OF THE VOWELS   3

the pronunciation of a vowel the sound which you begin to utter. Do not increase or decrease the distance between the jaws while uttering the sound. 3.

2. a; about as a in father, but with the jaws closer together and the tongue flat in the mouth; compare the a in dance, as pronounced in New England: Ana ama a la santa, Anna loves the saint; pasa a la sala alta, he goes to the high room; salta a la cama, he jumps upon the bed; al pan falta sal, the bread lacks salt. 4.

3. e, closed; about as g in cafe, but take care not to prolong the é; occurs when it ends the stressed syllable in which it is found, or before n or s at the close of the stressed syllable; jaws are comparatively close together: se le teme, he is feared; j, que le parece? what do you think? creo que desea esa tela, I think he wishes that cloth; la estrella es bella, the star is beautiful, venga en esa fecha, come on that date, a lo hecho, pecho, make the best of what you havecWJ.-5:—

4. e, open; about as e in English set; occurs when the syllable in which it is found ends in a consonant, except n or s, or when the next syllable begins with rr or j, or in the diphthong ei; jaws are more open than for closed e: el papel del mercader, the merchant's paper; el perro belga, the Belgian dog; ser

rey, to be king; perderse en la sierra to get lost in the mountains. 6.

5. i; about as i in machine: fui alli sin mi comida, I went there without my dinner; mi tia quita la pipa a mi tio, my aunt takes my uncle's pipe from him; dile que dicte mi lista, tell him to dictate my list; la nina pide el libro a mi prima, the girl asks my cousin for the book. 7.

6. o; closed, about as o in obey, but take care not to prolong the sound; occurs when it ends the stressed syllable in which it stands; jaws are comparatively close together: la moza llamO un coche, the maid called a cab; el pollo cayO en el lodo, the chicken fell in the mud, no lo coloca de este modo, he does not place it in this way. 8.

7. o ; open about as o in order, though not quite as open as this English sound; occurs when found in a syllable ending in a consonant, or when the next syllable begins with rr or j, or in the diphthong oi ; jaws more open than for closed o ; el hombre corre por el bosque, the man runs through the forest, el conde compra una flor, the count buys a flower; los dogmas son torpes, dogmas are stupid; hoy contamos con sol, we are counting on sunny weather today. 9.

8. u; about as oo in soon: estuvo en un punto junto al muro, he was at a point near