Teacheth the Method its self, by which such as are Deaf, and consequently Dumb, may learn to Speak.

What hath been hitherto said may enough suffice to observant Readers, inasmuch as the Fundamentals of the whole Artifice, are therein contained; but least the curious should complain, that I have only made their Mouth water, I shall ingeniously discover to them what in four Years time, wherein I have endeavoured to instruct some Deaf Persons, I have observed what is worthy, and most necessary to be known.

Now what I have effected by this my Method, especially to the Daughter of Mr. Kolard, a Merchant of Harlem, I can appeal to a great part of Holland, and universally almost to the whole City of Harlem, and to innumerable other Witnesses, of all Ranks and Conditions.

The first thing which I require in the Person I am to teach, is, that he be of a docible Wit, and not too young of age; than that the Organs of Speech be rightly constituted in him; for stupid Persons are capable of no Teaching, whose Age is yet too tender; nor do they mind enough, nor know how Teaching will be for their Use and Benefit; but those whose Organs of Speech are altogether unfit, they may learn indeed to understand others when they speak, and discover their own Mind by Writing; but they will never learn to speak.

Having therefore a fit subject, my first Care is to make him to sound forth a Voice, without which, almost all labour is lost, but that one point, whereby Deaf Persons do discern a Voice from a Mute Breath, is a great Mystery of Art; and if I may have leave to say so, it is the Hearing of Deaf Persons, or at least equivolent thereunto, viz. that trembling Motion and Titillation, which they perceive in their own Throat, whilst they of their own accord do give forth a Voice; that therefore the Deaf may know, that I open my Mouth to emitt a Voice; not simply to yawn, or to draw forth a Mute Breath, I put their Hand to my Throat that they may be made sensible of that tremulous Motion, when I utter my Voice; then I put the same Hand of theirs to their own Throat, and command them to imitate me; nor am I discouraged, if at the beginning their Voice is harsh and difficult; for in time it becomes more and more polite.

If I gain their Voice, which for the most part I do at the first time, I soon learn them to pronounce Vowels, viz. I bid them so to moderate the opening of their Mouth, whilst they do form a Voice in their Throat, as I have said above, concerning the Formation of the Vowels; but that they may do that the more easily, I hold a Looking-Glass to them, because they cannot from Sight alone imitate those diverse Motions of the Jaws, of the Tongue, and of the Lips, unless they had oftentimes tried it before a Looking-Glass. Thence I learned, that that common belief, (that so soon as Hearing is restored to Deaf Persons, they will speak) to be false, for it seems not to me, that there is so great a consent betwixt the Organs of Voice, and of Hearing, that at the first blush they can imitate a Voice that is heard; but by often imitating a Voice or Breath received from another, and also by hearing their own at the same time, we find at length a likeness between both, and after this manner we all learn to speak; for he who learns to speak, it is all one, as if he did learn some other Art; for by a long accustoming, the Organs are rendered apt and pliable: Hence it is, that sometimes we come not to pronounce aright Foreign Letters but after a long time. Now, it would be well observed or considered, that I presently prescribe all the Letters to Deaf Persons, or else they could not fix in their Minds their Idea’s of them, and I seldom teach more than two or three Letters in one day, least the Idea’s be confounded; but I bid them very often to repeat them, and to write them down as they are pronounced by me.

But if by chance, as it sometimes happeneth, that they should pronounce one Letter for another; I blame them not, but rather commend them, and grant with a nodd that they have satisfied me, and forthwith I write down the Character of that Letter upon Paper, that they may knit together the Idea thereof with its figure. In the interim, whilst they learn the Vowels, I very often put their Hand to my Throat, that they may be accustomed to give forth a Sound.

When the Vowels are become familiar to them, I go next to the Semi-vowels, which sometimes are more difficult, especially the Nasals; for Deaf Persons, unless they be taught, never give forth the Voice by the Nose, thereupon I begin with [m.] as that which is most plain, and easier learnt than the rest, so that they thereby may be accustomed to give a Sound at least thro’ the Nose; therefore I bid them shut together their Lips, and putting their Hand to their Throat, to give forth a Voice, and by that means they necessarily pronounce [m.] and not [em.] as it’s vulgarly pronounced.

The Daughter of Mr. Kolard, before she was committed to my Care, could indeed say Pappa; for indeed it is a little word, which is almost born with us; but her Father did confess, that he had more than 1000 times tried in vain to make her say Mamma, which yet I I brought her to in a small time.

And now, Reader, I commit to thee another Secret, viz. that if a Deaf Person be committed to thee to teach, beware that you do not teach him to pronounce together Semi-vowels and Consonants, together with their annexed Vowels; as for example, em. en. ka. ef. te, &c.

For thus they would learn neither to read, nor rightly to pronounce any word. The power and force of Semi-vowels and Consonants consists not in the adjoyned Vowels, but in a peculiar Voice or Breath; and when you would have a Deaf Person to say Tafel or Swartz, you shall hear from him nothing else but Te. a. ef. e. el. or Es. we. a. er. te. zet. which is very uncouth, nor can you easily mend it: But by this Method, so soon as ever they know their Letters, they begin to read; for to read is only to pronounce the Letters successively.

Here note well, that in the Schools this very thing would be of great use, chiefly when they are taught Languages, whose Letters are expressed by whole words, as Alpha, Omega, Gimel, double u, zet, &c. For more time is lost, and the desire of Learning taken away from Children, before they are able to abstract the Letters of these Sounds, and to connect them together in Reading; so that it is very much to be wonder’d at, that this most eminent short way of reading hath hitherto lain hid in the dark.

The other Nasalls [u] and [ng] have nothing peculiar, unless it be that I shew the Deaf the posture of the Tongue in a Looking-Glass, and put their Hand to my Nose, whereby they may be sensible, that there comes forth thorough the Nostrils a Sounding Breath. When I teach them [l.] I bid them to apply the Tongue to the upper Teeth; but to the Cutters, and to the Dog-Teeth only, that then they may emit a Voice thro’ the Mouth I make a Sign with my Hand; but least, instead of [l.] they should pronounce [n.] which comes to pass when the Tongue doth so hinder the coming forth of the Voice, that it returns to get out by the Nostrils; therefore, till they are better accustomed, I gently compress the Nostrils with my Fingers.

The Letter [r] is the most difficult of all the rest, yet amongst six Deaf Persons, which I have hitherto instructed, four of them pronounce it with the greatest easiness; the other two cannot form it, but in their Jaws; but I teach them, by moving the Hand one while to the Throat, and another while to the Mouth, whereby they may, as it were, feel the subsulting and interrupted Expulsion of the Voice; also I bid them to look often in the Glass, to observe the tremulous and fluctuating Motion of the Tongue; but no one can expect at the first trial, the genuin Pronounciation of this Letter.

When the Vowels and Semi-vowels are well inculcated into them, the Consonants are learnt without any trouble almost, for they are a Simple and Mute Breath, coming forth, either successively, or suddenly, according to the various Openings of the Mouth, and only with putting the Hand to the Mouth almost, they may all easily be learned.

[h] is the most simple of all, nor is it any thing else but Air, which is breathed out thicker, and more swiftly.

[g] or ch. is sharper than [h] which I teach thus, when I shew to my Deaf Patients the posture of the Tongue in a Looking-Glass, and give them to feel the expiring Breath; it is so in like manner with [s] and [f] insomuch, as nothing is more easie than they, and which may most easily be learned by the fore-going Description.

I can teach a Deaf Man, (though he were blind) the Explosive Consonants; for if I cause him to feel the Breath discharged upon him, he would necessarily pronounce one of the three; for I bid him to look simply on my Mouth and Tongue, and then having put his Hand to my Mouth, I pronounce either [k.] or [b.] [p.] or [d.] [t.] and command him to do the like.

(x.) and (z.) are pronounced no otherwise than is (ks.) or (gs.) (when (g) is an Explosive Consonant) and (ts.) wherefore I shall add nothing concerning them.

Deaf Persons are to be diligently accustomed to pronounce these Semi-vowels, n. ng. l. r. also the following Consonants; h. g. k. t. with some kind of opening the Mouth, else they may joyn them sometimes with certain Vowels, not without a notable yawning, & a discordant noise. Now in general, Winter-time is fitter almost for to instruct the Deaf, because then they see the Breath coming forth from the Mouth, whilst Pronounciation is in doing.

When therefore I taught any Deaf Person to pronounce the Letters hitherto enumerated, and that one by one, I taught him so to utter two or three of the easiest, that there should be interstice between them; as for example, ab. am. da. fa. ef. &c. so that they might be accustomed to pronounce the Letters successively; then by degrees I use them to the more difficult Combinations, mutually mixing Vowels, Semi-vowels and Consonants, and thus with little trouble they learn to read; but if when they have read any thing, I bid them look upon my Mouth, and to repeat the same after it hath been pronounced by me; for thus they become by degrees to be accustomed to imitate the humane Voice, only by looking on; but I am unwilling to tire them out with this labour, troublesome enough, until they have profited much, because they may be frighted with it.

In the mean time we must endeavour diligently; that when one Consonant follows another Consonant, as ps. kt. ks. sch. &c. or a Semi-vowel, as ls. lk. md. &c. that they do immediately joyn them in Pronounciation, least some (i) or (e) be heard between them, which unless it be cautiously avoided, often happens.

When they can read, and in a manner understand others when they speak, I treat them like new-born Babes; first, I teach them Nouns, which are obvious, as well Substantives as Adjectives, so also the most necessary Verbs and Adverbs, than Declinations and Conjugations; but here that five-fold turning Orb was of most excellent use to me, it being a rich Treasury of the whole German Tongue, which I found in the Mathematical Delights of Swenter, I augmented it, and applied it also to the Dutch Idiome; out of it may they quickly, and with pleasure learn all possible Combinations of Vowels, Semi-vowels, and Consonants, also all terminations of German words, and that as well Derivatives as Compounds. The first Orb contains Prepositions and small Mono-Syllables, with which Nouns and Verbs are compounded; the second, the Initial Letters; the third, Vowels and Diphthongs; the fourth, the Final Letters; lastly, all the German Terminations.

But there seems to be a great difficulty, that some Letters, as e. and i. a. and u. are uttered by the same opening of the Mouth, and consequently they must needs be confounded; but in good truth, it’s of small moment, because for the most part the difference is not heeded, and the Letters, which according to their nature, are by far, more different, are written almost after the same manner, chiefly when they are pronounced hastily, as m. and n. r. and n. a. and o. &c. which yet puts no stop to an exercised Reader.

Others object, that the Deaf thus taught, will, it may be, understand no Body but my self: Indeed, this difficulty Teems to have something of weight in it; but we must know, that Menst Men pronounce most Letters badly alike, and write their Characters negligently; but with such a one who learns to speak, it is all one as it is with him, who is taught to read other Men’s Writings: For first, he can scarce read any thing but what is written by his Master, and then the Writings of his School-fellows; and lastly, there is nothing which he cannot read, tho’ very badly written, it is therefore not to be wondred at, if those I teach to speak, do at the beginning more easily understand me, than others; (for I pronounce the Letters in their full extension) and not lamely (as many are wont to do) and after that they come to understand their Domesticks and Familiars, and at last, any Body.

Here in the end I add, that most of the Letters may be formed, as well by inspiring as by expiring, which thing I have very much wondred at in some Persons, who speak out of the Belly: And once at Amsterdam I heard an old Woman speaking both ways, and made answers to her self, as to questions, so as I would have sworn that she talked with her Husband two or three Paces distant from her; for the Voice being swallowed up in her in Breathing, would seem to come from far.

Behold, Reader, a small Tract of three days; if thou wilt offer any thing more, right and true, I will receive it with thank: There are yet some other things, viz. how a deaf Person may be made, so as to be able to discern from one the other, some Letters pronounced by another, as m. from b. n. from d. ng. from k. &c. or how the quantity of Syllables is to be govern’d. But these, and the like, can scarce be learnt, but by teaching.

A word is enough to the Wise.