+-------+-------+-------+-------+-----+------+------+ | a | e | i | o | u | au | ei | | - | - | - | - | - | - | -- | | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | +-------|-------|-------|-------|-----|------|------+ | b & p | d & t | f & v | s & k | ch | ue | h | | ----- | ----- | ----- | ----- | -- | -- | -- | | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 24 | +-------|-------|-------|-------|-----|------|------+ | l | m | n | r | s | w | z | | -- | -- | - | - | -- | -- | -- | | 25 | 26 | 27 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | +-------|-------|-------|-------|-----|------|------+ | | | ja | nein | | | | | | | -- | ---- | | | | | | | 2 | 3 | | | | +-------+-------+-------+-------+-----+------+------+ It is particularly to be observed that the letters were pronounced as follows: K as k,' not as ka ( = kay); H as h,' not as ha ( = aitch); R as r, not as er ( = ar;) L as l,' not as el: this was so as to free her "writing" of any extraneous difficulties. Rolf of Mannheim rapped out the "e" in "w" ( = _vay_ being the German pronunciation of "w"), as also in "g" ( = _gay_ being the German pronunciation of "g"); thus, if he wanted to write "wegen," he simply rapped "w g n." Now, I wanted Lola to learn to rap the entire word--"wegen," for instance, for this simplification of expression, as put into practice by Rolf, would be of no use to her in view of the method of pronunciation I was adopting with the consonants. Those who had taught Rolf understood his spelling quite as well as I in time came to understand Lola's, but with regard to their system the objection was frequently put forward (more especially by persons bent on maintaining an unfriendly attitude) that "any construction might be placed on these answers," and, I must admit, that there was some truth in this. Not that this objection could always be justified, yet there were sufficient grounds for it. The great value of Rolf's mode of expressing himself was shown in the way in which he added letter to letter in accordance with their sounds (and I doubt whether any mechanical aids or accessories would have been likely to achieve the same results), thus giving proof that he was capable of independent expression. Their system proved incidentally to have what I might call a "side value," for Lola's mode of expression, due to my own method of teaching led to quite different results--_yet on the same level_.