In his "Key into the Languages of America," London, 1643, Roger Williams says that "the life of all language is pronuntiation"--and in the comparison of dialects it deserves especial attention. To enable the reader the more readily to understand these pages, and to compare the words with literary German, the principles of German orthography will be used as far as they are consistent, but every letter or combination is in every case to be pronounced according to the power here indicated--except in literal quotations, where the originals are followed. A single vowel letter is always to be read short, and when doubled it must have the same sound, but lengthened--but as a single vowel letter is often read long in German, and as short vowels are often indicated by doubling a consonant letter, this absurd mode is sometimes used to prevent mispronunciation through carelessness.[6] The 's' is also sometimes doubled to prevent it from becoming English 'z' with readers who, in careless moods, might rhyme 'as' (as) with _has_ instead of _fosse_. In a PG. poem of Rachel Bahn, commencing with-- "Wie soothing vocal music is! Wie herrlich un wie schoe!" most English readers would be likely to rhyme 'is' with _phiz_ instead of _hiss_, which will be prevented by writing 'iss,' etc. Although I have visited various counties of the State at distant intervals, the facts given here pertain chiefly to a single locality, so that if it is stated, for example, that 's' with its English sound in 'misery' does not occur, or that 'kǝp' (head) is used to the exclusion of _haupt_, it is not intended to assert that such a sound as _z_, or such a word as _haupt_, have not a local existence. In fact, although they are not recorded here, English _z_, _w_, and _v_, may be common enough. A German confounds _met_ and _mat_, _cheer_ and _jeer_, and when he becomes able to pronounce them all, he not unfrequently creates a new difficulty, and for _cherry_ says _jărry_ (rhyming _carry_), and after he has acquired sounds like English _z_, _w_, and _v_, they might readily slip into his German speech. The letter _b_ and its spirant (German _w_) both occur, and the latter often replaces _b_, in one region 'ich haw' (I have) replaces 'ich hab,' German _ich habe_, and 'nit' replaces 'net' (not), German _nicht_. The vowels of _up_ and _ope_ interchange, as in 'kǝch' or 'koch' (cook) 'nǝch' or 'noch' (yet); and it is difficult to determine whether the prefixes _ge_-and _be_-have the vowel of _bet_ or _but_. Lastly, the nasal vowels are by some speakers pronounced pure. Should discrepancies be found upon these points, they are to be attributed rather to the dialect than to the writer--or to the two conjointly. § 2. _The Vowels._ E. indicates _English_; G. _German_; SG. _South German_; PG. _Pennsylvania German_ (or 'Dutch');.a preceding dot indicates what would be a capital letter in common print. It is used where capital forms have not been selected, as for æ.