orn_.[22]
The _o_ in the beginning of words is pure in most Slavic dialects,
i.e. without a preceding consonant. In Russian it sounds frequently
more like an _a_ than an _o_; e.g. _adin_, one, instead of _odin;
atiotz_, father, instead of _otetz_. But the Vendes of Lusatia
pronounce it _vo_; as also the Bohemians in the language of common
life; although in higher style they have a pure initial _o_. The
Croats, on the other hand, have no pure initial _u_; they say _vuho_
ear, instead _uho_ or _ucho_.

As to consonants, there is a great variety in the Slavic languages.
There is however no _f_ to be found in any genuine Slavic word; and
even in words adopted from foreign languages, this letter has
frequently changed its sound. So the Bohemian has made _barwa_ from
the German _farbe_, color. In respect to the connection of the Slavic
with the Latin, it is interesting to compare _bob_ with _feba, bodu_
with _fodio, vru_ with _ferveo, peru_ with _ferio, plamen_, with
_flamma, pishozala_ with _fistula_, etc.

The greatest variety among the Slavic letters exists in the sibilants.
Of these there are seven, perfectly distinct from each other; some of
which it would be difficult to denote by English characters[23]. They
are the favourite sounds of the language. Not only the guttural
sounds, _g, ch,_ and _k_, but also _d_ and _t_, are changed in many
cases into analogous sibilants, according to fixed and very simple
rules. On the other hand, the Slavic nations have a way of softening
the harshness of the consonants, peculiar in that extent to them
alone. The Frenchman has his _l mouille,_ the Spaniard his _elle
doblado_ and _n_. the Portuguese his _lh_ and _nh_; the Slavic nations
possess the same softening sound for almost all their consonants. Such
is the usual termination of the Russian verb in _at'_ or _it'_, etc.
where other Slavic nations say _ati_ or _iti_ or those of the western
branch _acz_ or _ecz_. In the same manner it occurs after initial
consonants; thus _mjaso_, meat; _bjel_, white; _ljbov_, love, etc.

The letters _l_ and _r_ have in all Slavic languages the value of
vowels; words like _twrdy_, _wjtr_, which judging from their
appearance a foreigner would despair of ever being able to pronounce,
are always in metre used as words of two syllables. Thus _Wlk_, _Srp_,
are not harsher than _Wolk_ and _Serp_. We feel however that these
examples cannot serve to refute the existing prejudices against the
euphony of the