First published in 1775, this book is a pioneering work in the field of phonetics, the study of the sounds of language. The author argues that speech can be analyzed in terms of musical notation, and provides a detailed system of symbols for representing the different tones, rhythms, and inflections of speech. While some of the ideas in the book have been superseded by more recent linguistic research, Prosodia Rationalis remains a key historical document in the development of the study of speech sounds. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.