1 Redicule with a dis quite erroneous, and now vulgar. ? When used in a military sense, sergeant; but when applied to a lawyer, serjeant. 8 Shily. See Rule I., Note 2, page 87. 4 When a fish is meant, scate is now written; and skate when it means to slide on skates. 5 Thrash, when it means to drub, or beat soundly; but thresh when applied to the beating out of corn from the straw. 107 ORTHOEPY; OR, THE CORRECT PRONUNCIATION OF WORDS. Pronunciation is just when every letter has its proper sound, and every syllable has its proper accent or quality.-Dr. Johnson. The difficulties of pronunciation arise from the nature of language; the imperfections of alphabets ;1 and the ignorance, carelessness or affectation of the generality of speakers. These difficulties are so numerous that it would be impossible to notice them all, even in the most cursory manner, in so small a work. We shall, however, give a few general principles which will be found to embrace almost all that is useful in practice. 1. The ANALOGIES of the language, the AUTHORITY of lexicographers, and above all, the CUSTOM of the most 1 A perfect alphabet would imply that the different sounds of the human voice had been carefully analyzed, and accurately ascertained; and that to each of those sounds so ascertained, a sign or character was attached which should represent that sound and no other. But this is not the case in our, nor indeed in any alphabet. In some cases we have distinct sounds without proper or peculiar signs to represent them, and in others, we have two or more different signs or characters for the same sound. Our alphabet is, therefore, both defective and redundant. The very first letter of the alphabet, for instance, represents, without alteration or external change, four different and distinct sounds; and with regard to all the other vowels, and several of the consonants, similar observations might be made. Hence the difficulties and inconsistencies in PRONUNCIATION and SPELLING. correct and elegant speakers, are the guides to which we must refer in all cases of difficulty. Nor can these difficulties, in every case, be resolved by such references; for we shall often find analogy opposed to analogy, authority to authority, and custom divided, even among the most elegant speakers. The following passage from "Boswell's Life of Johnson" will serve as an illustration. "BOSWELL.-'It may be of use, Sir, to have a dictionary to ascertain the pronunciation.' "JOHNSON.Why, Sir, my dictionary shows you the accents of words, if you can but remember them.' "BOSWELL. But, Sir, we want marks to ascertain the pronunciation of the vowels. Sheridan, I believe, has finished such a work.' "JOHNSON.Why, Sir, consider how much easier it is to learn a language by the ear, than by any marks. Sheridan's dictionary may do very well; but you cannot always carry it about with you: and when you want the word, you have not the dictionary. It is like a man who has a sword that will not draw. It is an admirable sword to be sure: but while your enemy is cutting your throat, you are unable to use it. Besides, Sir, what entitles Sheridan to fix the pronunciation of English? He has, in the first place, the disadvantage of being an Irishman; and if he says he will fix it after the example of the best company, why they differ among themselves. I remember an instance: when I published the plan for my dic 1 Sheridan's Dictionary was acknowledged, however, even by Walker, "to be generally superior to every thing that preceded it, and his method of conveying the sound of words by spelling them as they are pronounced, highly rational and useful." And Webster, the American lexicographer, thus speaks of his work: "His analysis of the English vowels is very critical, and in this respect, there has been little improvement by later writers, though I think none of them are perfectly correct. But in the application of his principles, he failed of his object. In general, however, it may be asserted that his notation does not warrant a tenth part as many deviations from the present respectable usage in England as Walker's." tionary, Lord Chesterfield told me the word great should be pronounced so as to rhyme to state; and Sir William Yonge sent me word that it should be pronounced so as to rhyme to seat, and that none but an Irishman would pronounce it grait. Now, here were two men of the highest rank the one the best speaker in the House of Lords, and the other the best speaker in the House of Commons, differing entirely.'" 2 In this case the pronunciation of Lord Chesterfield prevailed, though opposed to analogy, because he was considered the most polite speaker of his day; and in all similar cases, the analogies of the language, and the opinions of lexicographers must give way to what is considered the usage of the best and most polite speakers. 2. In cases in which custom or authority is divided, we should give the preference to the pronunciation which is most in accordance with analogy. The word Rome, for instance, should be pronounced rome rather than room; and this is beginning to be the case, though the latter pronunciation was once thought "irrevocably fixed in the language." 3 1 And on the same subject, the great Doctor observes of himself— "Sir, when people watch me narrowly, and I do not watch myself, they will find me out to be of a particular county. In the same manner, Dunning may be found out to be a Devonshire man. So most Scotchmen may be found out." 2 Through the same influence the i in the word oblige lost its foreign or French sound. For till the publication of his "Letters," in which this pronunciation is proscribed, oblige was usually pronounced obleege; as by Pope in the following well-known lines: "Dreading e'en fools, by flatterers besieged, And so obliging that he ne'er obliged" (obleeged). 8 See Walker on this word. The pun which he quotes from Shakspeare, as a proof of the pronunciation of the word Rome in his time"Now it is Rome indeed, and room enough, Since its wide walls encompass but one man" may be answered by another from the same author in favor of the G 3. The three great and prevailing errors in pronunciation are VULGARITY, PEDANTRY, and AFFECTATION Against each of these faults we should be constantly on our guard; but most of all against AFFECTATION; for it is by far the most odious. 4. The following excellent observations from Dr. Johnson deserve particular attention :— "For PRONUNCIATION, the best general rule is to consider those of the most elegant speakers who deviate least from the written words. Of English, as of all living tongues, there is a double pronunciation, one cursory and colloquial, the other regular and solemn. The cursory pronunciation is always vague and uncertain, being made different in different mouths by negligence, unskilfulness, and affectation. The solemn pronunciation, though by no means immutable and permanent, is always less remote from the orthography, and less liable to capricious innovation. They [lexicographers] have, however, generally formed their tables according to the cursory speech of those with whom they happen to converse; and, concluding, that the whole nation combines to vitiate language in one manner, have often established the jargon of the lower people as the model of speech."1 other pronunciation. In the first part of Henry VI., act 3, scene 1, the Bishop of Winchester exclaims: "Rome shall remedy this;" to which Warwick retorts, "Roam thither then." In Pope, too, authority for both pronunciations may be found, as in the following couplets: "From the same foes at last both felt their doom; The world's just wonder, and even thine, O Rome." If a rule such as is suggested above were followed, these, and all similar anomalies, would soon disappear. 1 Walker, though he had this caution before his eyes, has not always profited by it; for in many instances he has given the colloquial, and even vulgar pronunciation, as the "model of speech." For instance, he gives apurn as the pronunciation of apron, iurn of iron, and a-pos-sl of apostle. He also, in large classes of words, |