command, to prove or illustrate what we have, in all cases, studiously endeavoured to learn by actual hearing, from those who are considered best qualified to determine questions of orthoepy.

III. It may be further observed, that all those works (so far as we are acquainted) which attempt to give the pronunciation of geographical names, show at least a tendency towards the system that we have adopted. The Penny Cyclopædia, which gives the accentuation of a considerable number of proper names, appears always to follow the native mode. In the list of geographical names appended to WORCESTER'S "Comprehensive Pronouncing and Explanatory DictionaryBoston, 1841"--which is certainly one of the most creditable and successful attempts towards supplying the deficiency in this important department of orthoepy that has ever been made-the native pronunciation of names not extensively and familiarly known, is almost invariably given. STEWART'S "Compendium of Modern Geography-seventh edition--Edinburgh, 1843," gives the pronunciation of the principal geographical names on the globe, and though the work contains many errors, it is evident that it aims generally to conform to the native accentuation of the names of other countries, and frequently to the native sound of the letters. Several other works, of less importance, exhibit the same general tendency.

IV. There is one difficulty in carrying out the system of geographical pronunciation adopted by us, which it may be proper to notice here, viz: that of drawing the line between foreign names which are, and those which are not, well known. With respect to the more obvious in each division there cannot be the slightest hesitation; but the two classes meet and pass into each other by imperceptible gradations, so that sometimes the question whether they should be pronounced according to the foreign, or the English mode, can only be settled by arbitrary decision. In these doubtful instances, we have spared no pains in order to ascertain the prevailing practice of the best speakers, as well as the usage of the poets: when these have been found unsatisfactory, nothing has remained for us but to decide according to the best of our ability. We have, in these cases, usually given both the pronunciations, placing that first, which, in our judgment, is to be preferred.

This remark is intended to apply to the pronunciation only. In other respects, this "Compendium" appears to be an accurate and highly valuable little work.

V. It should be observed, that though we have endeavoured to give the native pronunciation of the names of other countries, with minute accuracy, yet, in accordance with the advice of a number of our most intelligent and judicious friends, we have been careful to avoid as much as possible, on all occasions, the use of sounds which cannot readily be uttered by the mere English scholar--more especially in the pronunciation of those geographical names which are commonly taught in schools.

VI. In those cases where it is impossible to express the sounds of other languages by means of English letters, we have endeavoured to employ a mode of indicating those sounds, which, if it does not afford any effectual assistance to the mere English scholar, may at least be in no danger of embarrassing or leading him astray. Thus we have represented the sound of the German ch by к, distinguished by being a small capital. Perhaps a strongly aspirated h-which might be indicated by hh-would convey a nearer idea of the German sound, but it seemed less eligible than the other mode, both because persons might differ in the pronunciation of it, or, perhaps, be at a loss to pronounce it at all, and because the established mode of anglicizing the German ch, seems to be to change its sound to that of k, as in the instances, Blumenbach, METTERNICH, &C. The Scotch and Dutch sounds of ch, so similar to the German, when anglicized assume invariably, if we mistake not, the sound of k. The ordinary mode of pronouncing the Greek x tends to the same result. χ We have not, however, represented the sound of the German g at the end of a syllable in the same manner as the ch, though it has precisely the same sound, because it is not customary to anglicize it by k, except in a few instances. Were the pronunciation of such a word as berg, represented by berk, it would have the effect to lead the English scholar to pronounce it differently from the ordinary mode, while he would be in no respect nearer the German than those who pronounce the word according to the English sound of the letters. Another consideration may, perhaps, be allowed to have some weight, viz., that though the more approved mode of German pronunciation requires that g, when it does not begin a word, should be pronounced like ch, yet in some parts of Germany it is pronounced in every case like g hard in English. In a similar manner, and for similar reasons, we have usually represented the German w by a W distinguished as a capital, and not by a v, though this is nearer the sound of the German letter.

P

1

།

VII. With regard to French names, however, a different plan has been pursued, both because it is less easy, so to speak, to anglicize the French letters, and because, from the circumstance of this being far more studied than any other foreign language, it is much more usual to adopt all the peculiar sounds of the letters, in pronouncing French words or names. Even here, however, it will be found that very few, if any, of those geographical names which are taught in our common schools, will require the use of sounds that cannot readily be pronounced by the mere English scholar.

VIII. In giving the pronunciation of the geographical names contained in the present work, we have adhered, in the main, to the method of Walker, not only from a desire to avoid all unnecessary innovation upon a system which has been so generally received, but also, because we regard it, on the whole, as superior to any other system which has hitherto been given to the public.* As, however, a multitude of instances occur, wherein the ordinary spelling of geographical names indicates very nearly the proper manner of pronouncing them, it has been thought unnecessary, in these cases, to give a different spelling in order to show the exact pronunciation. At the same time, that no part of the work might be incomplete, it has been requisite to assign to some of the letters, sounds, which Walker has not attributed to them. Thus, in giving the pronunciation of such names as Boston, Pennsylvania, &c., we have not re-written them, as Walker would have done-pen-sil-và-ne-â, bôs'-tån, or bos-t'n, but merely given Bos'-TON, Penn-syl-va-ni-4; the point under the vowels in the final syllable of each name, denoting that these have an obscure sound like short u, or like e in the word battery; while the two points under the I in the latter name indicate that this is to be sounded like e. In like manner Berks is written BERKS-the e in this name approximating the sound of short u. This mode of marking the pronunciation, is recommended by other considerations than that of brevity. As some

It may not be improper to observe, that with respect to actual pronunciation we have differed from Walker in a number of particulars. Thus, we pronounce ASIA, a'-she-a, according to the practice of the best English speakers, though Walker gives a'-zhe-a as the true pronunciation. (See Principles of Pronunciation, 453.) In a few instances we have departed from his practice in the accentuation of classical names, e. g., we have, with the sanction of the highest authorities of the present day, given the name of the ancient capital of Egypt with the accent on the penultima, thus-ALEXANDRI'A-though Walker accentuates the antepe. nultima, as we do, in pronouncing the modern ALEXANDRIA. (See ALEXANDRIA, in the body of this work.)

of our most celebrated orthoepists make a decided distinction between the sounds of e and u in a syllable ending with r,* it might be deemed improper to represent the pronunciation of Berks by burks. On the other hand, were we to follow the method of Walker in similar cases, and pronounce it bêrks, we should be still wider from the mark. The mode adopted by us will, it is hoped, be found sufficiently definite, at the same time that it obviates both of the difficulties just mentioned.

IX. With a view to simplify as much as possible, we have rejected Walker's second and third sounds of o (the former being equivalent to oo, the latter to au), and his third sound of u (corresponding with oo in good, a sound which we have represented by ŏŏf). From the same motive we have dispensed with the figured vowels, whenever their use has not appeared to be necessary in order to avoid ambiguity. Thus we write simply TIL-SIT, and not-TIISIT, til'-sit,-as Walker would have done. All marks or figures which are not needed, in order to indicate the exact pronunciation, must tend rather to embarrass than to aid the learner.

X. In the pronunciation of names belonging to England, or to those countries where the English language is spoken, a ending a syllable with the accent, should always have its first sound; in an accented syllable before a single r it usually takes the second, and before rr, or any other consonant, the fourth sound. Accordingly, in giving such names as PENNSYLVANIA, SA'RUM, FARʼMINGTON, CAR'Roll, Manchester, it has been deemed unnecessary to mark the a in the accented syllables, as scarcely any one in the least acquainted with the principles of English pronunciation, could mistake its true sound. In all cases which depart from these simple and general rules, it has been thought best to mark the sound, as Dål'ton, Mål'wah, Pâr'is, &c.

XI. The Latin names of foreign countries are nearly always to be pronounced with the English sounds of the letters. Thus, in BAVARIA, BULGARIA, LUSA'TIA, and TRANSYLVANIA, the accented a should have its first sound.

*Walker says that "Derby is pronounced NEARLY as if written Durby"and that "fir, a tree, is perfectly similar [in sound] to the first syllable in ferment, though often CORRUPTLY pronounced like fur, a skin." (See Principles of Pronunciation, 100 and 109.)

† We have, however, retained his third sound of a, (though precisely similar to au), in order to indicate the broad sound of the a in such names as DALTON, CALDER, &c., without writing the pronunciation separately.

d

e

t

OBS. IN PRUSSIA and RUSSIA, however, the u instead of being pronounced short, as it would unquestionably have been done in ancient Latin names of this kind, is usually sounded like oo, assuming in these instances the character of the German or Russian u. In like manner the first syllable of BULGARIA is to be pronounced bool and not bŭl.

XII. In the anglicized forms of foreign names, and in most well known names of foreign countries, the same rules of pronunciation, generally speaking, obtain, as in genuine English words, e. g., SPAIN, ITALY, NAPLES, &c.

Oas. 1. At the same time, we may observe a general tendency to adopt those sounds of the English vowels, which approach most nearly to the foreign sounds: thus the a in the first syllable of ADRIATIC, and PARIS, has its fourth sound, which is much nearer to the French and Italian a, than its first sound, though this would probably be given to these names by the mere English scholar, who should be guided by analogy solely. In like manner the i in MILAN is made short, so as nearly to correspond to the Italian i, which is like our e.

OES. 2. In the pronunciation of foreign names that have become thoroughly anglicized, it is interesting to observe the tendency of our language, to throw the accent as far as possible from the termination. Thus PARIS is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable, though the French appear to place it on the last, and the Germans, who have not the same aversion to the ultimate accent, that we have, lay the stress of voice distinctly on the final syllable, thus PAR-IS. HANOVER, which might be pronounced with the native accentuation (HANO'VER,) without the slightest offence to the genius of our tongue,* has become irrecoverably HANOVER. Thus, also, we pronounce ANDALUSIA, (in Spanish ANDALUCIA,) AR'AGON (in Spanish ARAGON), &c. So in our own country, the old NIAGARA has become unalterably fixed as NIAGARA; and HURON, though still sometimes heard, is fast giving place to Hu'RON.

XIII. It may be observed that with respect to foreign names, not only in the French, Italian, and other languages that are written in the Roman letters, but also in Germant and Greek, (the characters of which may be readily converted into corresponding Roman letters), it is generally customary in English to retain the literal spelling, e. g., ANSPACH, (German Anspach), KÖNIGSBERG, (German Königsberg), CHIOS, (Greek Xios,) &c., excepting a very few well known names, as LYONS, (French Lyon), NAPLES, (Italian Napoli,) MUNICH, (German München), DANTZIC, (German Danzig,) LEIPSIC, (German Leipzig); we often find, however, the last two names spelled literally Danzig and Leipzig.

We have a multitude of words similar in accent, as promoter, devotion, &c. + It is, perhaps, scarcely necessary to remark, that Roman letters are not unfre quently employed in writing and printing German.