* Sophronicus.-I find this word in no prosodist but Labbe; and he places the accent on the penultimate syllable, like most other words of this termination; unless, says he, any one thinks it more likely to be derived from Sophron, than from victory; that is, by uniting a general termination to the root of the word, than combining it with another word significant of itself; but as there is a Greek adjective Zwogovinos, signifying ordained by nature to temperance, it is much more probable that Sophronicus is this adjective used substantively, than that it should be compounded of wogwv and vixos, conquering temperance; and therefore the antepenultimate accent seems preferable. + Sporades. This word has the accent placed on the first syllable by all our prosodists; but a mere English ear is not only inclined to place the accent on the second syllable, but to pronounce the word as if it were a dissyllable, Spo-rades' i but this is so gross an error, that it cannot be too carefully avoided. * Suidas.-This word is generally heard, even among the learned, in two syllables, as if written Sui-das. Labbe, however, makes it three syllables, and accents, the first; although, says he, by what right I know not, it is generally pronounced with the accent on the penultimate. It may be observed, that if we place the accent on the first syllable, the i in the second must be pronounced like e; and that the general pronunciation which Labbe complains of, that of placing the accent on the second syllable, must, in our English pronunciation of Greek or Latin words, preserve the in its long open sound, as in idle: if, therefore, we pronounce the i in this manner, it is a sufficient proof that we place the accent on the penultimate syllable; which, though common, is, as Labbe ob- serves, without good authority. * Taygetus and Taygete.-All our prosodists but Lempriere accent these words on the antepenultimate syllable, as if divided into Ta-yg'e-tus and Ta-yg'e-te. I am, therefore, rather inclined to suppose the quantity marked in his dictionary an error of the press. The lines in Lily's Que Genus will easily call to the recollection of every scholar how early he adopted the antepenultimate pronunciation. Tartara, Taygetus, sic Tænera, Massica, et aktus |