Again, in Obedience and Obedient, he changes the d into j, while in Disobedience and Disobedient the sound of d is retained. Compare also his pronunciation of Medium and Mediate, Radiate and Irradiate, Insidious and Assiduous.* It should be observed, however, that Sheridan was the first to introduce this affected mode of pronunciation by the change of tu into chu or tshu; as in Tune, which he pronounces tshoon; Tutor, tshooter; Tumult, tshoomult; Nature, natshur; Virtue, virtshu, &c. His change, too, of s into sh, as in shooperb (Superb), shooperfluity (Superfluity), shoodorific, (Sudorific), &c., is, and always was, a vulgar pronunciation. 68. Every word of twof or more syllables has in pronunciation a certain ACCENT, that is, a peculiar stress or force laid upon a particular syllable. If the accent in any word is misplaced, the pronunciation is injured or destroyed. Compare, for instance, the different pronunciations of Refuse, Desert, and Minute, according as the accent is placed on the first or second syllable. a. Some words, in addition to the principal, have a SECONDARY,‡ or weaker accent; as in, Ad'verti'se. Ab'sente"e. Ac'cidental. Com'plaisan"t. 69. The general tendency of our language is to accent the root, and not the termination of a word. Hence the natural position of the accent in English words is in the first syllable. As a general rule, therefore, English or Saxon words should have the accent on the first syllable. This general rule is exemplified not only by the usual position of the accent in English or Saxon words, particularly in DISSYLLABLES and TRISYLLABLES, but also by the tendency which we observe in our language to bring words of foreign origin under the English or radical accent. The words Mem'oir, Bou'quet, and Reservoir, for instance, have been brought under the English accent; and Complaisant, Balcony, Revenue, Cravat, Saline, Glacis, and many others, are on the way. Hence, also, the popular pronunciation of the word Police (namely po'-lis); and the colloquial, but now recognised pronunciation of Boatswain, (bo'sn), Cockswain (cock'sn) Cupboard (cub'burd), &c. Many foreign words, however, particularly French, have struggled successfully against the English tendency, as: made in depreciation of the great merits of Walker's Dictionary, but merely to put the learner on his guard. + Monosyllables may have emphasis, but, as they consist of but one syllable, they cannot have accent. In the case of a polysyllabic word, a secondary accent is often necessary for its full enunciation; and when it occurs in words of three syllables, it seems generally to be the result of a struggle for ascendancy between the foreign and English tendency. 70. With regard to words of Greek or Latin origin, it may be laid down as a general rule, that when they are adopted whole or without change, the accent or quantity of the original word is usually preserved, as in Anath'ěma. Dilem'ma. Diplo'ma. Hori'zon. Aphelion. In many such words, however, the English tendency has prevailed, as in Pleth'ora. Aud'Itor. Min'Ister. Or'ător. Sen'ător. 71. This tendency is, however, counteracted to a certain extent by another natural tendency in the language. In words used as verbs, the tendency of the accent is to the termination, and not to the root." Hence, in verbs of two syllables, the accent is generally on the last, and in verbs of three syllables, on the last, or last but one. Hence the unsettled position of the accent in such words as Com'pensate or compensate. Con'fiscate or confis'cate. Con'template or contem'plate. Some authorities following the general tendency, place the accent on the first syllable, as compensate; while others hold that, as verbs, it is better to accent the second, as compensate. 72. The radical accent is also counteracted by the tendency in compound or derivative words to follow the accent of their primaries, as in Admi'rer from admi're. abet'. Assail'able from assail'. Commen'cement from commen'ce. Abet'tor Commit'tal Profess'or profess'. Begin'ning begin'. Coquet'ry a. In many cases, however, the radical or general tendency of the accent has prevailed; as in b. In several words the contest is, as yet, undecided; as in Ac'ceptable or acceptable. Disputable or disputable. 73. The tendency in compound or derivative words to preserve the accent of their primaries, is crossed by another natural tendency, namely, the disposition in compound or derivative words to shorten the long sounds or syllables of their primaries; as in the following words: Deprăvity from deprāve. Grǎnary from grain. 74. ACCENT, from its very nature, must affect not only the syllable under it, but also the syllable next it; for in proportion as the one is dwelt upon, the other is passed quickly over. This is exemplified by the usual pronunciation of the unaccented syllable in the following In the preceding words the unaccented syllable is pronounced quickly and indistinctly; and in the case of a diphthong, one of the vowels is omitted altogether in the pronunciation. Compare, for example, the different sounds of the termination age in the words cab'bage and engage, pres'age and presa'ge. Compare, also, the different pronunciations of the accented and unaccented syllables in the following words: 75. Hence it is that such combinations as ea, ia, ie, eo, 10, eous, ious, following an accented syllable, are, in pronunciation, usually drawn into one sound or syllable, though composed of more than one vowel, as in O'cean (o'shun). Con'science (con'shense). Pen'sion (pen'shun). Gorgeous (gor'jus). Par'tial (par'shal).* Surgeon (sur'jún). Men'tion (men'shun). Gra'cious (gra'shus). a. And when c, s, or t precedes any of these combinations, it has, by the quickness of the enunciation, and the consequent blending of its sound with the vowel, the force of sh, as in the examples just given. b. Hence the inutility (and worse than inutility, for it often leads to errors in pronunciation) of noting the sounds of vowels or syllables not under the accent, as has been done by Sheridan, Walker, and others.† The following judicious observations on the subject are from Webster: "In this particular [the notation of unaccented syllables], there is error and discrepancy in the schemes of the orthoepists, which shows the utter impossibility of carrying_them into effect. The final y unaccented, Walker makes to be long; while Sheridan, Jones, and Perry, make it equivalent to short i, or at least, give it a short sound, according to universal practice. Walker pronounces the last vowel in natural and national as a short, Sheridan, as e short; and Jones, as u short. In the adjective, deliberate, Walker and Jones give a in the last syllable its proper long sound; and Sheridan, the sound of e short, deliberet. Dignitary is pronounced by Sheridan dignitery, and Walker and Jones give to a its short sound, as in at. The terminating syllable ness is pronounced by Walker and Jones nes, and by Sheridan nis, as blessednes, blessednis. The same difference exists in their notation of less, as blameles, blamelis. These differences, and many others, run through their works, and appear in a large portion of all the words in the language. Now it is probable that all these gentlemen pronounced their words alike, or so nearly alike, that no difference would be noticed by a by-stander. The mischief of these notations is, that attempts are made to express minute distinctions or shades of sounds, so to speak, which cannot be represented to the eye by characters. A great part of the notations must, necessarily, be inaccurate, and for this reason, the notation of the vowels in unaccented syllables should not be attempted. From a careful attention to this subject, I am persuaded that all such notations are useless, and many of them mischievous, as they lead to a wrong pronunciation. In no case can the true pronunciation of words in a language be accurately and completely expressed on paper; it can only be taught by the ear and by practice. No attempt has ever been made to mark the pronunciation of all the vowels, in any other language; and in our language it is worse than useless. "In truth. as Dr. Ash remarks in the dissertation prefixed to his dictionary, the sounds of the five vowels, in unaccented, short, and insignificant syllables, are nearly coincident; and it must be a nice ear that can distinguish the difference of sound in the concluding syllable of altur, alter, manor, murmur, satyr. It is for this reason that the notation of such vowels at all savors of hypercritical fastidiousness, and by aiming at too much nicety and exactness, tends only to generate doubts, and multiply differences of opinion. If the accent is laid on the proper syllable, and the vowel of that syllable correctly pronounced, the true pronunciation of the word will follow of course; at least the pronunciation is more likely to be right than wrong, and no mistake will occur, which shall be an object of notice. "Nor can I approve the practice of writing all words in different characters, to express Though in primitive words containing such combinations this rule generally holds, yet it is usually departed from in the derivatives. Thus Partial and Christian are pronounced as dissyllables, while their derivatives Partiality and Christianity are pronounced in five syllables, though only two are added. + If Walker's notation of the unaccented vowels were attended to in practice, thousands of words would be pronounced as the following. Abileetee (ability), rapideetee (rapidity), arteecle (article), deerect (direct), deegest (digest), deebate (debate), beegin (begin), reemove (remove). Over the unaccented i or e in these, and in all similar words, he has placed the figure 1 above e, which indicates the sound of ee or of e in the word me. their pronunciation, as if their proper letters were so many hieroglyphics, requiring explanation. A great part of English words have an orthography sufficiently regular, and so well adapted to express the true pronunciation, that a few general rules only are wanted as a guide to the learner." 76. The seat of the accent will generally serve as a guide in the pronunciation of final syllables in ICE, ILE, INE, ISE, and ITE. When the i is accented, it is long, and when unaccented it is usually short; as in the following words: 77. In such terminations the i is sometimes long, though not under the accent,* as in the following words: It should be observed, however, that in each of the preceding words, the i is evidently under a secondary accent, and therefore inclined to be long. See No. 68, a. 78. As we have already observed, a proper accentuation of words is essential to their just pronunciation; and a proper accentuation can only be acquired by attending to the most correct speakers, and by consulting the most approved dictionaries; for words are under so many influences with regard to their accentuation, that it is scarcely possible to lay down a rule on the subject to which numerous exceptions may not be found. The following rules, however, (in addition to the GENERAL PRINCIPLES which we have already explained,) will be found useful to the learner. 79. Words ending in cial, sial, tial, cian, tian, cient, tient, ceous, cious, tious, sion, tion, tiate, have the accent on the preceding syllable, as— 80. Words ending in ety, ity, or ical, have also the accent on the preceding syllable, as— a. When the termination ical is abbreviated into ic, the accent of the original word remains, as 81. In English, as has been observed, the favorite accent in polysyllables is on the antepenult, or last syllable but two; but in many cases the accent has been transferred to that position from the radical part of the word, for the greater harmony and ease of pronunciation, as in— Rhet'oric, Rhetorical. Sa'tire, Satir'ical. Sa'tan, Victory, Victorious. An'gel, Satan'ical. * That is, the principal accent.-See under No. 68, a. 82. In uniting simple words into a compound, there is a tendency to simplify the compound as much as possible, by throwing the accent on that syllable in which the simple words unite. Hence, words with the following terminations have the accent on the antepenult, or last syllable but two: -cracy, as democracy. -ferous, as somnif'erous. -Aluent, as circum'fluent. -fluous, as super'fluous. -gamy, as polygamy. -gonal, as diag'onal. -graphy, as geog'raphy. -logy, as philology. -pathy, as antip'athy. -phony, as eu'phony. -scopy, as æros'copy. -strophe, as catastrophe. -tomy, as anatomy. -vomous, as igniv'omous. -vorous, as omnivorous. 83. The terminations cial, sial, and tial, are pronounced like shŭl, as in commercial, controversial, and martial.-See No. 75. 84. The terminations ceous, cious, and tious, are pronounced like shus, as in farinaceous, capacious, and contentious.-No. 75. 85. The terminations geous and gious are pronounced like jus, as in courageous and religious.-No. 75. 86. The terminations sion and tion are pronounced like shun, as in mission and invention; but the termination sion, preceded by a vowel, is pronounced like zhun, as in explosion and confusion.-See No. 55. 87. The following words are differently ACCENTED, according as they are used as NOUNS or VERBS. This change of accent in the same word is produced, as Walker well observes, by an instinctive effort in the language to compensate, in * Intimate. Though this word, both verb and noun, is accented on the first syllable, yet, when used as a verb, the last syllable is longer dwelt upop. Compare the pronunciations of separate, verb and noun; also moderate. |