Ve-ro'nes Ver-o-ni'ca (30) Ver-re-gi' num Ver' res, C. Ver' ri-us +Ver-ru' go Ver-ti-cor' di-a Ver-tis' cus Ver-tum' nus Ves' bi-us, or Ves-pa-si-a' nus Ves' e-ris Ve'i-a Ve-i-a'nus Ve-i-en' tes Ve-se' vi-us, and Ve-i-en' to Ve-se' vus Ve'i-i (3) Ves' ta Vej'o-vis Ver-e' na Ves-ta' les Ve-la' brum Ve-la' ni-us Ver-gas-il-lau' nus Ves-tic' i-us (24) * Venafrum.-Though the accent may be placed either on the antepenultimate or the penultimate syllable of this word, the latter is by far the prefer able, as it is adopted by Lempriere, Labbe, Gouldman, and other good authorities. + Verrugo. I have given this word the penultimate accent with Lempriere, in opposition to Ainsworth, who adopts the antepenultimate. Zen-o-do' ti-a Zeu-xip' pe Zil' i-a, or Ze' lis Zi-ob' e-ris Zo-pyr' i-o Zo-pyr' i-on Zos-te' ri-a 豐味味® Ze' thes, or Ze' tus Zeug' ma Ze' us Zeux' i-das Zmil' a-ces (16) Zon' a-ras Zoph'o-rus Zo-thraus' tes * Zenodotus.-All our prosodists but Lempriere give this word the antepenultimate accent; and till a good reason is given why it should differ from Herodotus, I must beg leave to follow the majority. Zoilus.-The two vowels in this word are always separated in the Greek and Latin, but in the English pronunciation of it they are frequently blended into a diphthong, as in the words oil, boil, &c. This, however, is an illiterate pronunciation, and should be avoided. The word should have three syllables, and be pronounced as if written Zo' e-lus. By inspecting the foregoing Vocabulary, we see that, notwithstanding all the barriers with which the learned have guarded the accentuation of the dead languages, still some words there are which despise their laws, and boldly adopt the analogy of English pronunciation. It is true the catalogue of these is not very numerous: for, as an error of this kind incurs the penalty of being thought illiterate and vulgar, it is no wonder that a pedantic adherence to Greek and Latin should, in doubtful cases, be generally preferred. But as the letters of the dead languages have insensibly changed their sound by passing into the living ones, so it is impossible to preserve the accent from sliding sometimes into the analogies of our own tongue; and when once words of this kind are fixed in the public ear, it is not only a useless, but a pernicious, pedantry to disturb them. Who could hear without pity of Alexander's passing the river Grani' cus, or of his marrying the sister of Parys atis? These words, and several others, must be looked upon as planets shot from their original spheres, and moving round another centre. After all the care, therefore, that has been taken to accent words according to the best authorities, some have been found so differently marked by different prosodists, as to make it no easy matter to know to which we shall give the preference. In this case I have ventured to give my opinion without presuming to decide, and merely as an 'HowTxov, or Interim, till the learned have pronounced the final sentence. |