ADVERTISEMENT. THE favourable reception, which the publick has given to the "Pronounc ing Testament," and the importance of children being early taught to pro nounce according to the most approved standard of English orthöepy, hav encouraged the Editor to apply the same principles to the Introduction, to th English Reader, and also to the Reader and the Sequel. At this period of improvement in school instruction, nothing need be said i praise of Mr. Murray's Reading Books. They have already and deserved attained a popularity and circulation, in our country, surpassed or even equa led by no productions of similar design. The chastity of the language, th purity of the style, the grammatical precision, and the correctness of mor sentiment, which mark these exercises, will long preserve them from disuse oblivion. Mr. Murray, in his English Reader, remarks, that "by attentively consulti Mr. Walker's Pronouncing Dictionary, the young reader will be much assist in his endeavours to attain a correct pronunciation of the words belongi to the English Language." This object is, in this publication, as in the P nouncing Testament, greatly facilitated by dividing and accenting the prop names and numerous other words difficult to pronounce, according to t orthöepy contained in Mr. Walker's Dictionary and Classical Key. When the pronunciation of words could not be clearly and fully express by the aid of the explanatory Key, the orthöepy of such words has been w ten in the bottom of the page, either as Mr. Walker has himself written or in strict conformity to those rules and principles which he has establish so far as by a critical and careful investigation of them, they have been und stood. The words which have been marked at all, except those in bottom of the page, have been marked nearly as often as they afterwa occur; but the neglecting to mark every vowel in an accented word, or Italicise every silent letter, would not materially affect the design which been pursued. The scheme of the vowel sounds in the explanatory Key, is nearly the sa as that given by Mr. Walker, to which are prefixed Mr. Perry's marks. pupil should be well acquainted with all the vowel sounds, as they are mar in the Key, and should be taught to give them separately, as they are wri in the brackets, and in the order in which they stand.. As the Introduction is often used in the younger classes in schools, be children are furnished with Dictionaries, it has been conceived that the pendix, containing a concise selection of words, with definitions, would gre increase its value. In this selection from the preceding lessons, care been taken to adopt words, the meaning of which is most obscure; and most words have several definitions, that definition is, in the Appendix, aff first, which is appropriate to the word as it is used in this work. This cumstance will often essentially aid the young pupil in the right understan of his lesson. In the Appendix, reference to words selected from each p is made by the figures of that page placed over them. The improvements of this Edition, will, it is hoped, give it a just prefere KEY TO THE REGULAR NATIVE SOUNDS OF THE ENGLISH VOWELS Long Vowels. Long ā, ē, ī, ō, ù, ŵ, ỹ. Broad á, ê, î, or i, ô, û, ŵ. Short Vowels. Short ǎ, ě, ĭ, ŏ, ŭ, ỹ. Acute á, é, í, ó, ý, like ů. 1. a. The long slender English a, [ay] as in game, fāte, pā'per. 2. a. The long Ït-ali-ănf or middie à, [ah] as in star, fà thěr, măm-mà. 3. â. The broad German, or open á, [aw] as in fâll, bâll, wâll, wâ'tér. 1. e. The long e, [eh] as in mē, hēre, mē’tre, mē'di-ŭm. 1. i. y. The long diphthongal i, [eye] as in dine, ti'tle, gyre, cycle. 1. 6. The long open ō, [owe] as in nō, nōte, nō'tice. 2. ò. The long close ò, [00] as in mòve, pròve. 3. ô. The long broad 6, [aw] as in nôr, för, ôr; like the broad â.、 1. u. w. The long diphthongal u, [you] as in cube, cupid, new. 3. ú. ŵ. The middle or obtuse û, [o in wolf ] as in bûll, fûll, nôŵ. Note to the Key. The sound of the vowel 6 in môve, prôve, &c.. marked, by Mr. Perry, with the Broad accent, is, in this Key, marked with the Grave accent, ò thus, in mòve, pròve, &c.—The long and short sounds of a àre placed together, consequently 4. ǎ. in Mr. Walker's order is transposed.. IRREGULAR VOWEL SOUNDS, CHARACTERS, &c. 1. The Acute á, é, í, ó, and ý, in unaccented and monosyllables, frequently deşert their regular native sounds, and slide into that of short u, as heard in li'ár, hér, bírd, dóne, màr'týr. 2. The Broad é sounds like the long Italian à, in Nin'e-vêh, and, like the long slender English a, in êre, thêre, where; pronounced Nin'e-vah-are, thāre, hware. 3. The mediate or unaccented i or y, sounds like the long ē. In all words which have any vowel with a marked accent, this i is the last part of the component sound of the long diphthongal i or y, or it is equivalent to the long sound of e, as heard in priv'i-lv. Bĕth'a-nv. pro 4. When joined with a final syllable in the pronunciation, somatimes becomes a consonant, as in It-àl'ian. 5. C or ch denotes a hard sound, like k, as heard in Christ. 6. Gorg denotes a soft sound, like j, as heard in gel'id, gÿp'sy. 7. ph generally sounds like f, as heard in Phi-le'mon. 8. § or denotes a soft or flat sound like s, as heard in mūşe, sīçe. 9. In a diphthong or triphthong, a vowel with a marked accent, shows that its fellow vowel or vowels àre silent, and that its own sound is the only proper one in that combination, as in yeast,* beau'ty. 10. The vowel i is not silent, unless Italicised, and forms an exception to the last rule, as in field, plaid. In some words, when it is not Italicised, it has only the power of e final, lengthening the preceding vowel, as in obtain, pron. ŏb-tāne'. 11. Italick letters, in words which are marked with the vowel ac cents, àre likewise silent, as in reason. 12. [] This oblique mark denotes the chief or primary accent to be on that syllable, over or immediately after which it is placed. Thus-Da'vid, in right pronunciation, is accented on the first syllable. 13. The termination ah, in Hebrew proper names, when under the primary or secondary accent, is long, as in Tàh'e-ră, Beth'ra-bàh; but, when not under the accent, and final, it is short, as in Jē-hō'văh, Jū'dăh. 14. The Greek and Latin termination a, when not under the prin cipal accent, by omitting the final h, invariably bears the mark of 、ne short sound of the Italian ă, as in Beth-ĕs'dă, ā-ôr'tă.. 15. In words of this book having marked vowels, a, without an ac cent over it, always has its short Italian sound. 16. E before r, in a monosyllable, or in an accented syllable, or in a syllable before the accented one, has the sound of è in very; e. g. wěre, měr chănt, pĕr-for'mănce, pĕr-am-bu-lā'tion. 17. The Ortho-e-py of words, written in the bottom of the page, governs those words through the book. RULE, for pronouncing the language of Scripture. In the Sacred Writings, every participial ed, where it is not preced ed by a vowel, ought to make a distinct syllable: as, "Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" But where it is preceded by a vowel, the e is suppressed, as in justified and glorified in the following passage: "Whom he did predest nate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justi fied; and whom he justified, them he also glorified." RULE, for reading common and familiar writings. When a verb ends with a sharp consonant, as f, p, k, s, h, and c soft, the termination ed, assumed by the preterite and participle, sounds like t; as stuffed, tripped, cracked, passed, vouched, faced, pron. stuft, tript, crackt, past, voucht, faste. But when the verb ends in a flat consonant, b, g, v, s; or a liquid, as l, m, n, r, the termina tion ed, preserves the flat sound of d; as drubbed, pegged, lived, buzzed, blamed, joined, filled, barred, pron. drubb'd, pegg'd, liv'd, buss'd, blam'd, join'd, fill'd, barr'd. Note. When verbs end in t or d, te or de, the participial ed is always heard in a distinct syllable, as trust, trust'ed; sound, sound'ed; flute, flut'ed; guide, guided. [Walker's Principles. * better written-yěst. |