Italians, there is little doubt but these words would have the accent on the first syllable, and that the I would be pronounced regularly like the short e, as in Indigo and Portico. See VERTIGO. 113. There is a remarkable alteration in the sound of this vowel, in certain situations, where it changes to a sound equivalent to initial y. The situation that occasions this change is, when the i precedes another vowel in an unaccented syllable, and is not preceded by any of the dentals: thus we hear uary in mil-iary, bil-iary, &c, pronounced as if written mil-yary, bil-yary, &c. Min-ion and pin-ion as if written min-yon and pin-yon. In these words the i is so totally altered to y, that pronouncing the ia and io in separate syllables would be an error the most palpable; but where the other quids or mutes precede the i in this situation, the coalition is not so necessary: for though the two latter syllables of convivial, participial, &c. are extremely prone to unite into one, they may, however be separated, provided the separation be not too distant. The same observations hold good of e, as ! malleable, pronounced mal-ya-ble. 114. But the sound of the i, the most difficult to reduce to rule, is when it ends a syllable immedi ately before the accent. When either the primary or secondary accent is on this letter, it is invaria bly pronounced either as the long i in title, the short i in tittle, or the French i in magazine; and when it ends a syllable after the accent, it is always sounded like e, as sen-si-ble, ra-li-fy, &c. But when it ends a syllable, immediately before the accent, it is sometimes pronounced long, as in vi-ta-li-ty, where the first syllable is exactly like the first of vi-al; and sometimes short, as in di-gest, where the i is pronounced as if the word were written de-gest. The sound of the i, in this situation, is sc little reducible to ruie, that none of our writers on the subject have attempted it; and the only method to give some idea of it, seems to be the very laborious one of classing such words together as have the i proncunced in the same manner, and c. serving the different combinations of other letters that may possibly be the cause of the different sounds of this. 115. In the first place, where the i is the only letter in the first syllable, and the accent is on the second, beginning with a consonant, the vowel has its long diphthongal sound, as in idea, identity, idolatry, idoneous, irascible, ironical, isosceles, itinerant, itinerary. Imagine and its compounds seem the only exceptions. But to give the inspector some idea of general usage; I have subjoined examples of these words as they stand in our different Pronouncing Dictionaries: idea. Sheridan, Scott, Buchanan, W. Johnston, Kenrick. idea. identity, Identity. Perry. Sheridan, Scott, Buchanan, W. Johnston, Kenrick. idolatry. Sheridan, Scott, Buchanan, W. Johnston, Kenrick. idolatry. Perry. iloneous. Sheridan, Kenrick. irascible. Sheridan, Scott, W. Johnston, Kenrick irascible. Perry, isosceles. Sheridan, Scott, Perry. itinerary. Sheridan, Scott, W. Johnston, Kenrick. Itinerary. Perry. itinerant. Sheridan, Scott, W. Jolinston, Nares. Itinerant. Buchanan, Perry. 116. When i ends the first syllable, and the accent is on the second, commencing with a vowel, it generally preserves its long open diphthongal sound. Thus in di-ameier, di-urnal, &c. the first syllable is equivalent to the verb to die. A corrupt, foreign manner of pronouncing these words, may sometimes mince the i into e, as if the words were written de-ameter, de-urnal, &c.; but this is disgusting to every just English ear, and contrary to the whole current of analogy. Besides, the vowel that ends and the vowel that begins a syllable are, by pronouncing the i long, kept more distinct, and not suffered to coalesce, as they ar apt to do if i has its slender sound. This proneness of the e, which is exactly the slender sound of i, to coalesce with the succeeding vowel, has produced sucli monsters in pronunciation as joggraphy and jommetry, for geography and geometry, and jegies for georgics. The latter of these words is fixed in this absurd pronunciation without remedy; but the two former seem recovering their right to four syllables; though Mr. Sheridan has endeavoured to deprive them of it, by spelling them with three. Hence we may observe, that those who wish to pro. nounce correctly, and according to analogy, ought to pronounce the first syllable of biography, as the verb to buy, and not as if written be-ography. 117. When i ends an initial syllable without the accent, and the succeeding syllable begins with consonant, the i is generally slender, as if written e. But the exceptions of this rule are so nume rous, that nothing but a catalogue will give a tolerable idea of the state of pronunciation in this point. 118. When the prepositive bi, derived from bis (twice,) ends a syllable immediately before the ac cent, the i is long and broad, in order to convey more precisely the specific meaning of the syllable. Thus bi-capsular, bi-cipital, bi-cipitous, bi-cornous, bi-corporal, bi-dental, bi-farius, bi-fureuied, bi-linguous, bi-nocular, bi-pennated, bi-petalous, bi-quadrate, have the i long. But the first syllable of the words Bi tumen and Bituminous having no such signification, ought to be pronounced with the i short. This is the sound Buchanan has given it; but Sheridan, Kenrick, and W. Johnston, make the 1 long, as iu Bible. 119. The same may be observed of words beginning with, tri, having the accent on the second syllable. Thus tri-bunal, tri-corporal, tri-chotomy, tri-gintals, have the i ending the first syllable long, as in tri-al. To this class ought to be added, di-petalous and di-lemma, though the i in the first syllable of the last word is pronounced like e, and as if written de-lemma, by Mr. Scott and Mr. Perry, but long by Mr. Sheridan, Dr. Kenrick, and Buchanan; and both ways by W. Johnston, but placing the short first. And hence we may conclude, that the verb to b-sect, and the noun bi-section, ought to have the at the end of the first syllable pronounced like buy, as Mr. Scott and Dr Kenrick have marked it, though otherwise marked by Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Perry, and Buchanan. 120. When the first syllable is chi, with the accent on the second, the i is generally long, as chi ragrical, cla-rurgic, chi-rurgeon, chi-rographist, chi-rographer, chi-rography Chi-mera and chi-merical have the i most frequently short, as pronounced by Buchanan und Perry, though otherwise marked by Sheridan, Scott, W. Johnston, and Kenrick; and, indeed, the short sound seeins now established Chicane and chicanery, from the French, have the i always short; or more properly slender. 121. Ci before the accent has the i generally short, as ci-vilian, ci-vility, and, think, ci-licious and ci-nerulent, though otherwise marked by Mr. Sheridan. Ci-barious and ci-tation have the i long. D 6 122. Chi before the accent has the i long, as cli-macter; but when the accent is on the third syllable, as in climacteric, the i is shortened by the secondary accent. See 530. 123. Cri before the accent has the i generally long, as cri-nigerous, criterion; though we some times hear the latter as if written cre-terion, but I think improperly. 124. Di before the accented syllable, beginning with a consonant, has the i almost always short as digest, digestion, digress, digression, dilute, dilution, diluvian, dimension, dimensive, dimidiation, diminish, diminutive, diploma, direct, direction, diversify, diversification, diversion, diversity, divert, divertisement, diver tive, divest, divesture, divide, dividable, dividant, divine, divinity, divisible, divisibility, divorce, divulge. To these, I think, may be added, dicacity, didactic, dilacerate, dilaceration, dilaniate, dilapidation, dilate, dilata ble, dilatability, dilection, dilucid, dilucidate, dilucidation, dinetical, dinumeration, diverge, divergent, divan, though Mr. Sheridan has marked the first i in all these words long; some of them may undoubtedly be pronounced either way; but why he should make the i in diploma long, and W. Johnston should give it both ways, is unaccountable; as Mr. Scott, Buchanan, Dr. Kenrick, Mr. Perry, and the general usage, is against them. Diceresis and dioptrics have the i long, according to the general rule (116,) though the last is absurdly made short by Dr. Kenrick, and the diphthong is made long in the first by Mr. Sheridan, contrary to one of the most prevailing idioms in pronunciation; which is, the shortening power of the antepen ltimate accent, (503.) Let it not be said that the diphthong must be always long, since Caesarea and Daedalus have the ae always short. 125. The longi in words of this form, seems confined to the following: Digladiation, dijudication, dinumeration, divaricate, direption, diruption. Both Johnson and Sheridan, in my opinion, place the accent of the word didascalic improperly upon the second syllable; it should seem more agreeable to analogy to class it with the numerous terminations in ic, and place the accent on the penultimate syllable (509;) and, in this case, the i in the first will be shortened by the secondary accent, and the syllable pronounced like did. (527.) The first i in dimissory, marked long by Mr. Sheridan, and with the accent on the second syllable, contrary to Dr. Johnson, are equally erroneous. The accent ought to be on the first syllable, and the i short, as on the adjective dim. See POSSESSORY. 126. Fi before the accent ough always to be short: this is the sound we generally give to the i in the first syllable of fi-delity; and why we should give the long sound to the i in fiducial and fiduciary, as marked by Mr. Sheridan, I know not: he is certainly erroneous in marking the first i in frigidity long, and equally so in placing the accent upon the last syllable of finite. Finance has the i short universally. 127. Gigantic has the i in the first syllable always long. 128. Li has the i generally long, as ti-bation, li-brarian, li-bration, li-centious, li-pothymy, li-quescent, -thography, li-thotomy. Litigious has the i in the first syllable always short. The same may be ob erved of libidinous, though otherwise marked by Mr Sheridan. 129. Mi has the i generally short, as in minority, militia, mimographer, minacious, minacity, miraculous ; ough the four last are marked with the long i by Mr. Sheridan; and what is still more strange, he arks the i which has the accent on it long in minatory; though the same word, in the compound omminatory, where the i is always short, might have shown him his error. The word mimetic, which, though in very good use, is neither in Johnson nor Sheridan, ought to be pronounced with the firs short, as if written mim-d-ic. The i is generally long in micrometer, micography, and migration. 130. Ni has the i long in nigrescent. The first i in nigrification, though marked long by Mr. Sheri dan, is shortened by the secondary accent (527,) and ought to be pronounced as if divided into nigri-fi-cation. 131. Phi has the i generally short, as in philanthropy, philippic, philosopher, philosophy, philosophize; to which we may certainly add, philologer, philologist, philology, philological, notwithstanding Mr. Sheridan has marked the i in these last words long. 132. Pi and pli have the i generally short, as pilaster, pituitous, pilosity, plication. Piaster, and piaz, being Italian words, have the i short before the vowel, contrary to the analogy of words of this form (116,) where the i is long, as in pi-acular, pri-ority, &c. Piratical has the i marked long by Mr Sheridan, and short by Dr. Kenrick. The former is, in my opinion, more agreeable both to custom and analogy, as the sound of the i before the accent is often determined by the sound of that letter in the primitive word. 133. Pri has the i generally long, as in primeval, primevous, mimitial, primero, primordial, privado. privation, privative, but always short in primitive, and primer. 134. R has the i short, as in ridiculous. Rigidity is marked with the i long by Mr. Sheridan, and short by Dr. Kenrick: the latter is undoubtedly right. Rivality has the long in the first syllable, ir compliment to rival, as piratical has the i long, because derived from pirate. Rhinoceros has the long in Sheridan, Scott, Kenrick, W. Johnston, and Buchanan; and short in Perry. 135. Si has the i generally short, as similitude, siriasis, and ought certainly to be short in silicious, (better written cilicious,) though marked long by Mr. Sheridan, Simultaneous having the secondary accent on the first syllable, does not come under this head, but retains the i long, notwithstanding the shortening power of the accent it is under. (527.) 136. Ti has the i short, as in timidity. 157. Tri has the i long, for the same reason as bi, which see. (118) (119.) 138. Vi has the i so unsettled as to puzzle the correctest speakers. The i is generally long in vica rious, notwithstanding the short i in vicar. It is long in vibration, from its relation to vibrate. Vitality has the i long, like vital. In vivific, vivificate, and viviparous, the first i is long, to avoid too great a sameness vith the second. Vivacious and vivacity have the i almost as often long as short; Mr. Sher idan, Mr. Scott, and Dr. Kenrick, make the i in vivacious long, and Mr. Perry and Buchanan short Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Scott, and W. Johnston make the i in the first of vivacity long, and Perry and Buchanan short: but the short sound seems less formal and most agreeable to polite usage. Vicin ity, vicinal, vicissitude, vituperate, vimineous, and virago, seen to prefer the short i, though Mr. Sheridan has marked the three last words with the first rowel long. But the diversity will be best seen by giving the authorities for all these words Vicinity. Dr. Kenrick. Vicinity. Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Scott, Buchanan, W. Johnston, and Perry. Vicinal. Mr. Sheridan. Vicissitude. Mr. Sheridan, Dr. Kenrick, W. Johnston, Buchanan, and Perry perate. Mr. Perry. inzous Mr. Sheridan. Mr Sheridan, and W. Johnston TO. Dr. Kenrick, Mr. Scott, Buchanan and Perry f have classed vicinal here as a word with the accent on the second syllable, as it stands in Sherldan's Dictionary, but think it ought to have the accent on the first. See MEDICINAL, 139. The same diversity and uncertainty in the sound of this letter seem to reign in those final un accented syllables which are terminated with the mute e. Perhaps the best way to give some tolerable idea of the analogy of the language in this point, will be, to show the general rule, and mark the exceptions; though these are sometimes so numerous as to make us doubt of the rule itself; therefore the best way will be to give a catalogue of both. 140. There is one rule of very great extent, in words of this termination, which have the accent on the penultimate syllable, and that is, that the i in the final syllable of these words is short: thus ser vile, hostile, virile, respite, deposite, adamaniine, amethystine, &c. are pronounced as if written servil, hostil espit, deposit, &c. The only exceptions in this numerous class of words seem to be the following Exile, senile, edile, empire, umpire, rampire, finite, feline, ferine, archives; the substantives confine and su pine while the adjectives saline and contrite have sometimes the accent on the first, and sometimes on the last syllable; but in either case the i is long. Quagmire and pismire have the i long also; like wise has the i long, but otherwise has it more frequently, though very improperly, short. Myrrhine, vulpine, and gentile, though marked with the i long by Mr. Sheridan, ought, in my opinion, to con form to the general rule, and be pronounced with the i short. Vulpine, with the i long, is adopted by Mr. Scott; and W. Johnston, Mr. Scott, and Buchanan, agree with Mr. Sheridan in the last syl. iable of gentile; and this seems agreeable to general usage, though not to analogy. See the word. 141. But when the accent is on the last syllable but two in words of this termination, the length of the vowel is not so easily ascertained. 142. Those ending in ice have the i short, except sacrifice and cockatrice. 143. Those ending in ide have the i long, notwithstanding we sometimes hear suicide absurdly pro nounced, as if written suicid. 144. Those ending in ife have the i long, except house-wife, pronounced huzzwiff, according to the general rule, notwithstanding the i in wife is always long. Midwife is sometimes shortened in the same manner by the vulgar; and se'nnight for sevennight is gone irrevocably into the same analogy, though fortnight for fourteenthnight is more frequently pronounced with the i long. 145. Those ending in ile have the i short, except reconcile, chamomile, estipile. Juvenile, mercantile, and puerile, have the i long in Sheridan's Dictionary, and short in Kenrick's. In my opinion the lat ter is the much more prevalent and polite pronunciation; but infantile, though pronounceable both ways, seems inclinable to lengthen the i in the last syllable. See JUVENILE. 146. In the termination ime, pantomime has the i long, rhyming with time, and maritime has the i short, as if written maritim. 147. Words in ine, that have the accent higher than the penultimate, have the quantity of i se un certain, that the only method to give an idea of it will be to exhibit a catalogue of words where it pronounced differently. 148. But first it may not be improper to see the different sounds given to this letter in some of the same words by different orthōepists Crystalline. Kenrick. Crystalline. Sheridan, Perry. Uterine. Sheridan, Buchanan, W. Johnston. Uterine. Kenrick, Scott, Perry. 149. In these words I do not hesitate to pronounce, that the general rule inclines evidently to the long, which, in doubtful cases, ought always to be followed; and for which reason I shall enumerate those words arst where I judge the i ought to be pronounced long: Cannabine, carrabine, columbine, bizantine, gelatine, legutine, oxyrrhotine, concubine, muscadine, incarnadine, celandine, almandine, secundine, amygdaline, crystalline, vituline, calamine, asinine, saturnine, saccharine, aduterine, viperine, uterine, lamentine, armentine, serpentine, turpentine, vespertine, belluine, porcupine, countermine, leonine, sapphirine, and metalline. 150. The words of this termination, where the i is short, are the following: Jacobine, medicine, discipline, masculine, jessamine, feminine, heroine, nectarine, libertine, genuine, hyaline, palutine. To these, I think, ought to be added, alkaline, aquiline, coralline, brigantine, eglantine; and to this pronunciation of the i, the proper names, Valentine and Constantine, seem strongly to incline; and on the stage, Cymbeline, has entirely adopted it. Thus we see how little influence the Latin language bas on the quantity of the i in the final syllable of these words. It is a rule in that language, that adjectives ending in iis or inus, derived from animated beings or proper names, to the exception of very few, have this i pronounced long. It were to be wished this distinction could be adopted in English words from the Latin, as in that case we might be able in time to regularize this very irregular part of our tongue; but this alteration would be almost impossible in adjectives ending in ire, as relative, vocative, fugitive, &c. have the i uniformly short in English, and long in the Latin relativus, vocativus, fugitivus, &c. 151. The only word ending in ire, with the accent on the antepenultimate syllable, is acrospire, with the i long, the last syllable sounding like the spire of a church. 152. Words ending in ise have the i short, when the accent is on the last syllable but one, as fran hise, except the compounds ending in wise, as likewise, lengthwise, &c. as marked by Mr. Scott, Mr. Perry, and Buchanan: but even among these words we sometimes hear otherwise pronounced other wiz, as marked by Mr. Sheridan and W. Johnston; but, I think, improperly. 153. When the accent is on the last syllable out two in these words, they are invariably pronoun. ced with the i long, as criticise, equalise. 154. In the termination ite, when the accent is on it, the i is always long, as requite. When the ac cent is on the last syllable but one, it is always short, as respite (140,) pronounced as if written respil, except contrite; but when the accent is on the last syllable but two, the i is generally long: the exceptions however, are so many, that a catalogue of both will be the best rufe. 155 The iis long in expedite, recorulite incondite, hermaphrodite Carmelite, theodolite cosmopolite chyrso bite, eremile, aconite, margarite, marcasite, parasite, appetite, bipartite, tripartite, quadripartite, convertite, anthorit, patuite, satellite. As the word stands in Kenrick's Dictionary sa-tell-it, having the i short, and the accent on the second syllable, it is doubly wrong. The i in the last syllable is shortened also by W. Johnston and Perry, but made long, as it ought to be, by Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Scott and Mi Nares. See RECONDITE. 156. The i is short in cucurbite, ingenite, definite, indefinite, infinite, hypocrite, favourite, requisite, prerequisite, perquisite, exquisite, apposite, and opposite. Heteroclite has the long in Sheridan, but short in Kenrick. The former is, in my opinion, the best pronunciation, (see the word in the Dictionary;) but ite, in what may be called a gentile termination, has the i always long, as in Hivite, Samnite, cos nopolite, bedlamite, &c. 157, The termination ive, when the accent is on it, is always long, as in hive, except in the two verbs, give, live, and their compounds, giving, living, &c.; for the adjective live, as a live animal, has the i long, and rhymes with strive; so have the adjective and adverb, lively and lielily: the noun velihood follows the same analogy; but the adjective live-long, as the live-long day, has the i short, as in the verb. When the accent is not on the in this termination it is always short, as sportive, plainice, &c. rhyming with give (150,) except the word be a gentile, as Argive. 158. All the other adjectives and substantives of this termination, when the accent is not on it, have the i invariably short, as offensive, defensive, &c. The i in salique is short, as if written sallick, but long in oblique, rhyming with pike, strike, &c., while antique has the i long and slender, and rhymes with speak. Dr. Kenrick, Mr. Elphinston, Mr. Perry, Buchanan, and Barciay, have obleek for oblique, Mr. Scott has it both ways, but gives the slender sound first; and Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Nares, and W. Johnston, oblike. The latter is, in my opinion, more agreeable to polite usage, but the former more analogical, for as it comes from the French oblique, we cannot write it oblike, as Mr. Nares wishes, any more than antique, antike, for fear of departing too far from the Latin antiquus and obliquus, Opaque, Mr. Nares observes, has become opake; but then it must be remembered, that the Latin is opacus and not opaques. 159. All the terminations in ize have the i long, except to endenize; which, having the accent on the second syllable, follows the general rule, and has the i short, pronounced as in the verb is. (140.) To these observations we may add, that though evil and devil suppress the i, as if written ev'l and dev'l, yet that cavil and pencil preserve its sound distinctly; and that Lotin ought never to be pronounced as it is generally at schools, as if written Latt'n. Cousin and cozen both drop the last vowels, as if spelled corn, and are only distinguishable to the eye. Thus we see how little regularity there is in the sound of this letter when it is not under the accent; and, when custom will permit, how careful we ought to be to preserve the least trace of analothat "confusion may not be worse confounded." The sketch that has been just given may, rhaps, afford something like a clew to direct us in this labyrinth, and it is hoped it will enable the dicious speaker to pronounce with more certainty and decision. 160. It was 1emarked under the vowel A, that when a hurd g or e preceded that vowel, a sound ke e interposed, the better to unite the letters, and soften the sound of the consonant. The same may be observed of the letter. When this vowel is preceded by hard gor k, which is but another form for hard c, it is pronounced as if an e were inserted between the consonant and the vowel: thus sky, kind, guide, quise, disguise, catechise, guile, beguile, mankind, are pronounced as if written ske-y, ke-ind, gue-ise, dis-que-ise, cate-che-ise, gue-ile, begue-ile, manke-ind. At first sight we are surprised that two such different letters as a and i should be affected in the same manner by the hard gutturals, g1 c, and k; but when we reflect that i is really composed of a and e, ($7,) our surprise ceases; and we are pleased to find the ear perfectly uniform in its procedure, and entirely unbiassed by the eye From this view of the analogy we may see how greatly mistaken is a very solid and ingenious writer on this subject, who says, that "ky-ind for kind is a monster of pronunciation, heard only on our stage." Nares' English Orthoepy, page 26. See No. 92. It may not, perhaps, seem unworthy of notice, that when this letter is unaccented in the numerous erminations ity, ible, &c. it is frequently pronounced like short u, as if the words sensible, visible, &c were written sensubble, visubble, &c.; and charity, chastity, &c. like charritty, chastutty, &c.: but it may be observed, that the pure sound of i like e in these words is as much the mark of an elegant speaker Is that of the u in singular, educate, &c. See No. 179. 0. 161. Grammarians have generally allowed this letter but three sounds. Mr. Sheridan instances chem in not, note, prove. For a fourth, I have added the o in love, dove, &c.; for the fifth, that in or or, for; and a sixth, that in woman, wolf, &c. 162. The first and only peculiar sound of this letter is that by which it is named in the alphabet: it requires the mouth to be formed, in some degree, like the letter, in order to pronounce it. This may be called its long open sound, as the o in prove may be called its long slender sound. (65.) This sound we find in words ending with silent e, as one, bone, alone; or when ending a syllable with the accent upon it, as mo-tion, po-lent, &c.; likewise in the monosyllables, go, so, no. This sound is found under several combinations of other vowels with this letter, as in moan, groan, bord (to shoot with,) lose (not high,) and before st in the words host, ghost, post, most, and before ss in grass. 163. The second sound of this letter is called its short sound, and is found in not, got, lot, &c.; though this, as in the other short vowels, is by no means the short sound of the former long one, but corresponds exactly to that of a in what, with which the words not, gol, lot, are perfect rhymes. The long sound, to which the o in not and sot are short ones, is found under the diphthong au in naught, and the uin sought; corresponding exactly to the a in hall, ball, &c. The short sound of this letter, like the short sound of a in father (78) (79,) is frequently, by inaccurate speakers, and chiefly those among the vulgar, lengthened to a middle sound approaching to its long sound, the o in or. This sound is generally heard, as in the case of a, when it is succeeded by two consonants: thus Mr. Smitu pronounces broth, froth and muth, as if written brawth, fruth, and mawth. Of the propriety or improprety of this, a well-educated ear is the best judge; "but as was observed under the article A (79,) if this be not the sound heard among the best speakers, no middle sound ought to be admitted, as good oaters will ever incline to definite and absolete sounds, rather than such as may be called non-de script in language. 161. The third sound of this letter, as was marked in the first observation, may becalled its long slen der sound, corresponding to the double o. The words where this sound of o occurs are so few, that it will be easy to give a catalogue of them. Prove, move, behove, and their compounds, lose, do ado, Rone, poltron, ponton, sponton, who, whom, womb, tomb. Sponton is not in Johnson; and this and the two preceding words ought rather to be written with oo in the last syllable. Gold is pronounced like goold in familiar conversation; but in verse and solemn language, especially that of the Scripture, ought always to rhyme with old, fold, &c. See ENCORE, GOLD, and WIND. 165. The fourth sound of this vowel is that which is found in love, dove, &c.; and the long sound, which seems the nearest relation to it, is the first sound of o in note, tone, roce, &c. This sound of o is generally heard when it is shortened by the succeeding liquids n, m, r, and the semi-vowels v, z, th and as Mr. Nares has given a catalogue of those words, I shall avail myself of his labour. Above, af. front, allonge, among, amongst, attorney, bomb, hom-bard, borage, borough, brother, cochineal, colour, come, Comely, comfil, comfort, company, compass, comrade, combat, conduit, coney, conjure, constable, covenant, cover, inert, covet, covey, cozen, discomfit, done, doth, dost, dove, dozen, dromedary, front, glove, govern, honey, hover, U Love, Monday, money, mongrel, monk, monkey, month, mother, none, nothing, me, onion, other, oven, plover, pome granate, pomel, pother, romage, shove, shovel, sloven, smother, some, Somerset, son, sovereign, sponge, stomach, thorough, ton, tongue, word, work, wonder, world, worry, worse, worship, wort, worth. to which we may add, rhomb, once, comfrey, and colander. 166. In these words the accent is on the o in every word, except pomegranate: but with very few exceptions, this letter has the same sound in the unaccented terminations, oc, ock, od, ol, om, vn, op, or, at, and some, as mammock, cassock, method, carol, kingdom, union, amazon, gollop, tutor, turbot, troublesome, &c.; all which are pronounced as if written mummuck, cassucks, methud, &c. The o in the adjunct nonger, as cheesemonger, &c. has always this sound. The exceptions to this rule are technical terms from the Greek or Latin, as Achor, a species of the herpes; and proper names, as Calor, a river in Italy. 167 The fifth sound of o is the long sound produced by r final, or followed by another consonant, as for, former. This sound is perfectiy equivalent to the diphthong au; and for and former might, on account of sound only, be written four and fourmer. There are many exceptions to this rule, as horne, corps, corse, force, forge, form (a seat,) forte, horde, porch, port, sport, &c. which have the first sound of this letter. 168. O, like A, is lengthened before r, when terminating a monosyllable, or followed by another consonant; and, like a too, is shortened by a duplication of the liquid, as we may hear by comparing the conjunction or with the same letters in torrid, florid, &c.; for though ther is not doubled to the eye in florid, yet as the accent is on it, it is as effectually doubled to the ear as if written florrid; so if a consonant of another kind succeed the r in this situation, we find the o as long as in a monosyllable: thus the o in orchard is as long as in the conjunction or, and that in formal, as in the word for but in orifice and forage, where ther is followed by a vowel, the o is a short as if the r were double, and the words written orrifice and forrage. See No. 81. 169. There is a sixth sound of o exactly corresponding to the u in bull, full, pull, &c. which, from its existing only in the following words, inay be called its irregular sound. These words are woman bosom, worsted, wolf, and the proper names, Wolsey, Worcester, and Wolverhampton. Irregular and Unaccented Sounds. 170. What was observed of the a, when followed by a liquid and a mute, may be observed of the with equal justness. This letter like u, has a tendency to lengthen, when followed by a liquid and another consonant, or by s, ss, or s and a mute. But this length of o, in this situation, seems every day growing more and more vulgar: and, as it would be gross to a degree to sound the a in castle, mask, and plant, like the a in palm, psalm, &c. so it would be equally exceptionable to pronounce the o in moss, dross and frost, as if written mawose, drawse, and frawst. (78) (79.) The o in the compounds of solve, as dissolve, absolve, resolve, seen the only words where a somewhat longer sound of the o is agree able to polite pronunciation: on the contrary, when the o ends a syllable, immediately before or af ter the accent, as in po-lite, im-po-tent, &c. there is an elegance in giving it the open sound nearly as long as in po-lur and po-tent, &c. See DOMESTICK, COLLECT, and COMMAND. It may likewise be ol served, that the o like the e (102) is suppressed in a final unaccented syllable when preceded by cor k, and followed by n, as bacon, beacon, deacon, beckon, reckon, pronounced bak'n, beak's, deak'n, beck'n, reck'n; and when c is preceded by another consonant, as falcon, pronounced fawk'n. The o is like. wise mute in the same situation, when preceded by d in pordon, pronounced para'n, but not in Guer on: it is mute when preceded by p in weapon, capon, &c. pronounced weup'n, cap'n, &c.; and when preceded by s in reason, season, treason, oraison, benison, denison, unison, foison, poison, prison, damson, crimson, advowson, pronounced reaz`n, treaz'n, &c.; and mason, bason, garrison, lesson, caparison, compar ison, disinherison, parson, and person, pronounced mas'n, bas'n, &c. Unison, diapason, and cargason, seem, particularly in solemn speaking, to preserve the sound of o like u, as if written unisun, diapozun, &c. The same letter is suppressed in a final unaccented syllable beginning with t, as Seton, cotton, button, mutton, glutton, pronounced as if written Set'n, cott'n, &c. When a precedes the t, the o is pronounced distinctly, as in Serton. When is the preceding letter, theo is generally suppressed, as in the proper names Stilton cheese, Wilton carpets, and Melton Mowbray, &c. Accurate speakers sometimes struggle to preserve it in the name of our great epic poet Milton; but the former examples sufficient ly show the tendency of the language; and this tendency cannot be easily counteracted. This let ter is likewise suppressed in the last syllable of blazon, pronounced blaz'n; but is always to be preserved in the same syllable of horizon. This suppression of the o must not be ranked among those Careless abbreviations found only among the vulgar, but must be considered as one of those devious tendencies to brevity, which has worn itself a currency in the language, and has at last become a part of it. To pronounce the o in those cases where it is suppressed, would give a singularity to the speaker bordering nearly on the pedantic; and the attention given to this singularity by the hearer would necessarily diminish his attention to the subject, and consequently deprive the speaker of something much more desirable. U. 171. The first sound of u, heard in tube, or ending an unaccented syllable, as in cu-bie, is a diphthon gal sound, as if e were prefixed, and these words were spelt tebe and keubic. The letter n is exactly the pronoun you. 172. The second sound of u is the short sound, which tallies exactly with the o in done, son, En which every ear perceives might, as well for the sound's sake, be spelt dun, sun &c. See all the words where the o has this sound, No. 165 |