26

122. Cli before the accent has the i long, as cli-macter; but when the accent is on the third syllable as in climacteric, the ijs' shortened by the secondary accent. See 530.

123. Cri before the accent has the i generally long, as cri-mgerous, criterion; though we some times hear the latter as if written cre-terion, 'ut 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, divimty, divisible, divisibility, divorce, divulge. To these, I think, may be added, dicacity, didactic, dilacerate, dilaceration, dilaniate, dilapidation, dilate, dilata ble, dilutability, 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 shouldgive 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 rulo (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 Itimate accent, (503.) Let it not be said that the diphthong must be always long, since Cæsarea and Daedalus have the always short.

125. The long i 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 iin the first syllable of h-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.

13. Li has the i generally long, as ti-bation, li-brarian, li-bration, li-centious, li-pothymy, li-quescent, ti-thography, li-thotomy. Litigious has the i in the first syllable always short. The same may be ob served of libidinous, though otherwise marked by Mr Sheridan.

129. Mi has the i generally short, as in minority, militia, mimographer, minacious, minacity, miraculous ; though the four last are marked with the long i by Mr. Sheridan; and what is still more strange, he marks the i which has the accent on it long in minatory; though the same word, in the compound comminatory, 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 first short, as if written mim-e-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. Sheridan, is shortened by the secondary accent (527,) and ought to be pronounced as if divided into nig ri-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 za, 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, primitial, primero, primordial, privado, privation, privative, but always short in primitive, and primer.

134. Ri 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 i long in the first syllable, in 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 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 iis generally long in vicarious, notwithstanding the shorti 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 is long, to avoid too great a sameness with 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 rirucity long, and Perry and Buchanan short: but the short sound seems ess formal and most agrecable to polite usage. Vicin ity, vicmal, vicissitude, vinperate, vimineous, ago, seem to prefer the short 2, 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. Johnaton, Buchanan, and Perry

Vituperete. Mr. Sheridan, Dr. Kenrick, W. Johnston.

Viperate. Mr. Perry.

Vimineous Mr Sheridan.

Virago. Mr Sheridan, and W. Jolmston

Virago.

Dr. Kenrick, Mr. Scott, Buchand Perry

I have classed vicinal here as a word with the accent on the second syllable, as it stands in Sheridan'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 . 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 sile, hostile, varile, respite, deposite, adamaruine, amethystine, &c. are pronounced as if written servil, hostį. respit, deposit, &c. The only exceptions in this numerous class of words seem to be the following Erile, senile, edile, empire, umpire, rampire, finite, feline, ferine, archives; the substantives confine and supine 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; likeweise has the i long, but otherwise has it more frequently, though very improperly, short. Murrhine, ruine, and gentile, though marked with the i long by Mr. Sheridan, ought, in my opinion, to conform 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 syltable of gentile; ard 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 secritice and cockatrice.

143. Those ending in ide have the i loug, notwithstanding we sometimes hear suicide absurdly pro nounce.l, as if written suicid.

144. Those ending in ife have the i long, except house-wife, pronounced nuzzwiff, according to the general rule, notwithstanding the iin 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 perile, 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 so uncertain, that the only method to give an idea of it will be tɔ exhibit a catalogue of words where it is pronounced differently.

148. But first it may not be inproper to see the different sounds given to this letter in some of the same words by different orthoepists.

Columbine. Sheridan, Nares, W. Johnston.

Columbine. Kenrick, Perry.

Saccharine. Sheridan, Nares.

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 I, which, in doubtful cases, ought always to be followed; and for which reason I shall enume. rate those words first where I judge the i ought to be pronounced long: Cannatine, rarrabine, columbine, bizantine, gelatine, legatine, oxyrrhodine, concubine, muscadine, incarnadine, celandine, almandine, secundine, amygdaline, crystalline, vituline, calamine, asinine, saturnine, saccharine, adulterine, 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, palatine. To these, I think, ought to be added, alkaline, aquil ne, 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 has on the quantity of the i in the final syllable of these words. It is a rule in that language, that adjectives ending in ilis 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 franchise, 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. eed 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 accent is on the last syllable but one, it is always short, as respite (140,) pronounced as if written respit, 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 rule.

155 The iis long in expedite, recondite incondite, hermaphrodite, Carmelite, theodolite cosmopolite chyrso

kite, eremite, aconite, margarite, marcasite, parasite, appetite, bipartite, tripartite, quadripartite, convertite, an thorit, ptuite, 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 Mr. Nares. See RECONDITE.

156. The i is short in cucurbite, ingenite, definite, indefinite, infinite, hypocrite, favourite, requisite, pre requisite, perquisite, exquisite, apposite, and opposite. Heteroclite has the i 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, cosmopolite, 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, ha the i long, and rhymes with strive; so have the adjective and adverb, lively and welily: the nour welihood 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, plaintive, &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 sulique is short, as if written sallick, but long in oblique, rhyming with mike, strike, &c., while antique has the i long and slender, and rhymes with speak. Dr. Kenrick, Mr. Elphinston, Mr. Perry, Buchanan, and Barclay, 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 opaquus.

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 coril and pencil preserve its sound distinctly; and that Latin 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 cozn, 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 perinit, how careful we ought to be to preserve the least trace of analogy, that "confusion may not be worse confounded." The sketch that has been just given may, perhaps, afford something like a clew to direct us in this labyrinth, and it is hoped it will enable the judicious speaker to pronounce with more certainty and decision.

160. It was remarked under the vowel A, that when a hard g or c preceded that vowel, a sound like e interposed, the better to unite the letters, and soften the sound of the consonant. The same may be observed of the letter I. When this vowel is preceded by hard g or 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, guise, 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, g, c, and k; but when we reflect that i is really composed of a and e, (37,) 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 28. See No. 92.

It may not, perhaps, seem unworthy of notice, that when this letter is unaccented in the numerous terminations ity, ible, &c. it is frequently pronourced like short u, as if the words sensible, visible, &c were written sensubble, visubble, &c.; and charity, chastity, &c. like charrutty, chastutty, &c.: but it may De observed, that the pure sound of i like e in these words is as much the mark of an elegant speaker as 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 them in not, note, prove. For a tourth, I have added the o in love, dove, &c.; for the fifth, that in or nor, 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 tone, bone, alone; or when ending a syllable with the accent upon it, as mo-tion, po-tent, &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, bow (to shoot with,) too (not high,) and before st in the words host, ghost, post, most, and before ss in gross.

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, got 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 in sought; corresponding exactly to the a in hall, ball, Sic. 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 pro nounces broth, froth and moth, as if written brawth, fTMrwth, and mawth. Of the propriety or impropri ety 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 orators will ever incline to definite and absolute sounds, rather than such as may be called non-de Kryslanguage.

164 The third sound of this letter, as was mark. 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 ́adr,

DIFFERENT SOUNDS OF THE LETTER U.

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, rove, &c. This sound of o is generally beard 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, affront, allonge, among, amongst, attorney, bomb, bom-bard, borage, borough, brother, cochineal, colour, come, comely, comit, comfort, company, compass, comrade, combat, conduit, coney, conjure, constable, covenant, cover, Ewert, cocel, covey, cozen, discomfit, done, doth, dost, dove, dozen, dromedary, front, glove, govern, honey, hover, Love, Monday, money, mongrel, monk, monkey, month, mother, none, nothing, me, onion, other, oven, ptover, pome granate, pomel, pother, romage, shove, shovel, sloven, smother, some, Somerset, suit, 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, on, op, er, of, and some, as mammock, cassock, method, carol, kingdom, union, amazon, gallop, tutor, turbot, troubleRome, &c.; all which are pronounced as if written mammuck, cassue's, methud, &c. The o in the adjunct monger, 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 perfectly equivalent to the diphthong au; and for and former might, on account of sound only, be written faur and fourmer. There are many exceptions to this rule, as korne, 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 the 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 florid; so if a consonant of another kind succeed the r in this situation, we find the o as long as in a monosyl lable: 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 the r 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, fut, pull, &e which, from its existing only in the following words, may 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 o with equal justness. This letter like u, has a tendency to lengthen, when followed by a liquid and But this length of o, in this situation, seems every another consonant, or by s, ss, or s and a mute.

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, dress and frost, as if written mawse, drawse, and fruwst. (78) 79.) The o in the compounds of solve, as dissolve, absolve, resolve, seem the only words where a somewhat longer sound of the is agree. able to polite pronunciation: on the contrary, when the o ends a syllable, immediately before or after the accent, as in po-lile, im-po-tent, &c. there is an elegance in giving it the open sound nearly as long as in po-lar and po-tent, &c. See DOMESTICK, COLLECT, and COMMAND. It may likewise be ob served, that the o like the e (102) is suppressed in a final unaccented syllable when preceded by c or k, and followed by n, as bacon, beacon, deacon, beckon, reckon, pronounced buk'n, beak'n, deak'n, beck'n, reck'n; and when c is preceded by another consonant, as falcon, pronounced fawk'n. The o is likewise mute in the same situation, when preceded by d in pardon, pronounced purd'n, but not in Guerdon: it is mute when preceded by p in weapon, capon, &c. pronounced weap'n, cap'n, &c.; and when preceded by s in reason, season, treason, oraison, benison, denison, unison, foison, poison, prison, damson, bason, garrison, lesson, caparison, compar crimson, advowson, pronounced reaz'n, treaz'n, &c.; and mason, 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, diapazun, &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 Sexton. 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 Millon; but the former examples sufficient ly show the tendency of the language; and this tendency or anot be easily counteracted. This letter 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-bic, is a diphthon gal sound, as if e were prefixed, and these words were spelt tewbe and kewbic. The letter " is exactly the pronoun you.

172. The second sound of u is the short sound, which tallies exactly with the o in done, son, &c. 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

173. The third and of this letter, and that in which the English more particularly depart from analogy, is the u in bult, full, pull, &c. The first, or uiphthongal u in tube, seems almost as peculiar to the English as the long sound of the i in thine, mine, &c. but here, as if they chore to imitate the Latin, Italian, and French, they leave out the e before the u, which is heard in tube, mule, &c. and do not pronounce the latter part of a quite so long as the oo in pool, nor so short as the u in dull, but with a middle sound between both, which is the true short sound of the oo in coo and woo, as may be heard by comparing to and wool; the latter of which is a perfect rhyme to bull.

174. This middle sound of 2, so unlike the general sound of that letter, exists only in the following words: bull, full, pull: words compounded of fill, as wonderful, dreadful, &c bullock, bully, bullet, bul wark, faller, fulling-mill, pulley, piller, push, bush, bushel, pulpi', puss, bullion, butcher, cushion, cuckoo, pudding, sugar, husar, izza, and pt when a verb: but few as they are, except full, which is a very copious termination, they are sufficient to puzzle Englishmen who reside at any distance from the capital, and to make the inhabitargs of Scotland and Ireland, (who, it is highly probable, received a much more regular pronunciation from our ancestors,) not unfrequently the jest of fools.

175. But vague and desultors as this sound of the may at first seem, on a closer view we find it chiefly confined to words which begin with the mute labials, b, p, ƒ, and end with the liquid labial ?, or the deatals s, t, and d, as in bull, full, pull, bush, push, pudding, puss, put, &c. Whatever, therefore, was the cause of this whimsical deviation, we see its primitives are confined to a very narrow compass put has this sound only when it is a verb; for mitty, a paste for glass, has the common sound of u, and rhymes exactly with mutt, (having the qualities of a nut :) so put, the game at cards, and the vulgar appellation of country put, follow the same analogy. All Bull's compounds regularly follow their primitive. But though fuller, a whitener of cloth, and Fulham, a proper name, are not com pounded of fall, they are sounded as if they were; while Putney follows the general rule, and has its first syllable pronounced like the noun pet Pulpit and pullet comply with the peculiarity on account of their resemblance to pull, though nothing related to it; and butcher and puss adopt this sound of u for no reason but the nearness of their form to the other words: and when to these we have added cushion, sugar, cuckoo, hussar, and the interjection huzza, we have every word in the whole language where the u is thus pronounced.

176. Some speakers indeed, have attempted to give bulk and punish, this obtuse sound of u, but luckily have not been followed. The words which have already adopted it are sufficiently numerous; and we cannot be too careful to check the growth of so unmeaning an irregularity. When this vowel is preceded by, in the same syllable, it has a sound somewhat longer than this middle sound, and exactly as if written oo: thus rue, true, &c. are pronounced nearly as if written roo, troo, &c. (335., 177. It must be remarked, that this sound of u, except in the word fuller, never extends to words from the learned languages; for fulminant, fulmination, ebullition, repulsion, sepulchre, &c. sound the u as in dull, gull, &c. and the u in pus and pustule is exactly like the same letter in thus. So the pure En glish words, fulsome, buss, bulge, bustle, bustard, buzzard, preserve the u ir its second sound, as in us ll, and custard. It may likewise not be unworthy of remark, that the letter u is never subject to the shortening power of either the primary or secondary accent; but when accented, is always long, un less shortened by a double consonant. See the words DRAMA and MUCULENT, and No. 503, 534.

Irregular and Unaccented Sounds.

178. But the strangest deviation of this letter from its regular sound is in the words busy, business, and bury. We laugh at the Scotch for pronouncing these words, as if written bewsy, bewsiness, and beory; but we ought rather to blush for ourselves in departing so wantonly from the general rule as to pronounce them bizzy, bizness, and berry.

179. There is an incorrect pronunciation of this letter when it ends a syllable not under the accent, which prevails, not only among the vulgar, but is sometimes found in better company; and that is, giving the u an obscure sound, which confounds it with vowels of a very different kind: thus ve not unfrequently hear singular, regular, and particular, pronounced as if written sing-e-lar, rege lar, and pur-tick-e-lar; but nothing tends more to tarnish and vulgarize the pronunciation than this short and obscure sound of the unaccented u. It may, indeed, be observed, that there is scarcely any thing more distinguishes a person of mean and good education than the pronunciation of the unaccented vowels, (547) (558.) When vowels are under the accent, the prince, and the lowest of the people in the metropolis, with very few exceptions, pronounce them in the same manner; but the unaccented vowels in the mouth of the former have a distinct, open, and specific sound, while the latter often totally sink them, or change them into some other sound. Those, therefore, who wish to pronounce elegantly, must be particularly attentive to the unaccented vowels; as a neat pronunciation of these, forms one of the greatest beauties of speaking.

Y final.

180. Y final, either in a word or syllable, is a pure vowel, and has exactly the same sound as i would have in the same situation. For this reason, printers, who have been the great correctors of our orthography, have substituted the i in its stead, on account of the too great frequency of this letter in the English language. That y fina. is a vowel, is universally acknowledged; nor need we any other proof of it than its long sound, when followed by e mute, as in thyme, rhyme, &c. or ending a syllable with the accent upon it, as bring, cyder, &c. this may be called its first vowel sound. 181. The second sound of the vowel is its short sound, heard in system, syntax, &c.

Irregular and Unaccented Sounds.

182. The unaccented sound of this letter at the end of a syllable, like that of i in the same situa tion, is always like the first sound of e: thus vanity, pleurisy, &c. and if sound alone were consulted, might be written ranitee, pleurisee, &c.

183 The exception to this rule is, when ƒ precedes the y in a final syllable, the y is then pronounced as long and open as if the accent were on it: thus justify, qualify, & have the last syllable sounded like that in defy. This long sound continues when they is changed into i, in justifiable, qual ible, Sc. The same may be observed of multiply and multipliable, &c. occupy and occupiable, &c. (512.) 184 There is an irregular sound of this letter when the accent is on it in panegyric, when it is fre quently pronounced like the second sound of e; which would be more correct if its true sound were preserved, and it were to rhyme with Pyrrhic or as Swift does with Satiric.