"On me when duners are satirick, "I take it for a panegyrick.” Thus we see the same irregularity attends this letter before double r, or before single r, followed by a vowel, as we find attend the vowel i in the same situation So the word Surinx ought to preserve they like i pure, and the word surtis should sound the y like e short, though the first is often heard improperly, like the last 185. But the most uncertain sound of this letter is, when it ends a syllable immediately preceding the accent. In this case it is subject to the same variety as the letter i in the same situation, and nothing but a catalogue will give us any idea of the analogy of the language in this point 186. They is long in chytaceous, but shortened by the secondary accent in chalifurtion and chytifac fire, (530) though, without the least reason from analogy, Mr Sheridan has marked them both long 187. Words composed of hydro, from the Greek udas, water, have the « before the accent generally long, as hydrography, hydrographer, hudrometry, hydropic, all which have the y long in Mr Sheridan but hydrography, which must be a mistake of the press; and this long sound of y continues in hydrostatic, in spite of the shortening power of the secondary accent. (550.) The same sound of a prevails in hydraulics and hydatides. Hygrometer and hygrometru, seem to follow the same analogy, as well as hyperbola and hyperbole; which are generally heard with the long; though Kenrick has marked the latter short. Hypostatis and hypotenuse ought to have they long likewise In hypothesis the is more frequently short than long; and in hypothetical it is more frequently long than short; but hypocrisy has the first y always short. Myrabolan and myropolist may have the y either long or short Mythology has the first y generally short, and mythological, from the shortening power of the secondary accent, (530,) almost always. Phytivorous, phytography, phytology, have the first y always long. In phylactery the first y is generally short, and in physician always. Pylorus has the y long in Mr. Sheridan, but think, improperly. In pyramidal he marks the y long, though, in my opinion, it is generally heard short, as in pyramid. In pyrites, with the accent on the second syllable, he marks the y short, much more correctly than Kenrick, who places the accent on the first syllable, and marks they long (see the word.) Smedic, synodical, synonima, and synopsis, have the always short. synechdoche ought like. wise to have the same letter short, as we find it in Perry's and Kenrick's Dictionaries; though in Sheridan's we find it long. Typography and typographer ought to have the first long, as we find it in Sheridan, Scott, Buchanan, W. Johnston, Kenrick, and Perry, though frequently heard-short, and though tyrannical has the y marked short by Mr. Perry, it ought rather to have the long sound, as we see it marked by Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Scott, Buchanan, W. Johnston and Kenrick 188. From the view that has been taken of the sound of the i and immediately before the accent, it may justly be called the most uncertain part of pronunciation. Scarcely any reason can be given why custom prefers one sound to the other in some words; and why, in others, we may use either one or the other indiscriminately. It is strongly to be presumed that the i andy, in this situation, particularly the last, was generally pronounced long by our ancestors, but that custom has gradual. ly inclined to the shorter sound as more readily pronounced, and as more like the soul of these letters when they end a syllable after the accent; and, perhaps, we should contribute to the regu. larity of the language, if, when we are in doubt, we should rather incline to the short than the long sound of these letters. W final. 189. That so final, is a vowel, is not disputed (9;) when it is in this situation, it is equivalent to do, as may be perceived in the sound of row, tow-el, &c. where it forms a real diphthong, composed of the a in wa-ter, and the oo in woo and coc. It is often joined to o at the end of a syllable, without af fecting the sound of that vowel; and in this situation it may be called servile, as in bow to shoot with; crow, low, (not high,) &c. DIPHTHONGS. 190. A diphthong is a double vowel, or the union or mixture of two vowels pronounced together, so as only to make one syllable; as the Latin a e oræ, o e or æ, the Greek , the English ai, aus,&c. 191. This is the general definition of a diphthong: but if we examine it closely, we shall find in it a want of precision and accuracy. If a diphthong be two vowel sounds in succession, they must necessarily form two syllables, and therefore, by its very definition, cannot be a diphthong if it be such a mixture of two vowels as to form but one simple sound, it is very improperly called a diphthong; nor can any such simple mixture exist. 192. The only way to reconcile this seeming contradiction, is to suppose that two vocal sounds in succession were sometimes pronounced so closely together as to form only the time of one syllable in Greek and Latin verse Some of these diphthongal syllables we have in our own language, which only pass for monosyllables in poetry: thus hire (wages) is no more than one syllable in verse, though perfectly equivalent to higher (more high,) which generally passes for a dissyllable the same may be observed of dire or dyer, hour and power, &c. This is not uniting two vocal sounds into one simple sound, which is impossible; but pronouncing two vocal sounds in succession so rapidly and so closely as to go for only one syllable in poetry. 193. Thus the best definition I have found of a diphthong is that given us by Mr. Smith, in his Scheme for a French and English Dictionary. "A diphthong (says this gentleman) I would define to be two simple vocal sounds uttered by one and the same emission of breath, and joined in such "a manner that each loses a portion of its natural length; but from the junction produceth a com "pound sound, equal in the time of pronouncing to either of them taken separately, and so making "still but one syllable." 194. Now if we apply this definition (says Mr. Smith) to the several combinations that may have been laid down and denominated diphthongs by former orthoepists, I believe we shall find only a "small number of them meriting this name.` As a proof of the truth of this observation, we find, that most of those vocal assemblages that go under the name of diphthongs erit but a simple sound •We see how many disputes the simple and ambiguous nature of vowels created among grammarians, and how it has Degot the inistake concerning diphthongs: ail that are properly so are syllables. and not diphthongs, as intended to be signified by that word Houter. and that not compounded of the two vowels, but one of them only, sounded long: thus pain and pane, pail and pale, hear and here, are perfectly the same sounds. 195. These observations naturally lead us to a distinction of diphthongs into proper and improper the proper are such as have two distinct vocal sounds, and the improper such as have but one. 196. The proper diphthongs are, ea ocean ew jewel ie spaniel io question oi voice ou pound ow now oy boy In this assemblage it is impossible not to see a manifest distinction between those which begin with e or i, and the rest In those beginning with either of these vowels we find a squeezed sound like the commencing or consonant y interpose, as it were, to articulate the latter vowel, and that the words where these diphthongs are found, might agreeably to the sound, be spelt oshe-yar, f-yude, j-yewel, pon-yard, span-yel, pash-yon, &c.; and as these diphthongs (which, from their commencing with the sound of y consonant, may not improperly be called semi-consonant diphthongs,) begin in that part of the mouth where s, c soft, and t are formed, we find that coalescence ensue which forms the aspirated hiss in the numerous terminations sion, tion, tial, &c. and by direct consequence in those ending in ure, une, as future, fortune, &c. for the letter u, when long, is exactly one of these semi-consonant diphthongs (8;) and when immediately after the accent it coalesces with the preceding s, c, ort, and traws them into the aspirated hiss of sh or tsh. (459.) Those found in the termination ious may be called semi-consonant diphthongs also, as the o and u have but the sound of one vowel. It may be observed too, in passing, that the reason why in mansuetude the s does not go into sh, is, because when is followed by another vowel in the same syllable, it drops its consonant sound at the beginning, and becomes merely double o. 197. The improper diphthongs are, ae Cæsar ai aim ao gaol ea clean ei ceiling ie friend au taught oa coat oe œconomy ow crow. 198. The triphthongs having but two sounds are merely ocular, and must therefore be classed with the proper diphthongs : aye (for ever) eou plenteous ieu adieu iew view oeu manœuvre. Of all these combinations of vowels we shall treat in their alphabetical order. AE. 199. Ae or a is a diphthong, says Dr. Johnson, of very frequent use in the Latin language, which seems not properly to have any place in the English; since the œ of the Saxons has been long out of use, being changed to e simple, to which, in words frequently occurring, the a of the Romans is, In the same manner, altered, as in equator, equinoctial, and even in Eneas. 200. But though the diphthong a is perfectly useless in our language, and the substitution of e in its stead, in Cesar and Eneas, is recommended by Dr. Johnson, we do not find his authority has totally annihilated it, especially in proper names and technical terms derived from the learned languages. Caesar, Eneas, Esop, paan, æther, aethiops mineral, amphisbæna, anacephalæosis, apheresis, agilops, ozana, &c. seem to preserve the diphthong, as well as certain words which are either plurals or geni tives, in Latin words not naturalized, as cornucopiæ, exuviæ, aqua vitæ, minutiæ, striæ, &c. 201. This diphthong, when not under the accent, in Michaelmas, and when accented in Daedalus, is pronounced like short e; it is, like e, subject to the short sound when under the secondary accent, as in nobarbus, where an in the first syllable, is pronounced exactly like the letter n. (530.) . AI. 202 The sound of this diphthong is exactly like the long slender sound of a; thus pail, a vessel, and pale, a colour, are perfectly the same sound. The exceptions are but few. 203 When said is the third person preterimperfect tense of the verb to say, ai has the sound of short e, and said rhymes with bed; the same sound of an may be observed in the third person of the presen. tense saith and the participle said; but when this word is an adjective, as the said man, it is regular, and rhymes with trade. 204 Plaid, a striped garment, rhymes with mad. 205. Raillery is a perfect rhyme to salary; and raisin, a fruit, is pronounced exactly like reason, the distinctive faculty of man. See both these words in the Dictionary. 206. Again and Against, sound as if written agen and agenst. 207. The aisk of a church is pronounced exactly like isle, an island; and is sometimes written ile. 208. When this diphthong is in a final unaccented syllable, the a is sunk and the i pronounced short: thus mountain, fountain, captain, curtain, villain, are all pronounced as if written mountin, fountin, captin, curtin, villin: but when the last word takes an additional syllable, the i is dropped, and the a has its short sound, as villanous, villany. See the words in the Dictionary. 209. The ai in Britain has the short sound approaching to u, so common with all the vowels in final unaccented syllables, and is pronounced exactly like Briton. 210. Plait, a fold of cloth, is regular, and ought to be pronounced like plate, a dish pronouncing it so as to rhyme with meat is a vu garism, and ought to be avoided. 211. Plaister belongs no longer to this class of words, being now more properly written plaster, rhyming with caster. 212. This combination of vowels in a diphthong is only to be met with in the word gaol, now more properly written, as it is pronounced, jail. 213. The general sound of this diphthong is that of the noun awe, as taught, caught, &c. or of the a hall, ball, &c. 214. When these letters are followed by n, and another consonant, they change to the second sound of a heard in far, farther, &c.: thus aunt. haunt, daunt, askaunce, ask runt, flaunt, taunt, gauntlet, janet, haunch, launch, craunch, jaundice, laundry, have the Italian sound of the a in the last syllable of papa and mamma. To these I think ought to be added, daunt, paunch, gaunt, and saunter, a Dr. Kenrick has marked them with the Italian a, and not as it written durent, paunch, &c. as Mr. Sheridan sounds them. Maund, a basket, is always pronounced with the Italian a, and nearly as if written mirnd, for which reason Maundy Thursday, which is derived from it, ought, with Mr. Nares, to be pros nounced in the same manner, though generally heard with the sound of aw. To mannder, to fram ble, though generally heard as if written mawnder, ought certainly to be pronounced as Mr. Nares has classed it, with the Italian a. The same may be observed of taunt, which ought to rhyme with aur, theugh sounded taunt by Mr. Sheridan; and being left out of the above list, supposed to be so pronounced by Mr. Nares. But Mr. Elphinstone has placed the analogy of these words in so strong and curious a light, that I cannot help presenting them to the reader in his own words, though a lifferent orthography: "U meritoriously distinguishes aunt, the parent's sister, from ant, the emmet, " and gives a slender shut, the servile of a broad open, yet without pretence of so dangerous or any "coincidence; in defiance of both sisters, his aunt had power to retain the company of jaunt, haunt, 41 vaunt, taunt, daunt, gaunt, gauntlet; in all of which the u does precisely the same duty it formerly "did in chaunt, graunt, maund, and commaund; in saunter and saunder; as well as in braunch, haunch, pamch, launch, simunch; all now justly as genealogically, chant, grant, mand (the old basket,) com mand, santer, sander; branch, hanch, panch, lanch, stanch Jaundice alone pleadedu radical; and yet was found mere jandice. So with aunt, must return to truth and etymology (who do not always "join issue,) jant, hant, vant, tant, dant, gant, gantiet; and even the venerable Mandy Thursday, "with her mand or basket in her hand. She had, indeed, almost left the language, though Astrea had not left the land, when analogy (or harmony) enacted; a broad (au) shall not in English precede n; followed either by a dry dental, or by a sibilation; that is, au shall not be followed by nt, nd, ace, nch, or nge. No such sounds being sufferable in the English system, as aunt, aund, anch, aunce, or aunge; there shall be no such semblances Alike are therefore indispensable, chan and "jant; hand and mand, chance and lance, branch and lanch, banter, and santer; Sunde and his full "self Alexander. In all such, a far from broad or open, is slender and shut; yet hardly shorter than "if the silent aspiration interposed in ahnt, suhnter, lahnce, lonnch, and the rest. Before nge, indeed, a is also slender, but open; not ah, but a; guarded therefore by its own (i) servile (as we saw in its place) against every danger of change. Fawn and foren remain doubtless in fauns and ferons, "unaltered by the adscititious depressive sibilant." Propriety Ascertained in her Picture, vol i, page 171, 215. Laugh and draught, which are very properly classed by Mr. Nares among these words which have the long Italian a in father, are marked by Mr. Sheridan with his first sound of a in hat, lengthened into the sound of a in futher, by placing the accent on it. Staunch is spelled without the u by Johnson, and therefore improperly classed by Mr. Nares in the above list. 216. Vaunt and araunt seem to be the only real exceptions to this sound of a in the whole list; and as these words are chiefly confined to tragedy, they may be allowed to "fret and strut their hour up on the stage" in the old traditionary sound of awe. 217. This diphthong is pronounced like long o in hautboy, as if written ho-boy ; and like o shor“ ir cauliflower, laurel, and laudraum; as if written colliflower, lorrel, and loddunum." In gauge, au has the sound of slender a, and rhymes with page. 218. There is a corrupt pronunciation of this diphthong among the vulgar, which is, giving the an in daughter, sauce, saucer, and saucy, the sound of the Italian a, and nearly as if written darter, sarce, sarcer, and sarcy; but this pronunciation cannot be too carefully avoided. Au in sausage also, is sounded by the vulgar with short a, as if written sassage; but in this, as in the other words, au ought to sound awe. See the words in the Dictionary. AIV 219. Has the long broad sound of a in ball, with which the word bawl is perfectly identical. It is always regular. AY. 30. This diphthong, like its near relation ai, has the sound of slender a in pay, day, &c. and is pronounced like long e in the word quay, which is now sometimes seen written key; for if we cannot bring the pronunciation to the spelling, it is looked upon as some improvement to bring the spelling to the pronunciation: a most pernicious practice in language. See BowL 221. To flay, to strip off the skin, also, is corruptly pronounced flea; but the diphthong in this word seems to be recovering its riglits. 222. There is a wanton departure from analogy in orthography, by changing the y in this diph thong to i in the words paid, said, laid, for payed, sayed, and layed. Why these words should be writ ten with i and thus contracted, and played, prayed, and delayed, remain at large, let our wise correct ors of orthography determine. Stayed also, a participial adjective signifying steady, is almost always written staid. 223. When ay comes immediately after the accent in a final syllable, like ai, it drops the former vowel in the colloquial pronunciation of the days of the week. Thus as we pronounce captain, curtain, &c. as if written captin, curtin, &e. so we hear Sunday, Monday, &c. as if written Sundy, Mundy, Lic A more distinct pronunciation of day, in these words, is a mark of the northern dialect. (208.) 224. The familiar assent ay for yes, is a combination of the long Italian a m the last syllable of papa, and the first sound of e. If we give the a the sound of that letter in bali, the word degenerates into a coarse rustic pronunciation. Though in the House of Commons, where this word is saade a Doun, we frequently, but not correctly, hear it so pronounced, in the phrase the Ayes have it AYE. 225. This triphthong is a combination of the slender sound of a, heard in pa and the e in me-tre The word which it composes, signifying ever, is almost obsolete EA 226. The regular sound of this diphthong is that of the first sound of e in here, but its irregular sound of short e is so frequent, as to make a catalogue of both necessary; especially for those who are unsettled in the pronunciation of the capital, and wish to practise in order to form a habit. 227. The first sound of ea is like open e, and is heard in the following words: Afeard, affear, anneal, appeal, appear, appease, aread, arrear, beacon, beadle, beadroll, beads, beadsman, beagle, beak, beaker, beam, bean, beard, bearded, beast, beat, beaten, beaver, beleaguer, beneath, bequeath, bereave, besmear, bespeak, bleach bleak, blear, bleat, bohea, breach, bream, to breathe, cease, cheap, cheat, clean, cleanly (adverb), clear, clearance, cleave, cochineal, colleague, conceal, congeal, cream, creak, crease, creature, deacon, deal, dean, deanery, dear, decease, defeasance, defeasible, defeat, demean, demeanour,decrease, drean, drear, dreary, each, eager, eagle, eagre, ear, east, easter, easy, to eat, eaten, eaves, entreat, endear, escheat, fear, fearful, feasible, feasibility feast, feat, feature, flea, fleam, freak, gear, gleam, glean, to grease, grease, greaves, heal, heap, hear, heat, heath, hea then, heave, impeach, increase, inseam, interleave, knead, lea, to lead, leaf, league, leak, lean, lease, leash, leas ing, least, leave, weaves, mead, meagre, meal, mean, meat, measles, meathe, neat, neap, near, pea, peace, peak, peal, Dease, peat, plea, plead, please, reach, to read, ream, reap, rear, rearward, reason, recheal, redstreak, release, repeal, repeat, retreat, reveal, screak, scream, seal, sea, seam, seamy, sear, searcloth, season, seat, shear, shears, sheath, sheathe, sheaf, sleasy, sneak, sneaker, sneakup, speak, spear, steal, steam, streak, stream, streamer, streamy, surcease, tea, teach, teail, teague, teal, team, tear, lease, teat, treakle, treason, treat, treatise, treatment, treaty, tweag, tweak, tweague, real, underneath, uneasy, unreave, uprear, weak, weaken, weal, weald, wern, weanting, weariness, wearisome, weary, weasand, weasel, weave, wheat, wheaten, wreak, wreath, wreathe, wreathy, yea, yeur, yeanling, yearling, yearly, zeal. 228. In this catalogue we find beard and bearded sometimes pronounced as if written berd and berded: but this corruption of the diphthong which Mr. Sheridan has adopted, seems confined to the Stage See the word. £29. The preterimperfect tense of eat is sometimes written ate, particularly by Lord Bolingbroke, and frequently, and, perhaps, more correctly, pronounced et, especially in freland: but eaten always preserves the ea long. 230. Ea in fearful is long when it signifies timorous, and short when it signifies terrible, as if written Ferful. See the word. 231. To read is long in the present tense, and short in the past and participle, which are sometimes written red. 232. Teat, a dug, is marked by Dr. Kenrick, Mr. Elphinstone, and Mr. Nares, with short e like tit, but more properly by Mr Sheridan, Mr. Scott, W. Johnston, Mr. Perry, and Mr. Smith, with the long e, rhyming with meat. 233. Beat, the preterimperfect tense, and participle of to beat, is frequently pronounced in Ireland like bet (a wager): and if utility were the only object of language, this would certainly be the prefer able pronunciation, as nothing tends more to obscurity than verbs which have no different form for their present and past times; but fashion in this, as in many other cases, triumphs over use and propriety; and bet, for the past time and participle of beat must be religiously avoided. 234. Ea is pronounced like the short e in the following words, Abreast, ahead, already, bedstead, be head, bespread, bestead, bread, breadth, breakfust, breast, breath, cleanse, cleanly, (adjective), cleanlily, dead, deadly, deaf, deafen, dearth, death, earl, earldom, early, earn, earnest, earth, earthen, earthly, endeavour, feather, head, heady, health, heard, hearse, heaven, heavy, jealous, impearl, instead, lead, leaden, leant, (the past time and participle of to lean), learn, learning, leather, leaven, meadow, meant, measure, pearl, peasant, pheasant, vlea sant, pleasantry, pleasure, read, (past time and participle), readily, readiness, ready, realm, rehearsal, rehearse, research, seamstress, searce, search, spread, stead, steadfast, steady, stealth, stealthy, sweat, sweaty, thread, threaden, threat, threaten, treachery, tread, treadle, treasure, uncleanly, wealth, wealthy, weapon, weather, yearn, zealot, zealous, zealously. 235. I have given the last three words, compounded of zeal, as instances of the short sound of the diphthong, because it is certainly the more usual sound; but some attempts have lately been made in the House of Commons to pronounce them long, as in the noun. It is a commendable zeal to endeavour to reform the language as well as the constitution; but whether, if these words were altered, it would be a real reformation, may admit of some dispute. See Enclitical Termination, No. 515, and the word ZEALOT. 236. Heard, the past time and participle of hear, is sometimes corruptly pronounced with the diphthong long, so as to rhyme with rear'd; but this is supposing the verb to be regular; which, from the spelling, is evidently not the case. 237. It is, perhaps, worth observation, that when this diphthong comes before r, it is apt to slide into the short u, which is undoubtedly very near the true sound, but not exactly: thus pronouncing zarl, earth, dearth, as if written url, urth, durth, is a slight deviation from the true sound, which is exactly that of i before r, followed by another consonant, in virtue, virgin; and that is the true sound of short e in vermin, vernal, &c. 108. 238. Leant, the past time and participle of to lean, is grown vulgar: the regular form leaned is pre ferable. 239. The past time and participle of the verb to leap, seems to prefer the irregular form; therefore, though we almost always hear to leap rhyming with reap, we generally hear leaped written and pronounced leapt, rhyming with wept. 210. Ea is pronounced like long slender a in bare, in the following words Bear, bearer, break, jön bear, forswear, great, pear, steak, swear, to tear, wear 241. The word great is sometimes pronounced as if written greet, generally by people of education, and almost universally in Ireland; but this is contrary to the fixed and settled practice in England That this is an affected pronunciation, will be perceived in a moment by pronouncing this word in the phrase, Alexander the great; for those who pronounce the word greet, in other cases, will generally in this rhyme it with fate. It is true the ee is the regular sound of this diphthong; but this slender sound of e has, in all probability, given way to that of a as deeper and more expressive of the epithet great 242 The same observations are applicable to the word break; which is much more expressive of He action when pronounced brake thau breek, as it is sometimes affectedly pronounced. 243 Ea is pronounced like the long Italian a in father, in the following words. Heart, hearty, hearten, hearth, hearken. 244 Ea, unaccented, has an obscure sound, approaching to short u, ia vengeance, serjeant, mageant, tad pageantry EAU. 245. This is a French rather than an English triphthong, being found only in words derived from that language Its sound is that of long open o, as beau, bureau, flambeau, portmanteau." In beauty and its compounds, it has the first sound of u, as if written bewty. EE. 246. This diphthong, in all words except those that end in r, has a squeezed sound of long open e formed by a closer application of the tongue to the roof of the mouth, than in that vowel singly which is distinguishable to a nice ear, in the different sounds of the verbs to flee and to meet, and the nouns feu and meat. This has always been my opinion; but, upon consulting some good speakers on the occasion, and in particular Mr. Garrick, who could find no difference in the sound of these words, I am less confident in giving it to the publick. At any rate the difference is but very trifling, and í shall therefore consider ee as equivalent to the long open e. 247 This diphthong is irregular only in the word breeches, pronounced as if written britches Cheesecake, sometimes pronounced chizcake, and breech, britch, I look upon as vulgarisms. Beelzebub indeed, in prose, has generally the short sound of e, as in bell and when these two letters form but one syllable, in the poetical contraction of e'er and ne'er, for ever and never, they are pronounced as if written air and nair. EI. 248. The general sound of this diphthong seems to be the same as ey, when under the accent, which is like long slender a; but the other sounds are so numerous as to require a catalogue of them all. 249. Ei has the sound of long slender a in deign, vein, rein, reign, feign, feint, veil, heinous, heir, heiress, inxeigh, weigh, neigh, skein, reins, their, theirs, eight, freight, weight, neighbour, and their compounds. When gh comes after this diphthong, though there is not the least remnant of the Saxon guttural sound, yet it has not exactly the same simple vowel sound as when followed by other consonants ; ei, followed by gh, sounds both vowels like ae; or if we could interpose the y consonant between the a and t in eight, weight, &c. it might, perhaps, convey the sound better. The difference, however, is so delicate as to render this distinction of no great importance. The same observations are applicable to he words straight, straighten, &c. See the word EIGHT. 250. Ei has the sound of long open e in here, in the following words and their compounds: To ce, ceiling, conceit, deceit, receipt, conceive, perceive, deceive, receive, inveigle, seize, seisin, seignior, seigniory, seine, plebeian. Obeisance ought to be in the preceding class. See the word. 251. Leisure is sometimes pronounced as rhyming with pleasure; but, in my opinion, very impro perly for if it be allowed that custom is equally divided, we ought, in this case, to pronounce the diphthong long, as more expressive of the idea annexed to it. 241. 252. Either and neither are so often pronounced eye-ther and nigh-ther, that it is hard to say to which class they belong. Analogy, however, without hesitation, gives the diphthong the sound of long open e, rather than that of, and rhymes them with breather, one who breathes. This is the pronunciation Mr. Garrick always gave to these words; but the true analogical sound of the diphthong in these words is that of the slender a, as if written ay-ther and nay-ther. This pronunciation is adopt ed in Ireland, but is not favoured by one of our orthoepists; for Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Scott, Mr. El phinstone, Mr. Perry, Mr. Smith, Steel's Grammar, and Dr. Jones, all pronounce these words with the diphthong like long e. W. Johnston alone adopts the sound of long i exclusively; Dr. Kenrick gives both ether and ither, but prefers the first, but gives neither the sound of long e exclusively: Mr. Coote says these words are generally pronounced with the ei like the i in mine. Mr. Barclay gives no description of the sound of ei in either, but says neither is sometimes pronounced nither and by others nether; and Mr. Nares says, " either and neither are spoken by some with the sound of long ; I have "heard even that of long a given to them; but as the regular way is also in use, I think it is prefera"ble. These differences seem to have arisen from ignorance of the regular sound of ei." If by the regular way and the regular sound of this diphthong Mr. Nares means the long sound of e, we need only inspect No. 249, and 250, to see that the sound of a is the more general sound, and therefore ought to be called the regular; but where there are so many instances of words where this diphthong has the long sound of e, and custom is so uniform in these words, there can be no doubt which is the true sound. 253. Ei has the sound of long open i, in height and sleight, rhyming with white and right. Height is, indeed, often heard rhyming with eight and weight, and that among very respectable speakers but custom seems to decide in favour of the other pronunciation, that it may better tally with the ad jective high, of which it is the abstract. 254 Ei has the sound of short e, in the two words heifer and nonpareil, pronounced heffer and nonparell. 255. This diphthong, when unaccented, like ai, 208, drops the former vowel, and is pronounced like short i, in foreign, foreigner, forfeit, forfeiture, sovereign, sovereignty, surfeit, counterfeit. EO. 256 This diphthong is pronounced like e long in people, as if written peeple; and like e short in leopard and jeopardy, as it written leppard and jeppardy; and in the law terms feoffee, feoffer, and feoff ment, as if written feffee, feffer, and feffment. 257. We frequently hear these vowels contracted into short o in geography and geometry, as if written joggraphy and jommetry; but this gross pronunciation seems daily wearing away, and giving place to that which separates the vowels into two distinct syllables, as it is always heard in geographi cal, geometer, geometrical, and geometrician. Georgick is always heard as if written jorgick, and must be given up as incorrigible. 116. 258. Eo is heard like long u in feod, feodal, feodatory, which are sometimes written as they are pro. nounced, feud, feudal, feudatory. 259. Eo, when unaccented, has the sound of a short in surgeon, sturgeon, dudgeon, gudgeon, bludgeon curmudgeon, dungeon, luncheon, puncheon, truncheon: b rgeon, habergeon, but in scutcheon, escutcheon, pr goon, and widgeon, the eo sounds like short 1. |