A

PHONOGRAPHIC PRONOUNCING

DICTIONARY

OF THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

ABRIDGED FROM THE OCTAVO.

BY WILLIAM BOLLES,

NEW LONDON:

PUBLISHED BY BOLLES & WILLIAMS,

Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1846,

BY WILLIAM BOLLES, AND BOLLES & WILLIAMS,

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the District of Connecticut.

STEREOTYPED BY REDFIELD & SAVAGE,

13 Chambers Street, N. Y.

PREFACE.

THE following abridgment of the "PHONOGRAPHIC PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY" has been prepared with particular reference to the purposes of education. It has not, therefore, been the design so much to enlarge the vocabulary, by the insertion of all the varieties of derivative and uncommon words, as to present common and radical words in good modern use, with their pronunciation distinctly exhibited, and with definitions sufficiently extended to be of real use to the learner as the brevity of the definitions in most school dictionaries diminishes very materially their value.

The introductory observations on the derivation and formation of words one from another, by forming a general classification in the minds of learners, will, it is believed, be of more use than the insertion of all these words in the body of the work; while it leaves the space they would occupy to be filled with more impor

tant matter.

The plurals of nouns which are formed irregularly, are generally given in some instances, perhaps, where a regular formation would be preferable, as memorandum, index, criterion, beau, cherub, and other words adopted, without alteration, from ancient or foreign tongues. Words, when introduced as strangers, may be allowed to appear in their foreign costume; but when fully naturalized, they should be made, as far as practicable, to conform to the analogies of our language; and no one need hesitate to use regularly-formed plurals in such cases, when not inconsistent with euphonic expression. The age of literary aristocracy, when learned anomalies, like the insignia of heraldry, were necessary

to mark the falsely-formed gradations of society, is fast receding before the true light of science emanating from that general and healthy exercise of individual mind, which is coextensive with disenthralment from arbitrary rule. The same remarks may, to a considerable extent, be applied to the pronunciation of foreign words. To continue irregularities beyond necessity, is, with the learned, pedantry; with the unlearned, affectation.

The perfect and present participles of verbs are given, when they vary, either in spelling or pronunciation, from the spelling and pronunciation of the verb, together with the addition of the syllables ed and ing fully pronounced. When not given, they are formed by the addition of ed and ing, fully pronounced, as addict addicted, addicting.

The preterits of verbs are given, when they differ from the perfect participle; when not given, they are the same as the perfect participle.

As correct pronunciation constitutes an important feature in education, and as it is most readily acquired in youth, before wrong habits are confirmed by practice, it is made to constitute a prominent feature in the present work, and the pronounced vocabularies of Greek, Latin, Scripture, Christian, and Geographical proper names, have been inserted entire. There are probably more errors committed in the pronunciation of proper names, than in that of any other class of words arising, no doubt, from the fact that, in elementary works, the knowledge of their orthoepy could not be attained by the younger student, and in after-life there is little time, and less inclination, to pursue the subject. The reading of these vocabularies, with particular reference to their pronunciation, will constitute a profitable school exercise.

NEW LONDON, 1846.

W. B.

INTRODUCTION.

åll, art, a'ce, 've, no', tô', bẻt', bit', båt-on', wàs', åt'—good'—ŷ, ŝ—i, u.

LANGUAGE.

ble of forming, with the greatest nicety of distinction, all that variety of articulations necessary for the purposes of spoken language. Subjoined is a succinct description of the organs of speech.

LANGUAGE, in its most extended sense, is the faculty of communicating the affections, perceptions, and ideas, between sentient beings.-In a more strict sense, it is the adoption of certain articulate sounds called words, mostly learned by imitation, and agreed upon by tacit compact, as OF THE ORGANS WHICH PRODUCE THE signs of ideas. Spoken language involves the knowledge and utterance of these articulations, and written lan

guage consists in the use of certain definite and visible characters to rep resent them.

Language is the principal medium through which our faculties receive instruction and improvement; and those investigations, which have for their object the analysis of its combined powers, and the development of its constituent principles, are highly worthy of attention.

SECTION I.

OF HUMAN SPEECH.

THE formation of the human voice, as observed in the various modulations of speech, constitutes a most interesting subject of inquiry, the correct understanding of which can not fail to be a source of pleasure and profit to all who will be at the pains to acquire it.

The mouth, with its accompanying organs, is so fashioned as to be capa

SECTION II.

VOICE.

THE breath, or air from the lungs, is changed into the clear, distinct, auexertions of the lungs, and the whole dible sound called voice, by strong cavity of the chest, throat, and mouth, and in particular made capable of answering the purposes of speech, by certain organs which lie at the top of the windpipe.

The trachea, or windpipe, is that the lungs, and consists of cartilages, or tube which conveys air into and from gristles, so strong as to enable it to stand firm and uncompressed.

The top of the windpipe consists of four cartilages, which altogether form what is called the larynx; and the epiglottis forms a fifth cartilage belonging to the windpipe.

The epiglottis is a broad triangular cartilage, very elastic. It has a powerful influence upon speech; but its peculiar office is to defend the aperture or opening of the windpipe into the mouth, which opening is called the glottis. It acts like a valve, standing directly over the glottis, and flaps