kite, eremite, aconite, margarite, marcasite, parasite, appetite, bi

mpartite, quadripartite, convertite, an thorite, pituite, 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, prerequisite, 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 livelily: the noun livelihood 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 ¿ invariably short, as offensive, defensive, &c. The i in sulique 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 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 cavil 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 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 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-gue-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, €, and k; but when we reflect that 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 be 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 fourth, 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,) low (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 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 «, when it is succeeded by two consonants: thus Mr. Smitu nounces broth, froth and moth, as if written browth, fruwth, and muwth. Of the propriety or impropr 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 scund ought to be admitted, as good oraters will ever incline to definite and absolute sounds, rather than such as may be called non-de ripis in language.

pro

164. 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

Rome, 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 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, affront, allonge, among, amongst, attorney, bomb, bom-bard, borage, borough, brother, cochineal, colour, come, comely, comfit, comfort, company, compass, comrade, combat, conduit, coney, conjure, constable, covenant, cover, covert, covet, 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, 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, on, op, or, ot, and some, as mammock, cassock, method, carol, kingdom, union, amazon, gallop, tutor, turbot, troublesome, &c.; all which are pronounced as if written mammuck, cassuck, 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 Ľatín, 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 faurmer. There are many exceptions to this rule, as borne, 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 r 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 the is followed by a vowel, the o is as 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, 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 with equal justness. This letter like a, has a tendency to lengthen, when followed by a liquid and another consonant, or by s, ss, or s and a mate. 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 mawse, drawse, and frawst." (78) (79.) The o in the compounds of solve, as dissolve, absolve, resolve, seem the only words where a somewhat longer sound of the c is agreeable to polite pronunciation: on the contrary, when the o ends a syllable, immediately before or after 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-lar and po-tent, &c. See DOMESTICK, COLLECT, and COMMAND. It may likewise be observed, 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 balc'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 Gverdon: 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, 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, 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 Milton; but the former examples sufficient ly show the tendency of the language; and this tendency cannot 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 speit tewbe and kewbic. The letter " is exactly the plonoun 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.

1

173. The third sound of this letter, and that in which the English more particularly depart from analogy, is the z in bull, full, pull, &c. The first, or diphthongal 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 chose to imitate the Latin, Italian, and French u, they leave out the e before the u, which is heard in tube, mule, &c. and do not pronounce the latter part of u 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 heard by comparing woo and wool; the latter of which is a perfect rhyme to bull.

be

174. This middle sound of u, so unlike the general sound of that letter, exists only in the following words: bull, full, pull; words compounded of full, as wonderful, dreadful, &c. bullock, bully, bullet, bulwark, fuller, fulling-mill, pulley, pullet, push, bush, bushel, pulpii, puss, bullion, butcher, cushion, cuckoo, pudding, sugar, hussar, huzza, and put 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 inhabitants 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 desultory as this sound of the u may at first seem, on a closer view we find it chiefly confined to words which begin with the mute labials, b, p, f, and end with the liquid labial ?, or the dentals 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 putty, a paste for glass, has the common sound of u, and rhymes exactly with nutty, (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 compounded of full, they are sounded as if they were; while Putney follows the general rule, and has its first syllable pronounced like the noun put. Pulpit and mullet 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, cuckoc, 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. (339., 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 in its second sound, as in us hull, 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, unless 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 bewry; 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 we not unfrequently hear singular, regular, and particular, pronounced as if written sing-e-lar, reg-elar, and par-lick-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 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 buning, cyder, Sze. this may be called its first vowel sound. 181. The second sound of the vowel y 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 situation, is always like the first sound of e: thus vanity, pleurisy, c. and if sound alone were consulted, might be written vanitee, 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, &c. have the last syllable sounded like that in defy. This long sound continues when the y is changed into i, in justifiable, qualihable, &c. 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 Pubic or as Swift does with Satiric.

I

"On me when dunces 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 attends the vowel i in the same situation. So the word Syrinx ought to preserve the y like i pure, and the word syrtis 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. The y is long in chylaceous, but shortened by the secondary accent in chylifaction and chylifactive, (530:) though, without the least reason from analogy, Mr Sheridan has marked them both long 187. Words composed of hydro, from the Greek udup, water, have the y before the accent generally long, as hydrography, hydrographer, hydrometry, 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. (530.) The same sound of y prevails in hydraulics and hydatides. Hygrometer and hygrometry, seem to follow the same analogy, as well as hyperbola and hyperbole; which are generally heard with the y long; though Kenrick has marked the latter short. Hypostatis and hypotenuse ought to have the y long likewise. In hypothesis the y 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 1 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 the y long. (see the word.) Synodic, synodical, synonima, and synopsis, have they 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 y 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 y 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 and y, 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 sound 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 bound of these letters.

W final.

189. That w final, is a vowel, is not disputed (9;) when it is in this situation, it is equivalent to so as may be perceived in the sound of vow, 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 or æ, oe or a, the Greeks, the English ai, au,&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 dissyilable: 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 CC 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."

re

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 orthöepists, 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 naine of diphthongs emit 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 mistake concerning diphthongs: all that are properly so are syllables, and not diphthongs, as intendest to be signified by that word. Holder.

a

and that not compounded of the two vowels, but one of them only, sounded long: thus pain and pano, 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

eu feud

ew jewel
ia poniard

ie spaniel

io question

oi voice

ou pound

ow now

oy boy
ua assuage

ue mansuetude
ui languid.

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-yan, 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,) Legin 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 ire, une, as future, fortune, &c. for the letter u, when long, is exactly one of these semi-consonant diphhongs (8;) and when immediately after the accent it coalesces with the preceding s, c, or t, and Iraws 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

au taught
aw law

ea clean
ee reed

ei ceiling
eo people
ey they

że friend

oa coat
oeœconomy

oo moon

ow crow.

198. The triphthongs having but two sounds are merely ocular, and must therefore be classed with the proper diphthongs :

aye (for ever)
eau beauty

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 œ 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 ae 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. Cæsar, Æneas, Esop, pœan, æther, aethiops mineral, amphisbæna, anacephalæosis, aphoresis, 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, exuvice, aqua vitæ, minutiæ, striæ, &c.

201. This diphthong, when not under the accent, in Michaelmas, and when accented in Dœdalus, is pronounced like short e; it is, like e, subject to the short sound when under the secondary accent, as in Ænobarbus, 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 and said rhymes with bed; the same sound of ai may be observed in the third person of the present tense saith and the participle said; but when this word is an adjective, as the said man, it is regular, and rhyines 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 aisl: of a chuich 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 hás 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. Pluit, a fold of cloth, is regular, and ought to be pronounced like piate, 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.

AO

212. This combination of vowels in a diphthong is only to be met with in the word gacl, now more property written, as it is proporines pw,