Dictionary, and the words where e comes before r, followed by another consonant, as merchant, , &c. the pronunciation of the language is probably in the same state in which it was a cen tury ago; and had the same attention been then paid to it as now, it is not likely even that change would have happened. The same may be observed of those words which are differently pronounced by different speakers: if the analogies of the language had been better understood, it is scarcely conceivable that so many words in polite usage would have a diversity of pronunciation, which is at oure so ridiculous and embarrassing: nay, perhaps it may be with confidence asserted, that if the snatogies of the language were sufficiently known and so near at hand as to be applicable on inspection to every word, that not only many words which are wavering between contrary usages would be settled in their true sound, but that many words, which are fixed by custom to an improper pramciation, wou'd by degrees grow regular and analogical; and those which are so already would be secured in their purity, by a knowledge of their regularity and analogy.

But the utility of a work of this kind is not confined to those parts of language where the inapropretvis gross and aalpable, besides such imperfections in pronunciation as disgust every ear not accustomed to them, there are a thousand insensible deviations, in the more minute parts of language, as the unaccented syllables may be called, which do not strike the ear so forcibly as to mark any direct impropriety in particular words, but occasion only such a general imperfection as gives a bad impression upon the whole. Speakers with these imperfections pass very well in commou conversaing but when they are required to pronounce with emphasis, and for that purpose to be more distinct and definite in their utterance, here their ear fails the in; they have been accustomed only to loose cursory speaking, and, for want of firmness of pronunciation, are like those painters who draw the muscular exertions of the human body without any knowledge of anatomy. This is one reason, perhaps, why we find the elocution of so few people agreeable when they read or speak to an assembly, wude so few oflend us by their utterance in common conversation. A thousand faults lie concealed in a miniature, which a microscope brings to view; and it is only by pronouncing on a larger scale, as pchack speaking may be called, that we prove the propriety of our elocution. As therefore, there are deviations from analogy which are not at any rate tolerable, there are others which only, as it were mish the pronunciation, and make it less brillicet and agreeable. There are few who have turned weir thoughts on this subject, without observing that they sometimes pronounce the same word or syilable in a different manner; and as neither of these manners offend the ear, they are at a loss to which they shall give the preference; but as one must necessarily be more agreeable to the analogy of the language than the other, a display of these analogies, in a Dictionary of this kind, will immediately remove this uncertainty; and in this view of the variety we shall discover a fitness in one mode of speaking, which will give a firmness and security to our pronunciation, from a confiGence that it is founded on reason, and the general tendency of the language. See Principles, No

But, alas' reasoning on language, however well founded, may be all overturned by a single quo

tation from Horace :

usus,

"Quem penes arbitrium est, et jus et norma loquendi."

This, it must be owned, is a succinct way of ending the controversy; and, by virtue of this argu. tent, we may become criticks in language, without the trouble of studying it: not that I would be trought, in the most distant manner, to deny that Custom is the sovereign arbiter of language; far Gym it. I acknowledge its authority, and know there is no appeal from it. I wish only to dispute, where this arbiter has not decided; for, if once Custom speak out, however absurdly, I sincerely

aculee see in its sentence.

But what is this custom to which we must so implicitly submit? Is it the usage of the multitude of speakers, whether good or bad? This has never been asserted by the most sanguine abettors of its wuthority. Is it the usage of the studious in schools and colleges, with those of the learned profes, or that of those who, from their elevated birth or station, give laws to the refinements and ezencies of a court? To confine propriety to the latter, which is too often the case, seems an injury to the former; who, from their very profession, appear to have a natural right to a share, at last, to the legislation of language, if not to an absolute sovereignty. The polished attendants on a throse are as apt to depart from simplicity in language, as in dress and manners; and novelty, instead custom, is to often the jur et arma loquendi of a court.

Perhaps an attentive observation will lead us to conclude, that the usage which ought to direct us, is center of these we have been enumerating, taken singly, but a sort of compound ratio of all three. Neither a frácal pronunciation of the court, nor a pedantic Græcism of the schools, will be denominated respectable usage, till a certain number of the general mass of speakers have acknowledged them nor will a multitude of common speakers authorize any pronunciation which is reprobated by the learded and polite.

meng on the first syllable of Polering, when a vocative case, according to the precept of Nigidius, would set every Sandy s naglang, Even that highly polished language the French, if we may believe a writer in the Encyclopédie, is « PGNIuilar in slais respect thesis our own.

• est arr *rs be," par les altérations qui se succedent rapidement dans la manière de prononcer, et les corportam quasi troduisent lentement dans la manière d'écrire, que la prononciation et l'écriture ne marchent point entrail y ait chez les peuples les plus policés de l'Europe, des sociétés d'hommes de lettres chargés do See printamur, dar les areorder, et de les rapprocher de la même ligne, elles se trouvent enfin à une distance incouceva.

bơ đẹ deux choses dont l'une n'a été imaginée dans son origine, que pour réprésenter fidclement Pautre, „fere guerr moins de celle-là, que la portrait de la même personne peinte dans deux ages très éloignés, Lola Varierais esett feitaroru à un tel excès qu'on n'ose plus y remédier. On prononce une langue, on écrit une auDe et à un vachagime tellement pendant le reste de la vie à cette bizarrerie qui a fait verser tant de larmes dans Ve sure, que o l'au renonçult à sa mauvaise orthographie pour une plus voisine de la prononciation, on ne recoano}tin ja a la langue médée wigs cette nouvelle combinaison de caractères. S'il y en a qui ne pourroient se succéder sang kan men ude fati, e pour Porgane, ou ils ne se rencontrent point, ou ils ne durent pas. Ils sont échappés de la langue par i muž kustán, evita loi paleante, qui agit continuellement et universeilement sans card pour l'étymologie et ses déen grai send mus intermission à amever des êtres qui ont les mêmes organes, le même idiôme, les mêmes BUEVVINCIA, JEBBertu, a-parts-près à la même prononciation. Les causes dout l'action n'est point interrompue, devienarat vanwars les pès tres avec les tems, quelques foibles qu'elles soient en elles-mêmes, et d n'y a presque pas une esde diphtbongue, une seule consonne dout la valeur soit tellement constante, que l'euphonie n'en

poor capamet, koti en aderant le son, soit en le supprimant."

1 vanil deride up the justness of these complaints, but must observe, that a worse picture could scarcely be trew, of the English, or the most barbarous language of Europe. Indeed a degree of versatility secrus involved iu Severe nature of language, and is one of those evils left by Providence for man to correct: a love of order, and the Say vá regularity, will always incline him to confine this versatility within as narrow bounds as possible.

As those sounds, therefore, which are the most generally received among the learned and polite, as well as the bulk of speakers, are the most legitimate, we may conclude that a majority of two of these states ought always to concur, in order to constitute what is called good usage.

But though custom, when general, is commonly well understood, there are several states and degrees of it which are exceedingly et scure and equivocal; and the only method of knowing the extent of custom in these cases, seems to be an inspection of those Dictionaries which professedly treat of pronunciation. We have now so many works of this kind, that the general current of custom, with respect to the sound of words, may be collected from them with almost as much certainty as the general sense of words from Johnson. An exhibition of the opinions of orthoepists about the sound of words always appeared to me a very rational method of determining what is called custom. This method I have adopted in the following work; and if I have sometimes dissented from the majority, it has been, either from a persuasion of being better informed of what was the actual custom of speaking, or from a partiality to the evident analogies of the language.

And here I must entreat the candid reader to make every reasonable allowance for the freedom with which I have criticised other writers on this subject, and particularly Mr. Sheridan. As a man, a gentleman, and a scholar, I knew Mr. Sheridan, and respected him; and think every lover of ciocution owes him a tribute of thanks for his unwearied addresses to the Publick, to rouse them to the study of the delivery of the native tongue. But this tribute, however just, does not exempt him from examination. His credit with the world necessarily subjects him to animadversion, because the errors of such a writer are dangerous in proportion to his reputation: this has made me zealous to remark his inaccuracies, but not without giving my reasons; nor have I ever taken advantage of such faults as may be called inadvertencies. On the same principies I have ventured to criticise Dr. Johnson, whose friendship and advice I was honoured with, whose memory I love, and whose intellectual powers impress me with something like religious veneration and awe. I do not pretend to be exempt from faults myself. In a work like the present, it would be a miracle to escape them; nor have I the least idea of deciding as judge, in a case of so much delicacy and importance as the pronunciation of a whole people; I have only assumed the part of an advocate to plead the cause of consistency and analogy; and, where custom is either silent or dubious, to tempt the lovers of their language to incline to the side of propriety: so that my design is principally to give a kind of history of pronunciation, and a register of its present state; and, where the authorities of Dictionaries or Speakers are found to differ, to give such a display of the analogies of the language as may enable every inspector to decide for himself.

With respect to the explanation of words, except in very few instances, I have scrupulously fol lowed Dr. Johnson. His Dictionary has been deemed lawful plunder by every subsequent Lexico grapher; and so servilely has it been copied, that such words as he must have omitted merely by mistake, as Predilection, Respectable, Descriptive, Sulky, Inimical, Interference, and many others, are neither in Mr. Sheridan's, Dr. Kenrick's, nor several other Dictionaries.

ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE THIRD ENGLISH EDITION.

THE rapid sale of the Second Edition of this Dictionary called upon me for a Third, at a time of life, and in a state of health, it le compatible with the drudgery and attention necessary for the execution of it: but as I xpected such a call, I was not unmindful of whatever might tend to render it still more worthy of the acceptance of the Publick, and therefore collected many words, which, though not found in Dictionaries, were constantly to be met with in polite and literary conversation, and which were well deserving of a place in the language, as soon as written authorities could be produced for them. Some of these authorities I have produced, and have left others to the attention of those who have more leisure and better health. In the midst of the impression of the present work, I met with Ma son's Supplement to Johnson, and found several words worthy of insertion, but have carefully ac knowledged the obligation; and take this opportunity of thanking that gentleman for the benefit I have derived from his Supplement, which I think, if continued. admirably calculated for the im provement and stability of the language.

But as the great object of the present Dictionary was pronunciation, I was very solicitous to be as accurate as possible on this point, and therefore neglected no opportunity of informing myself where I was in the least doubtful, and of correcting myself where there was the least shadow of an error. These occasions, however, were not very numerous. To a man born, as I was, within a few miles of the Capital, living in the Capital almost my whole life, and exercising myself there in public speaking for many years; to such a person, if to any one, the true pronunciation of the language must be very familiar: and to this familiarity I am indebted for the security I have felt in deciding upon the sounds of several syllables, which nothing but an infantine pronunciation could determine. If I may borrow an allusion from musick, I might observe, that there is a certain tune in every language to which the ear of a native is set, and which often decides on the preferable pronunciation, though entirely ignorant of the reasons for it.

But this vernacular instinct, as it may be called, has been seconded by a careful investigation of the analogies of the language. Accent and Quantity, the great efficients of pronunciation, are seldom mistaken by people of education in the Capital; but the great bulk of the Nation, and those

* The inspector will be pleased to take notice, that my observations on Mr. Sheridan's Dictionary relate to the first edition, published in his life-time, and the second, some time after his death: whatever alterations may have been made by his subsequent editors, I am totally unacquainted with.

+ See Sceptick, Scirrhus, Codle, Further, &C.

who form the most important part of it, are without these advantages, and therefore want such a guide to direct them as is here offered. Even polite and literary people, who speak only from the ear, will find that this organ will, in a thousand instances, prove but a very uncertain guide, without knowledge of those principles by which the ear itself is insensibly directed, and which, having their origin in the nature of language, operate with steadiness and regularity in the midst of the ficklest affectation and caprice. It can scarcely be supposed that the most experienced speaker has heard every word in the language, and the whole circle of sciences pronounced exactly as it ought to be: and if this be the case, he must sometimes have recourse to the principles of pronunciation when his ear is either uninformed or unfaithful. These principles are those general laws of articulation which determine the character, and fix the boundaries of every language; as in every system of speaking, however irregular, the organs must necessarily fall into some common mode of enunciation, or the purpose of Providence in the gift of speech would be absolutely defeated. These laws, like every other object of philosophical inquiry, are only to be traced by an attentive observation and enume. ration of particulars, and when these particulars are sufficiently numerous to form a general rule, an axiom in pronunciation is acquired. By an accumulation of these axioms, and an analogical comparison of them with each other, we discover the deviations of language where custom has varied, and the only clew to guide us where custom is either indeterminate or obscure.

Thus, by a view of the words ending in ity or etu, I find the accent invariably placed on the prece ding vllable, as in diversity, congruity, &c. On a closer inspection, I find every vowel in this ante pes it mate syilable, when no consonant intervenes, pronounced long, as deity, piety, &c.; a nearer observation shows me, that if a consonant intervene, every vowel in this syllable but u contracts it. seli, and is pronounced short, as sever'ity, curiosity, impunity, &c. and therefore that chastity and dace ought to be pronounced with the penultimate vowel short, and not as in chaste and obscene, as we frequently bear them. I find too, that even u contracts itself before two consonants, as cur'vity, tacitam miti, &c. and that scarcity and rarity, (for whose irregularity good reasons may be given) are the only exceptions to this rule throughout the language. And thus we have a series of near seven hundred words, the accentuation of which, as well as the quantity of the accented vowel, are reduced to two or three simple rules.

The same uniformity of accentuation and quantity may be observed in the first syllable of those words which have the accent on the third, as dem-on-stra'tion, dim-i-nu'tion, lu-cu-bra'tion,* &c. where we evidently perceive a stress on the first syllable shortening every vowel but u, and this in every word throughout the language, except where two consonants follow the u, as in cur-vi-lin'e-ar; or where two vowels follow the consonant that succeeds any other vowel in the first syllable, as de-vi-dA., or, lastly, where the word is not evidently of our own composition, as re-con-vey' : but as u in the first syllable of a word, having the accent on the third, has the same tendency to length and openness to was observable when it preceded the termination it, I find it necessary to separate it from the consonant in bu-tu-ra'ceous, which I have never heard pronounced, as well as in lu-cu-bra'tion, which I have, and this from no pretended agreement with the quantity of the Latin words these are derived from; for, in the former word, the u is doubtful but, from the general system of quantity I see ated in English pronunciation, this only will direct an English ear with certainty; for, though we may sometimes place the accent on words we borrow from the Greek or Latin on the same syl lates in those languages, as acumen, elegiac, &c.; nay, though we sometimes adopt the accent o the original with every word of the same termination we derive from it, as assidu'itų, vidu'ity, &c yet the tus of the accented vowel is so often contrary to that of the Latin and Greek, that not a show of a rule can be drawn, in this point, from these languages to ours. Thus, in the letter in que-tion, in the Latin accumulo, dubius, tumor, c. the first u is every where short; but in the English Sorts #rumulate, durions, tumour, every where long. Nuptialis, murmur, turbulentus, &c. where the u in the first svuable in Latin is long, we as constantly pronounce it short in nuptial, murmur, turbulent, c. Nor indeed can we wonder that a difierent œconomy of quantity is observable in the ancient and mode,n languages, as in the former, two consonants almost always lengthen the preceding vowel, Bad in the latter as constantly shorten it. Thus, without arguing in a vicious circle, we find, that as a divis on of the generality of words, as they are actually pronounced, gives us the general laws of rybabication, so these laws, once understood, direct us in the division of such words as we have never beard actually pronounced, and consequently to the true pronunciation of them. For these operaber, like cause and effect, reflect mutually a light on each other, and prove, that by nicely observto the path which custom in language has once taken, we can inore than guess at the line she must keyn a similar case, where her footsteps are not quite so discernible. So true is the observation of Scaliger: Ita ommbua in rebus certissima ratione sibi ipsa respondet natura. De causis Ling. Lat

Puder to be observed by the Natives of IRELAND, in order to obtain a just Pronunciation of English. A Mr Sheridan was a native of Ireland, and had the best opportunities of understanding those pexharities of pronunciation which obtain there, I shall extract his observations on that subject as Er best general direction, and add a few of my own, by way of supplement, which I hope will render the article of instruction still more complete.

The reader will be pleased to take notice, that as I have made a different arrangement of the vow es and have adopted a notation different from Mr Sheridan, I am obliged to make use of different igures to mark the vowels, but still such as perfectly correspond to his.

The chief mistakes made by the Irish in pronouncing English, lie for the most part in the sounds * of the two first vowels, a and e; the former being generally sounded å by the Irish, as in the word or, in most words where it is pronounced à, as in day, by the English. Thus the Irish say, patron, matron, the vowel A having the same sound as in the word father; whilst the English pronounce them as if written petron, maytron. The following rule, strictly attended to, will rectify this mistake tringh the whole language.

When the vowel a finishes a syllable, and has the accent on it, it is invariably proncunced & [dav] be the English. To this rule there are but three exceptions in the whole language, to be found *m se words father, papà, mamma. The Irish may think also the word rather an exception, as well r; and so it would appear to be in their manner of pronouncing it rather, laying the accent

Ere Principles, No. 524, 527, 559.

1 See Principles, No. 544 645

"on the vowel a; but in the English pronunciation the consonant th is taken into the first syllable, as thus, rath'er, which makes the difference.

"Whenever a consonant follows the vowel a in the same syllable, and the accent is on the conso"nant, the vowel a has always its fourth sound, as hât, mân; as also the same sound lengthened “ when it precedes the letter r, as far, bar, though the accent be on the vowel; as likewise when it pre"cedes lm, as balm, psalm. The Irish, ignorant of this latter exception, pronounce all words of that "structure as if they were written hawm, psawm, quawm, cawm, &c. In the third sound of a, marked by "different combinations of vowels or consonants, such as au, in Paul; aw, in law; all, in call; ald, "in bald; alk, in talk, &c. the Irish make no mistake, except in that of im, as before mentioned. "The second vowel, e, is for the most part sounded ee by the English, when the accent is upon it; "whilst the Irish in most words give it the sound of slender à, as in hate. This sound of è [ee] is marked by different combinations of vowels, such as ea, ei, e final mute, ee, and ie. In the two last "combinations of ee and ie, the Irish never mistake; such as in meet, seem, field, believe, &c.; but in "all the others, they almost universally change the sound of è into à. Thus in the combination ،، ea, they pronounce the words tea, sea, please, as if they were spelt tay, say, ,plays ; instead of lee, see, pleese. The English constantly give this sound to ea whenever the accent is on the vowel e, except in the following words, greal, a pear, a bear, to bear, to forbear, to strear, to lear, to cear. In all “ which the e has the sound of a in hate. For want of knowing these exceptions, the gentlemen of "Ireland, after some time of residence in Londos, are apt to fall into the general rule, and pro "L nounce these words as if spelt greet, beer, sweer, &c.

،،

"Ei is also sounded ee by the English, and as a by the Irish; thus the word deceit, receive, are pro"nounced by them as if written desale, resave, E is always sounded ee, except when a g follows it as in the words reign, feign, deign, &c.; as also in the words rein (of a bridle,) rein-deer, vein, drein, “ veil, hair, which are pronounced like rain, rain, drain, vail, air.

"The final mute e, makes the preceding e in the same syllable, when accented, have the sound of "ee, as in the words suprème, sincère, replète. This rule is almost universally broken through by “ the Irish, who pronounce all such words as if written suprame, sinsare, replate, wc. There are "but two exceptions to this rule in the English pronunciation, which are the words there, where.

"In the way of marking this sound, by a double e, as thus ee, as the Irish never make any mistakes, the best method for all who want to acquire the right pronunciation of these several combinations is, to suppose that ea, ei, and e, attended by a final mute e, are all spelt with a double e, or ee. "Ey is always sounded like a by the English when the accent is upon it; as in the words prey, convey, pronounced, pray, convay. To this there are but two exceptions, in the words key and ley, sounded kee, lee. The Irish, in attempting to pronounce like the English, often give the same sound "to ey as usually belongs to ei; thus for prey, convey, they say pree, convee.

"A strict observation of these few rules, with a due attention to the very few exceptions enume"rated above, will enable the well-educated natives of Ireland to pronounce their words exactly in "the same way as the more polished part of the inhabitants of England do, so far as the vowels arg "concerned. The diphthongs they com.nit no fault in, except in the sound of i, which has been al"ready taken notice of in the Grammar: where, likewise, the only difference in pronouncing any "of the consonants his been pointed out; which is the thickening the sounds of d and t, in certain "situations; and an easy method proposed of correcting this habit.f

"In order to complete the whole, I shall now give a list of such detached words that do not come un"der any of the above rules, as are pronounced differently in Ireland from what they are in England.

"Vide p. 11. where the true manner of pronouncing the diphthong i is pointed out; the Irish pronouncing It much in the same manner as the French."

The letter d bas always the same sound by those who pronounce English well; but the Provincials, particularly "the Irish, Scotch, and Welsh, in many words thicken the sound by a mixture of breath. Thus, though they sound the ❝d right in the positive loud and broad, in the comparative degree they thicken it by an aspiration, and sound it as if it "were written loudher, broadher. This vicious pronunciation is produced by pushing the tongue forward so as to touch "the teeth in forming that sound: and the way to cure it is easy, for as they can pronounce the a properly in the word loud, "let them rest a little upon that syllable, keeping the tongue in the position of forming d, and then let them separate it from the upper gun, without pushing it forward, and the sound der will be produced of course for the organ being ⚫ left in the position of sounding d at the end of the syllable loud, is necessarily in the position of forming the same in uttering the last syllable, unless it makes a new movement, as in the case of protruding it so as to touch the teeth. This etter is sometimes, though not often, quiescent, as in the words handkerchief, handsome, handsel.

"in pronouncing the letter t the Irish and other Provincials thicken the sound, as was before mentioned with regard # to the d; for better, they say betther; for utter, utther; and so on in all words of that structure. This faulty manner "arises from the same cause that was mentioned as affecting the sound of the d, I mean the protruding of the tongue wen -- to touch the teeth, and is curable only in the saŋto way,”

"These, after the closest attention, are all the words, not included in the rules before laid down, that I have been able to collect, in which the well-educated natives of Ireland differ from those of England."

I shall make no observations on the accuracy of this list, but desire my reader to observe, that the strongest characteristics of the pronunciation of Ireland is the rough jarring pronunciation of the leter K, and the aspiration or rough breathing before all the accented vowels. (For the true sound of R. see that letter in the Principles, No. 419.) And for the rough breathing or aspiration of the oses, the pupil should be told not to bring the voice suddenly from the breast, but to speak, as it were, from the mouth only.

It may be observed too, that the natives of Ireland pronounce rm at the end of a word so distinctly 24 to form two separate syllables. Thus storm and farm seem sounded by them as if written dr-rim, fa-n; while the English sound the r so soft and so close to them, that it seems pronounced nearly as if written stawm, faam.

Nearly the same observations are applicable to lm. When these letters end a word, they are, in Ireland. pronounced at such a distance, that helm and realm sound as if written hel-um and real-um; but in England the land m are pronounced as close as possible, and so as to form but one syllable. To remedy this, it will be necessary for the pupil to make a collection of words terminating with these consonants, and to practise them over till a true pronunciation is acquired.

Rules to be observed by the Natives of SCOTLAND, for attaining a just Pronunciation of English. THAT pronunciation which distinguishes the inhabitants of Scotland is of a very different kind

from that of Ireland, and may be divided into the quantity, quality, and accentuation of the vowels. With respect to quantity, it may be observed, that the Scotch pronounce almost all their accented Towels long. Thus, if I am not mistaken, they would pronounce habit, hay-bit; tepid, tee-pid; sinner, AFT-RET; CONSCIOUS, cone-sius; and subject, soob-ject : it is not pretended, however, that every accented Towel is so pronounced, but that such a pronunciation is very general, and particularly of the i. Tas vowel is short in English pronunciation, where the other vowels are long; thus, evasion, adheam, amation, cenyfion, have the a, e, o, and u, long; and in these instances the Scotch would pronounce them like the English; but in vision, decision, &c. where the English pronounce the i short, the Scotch lengthen this letter by pronouncing it like ee, as if the words were written vee-sion, deonem &c. and this peculiarity is universal. The best way, therefore, to correct this, will be to make a collection of the most usual words which have the vowels short, and to pronounce them daily ni a habit is formed. See Principles, No. 507.

With respect to the quality of the vowels, it may be observed, that the inhabitants of Scotland are apt to pronounce the a like a, where the English give it the slender sound: thus Satan, is proBouned Satetan, and fatal, farctul. It may be remarked too, that the Scotch give this sound to the a preceded by wr, according to the general rule, without attending to the exceptions, Principles, No, and thus, instead of making war, waft, and twang, rhyme with tax, shaft, and hang, they pronounce them so as to rhyme with bor, soft, and song. The short e in bed, fed, red, &c. borders too mach upon the English sound of a, in bad, lad, mad, &c. and the short i in bid, lid, rid, too much on the English sords of e in bed, led, red. To correct this error, it would be useful to collect the long and short sound of these vowels, and to pronounce the long ones first, and to shorten them by degrees all they are perfectly short; at the same time preserving the radical sound of the vowel in bath Thus the correspondent long sounds to the e in bed, fed, red, are bade, fade, rade; and that of the short s in bul, lid, rid, are bead, lead, read; and the former of these classes will naturally lead the ear to the true sound of the latter, the only difference lying in the quantity. The short o in not, batge, gue but is apt to slide into the short u, as if the words were written nut, ludge, gut, &c. To rectity this, it should be remembered, that this o is the short sound of aw, and ought to have the radical sound of the deep a in ball. Thus the radica' sound corresponding to the o in not, cot, sot, is Band in naught, caught, sought, &c.; and these long sounds, like the former, should be abbreviated to the short ones. But what will tend greatly to clear the difficulty will be, to remember that only the words which are collected in the Principles, No. 165, have the o sounded like short u when the #ient is upon it and with respect to the u in bull, full, pull, &c. it may be observed, that the promacuation peculiar to the English is only found in the words enumerated, Principles, No. 174. In witition to what has been said, it may be observed, that oo in food, mood, moon, soon, &c. which A always to have a long sout 1, is generally shortened in Scotland to that middle sound of the and it must be remembered, that wool, wood, good, hond, stood, foot, are the only words

where this sound of on ought to take place.

In rentiation, both in Scotland and Ireland, (if by accentuation we mean the stress, and not the kind of stress,) is so much the same as that of England, that I cannot recollect many words in wuch they dider. Indeed, if it were not so, the versification of each country would be different:

* That this is the general mode of pronouncing these words in Scotland is indisputable: and it is highly probable fuse and have proserved the old English pronunciation, from which the English themselves have insensibly depared. In. Hurkha cserved long ago, that the Scotch saxonised in their language much more than the English; and it *arty to be fun and that a situation nearer to the Continent, and a greater commercial intercourse with other The mode thar Legính admit of numberless changes which never extended to Scotland. About the reign of Queen "outerk, when the Greek and Latin languages were culuvated, and the pedantry of showing an acquaintance with farbe an fach oralde, it is not improbable that an alteration in the quantity of many words took place; for as in Laus at cont every wed before a single consouant is short, so in English almost every vowel in the same situation was mummies to be kose, or our surestors would not have doubled the consonant in the participles of verbs, to prevent the *** *g vowel ír a lengthening. But when once this affectation of Latinity was adopted, it is no wonder it should * = lære med its prœursples, and shorten several vowels in English, because they were short in the original Latin; and is ku mauser, per, ught the diversity between the quantity of the English and the Scotchi pronunciation arije, GC, bes Luna B