A SHORT TREATISE ON THE ENGLISH TONGUE.
A SHORT TREATISE ON THE ENGLISH TONGUE.
Being an Attempt to render the Reading and Pronunciation OF THE SAME More EASY to FOREIGNERS.
LONDON: Printed for R. HORSFIELD in Ludgate Street, and I. ALLIX in Glanville Street, Rathbone Place.
MDCCLXVII.
INTRODUCTION.
[v]IT is generally allowed, that the moſt eaſy method of attaining any living language is to aſſociate and converſe with thoſe who ſpeak it. Nevertheleſs, when a foreigner has by this means ſo far acquired the Engliſh tongue, that he ſhall be able to ſpeak it, and under⯑ſtand it when ſpoken, tolerably well, he will yet find himſelf greatly at a loſs, when he at⯑tempts to read: becauſe the manner of ex⯑preſſing ſounds by letters in his own language is ſo very different from ours, that many Engliſh words, which he is well acquainted with by ear, will not appear to him to be the ſame when he ſees them in writing.—For not only various ſounds are expreſſed in the Engliſh language by the ſame vowels; but alſo, in many particular words, a kind of ar⯑bitrary [vi] pronunciation is uſed, which cannot eaſily be reduced to rule, and is therefore moſt commonly taught merely by ear, or imi⯑tation.
This latter difficulty, I am afraid, cannot be removed; but, I think, it may be relieved in ſome degree, by ſeparating all ſuch words from thoſe which are capable of being taught by rule. This I have attempted, and have accordingly collected all, or the greateſt part of ſuch kind of words, under their proper heads, as exceptions to the ſeveral rules given in the following pages, together with a ſhort explanation of their ſound.—By this means a learner may have his taſk before him, and may eaſily refer to any particular word, as he ſhall have occaſion; which will greatly relieve his memory.
I have not taken notice of all the deriva⯑tives and compounds which properly belong to the ſeveral exceptions, but for the moſt part of primitive words only, for the ſake of brevity; which I hope will be thought ſuffi⯑cient, [vii] the others being naturally comprehend⯑ed therein. Many words indeed are varied according to the different poſition of the ac⯑cent, which not only ſhortens the articula⯑tion of the ſucceeding ſyllables, but in ſome words cauſes them to be ſo indiſtinctly pro⯑nounced, that it is ſometimes difficult to de⯑termine what vowels are ſounded therein: yet if the learner is but careful to give the ac⯑cented ſyllable its proper pronunciation ac⯑cording to the following rules, he will natu⯑rally fall into the cuſtomary utterance of the other ſyllables, which, as they are pronounced quick, need not be ſtudied ſo particularly.
The rules treat only of the general power of the vowels and diphthongs, becauſe in theſe conſiſt the moſt material differences between the Engliſh pronunciation and that of foreign⯑ers; but I have added thereto, by way of ap⯑pendix, a ſhort treatiſe (drawn up and com⯑municated by a friend) for the explanation of ſuch particularities alſo of the other letters as are peculiar to the Engliſh tongue.
[viii]All which together (I flatter myſelf) will be ſufficient to enable a foreigner to read and pronounce any Engliſh words with eaſe and certainty, when the ſyllables of the ſame are properly divided according to the learned Dr. Lowth's excellent rule for ſpelling, given in the 7th page of his Engliſh grammar, viz. ‘The beſt and only ſure rule for dividing the ſyllables in ſpelling, is to divide them as they are naturally divided in a right pronunciation; without regard to the deri⯑vation of words, or the poſſible combina⯑tion of conſonants at the beginning of a ſyllable.’
Mr. John Gignoux likewiſe particularly re⯑commends and explains this method, in the preface to his ſpelling-book, intituled, ‘The Child's beſt Inſtructor in Spelling and Read⯑ing.’ A title which it ſeems well to de⯑ſerve, on account of the diviſion of the ſeve⯑ral ſyllables according to the manner above-mentioned, by which it is rendered (in my opinion at leaſt) the moſt uſeful book of the ſort that has hitherto been publiſhed.
[ix]I muſt however obſerve, that the author, in his ‘Table of Words written very different from their Pronunciation,’ at page 82, has too much followed the common London pro⯑nunciation; which, tho' perhaps in general the beſt, yet has ſome very exceptionable particu⯑larities. Among which are, Potticary for Apo⯑thecary, Athiſt for Atheiſt, Awkurd for Auk⯑ward, Riccolas for Auricolas, Belcony for Balcony, Carrin for Carrion, Sirket for Cir⯑cuit, Crowner for Coroner, Gorjus for Gor⯑geous, Hankerchur for Handkerchief, I'urn for Iron, Ilan for Iſland, Spanel for Spaniel, Stum⯑much for Stomach, Sound for Swoon, Thuſty for Thirſty, Vawt for Vault, Venzun for Veni⯑ſon, Verdit for Verdict, &c.
Alſo in page 57 he ſignifies that the termi⯑nations -tial, -cial, -cian, -tious, -cious, -tient, and cient, make each of them ‘but one ſound or ſyllable.’ But however common ſuch pro⯑nunciation may be, it ought not by any means to be taught, or laid down as a rule; becauſe the Engliſh language loſes much of its ele⯑gance, [x] when it is expreſſed in ſo careleſs a manner, that any of the above-mentioned ter⯑minations ſhall ſeem but one ſyllable.
The i in all theſe terminations has the ſound of the Engliſh e; and though it is pronounced quick, yet it ought to be diſtinctly expreſſed, as in Parti-al, Soci-al, Greci-an, Capti-ous, Graci-ous, Quoti-ent, Anci-ent, &c. There fore I hope that the author, in his next edi⯑tion of that uſeful book, will make ſome al⯑teration in his explanation of theſe particu⯑lars.
Others, beſides Mr. Gignoux, have been miſled by the indiſtinct manner in which ſome particular ſyllables are ſometimes uttered even by good ſpeakers. Mr. James Buchanan in particular has given himſelf much unneceſ⯑ſary trouble, and has carried his refinements a great deal too far concerning ſyllables of this kind, which, in quick pronunciation, have ſeemed to him to partake of an articulation different from the real ſpelling. This has, un⯑fortunately, not only added great difficulty to [xi] his * performance, but rendered it almoſt in⯑capable of anſwering the good purpoſes in⯑tended by it. For he has frequently ſubſti⯑tuted an imaginary articulation of one vowel for the inarticulation, or rather the ſhort and indiſtinct ſound, of another; not conſidering that the expreſſing of an accented ſyllable in many particular words does almoſt unavoid⯑ably cauſe the ſucceeding ſyllable or ſyllables to be ſo indiſtinctly pronounced, that it is ſometimes difficult to determine what vowels are ſounded therein, as I have before ob⯑ſerved.
But when words are ſo pronounced, that in⯑ſtead of the ſhort or indiſtinct ſound of one vowel, a manifeſt articulation of another dif⯑ferent vowel may be diſtinguiſhed; it then be⯑comes a fault in ſpeech, which (howſoever common it may be) ought by no means to be [xii] imitated, much leſs taught; becauſe the ge⯑nerality of people are naturally too liable of themſelves to acquire it, without being led thereto by written inſtructions.
The following examples taken from Mr. Buchanan's book will illuſtrate what has been ſaid; viz. He has ſubſtituted -ĭl for the ter⯑minations -al, -ial, and -el, as Năivĭl, Neu⯑trĭl, Kŏmĭk [...]l, Joodeĕſhĭl, Spĕſhĭl, Quărĭl, &c. for Naval, Neutral, Comical, Judicial, Spe⯑cial, Quarrel, &c. * -in for -an, as Heumin, Orgĭn, &c. for Human, Organ, &c. -ĭnſs for -ance and -ence; and -ĭnt for -ant and -ent, as Abundinſs, Rĕvĕrinſs, Contentmĭnt, Com⯑mandmint, &c. inſtead of Abundance, Re⯑verence, Contentment, Commandment, &c. [xiii] -fŏol for -ful as Faithfoŏl, &c. iſs for eſs, as Heedlĭſs, Hăppĭnĭſs, and a great abundance of ſuch other ſyllables, equally diſtant from the true pronunciation.
As I have no other motive for giving my opinion ſo freely concerning this gentleman's performance, than the deſire of removing all unneceſſary difficulty from the learning of Engliſh, I hope he will excuſe me; even though my remarks ſhould not have ſufficient weight to convince him.
He may likewiſe aſſure himſelf, that, though I think an uniformity of pronunciation through⯑out the Britiſh dominions is more to be wiſhed than hoped for; yet I ſhould have as much real ſatisfaction as himſelf in the completion of that "great moral end," which (as he ſup⯑poſes in his preface) would be promoted thereby, viz. the removal of national preju⯑dice; an effect equally to be deſired by all lovers of their country, whether South or North Britons!
It would be much to the advantage of all thoſe who learn the Engliſh tongue, if the [xiv] ſyllables in all future editions of Engliſh dic⯑tionaries were divided according to the * me⯑thod recommended by Dr. Lowth and Mr. Gignoux before mentioned: and likewiſe if the words, which are not properly Engliſh, were diſtinguiſhed by an aſteriſk, or ſome other par⯑ticular mark placed before them; that foreign⯑ers may not conceive our language to be un⯑neceſſarily copious and difficult.
The coining of new words from other lan⯑guages to expreſs any thing, which might as conciſely and elegantly be explained in proper Engliſh words, is a kind of pedantry, which all writers ſhould endeavour to avoid: unleſs we be allowed to except thoſe who treat of na⯑tural philoſophy, medicine, ſurgery, or ſuch other ſubjects as are ſuppoſed to be read by none but thoſe who are acquainted with other languages, or at leaſt have ſome knowledge of [xv] the Latin tongue. For it ought to be the ſtudy of every writer to make his meaning as plain and intelligible in the proper language in which he writes, as he poſſibly can. Yet ſo many of our moſt eminent writers have oc⯑caſionally been guilty of the fault above men⯑tioned, that the ingenious Mr. Johnſon has thought himſelf obliged to inſert a great abun⯑dance of ſuch coined words into his excellent Engliſh dictionary; and the reverend Mr. Entick likewiſe into his very uſeful new pocket dictionary. But I cannot ſuppoſe that ſuch kind of words were admitted by theſe gen⯑tlemen as proper Engliſh words; but merely that they might explain them to Engliſh rea⯑ders; who without the knowledge of other languages cannot otherwiſe poſſibly underſtand them: which is a ſufficient proof that they are not at all intitled to the name of Engliſh words.
For how ſhould an Engliſh reader (I mean a reader merely of Engliſh) be ſuppoſed to under⯑ſtand that Ablepſy ſignifies blindneſs? Acetoſity ſourneſs? Anhelation panting? Arcanum a [xvi] ſecret? Obeſity fatneſs? Papilio a butterfly? Neoterick, modern? Paranymph a bride-man? Rugoſe wrinkled? Squalor naſtineſs? Terreous earthy? Tenebricoſe dark; Tripudiation dancing? Tumefy to ſwell? Turm a troop? and a thou⯑ſand other ſuch words, which are found in both dictionaries?
It is much to be wiſhed that all ſuch new coined words, which have only been uſed by a few authors, were diſtinguiſhed by ſome mark from the common and proper Engliſh words (as I have hinted above) in all future editions of theſe uſeful dictionaries: leſt ſo many un⯑couth and pedantick expreſſions ſhould be adopted into the Engliſh tongue by dictionary authority. Becauſe when a perſon ſees them ranged with other words in an Engliſh dic⯑tionary, he may be induced to make uſe of them as proper Engliſh words in his writing and diſcourſe, which would, at firſt, cauſe no ſmall impediment to the underſtanding of his ordinary readers and hearers.
[xvii]The accents uſed in theſe dictionaries are particularly uſeful for keeping up an uniformity in pronunciation; and it would be well if the double accents were alſo added to ſome parti⯑cular words, as in Mr. Gignoux's ſpelling book for the purpoſe mentioned in page 7 of his preface, viz. To denote, that ‘the conſonant that begins the next ſyllable muſt be alſo ſounded at the end of the ſyllable where the double accent is; as a″-tóne-ment; man″-gle; in-tan″-gle; which words muſt be ſounded as if written at-tone-ment; mang-gle; intang-gle;’ ſo in con″-quer-or; con″-cu-bine; &c.*
In my ſearch for ſuch words as are inde⯑pendent of the following rules, I made uſe of the Rev. Mr. Entick's new ſpelling dictionary; and though I examined the ſame ſo carefully, [xviii] that I believe I have not made many omiſſions, yet the whole number of particular exceptions (excluſive of their compounds and derivatives) amount to no more than † 340—which number bears a very ſmall proportion to the number of words in that dictionary; which I compute to be upwards of 23,000. This, I think, ought to prove that the Engliſh pronunciation is not ſo very irregular as it is generally thought to be; which a careful examination of the fol⯑lowing pages will more particularly ſhew.
A SHORT TREATISE ON THE ENGLISH TONGUE.
[]THE Engliſh vowels, a, e, i, o and u, have each of them * 2 ſounds, commonly called long and ſhort.
The ſounds of the three firſt vowels a, e, and i, when long, ſeem to be peculiar at preſent to this nation, wherefore they may properly be called the Engliſh ſounds.
[2]And the ſhort ſounds of theſe three vowels may, for the ſake of diſtinction, be called the foreign ſounds; becauſe they are uttered with ſcarcely any difference (except that a and i, are pronounced ſhort) from the French arti⯑culation of the ſame vowels; which ſhall be more fully explained by * examples here⯑after.
I think it neceſſary to obſerve in this place that the Engliſh ſound of the following vowels, diphthongs and terminations cannot eaſily be expreſſed in foreign letters, and ſhould there⯑fore be learned by ear, viz.
i long †, as in Bi-ble, Mi-tre, Nitre, Pirate, &c.
[3]o and u ſhort, before a conſonant in the ſame ſyllable as in Odd, Nod, Lord, &c. and in Mud, Strut, Stun, Urn, &c.
oi and oy, which have both the ſame ſound, as in Oil, Boil, Coil, Boy, Coy, Hoy, &c.
ou and ow (not like the French ou, in the pronunciation of which the lips are almoſt cloſed, but) with an open articulation as in Pound, Our, Gown, Pow-er, &c.
Alſo the following Terminations, viz.
- -ire
- -tion
- -cious
- -tious
as in Dire, Fire, Salvation, Deli⯑cious, Fictitious, &c.
The Engliſh (or long) ſound is given to the vowels a, e,Rule I. and i (and the other vowels are alſo ſounded long) when they are alone, or when there is not a conſonant following them in the ſame ſyllable (alſo before ſilent e in the end of a word; ſee the 3d rule)
- a like the French e in Bête, as in Ca-ble, Fa-ble, Sa-ble, &c.
- e like the French i in Mille, as in Be, He, E-vil, Be-ver, Le-gal, &c.
- i like the Greek * [...] or ſomething like the French i long before n in Divin, Prince, Enfin, &c. as in Bi-ble; Di-al; Fi-nal; Gi-ant, &c.
- o like the French o or au, as in Go; So; Lo-cal; Mo-ment, &c.
- u like ew in Few, Pew, &c. as in Du-ty, Fu-ry, Hu-man, &c.
- y (when a vowel) like the Engliſh i; as in the monoſyllables Buy and Guy, (where⯑in u is mute) Dry, Fry, My, Dye, &c. in the diſſyllables, Ally′, Com-ply′, De-ny′, De-ſcry′, De-fy′, Eſ-py′, Im-ply′, Re-ly′, and Re-ply′, which are ac⯑cented on the ultimate ſyllable; and in all words compounded with the Latin word Fio; as Dé-ify, Magnify, Spe⯑cify, Rarify, &c.
(Particular Exceptions concerning a, at the End of a Syllable)
[5]Except, 1ſt, a in Wa-ter, wherein it is commonly pro⯑nounced like the French a, or Engliſh diphthong aw; in Fa-ther, and the laſt ſyllable of Pa-pa, Mam-ma, wherein it has a medium ſound between aw and the Engliſh a; and in a-ny, and ma-ny, where⯑in it ſounds like a ſhort e.
(Particular Exceptions concerning i)
2dly,i in ac-qui-eſce, Bi-er, Pi-er, and Tier, wherein it ſounds like the Engliſh e.
(General Exceptions concerning i)
3dly,i is pronounced ſhort before another vowel in the termination of all words of more than 2 ſyllables, when it is not radical; as in A′mĭ-able, De-mo-nĭ-ac′k, Ca′r-rĭ-age, So′-cĭ-al, Wi′l-lĭ-am, Sty′g-ĭ-an, Da′l-lĭ-ance, Va′l-ĭ-ant, Spăn-ĭ-ard, A′-pĭ-ary, So′-cĭ-ate, In-ſid-ia′tor, Al-le-vĭ a′tion, Ma′r-rĭ-ed, A-lĭ-en, Co′n-ſcĭ-ence, Am′-bĭ-ent, [6] Gla-zĭ-er, Spe′-cĭ-es, Se-rag″-lĭ-o, Ax′-i-om, Poſ-te′-rĭ-or, Wa′r-rĭ-our, Con′-ſcĭ-ous, I′d-ĭ-ot, Pre′-mĭ-um, &c. But in the proper names Ma-r-i′a and So-ph-i′a, when given to Engliſh women, it is pronounced accord⯑ing to rule. Alſo, in A′ffi′-ance, and the derivatives from the diſſyllables ending in y, which are mentioned in the example: as Al-li′-ance, Com-pli′-ance, De-ni′-al, De-fi′-ance, and Re-li′-ance, wherein the i * re⯑tains the ſound of the y in the original words, and is accented accordingly.
Particular Exceptions concerning o.
Except, 4thly,o in Do (and its compounds) To, and Who, which is commonly pronounced like oo; though the latter (Who) is pro⯑nounced [7] according to the rule in the nor⯑thern parts of England.
5thly,u, in the firſt ſyllable of Cu-cumber, which is commonly pronounced like the Engliſh ou hereafter explained.
General Exception concerning y.
6thly,y, at the end of all words of two or more ſyl⯑lables (except thoſe mentioned in the ex⯑ample) is pronounced like a ſhort i, as in Carry, Envy, Commiſſary, &c. the accent being laid on one of the former ſyllables.
Of vowels in ſyllables ending with a con⯑ſonant.
[...]ule II.The vowels are pronounced ſhort in all ſyl⯑lables ending with a conſonant (except in the particular caſes hereafter noted) and the three firſt vowels have the foreign articulation, with⯑out any other material difference, except that of being pronounced ſhort.
[8]
- a has a ſhort articulation of the Engliſh aw, or rather of the Italian a, as in Add, Bad, Lad, Mad, &c.
- e has exactly the ſound of the * Italian or French é, as in Bed, Fed, Led, Red, &c.
- i has a ſhort articulation of the † French i, or Engliſh e, as in Bid, Did, Hid, Kid, &c.
- The ſhort ſound of the two other vow⯑els (viz. o and u) muſt be acquired by ear, as I have before obſerved (ſee exam⯑ples of theſe vowels in p. 3. of this trea⯑tĭſe.)
Particular Exceptions concerning a before a conſonant.
Except, 1ſt,a in A′n-gel, Baſs, Ca′m-brick, Ca′m-bridge, Da′n-ger, and Ma′n-ger, is commonly ſound⯑ed like the French diphthong ai; in han't (for have not) Ma′ſ-ter, and Pla′ſ-ter, it [9] has a medium ſound between aw and the Engliſh a; and in Hal-ſer (wherein l is mute) Falſe, and Palſy, it is commonly pronounced like aw.
General Exceptions concerning a before a conſonant.
2dly,a has the ſound of aw likewiſe before ld and lt, as in Bald, Cal-dron, Altar, &c.; in all primitive monoſyllables ending in ll (except ſhall and Mall, which are pronounced ac⯑cording to rule) as in All, Gall, Fall, &c.; and before lk (wherein l is mute) as Balk, Stalk, Walk, Talk, &c.: but before lf, lm, lve, and before nd in words derived from the Latin word Mando, it is ſounded like the Italian a, only ſomewhat longer, as in Half, Calm, Salve, Command, Demand, &c.
Particular Exceptions concerning c before a conſonant.
Except, 3dly,e in England, Pretty, Yes, and Yet, wherein it is pronounced like a ſhort ĭ, and in Yel⯑low like a ſhort ă.
General Exception concerning e before s.
[10]4thly,e is pronounced long before * s in the ulti⯑mate of plural nouns, and third perſons ſingular of verbs when preceded by c, s, z, or g, as in Fa′-ces, Ho′r-ſes, Aſ-ſi′-zes, Ra′-ges, &c.; but in all other terminations with ſilent e (except in Latin words) the es may be ſounded in the ſame ſyllable, as Bride Brides, Ride Rides, Name Names, &c.
Particular Exceptions concerning i before a conſonant.
5thly,i in Blithe, Endict, and Indict (wherein c is mute) Mild, Pint, and Wild, retains its Engliſh, or long ſound; alſo in Child and Chriſt, but not in their Derivatives, Chil⯑dren, Chriſten, and Chriſtian.
General Exceptions concerning i before a con⯑ſonant.
[11]6thly,i is likewiſe ſounded long in all primitive words (and their compounds and deriva⯑tives) ending in nd; as Bind, Rind, Wind, &c.; though in Wind, the ſubſtantive, and its compounds, it is ſometimes pronounced ſhort.
It is alſo ſounded long before gh, as in High, Nigh, Light, &c. in which gh is mute, having no other uſe than that of lengthening the i.
It is long alſo before gn at the end of a word (and the g is mute) as in Benign, Sign, and its compounds Conſign, Deſign, &c. and their Derivatives in -er, -ed, -edly, and -ment, but no others; for in Re-ſig-na-tion, Con-ſig-na-tion, Sig-nif-i-ed, &c. the i is ſhort according to rule, and the g is pro⯑nounced.
General Exceptions concerning o before con⯑ſonants.
[12]Except, 7thly,o in all words ending in ld and lt, as Beho′ld, Bold, Cold, Bolt, Colt, &c. and all their compounds and derivatives, retains its long ſound.
Particular Exceptions of o before a conſo⯑nant.
8thly,o is alſo pronounced long in Boll, Bolſter, Comb (wherein b is mute) Control, Droll, Folk (wherein l is mute) Force, Fort, Ghoſt, Groſs, Ho′lſter, Hoſt, Moſt, Only, Poſt, Poll, Pat-ro′ll, Port, Roll, Scroll, Sloth, Sport, and Sword (wherein w is mute) Stroll, Toll, and Troll, and in their com⯑pounds, &c. But in Compt and its com⯑pounds, Ac-compt, &c. it ſounds like the Engliſh diphthong ou, as if ſpelt Count, Ac-count, &c.
It has the ſound of a ſhort u * in Af-fro′nt, At-to′r-ney, Bomb, Bo′r-age, [13] Bo′r-ough, Bro′th-er, Co′l-our, Co′m-fits, Co′m-fort, Co′m-pany, Co′m-paſs, Co′n-duit, Co′n-ey, Co′n-ſta-ble, Co′z-en, Co′v-e-nant, Co′v-er, Co′v-et, Co′v-ey, Diſ-co′m-fit, Do′z-en, Go′v-ern, Ho′n-ey, Lo′n-don, Mo′n-day, Mon-ey, Monk, Mo″n-key, Mo″n-ger, Mo″n-grel, Mo′nth, Mo′th-er, On-ion, O′th-er, O′v-en, Po′m-mel, Po′th-er, Ro′m-age, Ront, Son, Sho′v-el, Slo′v-en, Smo′th-er, Ton, Tho′r-ough-ly, Won, Wo′n-der, Word, World, Work, Worm, Wor-ſted, Worth, Wo′m-an (in the ſingular only, the plural being pro⯑nounced as if ſpelt Wimmen) Wo′r-ry, Wort, Wo′r-ſhip, and their compounds, &c. except Diſ-co′v-er and Re-co′v-er, which are pronounced according to rule.
It is moſt commonly ſounded like oo in Tomb and Womb (wherein b is ſilent) Lo-ſer, Gold, Whom, and Whoſe *: and is mute in Jeo′p-ar-dy, Leo′p-ard, and Peo⯑ple, [14] which are pronounced as if written Je′p-par-dy, Lep-pard, and Pee-ple.
Particular Exceptions of u before a conſonant.
Except, 9thly,u in Bu-ſy, and its compounds, &c. which is commonly pronounced like a ſhort i, and the s like z.
Of Vowels in Syllables ending with ſilent e.
Rule III.But when e or ue follow a conſonant in the ſame ſyllable, the preceding vowel re⯑tains its original open or long ſound.
EXAMPLES. Ace, Face, Rece′de, Dice, Vote, Con-fu′te, Vague, Vogue, Col-le′gue, &c. Alſo, Ad-vice, De-vi′ce, En-ti′ce, Suf-fi′ce, Sac-rif-i′ce, A⯑li′ve, Con-ni′ve, Con-tri′ve, De-pri′ve, De⯑ri′ve, Re-vi′ve, and Sur-vi′ve, which are ac⯑cented on the laſt ſyllable.
The vowel a is ſounded long even be⯑fore two conſonants, when they are followed by e in the ſame ſyllable (except before -nce) as ĭn Ache, Haſte, Waſte, Change, Grange, Range, &c. and their compounds and derivatives; but the other four vowels [15] are ſounded ſhort in the like caſe, as in Fringe, Revenge, Solve, Serve, Tinge, Sludge, Grudge, &c.
Note,That derivatives from words ending in e for the moſt part retain their original ſound, even when the e is omitted, as Spar⯑ing, -ed, from Spare; Waſt-er, -ing, ed, from Waſte; Rang-er, -ing, ed, from Range, &c.
General Exception.
Except, 1ſt,Words having the accent on the penul⯑tima or antepenultima: in all which the laſt ſyllable, being ſhort, is pronounced as if the e and ue final were abſent, as in Ca′l-a-mine, Ca′th-er-ine, Ca′t-a-logue, De′c-a-logue, De-po′ſ-ite, De′ſ-tine, De-te′r-mine, Diſ-fra′n-chiſe, Do′c-trine, E′n-gine, E′p-il-ogue, Ex-quiſ-ite, Gra′n-ite, Har-a′ngue, Fi′-nite, and its compounds, Ma′r-it-ime, Me′d-ic′-ine, Mi′n-ute (not the adjective for ſmall) Mor-tiſe, Pe′d-a-gogue, Pra′c-tiſe (verb) Pro′l-ogue, Pro′m-iſe, Sap″-phire, Syn′-a-gogue, Tre′a-tiſe, and U-rine.
Particular Exceptions.
[16]2dly,The following monoſyllables are likewiſe exceptions to this rule, viz. Dare (the verb) Give, Gone, Have, Live, and One *; all which are pronounced as if e final was abſent.Except, 3dly,
There, Were, and Where, which are com⯑monly pronounced as if ſpelt with the diphthong ai, Thair, Wair, and Whair; but in all other words (except what are mentioned above) the vowels a, e, i, or y, when they come before † -re final, are ſounded long according to the third rule, as in Are, Care, Here, Mere, Deſire, Fire, Lyre, &c. as if ſpelt Air, Cair, Heer, Meer, De⯑ſier, &c.
Particular Exceptions concerning i in ſylla⯑bles ending with ſilent e.
Except, 4thly,i in Writhe and O-blige, wherein it is com⯑monly ſounded like ee (though in the [17] northern parts of England the latter is ſounded according to rule).
General Exceptions concerning i in ſyllables ending with ſilent e.
5thly,i in all adjectives of more than one ſylla⯑ble ending in -ile, and in all words (except thoſe mentioned in the above example) ending in ice and ive, is pronounced ſhort, as in Se′r-vile, Ju′-ven-ile, Ca′p-rice, Ma′l-ice, En′-dive, Po′ſ-it-ive, &c.
Particular Exceptions concerning o in ſylla⯑bles ending with ſilent e.
6thly,o in A-bo′ve, Come, Co′me-ly, Done, Dove, Glove, Love, Po′re-blind, Some, Shove, Sponge, Tongue, and Worſe, wherein it is ſounded like a ſhort u; and in Loſe, Move, Prove, and Rome, wherein it is commonly pro⯑nounced like oo.
Of Proper Diphthongs.
[18]Proper Diphthongs have ſounds of their own, different from the long and ſhort ſounds of the Engliſh vowels.
Rule IV
- au
- aw
are pronounced like the French a in Ame.
Exam⯑ples. Maul, Paul, Sprawl, Law, Saw &c.
Particular Exceptions.
Except, Auf (more commonly ſpelt Oaf) and Hautboy, wherein au is pronounced like a long o; Cauliflower, where it is pronounced like a ſhort o; and Gauge, wherein it is commonly ſounded like the Engliſh a long.
Rule V.
- oi
- oy
The proper articulation of theſe diph⯑thongs is that which is given them in the Engliſh words Oil, Boil, Coy, Hoy, &c.
(See Liſt of Vowels, Diphthongs, &c. which cannot be expreſſed in foreign Letters, page 3.)
[19] Except, Tor-toiſe, wherein oi is commonly ſounded like ſhort u.
Rule VIoo is pronounced like the French ou in Bout.
Examp' Boot, Broom, Loop, Moor, Poor, &c.
Except, Blood, Flood, Foot, Good, Hood, Stood, Soot, Wood, and Wool, wherein oo is not pronounced ſo full, but partakes a little of the ſound of a ſhort u. Except alſo * Door and Floor, wherein oo has the ſound of o long.
Rule VII.
- ou
- ow
The proper pronunciation of theſe diph⯑thongs is that which is given them in the Engliſh words Bound, Found, Crown, Cow, Flow-er, Sow (noun), Coward, &c. A more particular account of this ſound is given in page 3.
Particular Exceptions concerning ou.
[20]Except, 1ſt,ou in Bou′ge, Bou′g-et (commonly written Budge and Budget) Bo′r-ough, Cou′n-try, Cou″-ple, Cou′r-age, Cou′ſ-in, Dou″-ble, Dou′b-let, Jou′r-nal, Jou′r-ney, Mounch, Nou′r-iſh, Tho′r-ough-ly, Tho′r-ough-fare, Trou″-ble, Touch, * Scourge, Shou′d, Cou′d, and Wou'd, wherein it is pronounced like a ſhort u; alſo in Enough, Rough, Slough (when it ſignifies the part which ſeparates from a ſore) and Tough; in all which the gh final ſounds like f; but in Cough, Lough (or Lake) and Trough, it is pronounced like a ſhort o, as if ſpelt Coff, Loff, and Troff. Except alſo in Coul-ter, Courſe, (and its compounds Diſcourſe, &c.) Court, Dough, Four, Fur-lough, Gourd, Mourn, Mould, Moult, Poult, Poul-try, Poul-ter⯑er, Poul-tice, Shoul-der, Soul, Though, wherein ou is ſounded like o long; and [21] like oo in Bouſe, Ca-rouſe, Gouge, Through, and Un-couth.
General Exceptions concerning ou.
[...]cept, [...]dly,ou before ght, which has a medium ſound be⯑tween aw and o long, as in Ought, Bought, Thought, &c. and in the termination of words of more than one ſyllable, in -our and -ous, wherein it ſounds like a ſhort u, as in Ho-nour, Sa-viour, Pi-ous, Righ-teous, &c.
Particular Exceptions concerning ow.
[...]cept, [...]dly,ow in Bow when it ſignifies a weapon, or ſeg⯑ment of a circle; but in the word Bow it is pronounced according to rule; in Bowl (or Baſon, not in Bowl the verb, nor its deriva⯑tives, &c.) Blow, Crow, Flow, Flown (from Fly) Glow, Grow, Know, Low, Mow, Owe, Own, Prow, Prowl, Row, Sow (the verb) Show, Slow, Snow, Strow, Stow, Tow (noun and verb) Trow, and Throw, and their de⯑rivatives, &c. wherein it ſounds like o long.
General Exception concerning ow.
[22]Except, 4thly, ow final in words of more than one ſyllable, which is ſounded like a ſhort o, the w be⯑ing mute; as in Ba′r-row, Be′llow, Fo′l-low, &c. Three words are independent of this exception, viz. Al-low, wherein ow is pronounced according to the rule, and Be-low and Beſtow, wherein it ſounds like o long.
Note,Many of the words contained in the above exceptions are pronounced in the broad dialects of the northern parts of Eng⯑land as they are ſpelt; that is, ou and ow are pronounced according to the VIIth rule, as in Bound, Cow, &c. viz. Trough (making gh ſilent) Four, Mould, Moult, Poultry, Poultice, Shoulder, Bowl (or Ba⯑ſon) Glow, Grow, Mow, Owe, Own, Strow, Trow, Ought, Bought, &c.
Of Improper Diphthongs.
Improper Diphthongs take the ſound of but one of their vowels, the other being mute.
[23] Rule VIII.
- ai
- ay
- ey
are pronounced like the French ai, or Engliſh a long.
Exam⯑ples. Dainty, Bail, Gain, Day, May, Grey, Prey, Convey, Obey, Survey, Bey, Dey, &c.
Particular Exceptions concerning ai.
Except, 1ſt,ai in Vil-lain and Mur-rain, and ſometimes in Said, is pronounced like a ſhort e.
General Exception concerning ai.
Except, 2dly,ai when alone or at the end of a ſyllable, as in A-chai-a, and the Hebrew names Ben-a′i-ah, Iſ-a′i-ah, Mi-cai-ah, Cai-a-phas, &c: wherein it is pronounced like the Greek [...] or Engliſh i long.
Particular Exceptions concerning ey.
Except, 3dly, ey in Hey! and Hey-day! wherein it is ſounded like the Engliſh i, and in Ceylon, Key, and Sey-mour, wherein it is pronounced like the Engliſh e or French i.
General Exception concerning ey.
[24]Except, 4thly,ey at the end of words of more than one ſyl⯑lable (when the accent is placed on a for⯑mer ſyllable, as in A′l-ley, At-to′r-ney, B′ar-ley, Ga′l-ley, Ho′n-ey, &c.) is pronounced like a ſhort i.
Rule IX.
- ae
- ea
- ee
- ei
- ie
- oe
are pronounced like the French i in Fille, or the Engliſh e long.
Exam⯑ples. Daemon (or Demon) Beat, Dear, Lead, and Read (verbs) Meet, Feet, Re-ceipt, De-ceit, De-ceive, Ceil-ing, Seign-iory, Seize, Shield, Re-prieve, Grief, Foetus, Sub-poena, &c.
Particular Exceptions concerning ea.
Except, 1ſt,ea is pronounced like the French é in Bread, Break-faſt, Breaſt, Breath (noun only) Cleanly, and Cleanſe (not in Clean) Dead, [25] Deaf, Death, Dread, En-deav-our, Fea⯑ther, Head, He′av-en, He′av-y, Je′al-ous, Le′av-en, Lead (metal) Le′ath-er, Me′aſ⯑ure, Miſ-tea′ch, Pea′ſ-ant, Phe′aſ-ant, Plea′ſ⯑ant, Ple′aſ-ure, Pea′ſ-cod, Read-y, Realm, Read (only in preter tenſe and participle paſſive) Stead-y, In-ſtead, Spread, Sweat, Teat, Thread, Threat-en, Trea′ch-ery, Tread, Tre′aſ-ure, Wea′th-er, Wea′p-on, Wreak, Zea′l-ous, Zeal-ot (not in Zeal) Yeaſt, and their compounds and derivatives not al⯑ready excepted. But in Bear *, Break, Great, Swear, Tear (the verb) Wear, Wheal, and Weal (the mark of a ſtripe, but not in Weal for proſperity) it is com⯑monly ſounded like the French diphthong ai; and like a ſhort a in Hear-ken, Hearth, and Heart.
Except, 2dly,General Exceptions concerning ea.
But in all other words before r, when another conſonant follows in the ſame ſyl⯑lable, [26] it is ſounded like er or ir, as in Dearth, Earl, Earn, Ea′rn-eſt, Earl-y, Earth, Hearſe, Heard, Learn, &c.
ea before three conſonants in the ſame ſyllable is pronounced like the French é, as in Health, Breadth, Wealth, &c.
Except, 3dly,Particular Exceptions concerning ee.
ee in Breech (noun and verb) Breechings, and Breeches, which are pronounced like a ſhort i.
Except, 4thly,Particular Exceptions concerning ei.
ei in Sleight (Artifice) in which it is pro⯑nounced like the long Engliſh i; but it is like a ſhort i in Fo′r-feit and Su′r-feit; like a ſhort e in For-eign, and Hei-fer; and like the diphthong ai in Hei′n-ous, Heir, Leiſ⯑ure (though ſometimes like a ſhort e in Lei′ſ-ure) Skein, Their, Veil, and Vein.
Except, 5thly,General Exceptions concerning ei.
ei is pronounced like the long Engliſh i when it is not followed by a conſonant in the [27] ſame ſyllable; as in Plei′-a-des, Hei′-del⯑berg; Hei-den-heym, Rei-gate, &c. but in ei-ther and nei-ther it is ſometimes pro⯑nounced like the Engliſh a long, and ſometimes according to rule, like the Eng⯑liſh e long.
It has the ſound of the Engliſh a in all words wherein it precedes -gh, gn, and -nt in the ſame ſyllable, as Weigh, Freight, Deign, Feign, &c. (in all which g is mute) Feint, Teint, &c. except in three words men⯑tioned above, viz. Sleight, Seignory, and Foreign.
Except, 6thly,Particular Exceptions concerning ie.
ie in Friend, wherein it ſounds like a ſhort e; and Sieve, wherein it ſounds like a ſhort i.
General Exceptions concerning ie and oe.
7thly,
- ie
- oe
at the end of a word are always pro⯑nounced like the firſt vowel in each diphthong, viz. ie like i long, and oe like o long, as in Die, Foe, &c. except in two words, Shoe and Ca′n-oe, wherein oe is commonly pronounced like oo.
[28] Note,The ſame is to be obſerved of the diph⯑thongs ue and ye, at the end of a word; the former being pronounced like a long u, and the latter like a long i; as in Due, Pye, &c. the ſame likewiſe when s is added to make the plural of nouns, or third perſon ſingular of verbs, as Dies, Foes, Dues, Pyes, &c. and the s ſo added is pronounced like z.
- Rule X.-eu
- -ew
- -iew
are ſounded like a ſingle u long.
Examples. Europe, Eu-nuch, Brew, Dew, View, &c.
Except *,ew in Sew, which is commonly ſounded like a long o.
Rule XIoa is pronounced like o long.
Examples. Boat, Coat, Groan, Moan, &c. in Broad, Except, A-broad, and Groat, wherein it partakes a little of the ſound of aw; and in Goal (when it ſignifies a priſon) it [29] ſounds like ai, and the G is pronounced ſoft, as if ſpelt Jail.
- Rule XII.ue
- ui
before a conſonant in the ſame ſyllable have the ſhort ſound of the laſt vowel in each diphthong; viz. ue like a ſhort e as in Gueſs, Gueſt, &c.; and ui like a ſhort i, as in Build, Guild, Conduit, &c. But in words ending with ſilent e, the diphthong ui is pronounced like the Engliſh i long, according to the third rule, as in Guide, Guile, Diſguiſe, &c.
Except, 1ſt,Particular Exceptions.
The following words, wherein the u alone is pronounced, viz. Bruiſe, Cruiſe, Fruit, Juice, Nui-ſance, Pur-ſuit, Re⯑cruit, Sluice, Suit, and Suit-or, which are ſounded as if ſpelt Bruze, Cruze, Nu⯑ſance, &c.
Note,When ua, ue, ui, and uo follow Q in the ſame ſyllable, the u has the power of w, which power cannot more eaſily be ex⯑plained to foreigners, than by comparing it to the ſound of u in the French word Quoi! or Quoy! as in Qua′r-rel, Quack, Queſtion, Quick, Quite, Quit, Quote, &c.
A TABLE of Words which are inde⯑pendent of the foregoing Rules and Excep⯑tions, with the common Pronunciation of each expreſſed in Italicks.
[30]BUOY Boey, Victuals Vittles, Colonel Curnel, George Jorge, Lieutenant Leuf⯑tenant, Quay Kee, Two Too, Yacht Yot, Yeo⯑man Yewman, Yelk or Yolk (of an egg) Yoke.
A TABLE of Foreign Words which ſtill retain their original Pronunciation (or nearly ſo) notwithſtanding that they are in a manner adopted, by frequent Uſe, into the Engliſh Language.
ACcoutre, Antique, Archives, Arriere, Banditti, Beau, Bureau, Caviare, Car⯑touch, Connoiſſeur, Courier, Croup, Cuiraſs, Environ, Eſcritoire, Faſcine, Groupe, In⯑trigue, Lieu, Machine, Magazine, Marine, Palanquin, Pas, Piquant, Pique, Piquet, Po⯑lice, Poltron, Ponton, Prame, Profile, Ren⯑dezvous, Roquelaure, Rouge, Scout, Sophi, Soup, Tête-à-tête, Tornado, Toupee, Tour, Tranſmarine, Vermicelli, Violoncello, Jonquil, Adieu.
A TABLE or INDEX of the Words, which (with their ſeveral Compounds and Derivatives) are Exceptions to the foregoing Rules; viz.
[]| A | Vowels. | Sounded like | Rule. | Exception. | Page. | |
| A-Bo′ve | Au-deſſus | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| A-bro′ad | Dehors | oa | aw | 11 | 1 | 28 |
| Ac-qui-e′ſce | Acquieſcer | i | ē | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Af-fro′nt | Affront | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| An′-gel | Ange | a | Ā | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| A′-ny | Aucun | a | ĕ | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| At-to′r-ney | Procureur | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Auf | Sol | au | ō | 4 | 1 | 18 |
| B | ||||||
| Baſs | Baſſe | a | ā | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Bear (noun & verb) | Ours et Supporter | ea | ai | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Be-lo′w | En-bas | ow | ō | 7 | 4 | 22 |
| Be-ſto′w | Donner | ow | ||||
| Bi′-er | Une Biére | i | ē | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Blith | Joyeux | i | ī | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Blood | Sang | oo | ŭ | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| Blow | Coup, Souffler | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Boll | Tige | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Bol-ſter | Chevet | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Bomb | Bombe | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Bo′r-age | Bourache | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Bor-ough | Bourg | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| 7 | 1 | 20 | ||||
| Bouge | S′enfler | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Bou′g-et | Bougette | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Bouſe | Boire avec excés | ou | oo | 7 | 1 | 21 |
| Bow (noun) | Arc | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Bowl (or Baſin) | Baſſin | |||||
| Bread | Pain | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 24 |
| Break | Rompre | ea | ā | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Break-faſt | Déjeuné | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 24 |
| B′eaſt | Poitrine | ea | ||||
| Breath (noun) | Haleine | ea | ||||
| Bree′ch, -es, -ings | Feſſes, Culotte | ee | ĭ | 9 | 3 | 26 |
| Broad | Large | oa | aw | 11 | 1 | 28 |
| Bro′th-er | Frere | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Bruiſe | Contuſion | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| Bu′ſy | Occupe | u | ĭ | 2 | 9 | 14 |
| C | ||||||
| Cam-brick | Batiſte | a | ā | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Cam-bridge | Cambridge | a | ā | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Can-o′e | Canoe | oe | oo | 9 | 7 | 27 |
| Car-ou′ſe | Faire la débauche | ou | oo | 7 | 1 | 21 |
| Cau′-lif-lower | Choux-fleur | au | ŏ | 4 | 1 | 18 |
| Cey′-lon | Ceylon | ey | ē | 8 | 3 | 23 |
| Child but not their deriva⯑tives. | Enfant | i | ī | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Chriſt but not their deriva⯑tives | Chriſt | |||||
| Clean-ly not in clean | Propre | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 24 |
| Cleanſe not in clean | Nettoyer | |||||
| Co′l-our | Couleur | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Comb | Peigne | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Come | Venir | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Come-ly | (De bonne grace) | o | ŭ | |||
| Comfits | Confitures | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Com-fort | Conſolation | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Com-pany | Compagnie | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Com-paſs | Contour | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Compt | Compte | o | ou | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Con-duit | Conduit | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Con-ey | Lapin | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Con-ſta-ble | (Commiſſaire de quartier) | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Con-trol | Controller (laſt ſyl.) | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Cou′d | (Verbe) | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Cov-en-ant | Accord | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Cov-er | Couverture | |||||
| Cov-et | Convoiter | |||||
| Cov-ey | Volée d′ oiſeaux | |||||
| Cough | Toux | ou | ŏ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Coul-ter | (Soc de charrüe) | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Coun-try | Pays | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Cou-ple | Couple | |||||
| Cour-age | Courage | |||||
| Courſe (Diſ⯑courſe, &c.) | Cours | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Court | Cour | |||||
| Cou′ſ-in | Couſin | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Coz-en (verb) | Duper | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Crow | Corneille | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Cruiſe | Croiſer | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| Cu′-cum-ber | Co′ncombre (1ſt ſyll.) | u | ou | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| D | ||||||
| Da′n-ger | Danger | a | ā | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Dare | Oſer | a | ă | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| Dead | Mort | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 24 |
| Deaf | Sourd | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 24 |
| Death | La mort | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 24 |
| Diſcomfit | Défaire | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Do | Faire | o | oo | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Done | Fait | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Door | Porte | oo | ō | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| Dove | Colombe | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Dou″-ble | Doubler | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Doub-let | Doublet | |||||
| Dough | Pâte | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Doz-en | Douzaine | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Dread | Crainte | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 24 |
| Droll | Comique | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| E | ||||||
| En-de′av-our | Effort | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| En-dict & Indict | Stiler | i | ī | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Eng-land | Angleterre | e | ĭ | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| En-ou′gh | Aſſez | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| F | ||||||
| Falſe | Faux | a | au | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Fa′-ther | Pere | a | aw | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Fea′-ther | Plume | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Flood | Deluge | oo | ŭ | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| Floor | Plancher | oo | ō | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| Flow | Couler | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Flown (from Fly) | Echapé | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Folk | Gens | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Foot | Pied | oo | ŭ | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| Force | Force | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Fort | Fort | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Fo′r-eign | Etranger | ei | ĕ | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| 9 | 5 | 27 | ||||
| Fo′r-feit | Amende | ei | ī | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Four | Quatre | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Friend | Ami | ie | ĕ | 9 | 6 | 27 |
| Fruit | Fruit | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| Fu′r-lough | Congé | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| G | ||||||
| Gauge | Jauge | au | ā | 4 | 1 | 18 |
| Ghoſt | Eſprit | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Give | Donner | i | ĭ | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| Glove | Gand | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Glow | (Etre allumé) | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Goal | Priſon (G ſoft) | oa | ā | 11 | 1 | 28 |
| Gold | Or | o | oo | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Gone | Allé | o | ŏ | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| Good | Bon | oo | ŭ | 6 | 1 | 16 |
| Go′v-ern | Gouverner | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Gouge | Gouge | ou | oo | 7 | 1 | 21 |
| Gourd | Citrouille | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Great | Grand | ea | ā | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Groat | (Piece de 4 ſols) | oa | aw | 11 | 1 | 28 |
| Groſs | Gros | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Grow | Croitre | ou | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| H | ||||||
| Ha′l-ſer | Hauſiere (l mute) | a | aw | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Han′t (for have not) | (Verbe) | a | aw | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Have | Avoir | a | ă | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| Hau′t-boy | Hautbois (t mute) | au | ō | 4 | 1 | 18 |
| Head | Tête | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Hea′r-ken | Ecouter | ea | ă | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Heart | Coeur | ea | ă | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Hearth | Foyer | ea | ă | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Hea′v-en | Le ciel | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Heav-y | Péſant | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Hei′f-er | Géniſſe | ei | ĕ | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Hei′n-ous | Odieux | ei | ā | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Heir | Heritier (h mute) | ei | ā | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Hey! He′y-day! | Ouais! | ey | ī | 8 | 3 | 23 |
| Ho′l-ſter | (Fourreau de piſtolet | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Hon-ey | Miel | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Hood | Coiffe | oo | ŭ | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| Hoſt | Hôte | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| I | ||||||
| Jea′l-ous | Jaloux | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Jeop-ard-y | Peril | eo | ĕ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| In-ſtead | Au lieu | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Journal | Journal | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Jour-ney | Voïage | |||||
| Juice | Jus | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| K | ||||||
| Key | Clef | ey | ee | 8 | 3 | 23 |
| Know | Sçavoir | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| L | ||||||
| Lead (noun) | Plomb | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Lea′th-er | Cuir | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Lea′v-en | Levain | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Lei′ſ-ure | Loiſir | ei | ā and ſome⯑times ĕ | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Leo′-pard | Leopard | eo | ĕ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Live | Vivre | i | ĭ | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| Lo′n-don | Londres | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Loſe,-er | Perdant | o | oo | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| 2 | 8 | 13 | ||||
| Love | Amour | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Lough (or Lake) | Lac | o | ŏ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Low | Bas | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| M | ||||||
| Ma-ma′ | Maman | a | aw | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Ma′n-ger | Mangeoire | a | ā | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Ma′-ny | Pluſieurs | a | ĕ | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Ma′ſ-ter | Maître | a | aw | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Mea′ſ-ure | Meſure | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Mild | Doux | i | ī | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Miſ-tea′ch | Enſeigner mal | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Mo′n-day | Lundi | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Mo′n-ey | L′argent | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| -Mon-ger | Vendeur | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Mon″-grel | Métif | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Monk | Moine | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Mon″-key | Singe | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Month | Mois | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Moſt | Le plus, la plus, &c. | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Mo′th-er | Mére | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Move | Mouvoir | o | oo | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Mould | Moule | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Moult | Muer | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Mounch | Manger | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Mourn | Deplorer | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Mow | Faucher | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Mu′r-rain | Mortalité parmi les bêtes | ai | ĕ | 8 | 1 | 23 |
| N | ||||||
| Nou′-riſh | Nourrir | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Nui′ſ-ance | Incommodité | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| O | ||||||
| O-bli′ge | Obliger (ſometimes) | i | ee | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| One | Un, une | o | ŏ | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| On′-ion | Oignon (1ſt ſyll.) | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| On′-ly | Seul (ſometimes) | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| O′th-er | Autre | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Ov-en | Four | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Owe, Own | Devoir, confeſſer | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| P | ||||||
| Pa′l-ſey | Paralyſie | a | aw | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| Pa-pa | Papa | a | aw | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Pa-tro′l | Patrouille | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Pea′ſ-ant | Payſan | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Pea′ſ-cod | (Coſſe de pois) | |||||
| Peo′-ple | Peuple | eo | ē | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Phea′ſ-ant | Faiſand | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Pi-er | Jettée | i | ē | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Pint | Chopine | i | ī | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Pla′ſ-ter | Emplâtre | a | aw | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Plea′ſ-ant | Agréable | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Plea′ſ-ure | Plaiſir | |||||
| Poll | Tête | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Port | Port | |||||
| Poſt | Poſte | |||||
| Po′m-mel | Pommeau | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Po′th-er | Embarras | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Po′re-blind | (qui a lavue courte) | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Poult | Coup de main | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Poul-try, Pou′l-ter-er | Volaille, Pou⯑lailler | |||||
| Pou′l-tice | Cataplâme | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Pre′t-ty | Joli | e | ĭ | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Prove | Prouver | o | oo | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Prow | Proüe | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Prowl | Roder | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Pur-ſui′t | Pourſuite | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| R | ||||||
| Read (perfect tenſe; parti⯑ciple paſſive) | Lû | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Rea′d-y | Prêt | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Realm | Royaume | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Re-cruit | Recrüe | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| Roll | Un roûleau | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Ro′m-age | Perquiſition | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Rome | Rome | o | oo | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Ront | Animal nain | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Rough | Rude | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Row, noun & verb | Rang, ramer | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| S | ||||||
| Said | Dit | ai | ĕ | 8 | 1 | 23 |
| Scourge | Fleau | ou | ŭ & ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Scro′ll | Une bande | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Sew | Coudre | ew | ō | 10 | 1 | 28 |
| Sey-mour | Sey-mour (nom) | ey | ē | 8 | 3 | 23 |
| Shoe | Un ſoulier | oe | oo | 9 | 7 | 27 |
| Shou′d | (Verbe) | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Shove | Pouſſer | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Shov-el | Une péle | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Shou′l-der | Epaule | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Show | Montrer | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Sieve | Crible | ie | ĭ | 9 | 6 | 27 |
| Skein | Echeveau | ei | al | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Sleight (Artifice) | Artifice | ei | ī | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| 9 | 5 | 27 | ||||
| Sloth | Pareſſe | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Slough (Suppura⯑tion from a ſore) | Matiere qui ſort d′une playe | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Slo′v-en | Mal-propre | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Slow | Lent | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Sluice | Ecluſe | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| Smo′th-er | Etouffer | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Snow | Neige | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Some | Quelque | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Son | Fils | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Soot | Suie | oo | ŭ | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| Soul | Ame | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Sow (verb) | Semer | ow | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Sponge | Eponge | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| Sport | Jeu | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Spread | Etendre | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Stea′d-y | Ferme | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Stood | (Pret. de s′ arreter) | oo | ŭ | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| Stow | Arranger | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Stroll | Roder | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Strow | Parſemer | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Suit | Procés | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| Suit-or | Plaideur | ui | ū | 12 | 1 | 29 |
| Sur-feit | Indigeſtion | ei | ĭ | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Swear | Jurer | ea | ai | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Sweat | Suer | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Sword | Epée | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| T | ||||||
| Tear (verb) | Déchirer | ea | ai | 1 | 9 | 25 |
| Teat | Mammelle | ea | ĕ | 1 | 9 | 25 |
| Ti-er | Rang | i | ē | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Their | Leur | ei | ai | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| There | Là | e | ai | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Though | Quoique | ou | ō | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Tho′r-ough-fare, Tho′rough-ly | Paſſage, par⯑faitement | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 | ||
| Thread | Fil | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Threa′t-en | Menacer | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Through | à travers | ou | oo | 7 | 1 | 21 |
| Throw | Jetter | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| To | à | o | ŭ | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Toll | Péage | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Tomb | Tombeau | o | oo | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Ton | Tonneau | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| To′ngue | Langue | o | ŭ | 3 | 6 | 17 |
| To′r-toiſe | Tortüe | oi | ŭ | 5 | 1 | 19 |
| Touch | Toucher | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Tough | Dur | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Tow, noun & verb | Etoupes, remorquer | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| Trea′ch-er-y | Perfidie | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Tread | Marcher | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Trea′ſ-ure | Tréſor | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Tro′ll | Roder | o | ō | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| Trou′-ble | Peine | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Trough | Auge | ou | ŏ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Trow | Croire | ow | ō | 7 | 3 | 21 |
| V | ||||||
| Veil | Voile | ei | ai | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Vein | Veine | ei | ai | 9 | 4 | 26 |
| Vi′l-lain | Coquin | ai | ĕ | 8 | 1 | 23 |
| Un-cou′th | Groſſier | ou | o | 7 | 1 | |
| W | ||||||
| Wa′-ter | L′eau | a | aw | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Weal (mark of a ſtripe | Marque de coup | ea | āi | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Wea′p-on | Arme | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Wea′th-er | Le tems | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Wear | Uſer | ea | ai | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Were | (Etre) | e | ai | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Wheal (a ſtripe) | Marque de coup | ea | ai | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Where | Où | e | ai | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Who | Qui, lequelle, laquelle | o | ſometimes oo | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| Whom | Lequelle, laquelle | o | Do | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Whoſe | Dont | |||||
| Wild | Sauvage | i | ī | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| Womb | Matrice | o | oo | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Wom′an, wom′en | Femme, -s | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Won | Gagné | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Won-der | Surpriſe | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Wood | Bois | oo | ŭ | 6 | 1 | 19 |
| Wool | Laine | |||||
| Word | Mot | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| World | Monde | |||||
| Work | Ouvrage | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Worm | Ver | |||||
| Wo′rſ-ted | Etame | |||||
| Wo′r-ry | Dechirer | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Wo′r-ſhip | Adoration | |||||
| Wort | Moût | |||||
| Worth | Prix | |||||
| Worſe | Pire | o | ŭ | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Wou′d | (Verbe) | ou | ŭ | 7 | 1 | 20 |
| Wreak | Aſſouvir ſa vengece | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Writhe | Guirlande, tordre | i | ee | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| Y | ||||||
| Yeaſt | Levure | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
| Ye′l-low | Jaune | e | ă | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Yes | Oui | e | ĭ | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Yet | Encore | |||||
| Z | ||||||
| Zea′l ous, Zea′lot | Zelé, zelateur | ea | ĕ | 9 | 1 | 25 |
Appendix A AN APPENDIX, CONTAINING A Brief ACCOUNT of the chief Peculiarities of the ENGLISH CONSONANTS.
[1]1. B is mute before t, or after m, in the ſame ſyllable, as Debt, Lamb, &c.
2. C ſounds ſoft, like s, when followed by e, i, or an apoſtrophe (denoting the abſence of e) as Cedar, City, Danc′d, &c.
C ſounds like ſh, when followed by ea, ia, ie, or io, making different ſyllables, as Ocean, Ancient, Precious, Social, &c. except So⯑ciety.
[2] CC when followed by e or i, ſounds like x, as Accept, Accident, &c.
C is mute in Indict, Victuals, Scene, Scent, Science, Sciatica, Sciſſors, Sciſſion, Scymiter, Scythe, and the proper names Scyros, Scylla, and Scythia.
In all other caſes C ſounds hard like k.
3. Ch, when properly Engliſh, has the ſame ſound with the Italian c, before e or i. Examp. Child, Chain, &c.
It ſounds alſo like ſh, in words derived from the French, as Chaiſe, Champaigne, &c. and like k in words of Greek ex⯑traction, as Chriſt, School, Stomach, Arch⯑angel, &c. pronounced Ark-angel. But if Arch comes before a conſonant, ch has then its proper Engliſh ſound, as in Arch⯑biſhop.
Ch in Loch ſounds like f.
Ch is mute in Drachm, Schedule, and Schiſm.
4. D is mute before ge, as in Judge, Bridge, &c. alſo in Soldier.
5. F in Of ſounds like v.
[3]6. G ſounds ſoft like j before e, i, or an apoſtro⯑phe, and hard (like the Greek y) in all other caſes.
Examp. Angel, Rage, Rag′d, Giant, Ginger, &c.
Exceptions to G′s ſounding ſoft.
1. In the participles paſſive of words ending in g hard (and alſo where-ever g is dou⯑bled) it continues hard, notwithſtanding the vowels e or i, or an apoſtrophe, as in Dragg′d, Begging, Digging, &c.
2. In the termination ger, where-ever it makes a diſtinct ſyllable, g ſounds hard, as in An″-ger, Fin″ger, Lon″ger, Stron″ger, &c. in which kind of words it may be ob⯑ſerved that the g ſounds double, ſo as to belong to both ſyllables.
3. Derivatives in er, ed, or ing from primi⯑tives in ng, retain the g hard, as Sing⯑ing, Sing-er, from Sing; Hang-ing, Hang-er, from Hang; Winged or Wing′d from Wing, &c. In which kind of words it [4] may be obſerved, that g ſounds ſingle, and belongs to the firſt ſyllable only.
4. In the following words G is hard, not⯑withſtanding it comes before e or i; viz. Geeſe, Gewgaw, Geld, Gelt, Gertrude, Get (with its compounds) Gibberiſh, Gibbous, Giddy, Gift, Gig, Giggle, Gild, Girl, Give, Forgive, Gilt, Gimblet, Gimp, Gird, Girt, Girdle, Begin, Gizzard, Gideon, Gibbons, Gilbert, and Gilpin.
G is mute before n in the ſame ſyllable, as Gnaſh, Sign, Sovereign, &c. alſo in Phlegm, Seraglio, and Bagnio.
7. Gh ſounds like G hard in Ghoſt, and like ff in Cough, Lough, Laugh, Laughter, Rough, Slough, Tough, Trough, and Enough. In other words it is mute.
8. H is mute in Hour, Honour, Honeſt, Heir, Herb, Humour, Hoſtler, Thyme, John, Tho⯑mas, Thomaſin, and Thames. Alſo in Greek words, when preceded by R, as Rheum, Rhyme, Rhetoric, Myrrh, &c. and laſtly at the end of words, as ah, hah, Iſaiah, Sa⯑rah, &c.
[5]9. K is mute before n in the ſame ſyllable, as Knave, Know, Knight, &c.
10. L is mute in Balk, Talk, Walk, Stalk, Balm, Calm, Calf, Calves, Falcon, Half, Halves, Holme (an iſland) and Holmes (a ſurname) Pſalm, Qualm, Salmon, Could, Should, and Would.
11. N is mute after m in the ſame ſyllable, as Hymn, Autumn, Solemn, &c.
12. P is mute before s, and between m and t, as Pſalm, Tempt, &c.
13. Ph is always ſounded like f, except in Ste⯑phen, Nephew, and Phial, where it ſounds like v.
Ph is mute in Phthiſic, and is pronounced Tizzic.
14. Q is always followed by u, and, when it begins a ſyllable, ſounds like cw, by which (as Mr. Johnſon obſerves) our Saxon anceſtors well expreſſed it. But in terminations from the Latin -quus, and alſo in words of French extraction, it ſounds like k. Examp. Oblique, Antique, Quoif, Conquer, Riſque, Traffique, &c. ſome of which words [6] are now more commonly ſpelt with c or k, as Coif, Riſk, Traffic, &c.
15. S ſounds like z.
1ſt, In the third perſons ſingular of all verbs, and the plural number of all nouns, as in Has, Was, Tries, Bees, Times, &c.
2dly, In pronouns poſſeſſive, as His, Hers, Theirs, and alſo when preceded by the comma denoting poſſeſſion, as Father′s, Mother′s, Tom′s, Will′s, &c. (alſo in the particle as.)
Exception to the two laſt Sections.
S has its proper ſound when preceded by c, k, ck, f, p, q, or t, which admit not the ſound of z ſo eaſily after them, as Speaks, Beats, Rocks, Jack′s, Dick′s, Gilbert′s, Cock′s-ſpur, Cat′s-paw, &c.
3dly, S ſounds like z preceded by a liquid in the ſame ſyllable, as Dam-ſel, Crim⯑ſon, Thames, Jer-ſey, Guern-ſey, &c. And alſo,
[7]4thly, S between two vowels moſt com⯑monly ſounds like z, as Daiſy, Repriſal, Peaſant, Pleaſe, Roſin, &c.
Except Houſe, Mouſe, Louſe, Gooſe, Geeſe, Sauſage, Purchaſe, Promiſe, Caſe, Maſon, Baſon, Baſis, Phaſis, and Theſis. Except alſo ſubſtantives in uſe, derived from La⯑tin verbs, as U′ſe, Abu′ſe, Diſu′ſe, Re′fuſe, Excu′ſe, &c. and adjectives derived from the participles paſſive of ſome Latin verbs, as Reclu′ſe, Profu′ſe, Abſtru′ſe, &c.
Laſtly, Except alſo the words contained in the next ſection but one, where s ſounds like zh.
S and ſs ſound like ſh in Sure (with its com⯑pounds) Iſſue, Tiſſue, Fiſſure, Preſſure, Ruſ⯑ſian, &c. alſo in the terminations -aſſion, -eſſion, -iſſion, -uſſion, as in Paſſion, Impreſ⯑ſion, Miſſion, Concuſſion, &c.
S, when preceded by a vowel and followed by ion or ian, ſounds like zh, as Invaſion, Epheſian, Viſion, Deluſion, &c. But if it [8] be preceded by a conſonant, it ſounds like ſh, as in Converſion, Perſian, &c.
S ſounds alſo like zh before -ier, as Oſier, Hoſier, Glaſier, Braſier, &c. and in the words Leiſure, Meaſure, Pleaſure, and Trea⯑ſure.
S is mute in Iſle, Liſle, Carliſle, Iſland, Viſcount, and Demeſne.
16. T before io or ia (making part of the ſame ſyllable with i) ſounds like ſh, as Na-tion, Cau-tious, Egyp-tian, Sa-ti-ate, &c. But if t belong to the former ſyllable, it re⯑tains its proper Sound, as Queſt-ion, Fuſt⯑ian, Combuſt-ion, &c.
T is mute in words ending with -ſtle, as Caſtle, Thiſtle, Briſtle, &c.
17. Th has two ſounds, the one ſoft, as in Thy, the other hard (like the Greek [...]) as in Thigh.
I. Th ſounds ſoft,
1ſt, In Thence, There (with their com⯑pounds) Then, That, The, Thee, Theſe, This, Thoſe, Thus, Thou, Thy, Thine, Their, Theirs, Them, Though, Although, Beneath, Bequeath, Betroth, Mouths, Tythe, Scythe, Wreath, Booth, and in [9] the verbs Bathe, Mouth, Seeth, Loathe, Soothe, and Breathe.
2dly, Where-ever it occurs between two vowels, as Father, Mother, &c. Except words of Greek extraction, and alſo derivatives from words ending with th hard, as Earthen from Earth, &c.
3dly, Th ſounds ſoft when placed between r and a vowel, as Burthen, Murther, &c. though in ſuch words d is often written and pronounced inſtead of th, as Mur⯑der, Burden. In other caſes th ſounds hard.
Th is mute in Aſthma, with its derivatives.
8. W is mute before r in the ſame ſyllable, as Write, Wrath, &c. alſo in Sword, Swoon, and Anſwer, with their compounds and de⯑rivatives.
The other conſonants have the ſame powers as in other languages.
Appendix B ERRATA.
[]- Preface, p. xiv. for 340, read 342.
- — Note, for 54 r. 47.
- — for page 15, r. page 30.
- Page 21, for word, r. verb.
- Citation Suggestion for this Object
- TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 3740 A short treatise on the English tongue Being an attempt to render the reading and pronunciation of the same more easy to foreigners. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-5ACD-9