the found does not exist among proper us, except in the monofyllable aye. This is the more to be lamented, as it is a rich and masculine found, which could not fail to give strength and energy to our language; as appears from the effect it has in those languages, in the pronunciation of which we do retain it; as the Latin, where we fay graius, aiunt, Maia, &c. with the full found of ai, not with the flender found of our long a; and still more in the Greek, where it occurs perpetually. I have fometimes heard the proper name Isaiah so pronounced, and I think with excellent effect, as it occurs chiefly in very folemn reading. There is fome reafon to think that this found was once more prevalent; for in fome provincial dialects it is still preserved. I have met with ruftics who pronounced fail, tail, remain, &c. with as full a found as we fhould give to Greek words, in which the fame combination of letters appeared. Oi alfo has been in danger among us, but feems now to be recovering its credit. Dr. Dr. Johnson defines a diphthong more loosely. "It is," fays he, "a coalition of two vowels to form one found, as vain, leaf, Cafar." For the fake of convenience I fhall confider diphthongs still more generally; and include in the following lift, which is arranged in alphabetical order, not only thefe, but fuch reduplications of the fame vowel as form one found; and even the few combinations of three vowels, which are in ufe among us, properly called Triphthongs. § i. of AE. The found of this diphthong is that of the long E. It has a character peculiar to itself, compounded of A and E ; thus, or æ. It is very common in two languages, from which a very confiderable part of our language is derived, the Saxon and the Latin. But it is now fo far difufed in English, that it can hardly be faid to belong to us. The letter E is substituted for it in words derived from the Saxon, and even in those from the Latin, which are thoroughly incorporated with our language *. It is chiefly used in proper names, and words connected with fcience; as Cafar, paan, æthiops mineral, &c. In words derived from Greek it is fubftituted for the ai of that language, according to the Roman practice of derivation; and in these alfo, being moftly scientifical words, it is usually retained: as in amphibana, anacephalæofis, apharefis, agilops, ozana; alfo in the adopted Latin words, cornucopia, exuvia, aqua vita, minutia, ftria. It is feldom pronounced irregularly the following inftances are all I can recollect: AE found like long a, in Michael. Milton has fometimes diffolved the diphthong into a and e. See Par. Loft, I. 294. VI. 202, &c. Like E fhort, in Michaelmas and dædal. A and E meet, without coalefcing, in aërial. * See Dr. Johnson, in his Dictionary, under AE. § 2. Of AI. AI very frequently occurs. Its regular found is that of the long A. Ex. aim, chain, fail, maid, &c. It is pronounced Like a fhort, in plaid, raillery, battailous ; and sometimes in plait. A open, in plaister. E long, commonly in raifin, plait. E fhort, in faid, again †, against. In *As this work is meant for common use, I have called that the regular found of every diphthong which is the most frequent, not that which moft properly arifes from the union of its conftituent vowels and in every word not noted in this book as an exception, every diphthong must be confidered as having the found here fet down as regularly belonging to it. + Again is indifferently pronounced with this, or with the regular found. This may be seen by the words to which it is rhymed. Dryden rhymes it to remain, in his Epistle to Sir Robert Howard, line 13; and to pen, in the 50th line of the fame poem. In his E Epistle In final unaccented fyllables, it is often pronounced fo obfcurely as hardly to be diftinguishable from the fhort i; as in mountain, fountain, villain, &c. In a few words thefe vowels remain feparate; as in judaïze, mofaic, algebraic, profaïc, laïty. § 3. AO. This combination of vowels is fo feldom met with, that its regular found is not easily ascertained. It is It is pronounced like the long A in gaol, which is frequently written as it is spoken, jail: in extraordinary it is ufually fhortened by colloquial inaccuracy into one found *, which Epiftle to his kinsman John Dryden, we have it spelt agen, and rhymed to green: this, however, must have been always an incorrect rhyme. Pope also rhymes it to plain, Iliad, b. v. l. 269; and to pain, ib. 1. 1053: but spells it agen, and rhymes it to men, elsewhere; as in Moral Effay III. 1. 14. * The fyllable di, also, usually is dropped in the pronunciation; but Shakspeare has used the word |