$ 23. OE.

This combination of vowels is almoft* profcribed by our great Lexicographer, as not properly belonging to our language; and it is true that the words in which it is found are such, for the most part, as belong to particular sciences, and have hardly received the ftamp of common usage. Ex. Anteci, Periæci, geographical terms; diarrhea, ædema, afophagus, medical ones; ecumenical, taken from church history; yet these, with fœtus, manœuvre (certainly now naturalized), aftrum *, economics, œconomy (almost always fo written, till Dr. Johnfon propofed a new orthography), and the numerous derivatives of the latter word, are perhaps fufficient in number to make it convenient to retain

the form of this diphthong; especially as from fome of the above words it cannot well be dropped.

The found we give to it in all the above inftances (except manœuvre, which

Hudibr.-See JN. in Phrenetic.

is fpoken of in § 24.) is that of the long

the fame that we are accustomed to affign to this diphthong when it occurs in the Latin language,

O and E come together in fome few words with the found of long o, as doe, foe, floe, mistletoe, toe; but they can hardly be confidered as forming a diphthong

in that fituation. The E is there rather quiefcent, as being final, than united with the o. Two words of this form have the found of oo long, canoe, fhoe. Does (from do) takes the found of u short.

In fome other words thefe letters come together, and are feparately pronounced, as poëm, poët, poësy, &c. proëm, coërce; and thofe compounded with co before an e, as coëxiftent, &c. Poefy, when it fignifies the motto for a ring, is a diffyllable, and gives to oe the found of long o; thus Neriffa, in the Merchant of Venice, fpeaking of her ring, fays *,

"What talk you of the poefy or the value ?"

*The line in which Gratiano mentions it before, is fomewhat doubtful in point of metre.

It is also written pofy.

In afa-fatida the oe is commonly pro

nounced like e short.

§ 24. OEI and OEU.

These triphthongs are, like fome of those taken notice of before, perfectly French. Shakspeare has used a word in which the former is retained, namely, ailiad; we find it in King Lear,

"She gave ftrange ciliads, and moft speaking looks." Act IV. Sc..5.

It probably should be pronounced there like the long E; for the true French found of these triphthongs does not feem ever to have fuited an English mouth. OEU is found in the word manœuvre, which seems to be thoroughly adopted from the French, and is pronounced like oo long.

§ 25. OI.

This diphthong has a full, rich, and mafculine found, peculiar to itself, and its fubftitute oy. It is diftinctly heard in noife, voice, rejoice, &c. Those who are

zealous

zealous for the harmony of our language, have lamented that this found has been in danger of being loft*, by a corrupt and vicious mode of pronunciation. It has been, indeed, the custom to give to this diphthong, in several words, the improper found of 1 long; as in boil, broil, choir, join, joint, point, poifon, spoil. The banished diphthong seems at length to be upon its return; for there are many who are now hardy enough to pronounce boil exactly as they do toil, and join like coin †,

&c.

In fome few words this diphthong is obfcurely paffed over, and founds like a

*Effay on the Harmony of Language, p. 252.

+ Dr. Wallis informs us, that in his time fome perfons pronounced boil as if written bwoile, Grammar, p. 41. I have heard this pronunciation myfelf; it is an imitation of the French oi; but is, in my opinion, highly improper. Upon the fame principles boy has been called bwoy (Note, p. 83. of this book); but why pot fhould be pronounced pwot, as the fame author tells us, is not eafily gueffed. The only objection to giving the true found to oi in join, is that it is so constantly rhymed to fine, line, and the like, by our best poets.

short

fhort 1 or E; as the firft oi in avoirdupoise, the oi in connoisseur, shamois, tortoife. Turkois, the precious stone (or turquoife, as Shakspeare wrote it, conformably to the etymology), is corruptly pronounced turkey in common fpeaking; but the full found must be retained in recitation. Devoir has generally the found of the French oi (wau).

No diphthong is formed by the concurrence of these vowels in ftoic, ftoïcifm, beroïc, heroïsm, heroïne.

§ 26. 00.

This form of letters being with us the representative of a fimple found, and that a found which, except in very few inftances (fee p. 37.), is not to be met with in our language in any other form, follows the nature of a vowel rather than of a diphthong, having a regular long and a regular short found.

The long oo is heard in the words cool, moon, doom, &c.