BUT, as accuracy in pronunciation may be most easily acquired while the sense of hearing is acute, and the organs of speech flexible, the object of this publication was, to furnish A PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY perfectly adapted to the Capacities of Children +. This the compilers have the satisfaction of knowing to be completely ascertained; numerous classes of pupils having been successfully instructed, both in their own and other seminaries, from the former Editions of this Dictionary, and from A PRONOUNCING SPELLING Book, in which the Orthoepy is mark ed in the same manner. And experience has proved, that this mode of instruction equally facilitates the acquirement of a correct Orthography, the eye and the car mutually assisting each other. THE Compilers most gratefully acknowledge the assistance which they have received in the execution of this undertaking from several able Orthoepists, particularly their worthy friend Mr JAMES STALKER, who long enjoyed the highest celebrity as a Teacher of English in this Metropolis, and now crowns EDINBURGH,7 Dec. 1818. "A youth of labour with an age of ease.' + We beg leave to recommend a careful perusal of the following Principles of English Pronunciation, particularly the Observations on Accent, Quantity, and Syllabication. I have carefully revised and corrected this Stereotype Edition of the Dictionary. ** SUMMERFIELD, 25. Jan. 1826. S GEO. FULTON. OF ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION, CHIEFLY EXTRACTED FROM THE MOST EMINENT WRITERS. LETTERS, to answer perfectly the end of their invention, should be proportioned to the number of simple sounds; that every sound may have its own character, and every character a single sound. Such would be the orthography of a new language, to be formed by a synod of grammarians on principles of science: But who can hope to prevail on nations to change their practice, and make all their old books useless?-Every attempt, therefore, to render the orthography of the English language conformable to its orthoepy, must prove preposterous and impracticable; as this could not be done without new moulding our alphabet, and making a considerable addition to its characters: But, to ascertain the number of simple sounds in that language, and distinguish them by proper marks, in order to assist pronunciation, as Mr. SHERIDAN and others have done, appears to be the only probable method of rendering its pronunciation uniform, or accessible to foreigners. Agreeably to this idea we have formed the following SCHEME: Always short, a ei o u, and unmarked. {Shore, à 10 mà, à or 0, 1, and è, Initial W and Y.-Diphthongs, OW and OY th th—zh sh—chng. In marking the Orthoepy, ALL the Consonants are employed; but each of them has only ONE uniform sound. DEFINITIONS. Initial W and Y are exemplified in We Ye; and the diphthongs OW and OY, in How Hey, 1. A vowel is a simple sound, formed by a *We agree with Dr. LowTH and Mr. continued effusion of the breath, and a certain SHERIDAN in thinking, that w and y are always conformation of the mouth, without any alter-vowels; and that, whether preceded or followation in the position, or any motion, of the ored by another vowel, w is equivalent to ŭ, and gans of speech, from the moment the vocal y to e. Thus, o-u, united, will produce the sound commences till it ends. 2. A diphthong is two simple vowel-sounds, uttered by one and the same emission of breath, and joined in such a manner as still to make but one syllable. 3. A consonant is a simple sound, formed by the application and use of some particular part of the mouth, as the teeth, the lips, the tongue, the palate, &c. and which cannot be pronounced forcibly but by its union with a vowel. CLASSIFICATION OF VOWELS AND The various sounds of the vowels may be divided into the The NAME-SOUNDS, The SHUT SOUNDS, and OCCASIONAL SOUNDS. The NAME-SOUNDS (marked, when long, by ǎ ĕiōū, and, when short, by à è ïò ù,) are exemplified in Māte Mēte Mite Mōte Müte, Vacate Révēre Finite Promote Future, and in this sentence, Make these times more pure. The SHUT SOUNDS (unmarked, and always short) are exemplified in Fan Fen Fin Fon Fun, and in this sentence, Bad men still cross us. OCCASIONAL SOUNDS (marked, when long, by â, â or ô, û, and, when short, by ǎ, A or o, u, and ě) are exemplified in Lârd, lăst-Ward, wAst, or Lôrd, lost-Rûle, full-Her; and in this sentence, Mârk All her shôrt rûles. The VOWEL SOUNDS, with respect to quality, may also be exemplified thus:-a] Fame can chârm All.-e] He left her.-i] Find him. of Go not north.-u] use just rules. diphthong ow, as in How; and ô-e, united, will produce the diphthong oy, as in Hoy.. Now, if ŭ-ā, ŭ-ē, ŭ-ō, and ċ-ā, è-ē, ċ-ō, be united, what can they produce but Wā, wē, wō, and Ya, yē, yo? Nay, suppose there were such dissyllables as u-et', u-ell', u-est', and e-et', e-ell', é-est', accented on the latter syllable, it would require attention to pronounce them otherwise than the monosyllables Wet, well, west, and Yet, yell, yest. With respect to w and y not requiring the euphonic article an before them, it may be observed, that one vowel 'succeeding another does not always occasion a cacophony. The article the, and the preposition to, in these phrases, The eel, To ooze-destroy euphony as much as the article a; whereas, before other vowels, as, The owl, To ease they sound as harmoniously as a does before w and y. diphthongs are formed by w and y uniting with a following vowel; as Wā, wē, wō, Ya, ye, yō, &c. Thus, we see, every diphthong either commences or terminates with the sound of ŭ or é. GENERAL RULES FOR PRONOUNCING THE I. The vowels, when final, have generally their long NAME-SOUNDS. II. Final e generally preserves the preceding vowel in its NAME-SOUND. III. The vowels, when followed by one or more consonants, have generally their SHUT SOUNDS. save, gaze blaze graze, haste taste waste, bathe swathe, range grange strange, scarce; here mere sphere, eve, mete, glebe; hide ride side, bile mile vile, bite mite rite, fine line vine, fire hire sire, hive drive strive, tithe blithe; core gore pore, dote mote rote, ode code mode, hole mole sole, bone cone tone, cove rove stove, borne, force corse, horde, forge; lute mute flute, cube tube, cure lure pure, duke luke puke, fume plume spume, mule pule; lyre, rhyme thyme, type. had, bat hat, rag tag, can man, hang rang, hand The SHUT SOUNDS.-Cab dab, cap dap, bad sand, camp damp; bed led, bet let, hen pen, hem stem, leg peg, rent tent, jest test; nib rib, nip rip, fill hill, bliss miss, ink link; mob sob, mop sop, nod sod, not sot, lock rock, box fox; bud cud, but cut, fur spur, cull gull, muff puff, The UNITED VOWELS are generally sound-buck duck, jump trump, burn turn, burst durst; ed as in this Table : hymn, lymph nymph, (y being considered asi shut.) UNITED VOWELS.-Laud fraud, gauze pause, fault vault, caught taught; law saw, awl bawl, dawn drawn. Rain rein, faint feint; way wey, gray grey. Sea see, flea flee, dear deer, feat feet, heal heel, leak leek, meat meet, peal peel, read reed, seam seem, steal steel, shear sheer, weak week; beer bier, mean mien, peace piece. Boat goat, oar roar, load road, foam roam, Room bloom, moon noon, oaf loaf, moan groan, boast toast, board hoard, boor poor, hoot root, food brood, droop troop, hoof roof, fool pool. Lewd, rheum, deuce; dew new blew flew, mewl, newt. Thou bough plough, gout rout trout, our sour, cloud proud, count mount, bound found, ounce, pounce, couch vouch, cow how now, foul fowl growl, down crown frown. Oil boil spoil, coin loin join, void, coif, coit, voice choice, joist moist, joint point, poise noise; boy coy joy cloy troy. Laud laid lead load lewd loud. PARTICULAR RULES AND OBSERVATIONS. A 2. O generally sounds ô (equivalent to A) before r and another consonant; as in Dôrs, bôrn corn horn lôrn môrn scôrn thôrn, côrd chord lord, cork fôrk stôrk, shôrt (or short) tôrt, scôrch tôrch, fôrm storm, hôrse môrse, U 1. A sounds â before r, lm, If, and lue; as in Bâr câr, bârb gârb, bârd pârd, lârk pârk, hârlôrb, gôrge, nôrth, côrpse. snarl, ârm fàrm, bârn dârn, cârp hârp, ârt dârt, barge large, cârve stârve, farce pârse, mârch pârch; bâlm câlm pâlm psâlm, câlf hâlf, câlve halve. This sound is contracted into a before fft, ss, sk, sp, st, th, and nce; as in Chăff staff, graft shaft, lăss påss, ǎsk båsk, ǎsp clăsp, căst făst, bath lǎth păth wrath, chănce dance. 2. A sounds A before l, ld, lk, it, and betwixt w and r; as in all bâll, bâld scald, chalk talk, mâlt sâlt, wârm swârm. This sound is contracted into A (equivalent to o shut) in Wăn swăn, what yacht, wad, wănd, wănt, was, wăst, wăsp, wăsh, wătch. U, after or r, sounds û, when by the First 2 Y, when not united with another vowel, is considered as the substitute of I, and follows the same rules. ماراد Exceptions to the General or Particular Rules; and Examples of Combinations which seldom occur. N. B. The character placed at the beginning of each class denotes the sound of the vowel or 1. I sounds i before ld, nd, and gh; as in united vowels contained in each word of that Mild child, find mind, nigh, night. class, not including w or y when they precede other vowels. 2. I sounds e shut before r and another consonant; as in Gird, firm, skirt, kirk smirk, chirp stirp, twirl whirl, birth girth mirth, dirge virge. A little broader, like ě, in Fir sir stir, dirt flirt shirt spirt, third, thirst, dirk, birch. a] Ache, plague vague, bass (in music), ere there where, e'er ne'er, bear pear tear [to rend], wear swear, great, break steak, gaol, gauge. e] Pique, ceil, neif, seize, key quay.—ê] Been. if Sign, climb, pint, ninth, whilst, height sleight, eye buy, aisle. ō] Oh, torn worn, form [a class of students, seat of a hare], ford, fort port sport, pork, porch, forth, gross, ghost host most post, folk yolk, both sloth, comb holme, brogue rogue vogue, won't, sew shew strew dough though bow (to shoot with) blow crow flow glow grow know 1. O sounds ō before ll, Id, and lt, as in Bōll low (not high), mow (to cut down), owe row poll röll, ōld hōld sōld, bōlt cölt jōlt. show slow snow sow (to scatter), stow strow |