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correct a bad pronunciation, either in himself or in others: and, therefore, the teacher cannot be too particular in his attention to it. Let him try the experiment upon one whose pronunciation is extremely defective, and he will find, (if he has not already tested the fact,) that any one whose vocal organs are not defective, can be taught to explode clearly any and every elementary sound in our language, provided a practical example be given to him of only one element at a time; and he will also find what the author has frequently tested in practice, and what he, consequently, knows to be true-namely, that whatever elementary sound any one can pronounce singly and separately, with a little practice, he can also pronounce correctly in its combined state-in a syllable or a word.

By a little practice in exploding the element denoted by th in think, withe, and the one represented by TH in THаt, wiтн, the most superficial observer cannot but perceive the marked difference between them: and if a learner mistake the one for the other, he should be exercised on each element separately from the other letters of the word to which it belongs, until he perfectly understands their difference. In like manner, if he say tinks, or dinks, instead of thinks, or lenth instead of length, or posce, instead of posts, (and the last two errours, it should be borne in mind, are as gross as the first two,) he should be taught the difference between the elemental, combined sound of th, and that of t or d, which he had substituted for it. He should likewise be made to know, by repeated experiments, that instead of exploding the elemental sound denoted by ng, in his pronunciation of length, he had given merely the sound represented by n; and that in mispronouncing pos-ts, his errour arose from the omission of the sound of t, and of the s which follows it. By being thoroughly exercised on the elementary sounds which he is in the habit of suppressing or perverting, and thus being led to the very bottom of the subject, the intelligent student will soon discover wherein he errs, and, also, the cause of his errour. To be able to correct an errour, an evil, a miscalculation, or a mistake, and, at the same time, to know, for a certainty, that we do correct it, and that we are able to avoid the like in fu

ture, the only sure way is, to ascertain the cause of such errour, evil, miscalculation, or mistake.

The foregoing directions under Rule 1, are mainly designed for the use of the inexperienced and grossly defective in articulation; but the following instructions may be found useful, not only to readers and speakers in general, but even to many who hold a very conspicuous rank as publick speakers.

Rule 1, inculcates the importance of pronouncing distinctly, not merely every word (considered as a whole) which a reader or a speaker utters, but every letter that enters into the orthography of each word, silent letters only excepted..

For the sake of practical convenience, the particular defects designed to be corrected by the Rules, will be arranged under the head of NOTES.

NOTES TO RULE I.

Rule 1, is often violated in the following, various ways. NOTE 1. The sounds of the unaccented vowels are often improperly suppressed, or not fully and correctly exploded.

Examples; the u in popular, secular, singular, regular, particular, triangular, ridiculous, conspicuous, strenuous, &c.; the o in opaque, opinion, opacity, oracular, omega; the e in esquire, escape, esteem, estate, establish, espy, espouse, especial, estrange, eruction, equipment, elopement, enough, enormous, evade, evert, and the like; which are often improperly pronounced es-quire, es-cape, es-teem, &c. We frequently hear gardn, suddn, kitchn, hyphn, chickn, sulln, slovn, mountn, fountn, curtn, uncertn, Latn, satn, rebl, chapl, gospl, instead of gardin, suddin, kitchin, hyphen, chickin, sullin, sloven, mountin, fountin, curtin, uncertin, Latin, satin, rebel, chapel, gospel. This is extremely vulgar. But, in the words often, stolen, fallen, hidden, bidden, chidden, even, open, heaven, leaven, seven, eleven, and many others, the unaccented vowel e should not be sounded.

A far more fruitful source of errour, however, in which the sound of the unaccented vowel e is either suppressed or perverted, is observable in the ordinary pronunciation of the terminations ent, ment, nent, dent, lent, cient, tient, and the like;

as in different, monument, compliment, government, continent, ardent, excellent, ancient, patient. Instead of giving e its distinct, appropriate sound, as an accomplished speaker should do, and as the rules of orthoepy imperiously demand, doubtless ninety-nine hundredths of those who speak our language, totally pervert its sound in terminations like these; often pronouncing it like short u: thus, differunt, monumunt, complimunt, governmunt, continunt, ardunt, excellunt, antshunt, patshunt. Although no stress is allowable on these terminations when un-accented, yet that is no good reason for perverting the sound of e, which should be pronounced here, as distinctly as in those terminations that come under the accent; as in prevent, indent, unbent, circumvent, and the like.

In a large class of words beginning with pre, the unaccented e is apt to be suppressed. Precede, precise, predict, prevent, predominate, prejudicate, and the like, are often articulated as if written, pr-cede, pr-cise, pr-dict, pr-vent, pr-dominate, prjudicate. Orthoepy cannot look with complacency even upon this errour.

The unaccented o, in words commencing with pro, is also a fellow sufferer with its harmless associate e, by its often falling a victim to the same kind of unnatural treatment. Propose, pronounce, produce, prorogue, promote, and so forth, are frequently enunciated in such a manner as entirely to suppress the o: thus, pr-pose, pr-nounce, pr-mote, and so on. Some men, indeed, have no more mercy on innocent letters than if they were invented merely to be tortured.

Poor e is also robbed of her just prerogative in the terminations dence, ence, nence, lense, and so forth. Why should the natural and rational sound dence, be exchanged for [a] dunce? Yet we often hear residence, evidence, influence, impertinence, continence, silence, and the like, pronounced nearly as if writ ten residunce, evidence, influ-unce, impertinunce, continunce, silunce.

But one of the grossest abuses of a vowel sound, occurs in changing long u, in the unaccented syllable of such words as the following, into u short. Natshure, featshure, creatshure,

lectshure, structshure, and so forth, are commonly pronounced natshur, featshur, creatshur, lectshur, structshur; and by this barbarous perversion, articulation is plundered of one of its most delicate graces.

There is not a more beautiful and voluptuous sound in our language, than that given forth by u, in such terminations, when pronounced as it should be. But words which are musick, and which drop like honey from the comb, as they issue from the lips of some men, fall grating on the ear, like the unwelcome tones of untimely guests, as they make their exodus from the mouths of others.

In the words theorem, theorist, melody, plethora, and many others, the sound of o is apt to be perverted, and changed to that of short u.

A similar perversion of the sound of a, in the terminations ant and man, is not uncommon. The words dormant, infant, inhabitant, adjutant, reluctant, gentleman, and so forth, are frequently pronounced as if written dormunt, infunt, inhabitunt, gentlemun, &c. The long a in the last syllable of landscape, is often improperly articulated like short i: thus, landskip.

In the presence of Orthoepy, the words plausible, visible, possible, vivify, justify, stultify, and many other unlucky wights belonging to the same clan, appear with an i knocked out; but this excites not the least commiseration, for it is evident, that i has attained this situation only by usurping the legitimate throne of e: and that, although i may boldly assert his claims to it in the presence of Orthography, yet he is ever ready to abdicate it when brought within the scrutinising glance of Orthoepy.

NOTE 2. The sounds of the consonants, especially in their combined state, are often improperly suppressed.

The sounds of the atonicks, t and final s, for example, in such words as coasts, boasts, hosts, merit particular attention, as they are often improperly omitted.

The clump of subtonick and atonick elements at the termination of such words as the following, is frequently, to the no small injury of articulation, particularly slighted. couldst, wouldst, hadst, prob'st, prob'dst, hurl'st, hurl'dst, arm'st,

arm'dst, want'st, want'dst, burn'st, burn'dst, bark'st, bark'dst, bubbl'st, bubbl'dst, troubbl'st, troubbl❜dst.

Consonant sounds are, also, apt to be suppressed where a word begins with the same sound that closed the word next preceding it; as, "For Christ's sake;" "For mercy's sake."

EXAMPLES.

And oft false sounds sunk near him.

The man of talents struggles through difficulties severe, and hates stupidity.

And there the finest streams through tangled forests stray. The severest storm that lasts till morn:

The severest storm that last still morn.

He is content in either place:

He is content in neither place.}

The h is not always distinctly aspirated when employed in an alliteration:

Up the high hill he heaves a huge round stone.

If these civil and useful gentry of the alphabet, are not so melodious in their notes as their more fortunate brethren the liquids, and their more musical sisters the vowels, they ought not, therefore, like ugly women, to be treated with neglect.

EXERCISES.

Singular as it may appear, many persons are more particular in regard to the adornments of the body, than to the accomplishments of the mind.

In overcoming the obstacles of nature in order to the attainment of excellence in oratory, we sometimes witness, with pleasure, the wonderful effects of industry and perseverance.

The Lord has betrothed his church in eternal covenant to himself. His quickening spirit shall never depart from her. Armed with divine virtue, his gospel, secret, silent, unobserved, enters the hearts of men, and sets up an everlasting kingdom.

It eludes all the vigilance, and baffles all the power, of the adversary. Bars, and bolts, and dungeons, are no obstacles to

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