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Examples for Practice.

Patron patriot patriotism matronly satyr Saturn datum desideratum arcana transparent transparency azure stratum Diana Caius Isaiah Sinai.

Note.-Patriotic patronage patronised, are exceptions.

E.

Errors.-The sound of e in me, for that of e in met, as in re-creant for rec-reant.

Examples for practice.-Recreate recreation relaxation reformation heroine heroism defalcation preface

recreant.

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Error. The sound of e in met, for that of e in me, as in es-tate for e-state.

Examples for practice.-Esteem establish escape especially.

For other errors, see lesson and exercises in articulation.

I.

Error.-The sound of i in pine, for that of i in pin, as in Di-rect for direct, [de-rect,] masculine for masculin.

Examples for practice.-Diverge vivacity vicinage divert.

Adamantine amaranthine bitumen digress dilate digestible digest (verb) digression dilacerate dilute diminish diminution diminutive diploma direction directors diversion divorce diversity diversify divest divinity divisible divulge feminine fertile finesse fiducial financier finance febrile hostile juvenile liquidity litigious mercantile minute minotaur minuteness minority philosophical philosophy piano piazza pilosity reptile sinistrous.

For other errors, see as above.

0.

Error.-The sound of o in no, for that of o in not, as in Progress, process, produce (noun), extol; mispronounced Prō-gress, &c., for prog-ress, &c.

The sound of o in not, for that of o in no, as in Revolt, sloth, portrait; mispronounced Revolt, &c., for revōlt, &c.

The sound of o in no, for that of o in done, as in Testimony, patrimony, matrimony, nugatory, dilatory, none; mispronounced Testimony, &c., for testimony, [testimůny.]

For other errors, see lesson and exercises in articulation.

U and Y.

For errors in the sounds of these letters, see as above.

See, as above.

DIPHTHONGS.

CONSONANTS.

D and T.

Error. These letters, when they occur before u, sounding as in tube, are mispronounced in two ways:

1st. Through carelessness or affectation, they are softened too much, as in Ejucate and nachure, for edjucate and nātchure.*

* The true sounds of these letters, when they occur as above, cannot be easily expressed to the eye. The d and the t, however, should be softened but very little. A slight softening of these letters in the above situation, is natural and appropriate; as we may find by adverting to the very prevalent softening of these letters, in the current pronunciation of such phrases as would you,'' could you,' ‚''intreat you,' containing a similar combination of sounds. It is the excess, and not the thing itself, that is to be avoided, in pronouncing the words in the text above.

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2d. From a fastidious care to avoid this sound, they are pronounced in a separate and analytic manner, which wants fluency and freedom; thus, Ed-u-cate and nat-ure.

Examples for practice.-Educate education creature feature arduous virtue virtuous fortune spiritual spirituous signature individual gradual graduate naturally. For other errors, see as before.

Error. The sounding of h, when it ought to be silent, as in Humour, hostler, hospital, humble; for 'umour, &c.

For other errors, see as before.

The errors commonly made in the sounds of the other consonants, are mentioned in the lesson and exercises on articulation.

ACCENT.

Accent is the force with which we pronounce the most prominent syllable of a word, as in the syllable man, in the word man'fully.

Errors in accent consist in transferring it to syllables on which it is not authorized by present custom, or established usage, as in Con'template for contem'plate, con'tents (noun) for conten'ts; and in giving undue force to unaccented syllables, as in affection for affec'tion.

The former class of errors, is to be corrected by reference to the dictionary, in the manner already mentioned. The following words may serve as specimens of common faults in accent.

Dissyllables, erroneously accented on the first instead of the second syllable: Detail retail recess access. Polysyllables, erroneously accented on the second syllable instead of the first: Acceptable commendable. The

accent on the second syllable of these words is entirely obsolete; and the attempt to revive it, although favouring harmony of sound, is in as bad taste as the introduction of obsolete words in writing, or the adoption of antiquated fashion in garments.

Polysyllables, erroneously accented on the first syllable instead of the second: Contemplate compensate extirpate.

The fault of improper force on unaccented syllables, arises from prolonging the vowel in such syllables. This error is illustrated in the incorrect sound of the initial a, as in abandon for ǎbandon. It occurs also in the following and similar words: Attract attraction detract deduce deduct deduction detraction delusive deride derision relate remit remember review addition;-mispronounced att'ra'ct, détra'ct, for attra'ct, detra'ct, &c. This fault should be carefully avoided, as imparting to words, a childish or mechanical accent, in the style of early lessons at elementary schools.

The English language differs from others in no point more strikingly, than in the peculiar force of its accent, which seems almost to absorb the enunciation, in reading or in speaking, particularly the latter. This characteristic is, no doubt, often carried to excess through carelessness and inattention, and produces a faulty obscurity of articulation, in unaccented sounds. But the fault of this extreme, cannot justify the opposite, which tends to equalise accent, somewhat in the manner of the French language. The style of pronunciation becomes, in this way, feeble and inexpressive, by losing the appropriate native prominence of English accent.

THE WORDS The, By, My.

The, before a word beginning with a vowel, snould be pronounced with the same sound of e as in Relate : before a word beginning with a consonant, it should have the obscure sound, as in the second syllable of eternal; but never the sound of broad a.

By, in colloquial or very familiar language, may be pronounced short, with a sound of y corresponding to that of i in the word it, and not as sometimes heard, like the e of me. But, generally, the y should be long.

My should always be pronounced with the short sound of i, mentioned above, unless in emphatic expression or in solemn style; and, in the latter, only in phrases directly associated with solemnity, as in the following: 'my God.' Familiar phrases, even in serious or solemn style, should retain the short y; thus, My hand, my heart, my mouth,-not my hand, &c.— So also in phrases of address, my lords, my friends, my countrymen, &c.-not my lords, &c. The word myself should never have the long y.

THE TERMINATION ed.

In the reading of the Scriptures, the solemnity and antiquity of the style are supposed by some to require, or at least to authorize, the sounding of e in such words. This, however, is a matter of taste merely, and should never be extended to other reading.

The preceding illustrations of errors in pronouncing, are intended rather to suggest the necessity of the dictionary exercise already prescribed, than to give a full list of mispronunciations. Many important classes of faults in pronouncing are included in the lesson and exercises in articulation, which it may be useful to repeat, before commencing the exercise from the dictionary. This exercise may be performed, to great advantage, by the use of the slate and pencil; the pupils in a class writing, at the dictation of the teacher, a column or more of words, and on a column opposite, the orthoepy or actual pronunciation of each. It may afford a useful variety in the form of exercise, to write occasionally the orthoepy alone, as a discipline of the ear, or rather of the mind, in quickness and accuracy of attention.-Every locality has its own. peculiar errors; but the following table will, it is thought, prove generally useful.

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