does not imply accentuation of the syllable; that is part of PRONUNCIATION. Pronunciation distinguishes the educated gentleman from the vulgar and unpolished man. Pronunciation is made up of articulation and accentuation; when both are perfect, the individual has a correct and elegant pronunciation. Custom, as Horace has truly said, "arbitrium est et jus et norma loquendi"-custom is the arbiter and criterion of what is correct in speech; but then it is the custom of the polite and elegant part of the world, (not of the mere vulgar,) that must guide us; and of which the Roman poet, writing, as he did, to the cultivated intellects of the Augustan age, must be understood to speak. The custom of vulgar thousands cannot sanctify their errors; nor can the daily practice of thousands change folly into wisdom, any more than it can corrupt or give authority to any similar improprieties. The pulpit, the senate, and the bar, ought, from the advantages of education generally possessed by their members, and from their social position, to be the standard authorities to which we might appeal with certainty, (for our language is continually undergoing change, addition, and improvement ;) but, unfortunately, the gentlemen of the learned professions are frequently so careless in their own pronunciation as rather to require admonition, (medice, sana te ipsum,) than to be looked to as authorities; so that they may, (from their own inaccuracies) be considered a Court of Errors, but not of Appeal. We must, therefore, rely upon such lights as we have, and the assistance of those who, well educated in other respects, make their own language their particular study. The following are a few very common examples, (which it is absolutely necessary to correct,) of ERRONEOUS PRONUNCIATION, by mal-articulation or false accentuation. OMISSION OF SUB-TONICS OR ATONICS. g in ing, as in comin' for coming, speakin' for speaking, &c. ts in sts, as insis' for insists, persis' for persists, &c. OMISSION OF A MIDDLE OR DOUBLE SUB-TONIC. m in mm, as imaculate for im-maculate, &c. n in nen, as proness, for prone-ness, &c. per'-fume (v.) for per-fu'me per-fu'me (n.) for per'-fume mischie'v-ous for mis'-chiev-ous adverti'se-ment "adver'-tisment pre-ce'-dent(n.) for pre'-ce-dent se-rees(series) for see-ry-es, &c. pre'-ce-dent(adj.)" pre-ce'-dent REFINEMENTS IN PRONUNCIATION. The syllables car, gar, and guar, are, in polite and refined pronunciation, softened thus: car is made kya'r, as kyart (cart,) kyar-pet (carpet.) gar and guar, gya'r, as gya'rd (guard,) gya'rden (garden,)&c. Also, before a long and accented i or y, the letter k makes key, as keyi'nd (kind,) skey-i' (sky,) &c. Such are a few points which I particularly notice, because it is in them that errors most prevail. The nature of this book does not pretend to go into the whole theory of pronunciation: my object is, practically to correct certain prevalent faults of articulation and pronunciation. [See Practice on Pronunciation.] |