A Letter to Lord North, on his Re-election into the House of Narrative of the Proceedings at the Election of Members for the Letter from Lord Carysfort to the Huntingdonshire Committee, Copies of the Proceedings of the General Meetings of the Coun- Short Sketch of the Conduct of Administration towards the Bo- Plan, or Articles of Perpetual Union, Commerce, and Friend- fhip between Great Britain and her Colonies, Le Deftin d'Amerique; or the Fate of America, Reasons for Uniformity in the State, Sir John Hawkins's Charge to the Grand Jury of the County of Joannis Brunonis, M. D. Elementa Medicinæ, Dr. Scot's Hiftories of Gouty, Bilious, and Nervous Cafes, 318 Everfhed's Summary View of the genuine Evidences of the Truth ibid. Effays on various Subjects of Taste and Criticifm, Some Memoirs of the Life of Dr. Nathan Alcock, Haigh's Hint to the Dyers and Cloth-makers, 321 Throby's Memoirs of the Town and County of Leicester, Unity and Public Spirit recommended, Dr. Price's Effay on the Population of England, Dr. Manning's Modern Improvements. inthe Practice of Phylic, Speech of Edmund Burke, efq. at Bristol, Northcote's Corrupt Influence removed, Addrefs to the Commander in Chief and Field Officers of the Army, 390 Remarks on General Burgoyne's State of the Expedition from Canada, ibid. Narrative of Lieut. Gen. Sir William Howe, relative to his Conduct in North America, 391 Reply to the Obfervations of Lieut. Gen. Sir William Howe, on Letters to a Nobleman,' ibid. ibid. A Poem, occafioned by the late Calamities of England, September, a Rural Poen, Mifs Lee's Chapter of Accidents, a Comedy, 397 Robertfon's Sermon at Whitby before a Battalion of Volunteers, Fellows's Proteftant Alarm, Thelyphthora; or, a Treat!fe on Female Ruin, Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting in England, Vol. IV. 393 394 ibid. 396 ibid. ibid. Companion for the Chriftian in his Field and Garden, 399 Ramfay's Effay on the Qualifications of a Sea-officer, Worthington's Effay on the Refolution of Plane Triangles by Common Arithmetic, &c. ibid. Temptation, or Satan in the Country, Parody on the Rofciad of Churchill, ibid. ibid. 398 400 401 413 419 429 Bishop Hurd's Sermons at Lincoln's Inn, Vol. II. and III. 434 The Hiftory of the Civil War in America, Brett's Tranflation of Feyjoo's Effays, 440 449 Miscellaneous Obfervations on fome Points of Controverfy between the Materialists and their Opponents, 457 459 Hedley's Complete Syftem of Practical Arithmetic, Letter to Lieut. Gen. Burgoyne, occafioned by his fecond Edition of his State of the Expedition from Canada, 467 An English Freeholder's Addrefs to his Countrymen, ibid. Enquiry into the Advantages and Difadvantages refulting from Bills of Inclofure, ibid. ibid. 468 469 470 ibid. 470 472 Storm: A Storm with the Defcription of a Water-fpout, &c. La Bagatelle. On the Ufe and Abuse of Satire, The Generous Impoftor, a Comedy, Obfervations on Dr. Hugh Smith's Philofophy of Phyfic, Michaelis's Introductory Lectures on the facred Books of the Charity Sermon preached at St. Edmund's Bury, The Unlawfulness of Polygamy evinced, Letter to Mr. Madan, concerning the Chapter of Polygamy, [ ] THE CRITICAL REVIEW. For the Month of July, 1780. A General Dictionary of the English Language. One main Object of which, is, to establish a plain and permanent Standard of Pronunciation. To which is prefixed a Rhetorical Grammar. By Thomas Sheridan, A. M. 2 Vols. 410. 11. ¡1s. 6d. boards. Dodfley. [Concluded, from Vol. xlix. p. 350.] T HERE are two principles by which pronunciation may be regulated, analogy and euphony. Analogy (derived from ava, per, and Moyos, ratio) is a principle of great extent.' Quintilian fays, Ejus hæc vis eft, ut id, quod dubium eft, ad aliquid fimile, de quo non quæritur, referat, ut incerta certis probet. Lib. i. 6. Varro, treating of the declenfion of words, calls analogy, Verborum fimilium declinatio fimilis, non repugnante confuetudine communi.' De Ling. Lat. lib. ix. This definition, with a little alteration, may be applied to the point in queftion, and analogy defined, the fimilar pronunciation of fimilar words, where cuftom has introduced no particular exception. By cuftom, or what Varro calls fuetudo communis,' we are not to understand the pronunciation of the vulgar, but that which is authorized by the learned and judicious. con But though analogy, as we have already obferved, is a principle of great extent in the pronunciation of the English language, there are many anomalies or deviations from it; and thefe deviations are fometimes arbitrary and capricious. The common pronunciation of wind, with i fhort, is a violation of analogy; for this vowel is long in mind, find, blind, kind, bind, hind, rind, and all other monofyllables ending in ind. Mr. Sheridan tells us, that he has often heard Swift fay to those who pronounced it short, in a jeering tone, I have a great mind VOL. L. July, 1780. " B to 2 to find, why you call it wind. In this Dictionary we have wind and wind'. Perhaps the latter has prevailed in common conversation, because it has a quicker found than the former. In the ufual pronunciation of grofs, the o is long, but it is fhort in all other words of a fimilar termination; as, moss, loss, cross, drofs, glofs, tofs, &c. There is no affinity between the pronunciation of bear, pear, wear, fear, and that of dear, near, fear, Spear, year; or between that of froft, loft, croft, loft, coft, and that of host, ghost, most, poft; yet analogy feems to require a uniformity. 2. Where words are spelled alike, it is natural to fuppofe that they fhould be pronounced in the fame manner. But analogy in this cafe is frequently fuperfeded for the fake of diferimination; as in the following inftances: Auguft, the name of a month, and the adjective august; to fow, or diffeminate, and for, a female fwine; Job, the name of a man, and job, a piece of work; does, the third perfon fingular of do, and does, the plural of doe, a female deer; to tear, or face rate, and a tear which falls from the eye. 3. Analogy is fometimes violated for the fake of a more eafy and familiar pronunciation. Thus, fymboi'ic, vitriolic, Eolic, parabolic, bucolic, diabolic, apoftolic, hyperbolic, have the accent on the penultima; but catholic on the antepenultima. When words end in cence, with preceding it, the accent is always on the f; as, quies'cence, excres'cence, intums'cence; but this rule of analogy is violated for the fake of a more agreeable found, in concupifcence. From thefe examples it appears, that analogy is fubject to many exceptions; yet, notwithstanding this, it is a general rule, which, in all cafes, deferves particular attention, and fhould never be deferted without apparent neceffity. Another principle of great efficacy in pronunciation is euphony. This has been so much studied by the French, that though their language is naturally as harsh and unmufical as any in Europe, they have rendered it foft and mellifluous, by omitting a very confiderable number of their confonants in the pronunciation. In doubtful cafes we fhould certainly prefer that pronunciation, which is the most easy and agreeable. No perion, therefore, who has any notion of harmony, will place the accent on the first fyllable of refractory, contemptible, refpectable, corruptible, acaa'emy, pronouncing thefe words refractory, contempt ible, respectable,corʻruptible, academy. The organs of speech and the ear revolt at these difficult and difcordant founds. Mr. Sheridan, however, gives us academy, as well as academy, in his Dictionary. |
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