Enquire Within Upon Everything Part 34

xxii. NG has two sounds, one as in _anger_, the other as in _fin-ger._ **

xxiii. N after _m_, and closing a syllable, is silent; as in _hymn, condemn._

xxiv. P before _s_ and _t_ is mute; as in _psalm, pseudo, ptarmigan;_ p.r.o.nounced _sarm, sudo, tarmigan._

xxv. R, has two sounds, one strong and vibrating, as at the beginning of words and syllables, such as _robber, reckon, error;_ the other as at the terminations of words, or when succeeded by a consonant, as _farmer, morn._

xxvi. Before the letter R, there is a slight sound of _e_ between the vowel and the consonant. Thus, _bare, parent, apparent, mere, mire, more, pure, pyre,_ are p.r.o.nounced nearly _baer, paerent, appaerent, me-er,mier, moer,puer, pyer._ This p.r.o.nunciation proceeds from the peculiar articulation of _r_, and it occasions a slight change of the sound of _a_, which can only be learned by the ear.

xxvii. There are other rules of p.r.o.nunciation affecting the combinations of vowels, &c.; but as they are more difficult to describe, and as they do not relate to errors which are commonly prevalent, we shall content ourselves with giving examples of them in the following list of words. When, a syllable in any word in this list is printed in italics [_like this_], the accent or stress of voice should be laid on that syllable.

[AUCTIONS COMMENCED IN BRITAIN IN A.D. 1779.]

197. Proper p.r.o.nunciations of Words often Wrongly p.r.o.nounced.

Again, usually p.r.o.nounced a-_gen_, not as spelled.

Alien, a-li-en not _ale-yen._

Antipodes, an-_tip_-o-dees.

Apostle, as _a-pos'l_, without the _t_.

Arch, _artch_ in compounds of our own language, as in archbishop, archduke; but _ark_ in words derived from the Greek, as archaic, ar-_ka_-ik; archaeology, ar-ke-_ol_-o-gy; archangel, ark-_ain_-gel; archetype, _ar_-ke-type; archiepiscopal, ar-ke-e-_pis_-co-pal; archipelago, ar-ke-_pel_-a-go; ar-chives, _ar_-kivz, &c.

Asia, _a_-sha.

Asparagus as spelled, not asparagra.s.s.

Aunt, ant, not _au_nt.

Awkward, awk-_wurd,_ not awk-_urd._

Bade, bad.

Because, be-_cawz,_ not ba-_cos_

Been, bin.

Beloved, as a verb, be-_luvd;_ as an adjective, be-_luv_-ed.

Blessed, cursed, &c., are subject to the same rule.

Beneath, with the _th_ in breath, not with the _th_ in breathe.

Biog'raphy, as spelled, not beography.

Buoy, boy, not bwoy.

Ca.n.a.l', as spelled, not ca-nel.

Caprice, capreece.

Catch, as spelled, not ketch.

Chaos, _ka_-oss.

Charlatan, _shar_-latan.

Chasm, kazm.

Chasten, chasn.

Chivalry, _shiv_-alry.

Chemistry, _kem'_-is-tre, not _kim_-is-tre.

Choir, kwire.

Clerk, klark.

Combat, _k.u.m_-bat.

Conduit, _kun_-dit.

Corps, kor: the plural corps is p.r.o.nounced korz.

Covetous, _cuv_-e-tus, not cov-e-tus.

Courteous, _curt_-yus.

Courtesy (politeness), _cur_-te-sey.

Courtesy (a lowering of the body), _curt_-sey.

Cresses, as spelled, not _cree_-ses.

Cu'riosity, cu-re-os-e-ty, not cur_os_ity.

Cushion, _coosh_-un, not coosh-_in_.

Daunt, d_aw_nt, not dant or darnt, as some erroneously p.r.o.nounce it.

Design and desist have the sound of _s_, not of _z_.

Desire should have the sound of _z_.

Despatch, de-_spatch_, not _dis_-patch.