Tafel.l 372 1 



October. 



the second syllables are likewise accented, as in cock-tail, Jiip-tilc^ 

 dog-day, and also m foot-patli, cud-hear, &c. The same also applies 

 when two explodents are preceded by an unaccented vowel, for the 

 vowel in this instance, as has been mentioned above, is not reduced 

 in the same degree as when it is followed by a single explodent, and 

 therefore, sufficient power remains to it to attract one of the following 

 letters, as in ac-tae'-a, hap-tis'-tic, cap-ta'-tion, ac-cep-ta'-tion. When 

 two explodents are between two unaccented vowels, each one lays, like- 

 wise, claim to one of these letters, e. (j., am'-phic'ti/-on'-ic, &c. When 

 an explodent precedes a continuant, and this is a semi-vowel, these 

 combinations may be preceded either by a long or short vowel.' When 

 the vowel is long, the break occurs immediately after the vowel, as in 

 A-pril, ma-tron, fra-(jrant, vi-hrate, ni-trate, ini-rfrate, He-hrcw, pe- 

 trous, cct-the-dral, se-cref, ne-gro ; when it is short, the break is found 

 between the initial and final elements of the preceding mutes, and the 

 following words are pronounced as if they were spelled hp-prous, clt- 

 tron, mid-driff, pop-pJcir, puh-Uic, Bad-dley, mot-tleij, yg-gJi/. Such, 

 also, is the case when the continuant is a fluid consonant, as in liat-cliet 

 (liSLtchet), jiid-dzhing (judging), rup-pslion (ruption), ak-kshon (ac- 

 tion), ak-hsent (accent), ek-ksile (exile), drop-paij (dropsy), top-i)fal 

 (topful), hook-l'f id (hooMu\), &c. In English orthography, these words 

 are all spelled with single letters, with the exception of doggrel, which 

 may be fairly divided into dog-grel ; but as to the question whether 

 the single letters in these combinations are intended to mark the 

 initial or final element of the mutes, I again declare in favor of the 

 initial element, as in all other cases, whenever the mutes are pre- 

 ceded by short vowels. In practical spelling, the above words may 

 thus be divided in the following manner : lep-rous, cit-ron, mid-riff, 

 pop-lar, rup'tion, ac-tion, ac-ccnt, drop-si/, top-fid, hooh-ful. The 

 words luit-chet and Ji(d-giug, also, we may divide in a strictly pho- 

 netic manner, as ch and g in these words, are equivalent to tsh and 

 dzh ; the insertion of t and d in these words, which facilitates their 

 syllabication, may be considered an argument, showing that English 

 orthography is not quite as irrational as it is generally reputed to be. 

 A difficulty arises in exile, where half of x belongs to the first, and 

 the other half to the second syllable. This point the English lan- 

 guage settles on etymological grounds, for it decides that compound 

 words in syllabication are divided into their constituent members; 

 thus we divide ex- He. When preceded by a reduced vowel, x be- 

 longs to the following syllables, as in cach-e-xi/. 



Sometimes it is difficult to tell the precise place where polysylla- 



