302 CADMUS. 
written I think they will not be deemed neceflary upon 
many occafions ; for, where the nouns and verbs are now 
perfectly fimilar.in their orthography, we fhall generally 
find fuch imperfe€tion in fpelling, as, when corrected, to 
reduce the neceflity of accents to a very few inftances; and 
where they appear to be requifite, the exceptions will be 
fo eafily acquired, or make fuch little difference in language, 
that they are fcarcely worth attention: however, where 
no difference is obferved in the orthography of verbs and 
nouns of two tyllables, the ftrefs is generally on the firft 
fyllable of the noun, and on the laft of the verb; but at- 
tention to good fpeakers will make more forcible impref- 
fions than any rules laid down, and were a foreigner to 
make no difference in uttering thefe particular words 
which grammarians think require accent, and the difference 
of which orthography does not point out, the defect would 
{fcarcely ever be noticed. Th: Sheridan gives many rules 
on accent, but they chiefly tend to point out the firft, fecond 
or third power of his vowels, which in good {fpelling would 
be rendered ufelefs. He gives us many inftances of nouns 
and verbs which receive accents by habit only, no differ- 
ence being marked either by fpelling or otherwife. I will 
give a few, which may fhow that the fpelling only of the 
words will be a fufficient diftinG@ion, without any accents 
being marked; and the general rule of laying it upon the 
laft fyllable of the verb, or rather, upon the common vowel 
of the laft fyllable of the verb, and the common vowel of 
the firft fyllable of the noun, may ferve, 
Nouns 
‘© an European comprehend, as it is for a Chinefe to comprehend the fix pronunciations of 
*‘ the French E, ‘Thefe accents do yet more, they give a certain harmony, and pointed ca- 
“ dence, to the moft ordinary phrafes: with regard to clearnefs, let fact decide. ‘The Chi-« 
“ nefe {peak as faft as we do, fay more things in fewer words, and underftand one another.”—~ 
From what is quoted we find that the accents multiply a/mo/? every word in four, but if every 
word were multiplied, there would be only 1320 which is but a fmall number to compound into 
fo copious a language ; and I am certain that a perfon of good genius, who underftands the fym- 
bols of fpeech perfectly, would as eafily reduce the Chinefe language to regular characters, as 
any other; but the hieroglyphics of the language would be as unintelligible as it is at prefent 
to the generality of that nation. 
