1806.] 



Air. Rohinfon on Greek Accents, 



499 



I cannot conclude without remarking, 

 that if we ere£t fuch ftately monuments to 

 captains and lubaltern generals, who, gal- 

 lant men though they be, fill no alfignable 

 fpace in the eye of Fame, what maufole- 

 um, what pyramid, ftiall we raife to the 

 memory of the immortal Nelfon ! 



I am^ Sir, your's, &c. 



London. E. A. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 



SIR, 



I HAVE read with attention, and I 

 hope with sdvantsge, the communica- 

 tions of your Correlpondents MeiTrs. 

 Smith and Pickbourn, relative to the pro- 

 nunciation of the Lstin and Gietk Un- 

 guages i and though fume difl'erence of 

 i"en:iment on liie fubjt-ft exilts between 

 them and myfelf, I cannot but confider 

 the Papers which they have furnifhed to 

 the Monthly Magazine as highly valuable. 

 I (hall, hnwever, add a few obl'crvations 

 on the fubjeft, which you are at liberty to 

 jnfert in your Mifcelljny, or to rejeft, as 

 you (hall ihink proper. 



In the fir(t place, it will be neceflary to 

 inquire into the nature of accent. Some 

 grammarians tell us, that accent is ex- 

 tremely different in liic ancient and mo- 

 dern languages J and that in the former it 

 .denoted certain inHexions tf the voice, 

 whillt in ihe latter it fignifies only a pecu. 

 ilar manner ot dii'inguifliing one iVllable 

 ot a word from the reft. Nov, Sir, I 

 would aflc the perfons who draw this line 

 ef diftinfticn between the meaning of the 

 ancient and modern accent, if the puts of 

 fpeech are not tlie fame in all languages ? 

 If nature has not given a variety of tones 

 which gradually nie or fall r And if this 

 rifing or fnll ng of the voice is not pro- 

 perly denominated accent ? Walker and 

 bheridan inform us that ihe ancitnts had 

 thrre marks in general ufc, which they de- 

 nominated accents, and therefore u((;d the 

 word in the plural ; hut that, in the P2n- 

 glifh language, the term, fignilying only 

 a peculiar manner of diHinguifhing one 

 fyllahle of a word from ih- ie(f, is em- 

 pl yid by us in the fmgular numbf^r only.* 

 If (his were true, ihe Englilh language 



• Sec a Lftter in defence of their 

 hypo'. htfis, inferted in the Monthly Maga- 

 zine, vol. xix., p. 426. Againft the Of)inion 

 of Walker and Shciidan it is only t.ecell'iry 

 to oppoi'c ihe authority of the leained Dr. 

 Sarruel Johnfon, v/ho, in the Rules of Pro. 

 fody piffixcd to his Diftion.iry, conliders the 

 acute tone and long quantity, in Englilh 

 verfe, as equivalent by idiog together. 

 4 



would differ from all others. The Gretk.?, 

 indeed, and after thein the Romans,ob'erved 

 in the pronunciation of their language three 

 marks of accent, the acuie, the grave, and 

 the circumflex. The firit denntes the 

 movement of the voice from a lower pi:c!i 

 to a higher ; the fecond, from a higher to 

 slower ; and the third, bdh a rifn g and 

 falling on the fame fyllable. But though 

 theie accen'ual marks are not printed in 

 the Englifh language, we cannot fail to 

 obferve ihem in reading it ; we muft 

 beighten and depre's the voice, unlefs our 

 pronunciation be monotonous and inllpid. 

 Every language, whether Gieek or R> 

 man, Engidi 'rFicnch, moiiern or an- 

 ceiir, will necefl-irilv lequire thele fcveral 

 infl-xions of the voice. 



Mr. Pickbourn lays, that " accent in 

 fome degree affcfts quantity, i. e., it 

 makes the accented fyllable a little longer 

 than it would be without it." By the 

 word accent I fiipnofe this gentleman to 

 mean the acute accent ; and if fo, I ))r«- 

 fume, that, though it has an influence op 

 quantity, it has a contrary efFefl to tiiat 

 which he has afllgned to it. Iriftea>i of 

 lengthening a long fvllabte, it itnke< it 

 fhorteithan it would be without it. The 

 nieaiing of the word hivi is iharp or 

 quick. It conveys the idea of quicknefs ; 

 and, when referred to found, implies 

 height. Agreeably to thi^ opinion, the 

 late Kilhop Plare f^ys, " Hinc ufu venit, 

 ut fyllaba acuta; poxima pro correpia ha- 

 beatur, brenjiorque acuta videatnr, etiam 

 cuin ipfa quoque brevis elf." — De Metr. 

 Comic. In the following fentence the 

 great Romin orator hasexpreffed both the 

 qualities of height and quicknefs as be- 

 longing to the acute ; — •* Quam ob cau- 

 fam lummus iilecoeli (felliferi curlu?, cu- 

 jus converfio elt concilaii'ir, acuta et ex- 

 r/<<3/fl movetur fono." — Somn. Scipion. 

 fee. 5. 



It, therefore, accent in fome degree 

 affeiSts quantity, making a long fyllable 

 fhort, and a (hort one more fliort, let us be 

 carehil not to negleil accent, lelt we alio 

 err againft quantity. This peihaps is rot 

 fufficiently attended fo by thofe who wi(h 

 to read the Latin and Gieek language witll 

 a regard to long and fliort fy 111 bits, and 

 without any regard to the accentual vir- 

 guijc. In ordtr to produce harmony in a 

 line, it is no: only neceffary thit the quan- 

 tity of each fvllable and wtrd he duly ob- 

 Icrvtd, but that the accen^s be alii) re- 

 gaided. Mttie depends on t|uaiuity. 

 alone : rhythm is more complex in its na- 

 ture, and comprehends nccent ard quan. 

 tity. By reading the twy following lines, 

 3 R z the 



