Philosophical Society of London. 57 



'* Tt would be difficult to decide which is the greater 

 *neiTiy to language, ignorance, or affectation usurping the 

 power oF shortening, Icnetliening, adding syllables, altering 

 accents, and contracting the sounds of vowels. Ignorance 

 would persuade us that the sound of our first letter is con- 

 fined to the broad all ; while atfcctaiion, mincing out aye 

 upon all occasions, would deprive us of an easy use of the 

 under jaw. And so strictly do thev adhere lo this perver- 

 •ion, that when the letter precedes the consonant r, a^s in 

 march, and consequentiv rendered thereby l)road, hesitation 

 is not made in pronouncing it almost match. But these 

 enemies to pronunciation would feel lhem?elves surprised, 

 were they informed that the letter is liable to six modifi- 

 cations;— ^"a/e, fat, Jar, fall, J are, and the unaccentuuted 

 sound when it stands for an article, as, a paper ; or in tlic 

 word particular, &c. It is the manner in u hich the second 

 sound is pronounced in certain words, which marks, as 

 far as this letter is concerned, the affectation or vulgarity of 

 the speaker. Many provincial dialects do not admit the 

 second scamd, and consequently pronounce words of three 

 letters, where the vowel is placed between two consonants, 

 3.5 bad, can, hat, — as hnd (witliout the roui^hness of the r) 

 or bod, &c. — But as we ought not to be supposed able to 

 discover the birth- place of a gentleman by his pronuncia- 

 tion, his mode of delivery should be accommodated to the 

 best usage. Although cast, pass, plant, &c. are precisely 

 of the analogy oi bait, can, hat, &:c. yet adhering too rigid- 

 ly to the correctness of analogy is the svmbnl of affec- 

 tation : on the other hand, pronouncing them broadly, as if 

 modified by r without its roughness, (as parss, &c.) is a 

 eymbol of vulgarity. Now, as we may suppose every public 

 assembly to be composed of persons whose ears have been 

 habituated to pariiculai modes, the speaker's first care 

 should be to utter the vowel so that, if possible, he may 

 not ofiend the ear of either party. It should then be his 

 aim to adopt a middle articulation, and this can easily be 

 accom|)liihed by dweiling on the second vowel's sound, 

 viz. pa-ass, pla ant, &c. ; or by contracting horizontally, 

 a little, the mouth from ilie third sound. If this beadmil- 

 tcd as useful in oratorv, then there are seven sounds of the 

 first letter. Sltcridan has given three sounds. Walker four, 

 and I*erry six." 



" No doubt can arise in the mind of a gentleman how 

 words should be pronounced before an accomplished as- 

 seiMl)ly. Custom, aualogv, etymology, and contiast, 

 (liuuld be equally regarded." 



In 



