Modern Languages. 103 



use of capitals, great alterations have been intro- 

 duced. But besides the changes in orthography 

 which have been generally received, and are now 

 established, several proposals were made, in the 

 course of the century we are considering, for a more 

 radical reform. Of this reform, which consisted 

 in an attempt to render the spelling more conform- 

 able to the rules of pronunciation, Mr. Elphin- 

 stone, of Great-Britain, and Dr. Franklin and 

 Mr. Noah Webster, of our own country, among 

 others, have appeared as the most conspicuous pro- 

 jectors and patrons, since the time of Bishop Wil- 

 kins. The successive proposals and exertions of 

 these gentlemen, to attain this favourite end, were 

 all unsuccessful. The great majority of philologists 

 seem to have considered them as useless in them- 

 selves, calculated to injure the analogy of the lan- 

 guage, completely subversive of etymological prin- 

 ciples, and productive of numerous inconveniences 

 and evils. 



The attention lately paid to English Orthoepy, 

 may be considered as peculiar to the eighteenth 

 century. The pronunciation of our language was, 

 a few years ago, in a very crude, loose, and neg- 

 lected state. This circumstance attracted the no- 

 tice of several ingenious and accurate men, who 

 perceiving the importance of some regular and con- 

 sistent plan of pronouncing, engaged in a system 

 of reform on this subject; and by exhibiting the 

 anomalies of pronunciation, and pointing out its 

 analogies, were enabled to lay down rules, which 

 have proved extensively useful. Among those 

 writers who deserve high praise on this subject, 

 Mr. Elphinstone, before mentioned, is entitled to 

 the first place. At the commencement of his in- 



j This word, like the art which it is designed to express, is of recent 

 formation. It is derived from the Greek words 'of§oi } rccius, and i^o; t 

 <»erbum> and signifies the art of pronouncing vcl-L 



