Sect. I.] Englhh Language. 305 



its analogies, were enabled to lay down rules 

 which have proved extensively useful. Among 

 those writers who deserve high praise on this sub*^ 

 ject Mr. Elphinstone, before-mentioned, is entitled 

 to the first place. At the commencenicnt of his 

 inquiries he found Orthoepy in a very chaotic con- 

 dition. In his Principles of the English Lcniguagc 

 he did much towards reducing the chaos to order, 

 and laid down the principles of a just and regular 

 pronunciation. But by treating the subject in a 

 way not calculated to be popular, and by endea- 

 vouring to make an extravagant and ill-judged re- 

 form in the orthography of the language, he lost 

 that portion of credit with the public to which his 

 merit entitled him ; and his labours were less use- 

 ful than they ought to have been. After Mr. 

 Elphinstone, Dr. Kenrick appeared as a teacher 

 and reformer in pronunciation; and his Rheto- 

 rical Dictionary may be regarded as a useful con- 

 tribution for this purpose. Next to him came 

 Mr. Sheridan, who carried his improvements on 

 this subject still further; and in h\s Dictionary 

 gave to the public a standard of pronunciation 

 mucji superior to any thing that had been of- 

 fered by his predecessors. He was succeeded 

 by Mr. Nares, who, in his Elements of Ortho- 

 epy, treated the subject in a new and ingeni- 

 ous manner, and introduced yet greater im- 

 provements. The last distinguished writer on 

 this branch of English grammar, is Mr. Walker. 

 This gentleman, in \m Critical ami Pronouncing 

 Dictionary^ seems to have united the different ex- 

 cellencies of those who went before him \ to have 

 Vol. II. X 



