of the Gveeh Langiiags. sa^ 



had been a seaman from the age of nine years ; aud; as he in- 

 formed me, had never been at school since that early age ; the ef- 

 fects of which deficiency in education were apparent in his reading 

 and writing. This circumstance however (as has been justly ob- 



ed in a simil 

 ously gave h 



this subject*) 



try 



the controversies among the learned in Europe on the subject of 



d modern Greek, it Avas not in his power to fi 

 > my questions in such a manner as to suit any 



par- 



ticular hypothesis of European scholars. 



I may here remark, that I have felt tlie greater desire to com- 

 municate to the Academy the information thus obtained respectin 





the pronunciation of the Modern Greeks^ because it led to a 

 strong conviction in my own mind very different from the opin- 

 ion I once entertained of it. Adopting the opinion^ which was 

 first propagated with success hy JKrasmus^ (who^ however^ did not 

 adhere to it himself in practice,) I had long supposed their present 

 pronunciation to be grossly corrupt^ and wholly different from that 

 of their ancestors But the attention I liave given to the subject, 

 in consequence of my frequent conversations with the two Greeks 

 I have mentioned, and an examination of the controversy, which 

 took place in the age of Erasmus, (which will be more particular- 

 ly noticed hereafter,) have occasioned a change in my opinion. 

 It now appears to me highly probable, nay almost certain, that 

 the Greeks of the present day pronounce very nearly as their an- 

 cestors did, as early as the commencement of the Christian era, 



* Observations upon tlie Greek Accents, by Arthur Brown, Esq# published 

 in tfee Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy^ vol. vii. p. 359. 



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it 



