Page:Critical Pronouncing Dictionary (Walker, 4th edition, London, 1806).pdf/41

Rh cilicious) though marked long by Mr. Sheridan. Simultaneous having the secondary accent on the first syllable, does not come under this head, but retains the i long, notwithstanding the shortening power of the accent it is under. (527)

. Ti has the i short, as in timidity.

. Tri has the i long, for the same reason as bi, which see (118) (119).

. Vi has the i so unsettled as to puzzle the correctest speakers. The i is generally long in vicarionsvicarious [sic], notwithstanding the short i in vicar. It is long in vibration, from its relation to vibrate. Vitality has the i long, like vital. In vivifick, vivificate, and viviparous, the first i is long, to avoid too great a sameness with the second. Vivacious and vivacity have the i almost as often long as short; Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Scott, and Dr. Kenrick, make the i in vivacious long, and Mr. Perry and Buchanan short; Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Scott, and W. Johnston, make the i in the first of vivacity long, and Perry and Buchanan short: but the short sound seems less formal and most agreeable to polite usage. Vicinity, vicinal, vicissitude, vituperate, vimineous, and virago, seem to prefer the short i, though Mr. Sheridan has marked the three last words with the first vowel long. But the diversity will be best seen by giving the authorities for all these words:

I have classed vicinal here as a word with the accent on the second syllable, as it stands in Sheridan's Dictionary, but think it ought to have the accent on the first. See.

. The same diversity and uncertainty in the sound of this letter, seem to reign in those final unaccented syllables which are terminated with the mute e. Perhaps the best way to give some tolerable idea of the analogy of the language in this point, will be, to show the general rule, and mark the exceptions; though these are sometimes so numerous as to make us doubt of the rule itself: therefore the best way will be to give a catalogue of both.

. There is one rule of very great extent, in words of this termination, which have the accent on the penultimate syllable, and that is, that the i in the final syllable of these words in short: thus servile, hostile, respite, deposite, adamantine, amethystine, etc. are pronounced as if written servil, hostil, respit, deposit, etc. The only exceptions in this numerous class of words seem to be the following: Exíle, senile, edile, empire, umpire, rampire, finite, feline, ferine, archives; and the substantives, cònfine and sùpine: while the adjectives saline and contrite have sometimes the accent on the first, and sometimes on the last syllable; but in either case the i is long. Quagmire and pismire have the i long also; likewise has the i long, but otherwise has it more frequently, though very improperly, short. Myrrhine, vulpine, and gentile, though marked with the i long by Mr. Sheridan, ought, in my opinion, to conform to the general rule, and be pronounced with the i short. Vulpine, with the i long, is adopted by Mr. Scott; and W. Johnston Mr. Scott, and Buchanan, agree with Mr. Sheridan in the last syllable of gentile; and this seems agreeable to general usage, though not to analogy. See the word.

That the reader may have a distinct view of the subject, I have been at the pains of collecting all our dissyllables of this termination, with the Latin words from which they are derived, by which we may see the correspondence between the English and Latin quantity in these words:

In this list of Latin adjectives, we find only ten of them with the penultimate i long; and four of them with the i in the last syllable long, in the English words gentīle, aedīle, senīle, and virīle. It is highly probable that this short i, in the Latin adjectives, was the cause of adopting this i in the English words derived from them; and this tendency is a sufficient reason for pronouncing the words projectĭle, tractĭle, and insectĭle with the i short, though we have no classical Latin words to appeal to, from which they are derived.

. But when the accent is on the last syllable but two, in words of this termination, the length of the vowel is not so easily ascertained.

. Those ending in ice, have the i short, except sacrifice and cockatrice.

. Those ending in ide have the i long, notwithstanding we sometimes hear suicide absurdly pronounced, as if written suicid,suicid. [sic]

. Those ending in ife, have the i long, except housewife, pronounced huzziff, according to the general rule, notwithstanding the i in wife is always long. Midwife is