Page:Critical Pronouncing Dictionary (Walker, 4th edition, London, 1806).pdf/82

78 accent be allowable on the first syllable of these words, it is by no means necessary; they may all be pronounced with one accent, and that on the last syllable, without the least deviation from propriety.

. In order to give some idea of the nature of the secondary accent, let us suppose, that, in giving our opinion of an astronomical argument, we say,

In this sentence, as an accent is necessarily upon the last syllable of direct, we seldom lay a stress on the first syllable of demonstration, unless we mean to be uncommonly emphatical; but in the following sentence,

Here, as no accented word precedes demonstration, the voice finds a rest, and the ear a force, in placing an accent on the first, as well as on the third syllable.

. But though we may, or may not, use the secondary accent at pleasure, it is by no means a matter of indifference on what syllable we place it: this is fixed with as much certainty as the place of the principal accent itself; and a wrong position of one would as much derange the sound of the word, as a wrong position of the other: and it must be carefully noted, that though we lay no stress upon the syllable which may have the secondary accent, the consonants and vowels have exactly the same sound as if the doubtful syllable (as it may be called) were accented. Thus, though I lay no stress upon the second syllable of negociation, pronunciation, ecclesiastic, etc. the c and s go into the sound of sh and zh, as if the secondary accent were on the preceding syllable. (357) (451) (459)

. It may be observed, in the first place, that the secondary accent is always two syllables, at least, distant from the principal accent: thus in demonstration, lamentatation, provocation, etc. the secondary accent is on the first syllable, and the principal on the third; and in arteriotomy, meteorology, and hypochondriacal, the secondary accent is on the first, and the principal on the fourth syllable; and in the word indivisibility we may place two secondary accents, one upon the first, and the other on the third.

. In the next place it may be observed, that though the syllable on which the principal accent is placed, is fixed and certain, yet we may, and do frequently make the secondary principal, and the principal secondary: thus caravan, complaisant, violin, repartee, referee, privateer, domineer, courtezan, artizan, charlatan, may all have the greatest stress on the first, and the least on the last syllable, without any violent offence to the ear: nay, it may be asserted, that the principal accent on the first syllable of these words, and none at all on the last, though certainly improper, has nothing in it grating or discordant; but placing an accent on the second syllable of these words would entirely derange them, and produce an intolerable harshness and dissonance. The same observations may be applied to demonstration, lamentation, provocation, navigator, propagator, alligator, and every similar word in the language. But, as we have observed, No. 526, the consonants t, d, c, and s, after the secondary accent, are exactly under the same predicament as after the primary; that is, if they are followed by a diphthong or diphthongal vowel, these consonants are pronounced like sh, tsh, zh, or j, as sententiosity, partiality, etc. (526)

. In treating this part of pronunciation, it will not be necessary to enter into the nature of that quantity which constitutes poetry; the quantity here considered will be that which relates to words taken singly; and this is nothing more than the length or shortness of the vowels, either as they stand alone, or as they are differently combined with vowels or consonants. (63)

. Quantity, in this point of view, has already been fully considered under every vowel and diphthong in the language. What remains to be said on this subject is, the quantity of vowels under the secondary accent. We have seen that vowels, under the principal accent, before the diphthongs ia, ie, eou, ion, are all long except i. (507) That all vowels are long before the terminations ity and ety, as deity, piety, etc. (511) that if one or more consonants precede these terminations, every preceding accented vowel, except the a in scarcity and rarity, signifying uncommonness, is short but u: and that the same analogy of quantity is found before the terminations ic and ical, and the numerous enclitical terminations we have just been pointing out. Here we find custom conformable to analogy; and that the rules for the accent and quantity of these words admit of scarcely any exceptions. In other parts of the language, where custom is more capricious, we can still discover general rules; and there are but very few words in which the quantity of the vowel under the principal accent is not ascertained. Those who have but a common share of education, and are conversant with the pronunciation of the Capital, are seldom at a loss for the quantity of the vowel under that accent which may be called principal; but the secondary accent in the longer polysyllables does not seem to decide the quantity of the vowels so invariably. Mr. Sheridan divides the words deglutition, depravation, degradation, dereliction, and democratical, into de-glu-ti-tion, de-pra-va-tion, de-gra-da-tion, de-re-lic-tion, and de-mo-crat-i-cal; while Dr. Kenrick more accurately divides them into deg-lu-ti-tion, dep-ra-va-tion, deg-ra-da-tion, and dem-o-crat-i-cal; but makes not any distinction between the first o in profanation and profane, prodigality and prodigious, prorogation and prorogue, though he distinguishes this letter in the first syllable of progress and that in progression: and though Mr. Sheridan divides retrograde into ret-ro-grade,