DIFFERENT SOUNDS OF THE DIPHTHONGS AE, AT.

diphthong be two vowel sounds in succession,they must necessarily form two syllables, andtherefore, by its very definition, cannot be a diph-thong : if it be such a mixture of two vowels asto form but one simple sound, it is very impro-perly called a diphthong ; hor can any suchsimple mixture exist.

192. The only way to reconcile this seemingcontradiction is to suppose Unit two vocal soundsin succession were sometimes pronounced so close-ly together as to form only the time of one syl-lable in Greek and Latin verse. Some of thesediphthongal syllables we have in our own lan-guage, which only pass for monosyllables inpoetry : thus hire (wages) is no more than onesvlluble in verse, though perfectly equivalent tohigher (more high), which generally passes for adissyllabic: the same may be observed of direor dyer, hour and power, &e. This is nht unitingtwo vocal sounds into one simple sound, which isimpossible, but pronouncing two vocal sounds insuccession so rapidly and so closely as to go loronlv one syllable in poetry*

1<M. Tims the best definition I have found of adiphthong*is that given us by Mr. Smith, in hisScheme for a French and English Dictionary .“ A diphthong (says this gentleman) I would de-fine to be two simple vocal sounds uttered by oneand the same emission of breath, and joined insuch a manner that each loses a portion of its na-tural length ; but from the junction produceth acompound sound, equal in the time of pronouncingto either of them taken separately, and so makingstill but one syllable,"

ID-1. “ Now if we apply this definition (says Mr.Smith) to the several combinations that may havebeen laid down and denominated diphthongs byformer orthoepists, I believe we shall find only asmall number of them meriting this name." Asa proof of the truth of this observation, we findthat most of those vocal assemblages that gounder the name of diphthongs emit but a simplesound, and that not compounded of the twovowels, but one of them only, sounded long :thus jut in and jiaae, pail and pale, hear andhere , are perfectly the same sounds.

105. These observations naturally lead us to adistinction of diphthongs into proper and impro-per : the proper are such as have (wo distinctvocal sounds, and the improper such as have butone.

106. The proper diphthongs are,

ea .ocean io . . • question oy ..... . boy

eu .lend oi . . . . . voice ua . . . assuage

ew .jewel ou . . . . pound ne. nmnsuetude

ia . . . poniard . .now id . . . languid.

ic ... . spaniel

In this assemblage it is impossible not to see amanifest distinction between those which beginwith e or i and the rest. In those beginning witheither of these vowels we find a squeezed soundlike the commencing or consonant y interpose, asit were, to articulate the latter vowel, and thatthe words where these diphthongs are foundmight, agreeably to the sound, be spelt oshe-yan,j’yu(le,j-yeu'el, yon-yard, span-yel, pash-yon, dec. ;and as these diphthongs (which, from their com-mencing with tiie sound of y consonant, may notimproperly be called semi-consonant diphthongs)begin in that part of the mouth where s, C soft,ami t. are formed, we find that coalescence ensuewhich forms the aspirated, hiss in the nutiierousterminations sion, lion, tial, &c. and by directconsequence in those ending in are, -une, as fu-ture, fortune, &c. for the letter u , when long, isexactly one of these semi-consonant diphthongs,8 ; and when immediately alter the accent it co-alesces with the preceding s, c, or t, and drawsthem into the aspirated luss of sh or fsh 459.Those found in the termination ious may be calledsemi-consonant diphthongs also, as the o and uhave but the sound of one vowel. It may beobserved too, in passing, that the reason why inmansuetude the s does not go into sh is because.

inariaus, and liow it has begot the mistake con-cerning diphthongs : all that are properly so aresyllables, and not diphthongs, as intended to besignified by that word .—Holder.

when u is followed by another vowel in the samesyllable, it drops its consonant sound at the beginning, and becomes merely double o.

197. The improper diphthongs arc,

ae ... . Caesar

ai .aim

ao . gaol

an .... taughtaw .law

ea . . . . clean

ee .reed

ei . . . . ceilingeo ... . ueoplecy ... .'. they

ie .friend

oa .coat

oe . . (economyoo . , . . . moonow .... crow.

198. The triphthongs having but two sounds aremerely ocular, ami must therefore be classed withthe proper diphthongs :

aye . (for ever) I eon . plenteous [ tew .... v'ewcan . . . beauty | ten .... adieu [ oeu . manoeuvre.

Of all these combinations of vowels we shall treatin their alphabetical order.

AE.

190. >le or a is a diphthong, says Dr. Johnsonof very frequent use in the Latin language, whichseems not properly to have any place in the Eng­ lish ; since the tr of the Saxons has been long outof use, being changed to e simple ; to which, inwords frequently occurring, Die a of tin* Homansis, in the same manner, altered, as in equator,equinoctial, aiul even in Eneas.

200. Hut though the diphthong <r is perfectlyuseless in our language, and the substitution of ein its stead, in Cesar and Eneas, is recommendedby' Dr. Johnson, we do not find his authority liastotally annihilated it, especially in proper namesand technical terms derived from the learnedlanguages. Casar, JEneus, JEsop, juran, other,athiops mineral, atnphisbanu, anavephalaosis,apkteresis, ergilops, ozeena, &c. seem to preservethe diphthong, as well as certain wyrds whichare either plurals or genitives, in Latin words notnaturalized, as cornucopia, exuviee, aqua Vila, mi-nutiee., stria, &c.

201. This diphthong, when not under the ac-cent, in Michaelmas, and when accented in Dee-dalus, is pronounced like short e: it is, like f,subject to the short sound when under the se-condary accent, as in sEnobarbns , where an, inthe first syllable, is pronounced exactly like theletter n, 530.

202 . The sound of this diphthong is exactly likethe long slender sound of a ; thus pail, a vessel,and pale, a colour, arc perfectly the same sound,'flie exceptions are but few.

203. When .said is the third person, proterinipei-fect tense, of the verb to say, at has the sound ofshort e, and said rhymes with bed; the samesound of ai may be observed in Lite third personof the present tense saith and the participle said :but when this word is an adjective, as the saidman, it is regular, and rhymes with trade.

204. Plaid, a striped garment, rhymes withmad.

205. Raillery is a perfect rhyme to salary ; andraisin, a fruit, is pronounced exactly like

tiie distinctive faculty of man.—See both thesewords in the Dictionary .

200. Again and against sound as if written ageit-and agenst.

207. The aisle of a church is pronounced exact-ly like isle, an island ; and is sometimes writtenlie.

208. When this diphthong is in a final mi ac-cented syllable tiie a is sunk, and the i pro-nounced short; thus mountain, fountain, captain ,curtain , villain, are all pronounced as if writtenviountin, fountin, captin, curtin, villin ; but whenthe last word takes an additional syllable the ais dropped, ami the a has its short sound, as vil-lanous, villany. —See the words in the Dictionary .

209. The ai in Britain has the short sound ap-proaching to u, so common with all the vowelsin final unaccented syllables, and is pronouncedexactly like Briton.

210. Plait, a fold of cloth, is regular, and oughtto be pronounced like plate, a dish ; pronouncingit so as to rhyme with meat is a vulgarism, andought to be avoided.