have an equal number of syllable. in both languages. J

syUable”^* Wil ' c ^ have a in the penultimate

ACCENT ON POLYSYLLABLES.

prevalent,

equivalent,

adjacent,

ligament,

infamous,

pr<5 pagate,

indagate,

suffragan,

prevalent,(rquivaleus,adjacens ,ligamen,infamis,propdgo,indago ,suffragans.

In this small class of words we find all but the

r a °r f rh“ a r ve . a dif !r e , rent ? ccent in EnglisU fromthat of the Latm. The rule for nlacinc the ar.

wn ih’ t.‘i« language being the simplest in thethe penultimate' syllable is long, the

lepemVtimate/ 1,16 accent 15 on the

sylfabU?' 115 WUiCh have e in the Penultimate

penetrate,

discrepant,

precedent,

elegant,

extiperant,

exuberant,

eminent,

excellent,

Alienate,

delegate,

penetro,

discrepans,

pracedens ,

elegant,

exuperans,

exuberant,

eminent,

excellent,

alieno,

delego.

ed^Fn^h WC fil,d r t,,e P^nnltimate c accent-mi as ,n ^atin, except in the threeLafi,7°» r o d o ' , T le - W °[ d atieHa ‘e departs from tl.Ifirs K,' ,tUaU ?J l , by l >lacin 8 the °n the

often y Tb b i < l’ as lf denvcd from the English nounLatin V? ? enetro 15 either long or short in

short\nnnU >^ ,'| S c . ase we B cnerall y prefer theli ?F\ *” und to long one.

syIlablT” rd9 which iia ' ;e * ln the penultimate

acclivous,

declivous,

proclivons,

litigant,

mitigant,

sibilant,

vigilant,

fdlminant,

discriminate,

hAbitant,

beneficent,

Accident ,

evident,

indigent,

diligent,

negligent,

exigence,

intelligence,

deficienee,

perspicience,

conscience,

obedience,

Pestilence,

supplicate,

explicate,

Abdicate ,

providence,

festinate,

mendicant,

resident,

diffidence,

confidence,

investigate,

castigate,

extricate,

irritate,

pr6flig a t e

instigate,

acclivus,declivus,proclivus,littgans,mitjgans,sibilant,vigilant,fnlminans ,discrimino,habitant,beneftcus,accident,evident,indigins,diligens,negligent,exigent ,intelligent,deficient,perspiciens,consciens,obedient,pestilent,supplicant,explicans,abdicans ,provident,festlno ,mendicant,resident,diffident,confident,investigo,castigo,extrico ,irrito,

profitgo,

instigo .

In the foregoing iu*general coincidence of A. w £ rd * fi » d a very5 en t, except in the last *i e and Latin ac-

depart from the Latin aC!fL en '™ rd »» where wef nd place it on our own favon 01 ? 116 Penultimate,^Penultimate. These lart f* *y 1,able ll >e an-bc ranked as exceptions? W °‘ ds niust therefore

(i) Word* which have osyllable ;

Of

in the penultimate

interrogate,

arrogant,

dissonant,

redolent,

insolent,

benevolent,

condolence,

indolence,

annipotent,

omnipotent,

innocent,

renovate,

desolate,

decorate,

elaborate,

l&borant,

ignorant,

suffocate

interrbgo,

arrogant ,

dissdtians,

rediilens,

ins&lens,

benevSlus,

conddlens ,

indtHens,

armipvtens,

omnipdtens,

innbeens,

renovo,

dcsolo,

deebro,

elaboro,

laborans ,

ignbrans,

suffoco.

In this list the difference of the English andLatin accent is considerable. The six last word*desert the Latin penultimate for the English an-tepenultimate accent, and condolence falls into anaccentuation diametrically opposite.

(k) Words which have u in the penultimatesyllable ;

fAbulate,

maculate,

Arijuvate,

cOmigate,

petulant,

disputant,

impudent,

speculate,

pullulate,

populate,

subjugate,

abducent,

relucent,

imprudent,

Adjutant,

peculate,

indurate,

Obdurate,

fabulor,

maculo,

adjitvo,

corrugo,

petUlans,

dlsputans,

impudent,

specUlor ,

pullulo ,

popitlo,

subjugo,

abducent,

relucent,

imprudent,

adjutant,

peculor,

induro ,

obduro .

Here we find the general rule obtain, with, perhaps, fewer exceptions than in any otherclass. Adjuvate , peculate , and indurate , are theonly absolute deviations; for obdurate has theaccent frequently on the second syllable.—Seethe word.

Cl) To these lists, perhaps, might be added theEnglish words ending in tion, sion, and ity: for,though tion and tion are really pronounced inone syllable, they are by almost all our orthoe-pists generally divided into two ; and consequent-ly nation, pronunciation , occasion , evasion, &c.contain the same number of syllables as natio,pronunciatio, occasio, evasio, &c. and have thaaccent, in both English and Ltuin, on the ante-penultimate syllable. The same may be observedof words ending in ity, as diversity, variety, &c.from diversitas, varietas, &c.

Cm) By this selection (which, though not anexact enumeration of every particular, is yet asufficient specimen of the correspondence of La­ tin and English accent) we may perceive thatthere is a general rule running through bothlanguages, respecting the accent of polysyllables,which is, that when a single vowel in the penul-timate is followed by a single consonant, the ac-cent is on the antepenultimate. This is so agree-able to English analogy, that in words derivedfrom the Latin , where the penultimate vowel,followed by a single consonant, is long, and consequently has the accent, we almost always negleet this exception, as it may be called, in theLatin language, and fall into our own general ruleof accenting the antepenultimate. Nor is it un-worthy' of being remarked, that when we neglectthe accent of the original, it is almost always toplace it at least a syllable higher; as adjacentand condolence are the only words in the wholeselection, where the accent of the English wordis placed lower than in the Latin .

(n) There is, indeed, a remarkable coincidenceof accent between Latin verbs of three syllables,commencing with a preposition, and the English 1) 2