Term i national accent.

62

woids of two syllables, derived from them, bydropping a syllable *, as excello, rebello, inquiro,conjino, confiito, consiimo , dcsiro, exptbro, proccdo,procldmo, have the accent in Latin on the secondsyllable ; and the English verbs excel, rebel, in-quire, confine, confute, consume, desire , explore,proceed, proclaim, have the accent on the samesyllable. This propensity of following the Latin accent in these words, perhaps, in this, as well asin other cases, formed a general rule, which, atlast,'neglected the Latin accent, in words of thiskind; as we find prefer, confer, defer, desert, com-pare, complete , congeal, divide, dispute, prepare,have the accent on the second syllable, thoughprof tiro, defero, confcro, desero, comparo, c.ompleo,congelo, divido, disputo, praparo, have the accenton the first: and this propensity, perhaps, laidthe foundation of that distinction of accent whichis so remarkable between dissyllable nouns andverbs of the same form. 492.

(o) But, when English polysyllables are derivedfrom the Latin by dropping a syllable, scarcelyany analogy is more apparent than the coincidenceof the principal accent of the English word, andthe secondary accent, 522, we give to the Latin word, in the English pronunciation of it. Thusparsimony, ceremony, matrimony, melancholy, &c.have the accent on the first syllable, because, inpronouncing the Latin words parsimonia, ccere-monia, matrimonia, melancholia, &c. we are per-mitted, and prone in our English pronunciationof these words, to place a secondary accent onthat syllable.—See Academy , Irreparable, &c.

(p) With respect to the quantity of the ante-penultimate syllable in polysyllables, it may beobserved, that, regardless of the quantity of theoriginal, we almost, without exception, follow theanalogy of our own language. This analogy uni-formly shortens the vowel, unless it be u, follow-ed by a single consonant, or any other vowel lol-lowed by a single consonant, succeeded by asemi-consonant diphthong: thus the first u indubious is pronounced long, though short in theLatin word dubius: the same may be observedof the e and o in medium and emporium : and thefirst i in delirium, and the first e in delicate, arepronounced short in English , aecoidiug to ourown analogy, 507, though these letters are longin the Latin delirium and dclicatus. For thequantity of English dissyllables derived from theGreek and Latin , see Syllabication , Nos. 543, 544,&c.

Termlnational Accent

604. We have seen that the Saxon terminations,regardless of harmony, always leave the accentwhere they found it, let the adventitious syl-lables be ever so numerous. The Saxons , atten-tive chiefly to sense, preserved the same simpli-city in the accentuation as in the composition oftheir words; and, if sense were the only objectof language, it must be confessed that our an-cestors were, in this respect, superior to theGreeks and Hotnans. What method could so ri-gidly preserve and so strongly convey the senseof words, as that which always left the accenton the root, where the principal meaning of theword undoubtedly lies 1 But the necessities ofhuman nature require that our thoughts shouldnot only be conveyed with force, but with ease ;to give language its due effect, it must be agree-able as well as forceful ; and the ear must be ad-dressed while we are informing the mind. Here,then.terminational accent, the musick of language,interposes ; corrects the discordant, and strength-ens the feeble sounds ; removes the difficulty ofpronunciation which arises from placing the ac-cent on initial syllables, and brings the force

* Ben Jonson seems to have had a faint idea ofthis coincidence, where he says, “ all verbs com-injr from the Latin , either of the supine or other-wise, hold the accent as it is found in the firstperson present of those Latin verbs, as unimo,Animate , c&Ubro, celebrate ; except words com-pouiuled oifacio, as lique-facio, liquefy ; and °*statno, as constituto, constitute” —English Gram-mar. Of the ext ent anil justness of these ohserva!«>?>* the ciitica. reader will be the best judge,

gently down to the lattei part of the word, wherea cadence is formed, on the principles of har-mony ami proportion.

505. To form an idea of the influence of termi-nation upon accent, it will be sufficient to observe,that words which have ci, ia, ie, io, cou, in theirtermination, always have the accent on the pre-ceding syllable ; thus atheist, alien, regalia, am-brosia, &c. the numerous terminations in ion, ian,&c. as gradation, promotion, confusion, logician,physician, &c. those in ious, as harmonious, ab-stemious, &c. those in eons, as outrageous, advan-tageous, &c. These may not improperly be styledsemi-consonant diphthongs, 190.

500. The only exceptions to this rule are oneword in iac, as elegiac, which has the accent oilthe i, and the following words in iacal, as pro-sodiacal, cardiacal, heliacal, genethliacal, maniacal,demoniacal, ammoniacal, theriacal, paradisiacal,aphrodisiacal, and hypochondriacal; all whichhave the accent on the antepenultimate 4, andthat long and open, us in idle, title, See.

507. Nothing can be more uniform than the po.sition of the accent in words of these terminations;and, with very few exceptions, the quantity ofthe accented vowel is as regular us the accent,for when these terminations are preceded by asingle consonant, every accented vowel is long,except i ; which, in this situation, is as uniformlyshort: thus occasion, adhesion, erosion, and con-fusion, have the a, e, 0 , and u, long; while visionand decision have the i short. The same may beobserved of probation, concretion, devotion, ablu-tion, and exhibition. The exceptions are, impe-tuous, especial, perpetual, discretion, and battalion ,which lust ought to be spelt with double l, as inthe French , from which it is derived, and thenit would follow the general rule. National, andrational, form two more exceptions ; and theseare almost the only irregularities to which thesenumerous classes of words are subject.

008. Nearly the same uniformity, both of ac-cent and quantity, we find in words ending in ie.The accent immediately precedes this termina-tion, and every vowel under this accent but u isshort : thus Satanic , pathetic, elliptic, harmo-nic, &c. have the accent on the penultimate, andthe vowel short; while tunic, runic, and cubic,have the accented vowel long.

509. The same may be observed of words end-ing in ical, as fanatical, poetical, levitical, canoni-cal, &c. which have the accent on the antepenul-timate syllable, and the vowels e, i, and o ; short.;but cubical and musical, with the accent on thesame syllable, have the u long.

610. The only exceptions to this rule are arsenic,choleric, ephemeric, turmeric, empiric, rheto-ric, bishopric (better written bishoprick, seeNo. 400), lunatic, arithmetic, splenetic, here-tic, politic, and, perhaps, phlegmatic ; whicli-though more frequently heard'with the accenton the antepenultimate syllable, ought, if pos-sible, to be reduced to regularity. Words endingin scencc have uniformly the accent on the pen-ultimate syllable, as quiescence, reminiscence ,&c.; concupiscence , which has the accent on theantepenultimate, is the only exception.

511. In the same manner, if we take a view ofthe words ending in ity, we find the accent inva-riably placed on the preceding syllable, as indiversity, congruity, &c. On a closer inspectionwe find every vowel in this antepenultimate syl-lable, when no consonant intervenes, pronouncedlong, as deity, piety, See. A nearer inspectionshows us, that, if a consonant precede this ter-mination, the preceding accented vowel is short,except it be u, as severity, curiosity, impunity,&c.: we find, too, that even w contracts itselfbefore two consonants, as in curvity, taciturnity,&c. and that scarcity and rarity (signifying uncommonness; for rarity, thinness, has the a. short)are the only exceptions to this rule throughoutthe language. The same observations are appli-cable to words ending in ify, as justify, clarify,&c. The only words where the antepenultimateaccent in words of this termination docs notshorten the vowel are glorify and notify. The yin these words is always long, like the first soundof i; and both accent and quantity are the samewhen these words take the additional syllableable, as justifiable, rarefiable, Sec. 183.

512. To these may be added the numerous class