New-York tribune., 1875-01-12
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
wErrNEYs ORIENTAL AND LINGUISTIC

The essays in this volume like those in the pre-
ceng issue of the SERIES consist mainly Of contri
buttons to the periodical press and relate to subjects
more or less closely connected with oriental and phil
illogical research. One of the most valuable papers
in the work, however is nearly wholly new, aud is
devoted to the discussion of points which will inter
est the general reader as well the professed
scholar namely, the elements of English pronuncia-
tim curious and attractive feature in the article
a the statement of the authors personal experience
In the matter which he puts forth as the "eonfes-
Mons Of a provincial" or rather a fair specimen
of the speech Of the ordinarily educated New Eng
lander from the interior.-a region where the dis
tinction between shall and cill for instance, was
once if not now. strictly maintained, as in the
best society of London. bit of autobiography
prepares the reader for correct appreciation of
many of Professor Whitney's remarks. my place
of residence and education he tells us, up to
sixteen years DID, was in Massachusetts, the Con-
uecticut River at Northampton-a shire-tOwn Of
long standing which in my youth had not lost its
ancient and well-established reputation as home
of old families and of special culture and
high-bre society; the birthplace OF President Tim
othy Dwight. and long the home of President Jona-
than Edwards. My father was q merchant and
banker not himself colege-taught man. but son of
a graduate of Harvard; my mothers parents were
from the shore of Connecticut, her father clergy
man and graduate of Yale" local popularity of
which he did not escape the influence is thus noticed
So far know, any and many are the only words IN
which an is allowed 40 be pronounced as snort e.
but, until overcame the hahit by conscious effort
always gave il the sound in plague snake naked;
did escape the pronunciation OF eaten as ketch-a
deeply universal among children IN
this part # the world. Deaf heard constantly as
both dU ana def that cannot now te wmsn M was more
believe most Americans.
With regard to the sound of the broad a. as in all,
which some speakers do not easily distinguish from
that of the European as in far, Professor Whit
ney remarks:
II has IN ordinary orthography considerable
,n ball bald sa fase and also where the Is siicnced
tIls ana caak; after 70 "a case OF asslmauon'
like that just noted abovel' before as Ia pdr bdTd
scarrR, dearf and before pdnt very frequently 0,
In JOr FORM ABSORB off, often, loss tost e9H song
Icio tdt1n in bought and its ike and Few scatter
ing ike broad, extraordinary As regards TINS
sound, there would be found more OF lndlvduaI Gner
believe, in the treament OF tge 2cass man
any other In my Ovh usage, am perfectly persuaded
that all the words have given with many Others OF
which they are examples, have precisely the same dtt
sound Although IL would be easy, by Drawing ana
dlstOrtlng tue utterauee little, TO make
OF tnem seem unRrdceful and vulgar; and would
the OF God do0 aud their Ike, IN which many
persons certainly give the short o. tGJ sound OF not
The sound Of short o, which the author finds in
the common New England pronunciation. ap-
prehend is limited to natives of that region, or
their descendants and is not heard at all among
good speakers IN the mother country. The of it
Is Just as distinctive OF the true born Yankee, az
taste for Indian pudding or bean porridge. The
authors wish that it might be admitted 10 place in
respectable English pronunciation, we ii.Igine, will
not be largely shared
in the regular and authorized pronunciation Of En-
Rsh there Is such thing IN accented syllabes as
true short The sound, however. Ia weilTecOgnZ d
element OF New-Eugahd ulterahce, III NerN SIll Sn
number OF wurlswhe ther and how far Ou SIDE OF New
Eagand ana It's colonies and whether at az among the
educated on side OF the ocean, cannot saw.
By IT, none is perfectly Distinguished from kn0rt
sen ana in these TWO though often pro
nounced Ike num- even IN New-Ensiaud) the sound III
0uestOn most clearly and frequently appears Tie list
Of In which given varies, think not httle
III Ch rent individuals IN my G"I pG - ~ - m.
Tiks coat cloak. t07d, hrOqt have heard most often
from others In addition, Dote, ana OOaL II makcs ot
course a hardly appreciabie percentage Of English
Much as the orth Gpists discard and stiematize
this sound. pnonoOst can harllY help wishing wei
In his secret helrt a tendency which would relieve
reprJach as tue absence OF q true short 0.
Prof. Whitney expresses himself with a good
deal of feeling on what he regards as the abuses
Of and e. especially with regard to the sound of
the dphthong in the words either and neither which
many now affect TO pronounce in manner which,
not a hundred years ago, would have been cOnsld-
cred in New-Engand a mark of illieracy and ILL
breeding
The arst diphhong, then, is that which VIC ordinarily
call lonr - because, by a phonetic change which is
verv peculiar though not without IT'S anaiogles else
long pronounced a. ptqn) Anglo
Saxon and early English has been changed INTO H. It's
uqual representative Is I. as IN n7tHe deSre, destG
nioht as 10 tyPe try and e. az III PIE, TeI,sd
others only sporadic as eys by ana gy ana hetght
and sleight These last Two are the Only Ehgsh words
IN which ei has mad the diphthong1l sound which;
however is begiunnG 70 be extensively heard
in eittcr and neither Whatever actual founda-
zion tns last may have IN the native usage OF
any part OF the Eaglishspeaking people. 1t has
s--ad I'm recent FAR hey Ond that iOundauon Dy
kind OF rcason.ess and senseess infection, whch can
ONLY lie condemned and ought 70 be sOuty opposed ana
mi down. have no quarrel Win tlOst !" Whou dt"H
genuine part or tuclf E1Gi>u uldtcl,
VINO heard the pr0nlhciaOh III tntI 'ui1.DI i aI
grew up 70 il unc1nscOusY; Dut tha vastly larger
class VINO originally said eeher and Reether. ana have
gone about deoefdJciy 10 Tiianae H. ousio W & nc
aze with shame the folly OF which they nave Geen
There il a class OF words from the classical languages
of which isolate and microscope are perhaps the two
wayers be ween the short and "lOng" sounds
o. the t-tlat Is bciWcen (sh0rU ana a.
the nghtest and heaviest OF vowel utterances;
and apparently with a tendency TO settle upon
al regre able tendency, think as involving so great
vowel In anv such case, where still gives the
rleLt TO individual choice. II Is well TO choose
communities who the same word. Germans French
Italians, aud all the other nations OF Europe, would
Understand nicr)scOpe, while mdicr0ScoDe appears
plainly TO their the Darbarous distortion which it
actually is.
In respect to the shameful neglect of the letter r.
especially when used before cOnsOnant, which has
been alleged TO bewray the Yankee il his common
gpeech the author maintains that, as rule. it is
found wherever the English language is spoken.
II only that Is an which possesses viora'ion the
aue stIoa arises shall Gail ordinary English
=; for tins certainly not trIed We shall. am sure.
best TO call u sun an r thongh smooth OF dntr1ed
action in nv mouth with what hear from
Deighbors mouhs with the tp OF the tongne reveried
pussbie That u We Ihe great body OF English
speakers ami In our ordinary uterance; Tor on the
II still rilled ia Ae oiden time he Iiish have re-
tanned this among other charactertsiics OF more
uf MT lu