The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-10-15
PRONUNCIATION.
Some Suggestions to Those Who Affect 70
Be Purists In

Some Suggestions to Those Who Affect 70
Be Purists In Language.
The pronunciation of English is often
regarded as a tombstone which reveals
whether a person is well or ill-bred. and
to a certain extent the observation is
undoxbtedly true. Pronunciation is
one of the outward and visible signs
which most quickly betrays the lack of
culture, and which. although the
speaker may wear good clothes, betrays
also the presence of vulgarity. But
there are two classes of persons who
can not be set down as either vulgar or
uncultivated. yet who, at the same time,
entertain radically different views con-
corning the pronunciation of numerous
English words. One of these persons
occupies what he is pleased to call a
cor1mon-sense position, which may be
| explained as follows: A word used in
| common use is popularity pronounced
contrary to the method given by a
majority of the photographers, yet
| such pronunciation has the sanction
of one or two good authorities, as
allowable, although perhaps not
| plClCld oIOs OhO 31oA
says, there is authority for the popu-
adopt it rather than make my
self conspicuous by speaking differently
from ninety-nine out of a hundred OF
my c%ountrymen." The person who
represents the other class is a strict
purist. He adopts as his standard some
authority which he considers to be alb
solutely the best-generally Worcester
or Walker-and he will not allow the
i correctness of any pronunciation that is
not sanctioned by this authority. The
one person accommodates himself to
popular usage whenever he can find
reasonably good authority for doing so;
the other is unbending. and claims that
common use has no right to acknowl-
edgment, but that what he considers
the best must always rule.
In order to illustrate the difference
between these two classes of persons,
let us select a few instances of words
that are in dispute. Quite recently a
Boston purist has taken up the word
.'arbutus." In this country the name
trailing arbutus'' has been improperly
applied to one of our sweetest spring
flowers, since Arbutus is the name Of a
European genus of plant, nom of which
are found here. The true botanical name
of our plant is Epigaea, and its proper
English designation should be 'may-
flower" a name derived from the YES
sci in which the Pilgrims first came
hither, as the first flower that smiled
upon them when they landed on our
shores. How the other name also came
to be bestowed upon the same plant is
not definitely understood, but in many
parts OF the land trailing arbutus" is
the only name known for it. Now. the
American pronunciation of arbutus
places the accent on the second sylla.
Bile, and some of our best poets, Mr..
Whittier and H. H." among them.
have used it in their verses with the
same accent. Common usage has
made the word so pronounced a house.
hold word throughout the land. But
the Boston purist mentioned brings for.
ward quotations from Browning and
Cowper to show that the proper pro-
nuuciation would place the accent on
the first syllable; and inasmuch as the
word is Latin, he goes back to the Virgil
and produces a line from the Georges,
in which there is no escape from &c.
centing the first syllable, The qucs.
ton here, then. is whether, for the sake
of absolute accuracy, we shall aban'
don a pronunciation endeared to every
one by the associations of early life, OF
shall retain it marked with the guinea
stamp of popular use We do moi
a%pprehend that it will be abandoned
Now, let us take another word that il
of such recent adoption into the Ian
guage that its derivatives are not founG
in the latest edition of Webster, .dyna
mite. The purist refers you to Wor
cester and Smart for the pronunciation
of the first syllable as if it were spelled
din, and cites dynasty" as analog,
for such pronunciation. But the popu
lar usage gives the sound long ! to dy
and instead of dynamite pronounces j
dynamite. This also is the pronuncia
ton given by Webster; and Ayres, il
his .'Orthepist." says of dynasty tina
"Smart and some others say dynasty
and this pronunciation is very common
though by many considered vulgar
There is very good authority, therefore
for the common pronunciation of tn
word.
Oasis is usually pronounced will
the accent on the second syllable, al
though most authorities place it on tn
first. Yet Webster permits the accen
right; the common usage, therefore
has authority. There are several lon
words the accent of which is given o.
the first syllable by most of the authori
ties, but which popular use is changin,
cessory," in which the greater ease @
,r.,-n4sk;o La, ,lsfkoI %Lo oaoa-k 4
the second syllable, and discrepancy,
of which the same statement is true.
But while there are these difference
of opinion concerning certain word:
between these two classes of persons
the common-sense man no sooner tina
the purist would defend popular pre-
nunciat:on wholly regardless of author
itY. A few of the more common mis
recommendations. heard from the lips {
those who ought to know better, are 8
!, follows: "Aspirant," with the accer
on the first instead of the second sylls
| BILE; .construe." accented on the secon
instead of the first syllable; Finance,
accented on the first instead of the sec
f ond; "harass," accented on the secon
instead of the first; ~.'decorous," AZ
cented on the first instead of the Sc,
ond, its proper analogy being wit
; 's~onorous;" '.hiccough.'' with the SCI
; ond syllable pronounced like the singl
word cough" instead of cup as
: ought to be; "oleomargarine," with til
| G pronounced like j, instead of bein
hard as in ''gay;" pianist" accente
on the first instead of the second sylls
BILE: "trip-artite," accented ON the SCI
) ond instead of the first; ''vagary," al
cented on the first instead of the secono
) canine" with the accent on the fir:
, instead of the second; deficit" az
> cented on the second instead of tn
: first; yacht pronounced "yat" il
stead of ''yot," as it should be; "rai
. .lery," with the first syllable pronounce
{ rail" instead of ''ral" as it should b,
| and nomenclature" accented IN tn
second instead of the first. This liz
: n,;rbt ho ipIaipifolu avfopIod wit