The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-09-23
LESSON in PRONUNCIATION.


Frequently mispronounced Some of
THESE, writes Alfred Ayres in the Now
Il ork Times, are the following:
= d6sa-tis. Not a-bd-tis. That has been
done for this word that should be done,
las soon as practicable, for all foreign
words that we use. 1t has been fully
langlicized. The more English we mako
our English the better English it is.
Abdomen. There is no authority, ex-
Icept popular usage, for accenting tho
s first syllable of this word
Ab-dona-i-nal. The short as in don.
A6-er-crom-by. Tho of this proper
name is not the o of con, but the of
come.
Ao-iect. Not abJect. ,.ss-,
A6-jeotness. &c,
+ -A6-ject-ly.
absolute. Not absoloot, as is often
pronounced by tho careless.
Absolve. There is good authority for
sounding the of this word like 2. but
this is hardly in accordance with tho
best usage
y. Absorb. The z-sound of in this word
should be carefully avoided.
k A6-stract-ly. Not ab-stract-ly.
AH-struse. Tho u of this word has
the Sound of long 90. This is the
rule: y preceded by or the sound Of
sh or sh, in tho same syllable, often is
+ sounded like long 90, as in rude, rumor,
rule, sure, issue.
A-6y-dos. Not A5-y-dos.
Ac-a-dc-mi-an.
Accent. Whom a noun, the first, when
n verb the second is tho accented syl-
liable. We accent syllable with an &c
cent.
14o1,1 t.,
WORD was accented on the first syllable
by the majority of the better speakers.
Access. 1t is more in accordance with
the best current usage to accent the first
rather than the second syllable of this
word, Webster to the contrary notwith-
standing.
Accessory. Ease of utterancc has
shifted the accent from tho first to tho
second syllable, whore it will remain.
Ac-cI-mate. For the pronunciation
that accents the first syllable there is no
authority.
Accrue. Here is another word in
which the u has the sound of long 90.
Acetate. The a long. as in fate.
: Acoustics All our dictionaries pro-
nounce the on of this word o,c, while
nearly the whole English-speal1ing
world, so far as the writer's observation
goes, pronounce it like long co. Many
persons thus pronounce it, knowing that
the authorities are against them. Squalor
Is another word treated in like manner.
A-kotcs-tics is certainly not pleasing to
the ear.
Actor. Not the of nor, but the Of
major.
/ A-cu-men. Not ak-u-men.
/ Adaptation.
| Address. Both noun and verb are now
commonly accented on the second sylla-
Bile.
Adducc. Whom, in the same syllable.
long is preceded by one of the con-
sonants d, t., l. n, 8. or tn, it is not easy
TO introduce the sound of o.; hence caro-
less speakers omit 1t, pronouncing duty,
dooty; tune. toon; lutte, loot; nuisance,
Iioosancc, etc. And yet to mako the st
in these words as clear and perfect as in
mute, cute, etc., Is over-nice and conse-
auently smacks OF pedantry. The two
extrcmes should be avoided with equal
care.
Adept. Not adept.
Adhesive. 10 not pronounce the
like z.
Adipose. Do not pronounce the
like 2.
j Ad-jec-tt-val. There is abundant au-
thority for accounting the first syllable,
but 1t is to be hoped that no one will be
inclined to follow it.
i Ad-jec-tive'lv:.
). Au-mi-ra-ble; admirably.
8 r, Admiralty. Tho first and not the
third is the accented syllable.
A-do-nis.
Adobe Three syllablcs-ah-do-be.
Adult. There is no authority for ad-
nlt.
Advance. Tho second OF this word
should be sounded broader than the a in
man, van, fat, ETC., and not so broad as
in father.
: At the beginning of this century
words in which this so-callcd intermcdi-
ate occurs were generally pronounced
with the full, broad Italian q, as in
father, which by the exQuisites was not
infrequently exaggerated. This Walker
undertook to change, and to that end
marked the Of this class of words
short, like the in and, man, at, etc.
Tho innovation met with only partial
success. Now, there is general dispo-
sition to unite i'll somc intermediate
sound between tho broad in father,
(which is very rarely and the short a in
can, which is very frequently heard in
this country. few of the words in
(which this a now receives this inter
mediate sound arc: After, alas, answer,
ant, bask, basket, branch, brass, caslS,
cast, chance, class, craft, dance, draft,
( icnchant, example, fast, flask, gasp,