The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-01-30
ANOTHER BLUNDER.
II IL Program. not PrO.grum - Did
You Ever See Anybody Putting
on Airs PrOnouncing the Word
WrOuy?
Augusta Chronicle.


Augusta Chronicle.
One of the most com mo on of the recent fads
In pronunciation is the conversion Of the
familiar programme Of our childhood into the
absurd pro-grum OF our deteStation. we are
particular always In making an announce
fnent on any occasion to request the audience
to "uote that we say program, not progrum," !"
and we are particularly glad 10 receive the
following communication from one Of the cnl.
tured men Of our community:
Mr. Editor PLEASE do not let cultured Au-
gusta blunder into q provincial, unauthorized
pronunciation. The lazy y-busy" pens persist
in dsplacing programme" by program"
and the dictionaries seem inclined 10 let them
have their own sweet will in the matter. But
while condoning or espousing this change OF
spelling the dictionaries furnish no warrant
for any change OF pronunciation. webster
and Worcester give The two words separately,
and the Standard brackets them together;
but these three authorities agree In assigning
one and the same PRONUNCIATION TO both
which we have heard all our lives, in PRO.
gramme." They mark one, ''a'' In the second
syllable of program an having the sound we
ond syllable "gram," to be sounded as we hear
IL in "anagram," "epigram," monogram"
diagram" etc. Under these circumstance
Mr.. Editor. can you. with good conscience.
stand idly by, and suffer the ear OF our public
gatherings to be affronted with "progrm," or
'progrim,' or "progrum, Or other sounds to
that effect? In Faulty Diction" you will
find this paragraph:
programme, program. The former the
French spelling Of the word has been till re-
Gently the common form. Now the Anglia
ciZed and more compact form, program, is
preferred, but must not be pronounced pro-
srm, any more than telegram, telegrm."
The Century Dictionary, and the latest au-
thorities give the preference TO The modern
spelling and in this age, when we live against
time il is we'll enough to save the writing OF
two superfluous letters, but no authority that
we have ever seen destroys the IAN" sound In
the pronunciation. The Century Dictionary,
aud those OF late dale give the accent on the
first syllable. and that is probably responsible
for the eXaggregation that has come In slight
ing the pronunciation of the second syllable.
But there is no warrant for IT..
The dictionary simply gives the informa-
tion that the accent should be placed on the
first syllable, not that the pronunciation Of
the second syllable, should be changed. 1t Is
PRO- ram, and not proGRAM, but the gram
is there Just the same. Exactly the same
marking that has been taken as an excuse
from PROgrum is found on epigram, diagram,
and similar words, showing that the accent Is
to be placed upon the first syllable, but no.
body considers this justification for epi-grum
or dia-grum.
Let us hear no more in polite society the ab-
surd PRO-grum that CRATES on the ear OF every
person who has any regard for the King s
English, but let us hold 10 program, which
differs from the programme of our childhood
only in the spelling-the pronunciation re.
naming the same.