315 A Letter to Lord North, on his Re-election into the House of ibid. 316 Copies of the Proceedings of the General Meetings of the County of Wilts, &c. ibid. The Crifs. Now or never, ibid. Short Sketch of the Conduct of Administration towards the Borough of Portsmouth, ibid. Plan, or Articles of Perpetual Union, Commerce, and Friend- ibid. ibid. 317 Sir John Hawkins's Charge to the Grand Jury of the County of Middlefex, Sept. 11, 1780, ibid. Joannis Brunonis, M. D. Elementa Medicinæ, ibid. Dr. Scot's Hiftories of Gouty, Bilious, and Nervous Cafes, 318 Smith's Salivation exploded, 319 Everfhed's Summary View of the genuine Evidences of the Truth Some Memoirs of the Life of Dr. Nathan Alcock, ibid. ibid. Duché's Difcourfes on various Subjects, 321 'Scheele's Chemical Obfervations and Experiments on Air and Fire, 329 Throby's Memoirs of the Town and County of Leicester, Dr. Price's Effay on the Population of England, 'Dr. Manning's Modern Improvements. inthe Practice of Phyfic, Dr. Manning's. Modern gery, 348 prosements in the Practice of Sur Common-place Arguments again Adminiftration, Dr. Lardner's Hiflorie of the Heretjes of the two firft Centuries Cranz's Ancient and Modern History of the Brethren, 333 337 341 ibid. 354 after Chrift, 361 The Parfonage Houfe: A Novel, 369 Patriotic and Military Instructions, 373 Dr. Berkenhout's Lucubrations on Ways and Means, 376 Nathan to Lord North, 386 A Letter to the New Parliament, 387 Speech of Edmund Burke, efq. at Bristol, 389 ibid. Addrefs to the Commander in Chief and Field Officers of the Army, 390 Remarks on General Burgoyne's State of the Expedition from Canada, ibid. Narrative of Lieut. Gen. Sir William Howe, relative to his 391 ibid. A Poem, occafioned by the late Calamities of England, September, a Rural Poen, Mifs Lee's Chapter of Accidents, a Comedy, ibid. 393 394 ibid. 396 Pilon's Humours of an Election, a Farce, ibid. Webster's Medicinæ Praxeos Syftema, ibid. Letter to a Lady on the Management of the Infant, 397 Berrow's Deism not confiftent with the Religion of Reason and Nature, ibid. Robertson's Sermon at Whitby before a Battalion of Volunteers, ibid. Companion for the Chriftian in his Field and Garden, ibid. Cole's Oratio de Ridiculo, 398 Ramfay's Effay on the Qualifications of a Sea-officer, 399 Common Arithmetic, &c. Fellows's Proteftant Alarm, Worthington's Effay on the Refolution of Plane Triangles by Thelyphthora; or, a Treat!fe on Female Ruin, Walpole's Anecdotes of Painting in England, Vol. IV. ibid. 400 401 413 419 429 Bishop Hurd's Sermons at Lincoln's Inn, Vol. II. and III. 434 The Hiftory of the Civil War in America, 440 Brett's Tranflation of Feyjoo's Effays, 449 Miscellaneous Obfervations on fome Points of Controverfy between the Materialifts and their Opponents, 457 Hedley's Complete Syftem of Practical Arithmetic, 459 Letter to Lieut, Gen. Burgoyne, occafioned by his fecond Edition of his State of the Expedition from Canada, 467 An English Freeholder's Addrefs to his Countrymen, ibid. Enquiry into the Advantages and Difadvantages refulting from Bills of Inclofure, A Storm with the Defcription of a Water-fpout, &c. La Bagatelle. On the Ufe and Abuse of Satire, The Generous Impoftor, a Comedy, Letter to Mr. Madan, concerning the Chapter of Polygamy, ibid. ལྷ [ ] THE CRITICAL REVIEW. For the Month of July, 1780. A General Dictionary of the English Language. One main Objec of which, is, to establish a plain and permanent Standard of Pronunciation. To which is prefixed Rhetorical Grammar. By Thomas Sheridan, A. M. 2 Vols. 410. 1. ls. 6d. boards. Dodfley. [Concluded, from Vol. xlix. p. 350.] THE HERE are two principles by which pronunciation may be regulated, analogy and euphony. Analogy (derived from ava, per, and λoyos, ratio) is a principle of great extent.' Quinctilian fays, Ejus hæc vis eft, ut id, quod dubium eft, ad aliquid fimile, de quo non quæritur, referat, ut incerta certis probet.' Lib. i. 6. Varro, treating of the declension of words, calls analogy, Verborum fimilium declinatio fimilis, non repugnante confuetudine communi.' De Ling. Lat. lib. ix. This definition, with a little alteration, may be applied to the point in question, and analogy defined, the fimilar pronunciation of fimilar words, where cuftom has introduced no particular exception. By cuftom, or what Varro calls fuetudo communis,' we are not to understand the pronunciation of the vulgar, but that which is authorized by the learned and judicious. con But though analogy, as we have already obferved, is a principle of great extent in the pronunciation of the English language, there are many anomalies or deviations from it; and thefe deviations are fometimes arbitrary and capricious. The common pronunciation of wind, with i fhort, is a violation of analogy; for this vowel is long in mind, find, blind, kind, bind, hind, rind, and all other monofyllables ending in ind. Mr. Sheridan tells us, that he has often heard Swift fay to those who pronounced it fhort, in a jeering tone, I have a great mind VOL. L. July, 1780. B to to find, why you call it wind." In this Dictionary we have 2 I wind and wind'. Perhaps the latter has prevailed in common conversation, because it has a quicker found than the former. In the ufual pronunciation of grofs, the o is long, but it is fhort in all other words of a fimilar termination; as, moss, loss, crofs, drofs, glofs, tofs, &c. There is no affinity between the pronunciation of bear, pear, wear, fwear, and that of dear, near, fear, Spear, year; or between that of froft, loft, croft, loft, cof, and that of boft, ghost, most, poft; yet analogy feems to require a uniformity. 2. Where words are spelled alike, it is natural to fuppofe that they should be pronounced in the fame manner. But analogy in this cafe is frequently fuperfeded for the fake of diferi mination; as in the following inftances: Auguft, the name of a month, and the adjective auguft; to fow, or diffeminate, and for, a female fwine; Job, the name of a man, and job, a piece of work; does, the third perfon fingular of do, and does, the plural of doe, a female deer; to tear, or face rate, and a tear which falls from the eye. 3. Analogy is fometimes violated for the fake of a more eafy and familiar pronunciation. Thus, fymbolic, vitriolic, Æolic, parabolic, bucolic, diabolic, apostolic, hyperbolic, have the accent on the penultima; but catholic on the antepenultima. When words end in cence, with preceding it, the accent is always on the f; as, quies'cence, excrescence, intums'cence; but this rule of analogy is violated for the fake of a more agreeable found, in concupifcence. From these examples it appears, that analogy is fubject to many exceptions; yet, notwithstanding this, it is a general rule, which, in all cafes, deferves particular attention, and fhould never be deserted without apparent neceffity. Another principle of great efficacy in pronunciation is euphony. This has been fo much ftudied by the French, that though their language is naturally as harsh and unmufical as any in Europe, they have rendered it foft and mellifluous, by omitting a very confiderable number of their confonants in the pronunciation. In doubtful cafes we fhould certainly prefer that pronunciation which is the most easy and agreeable. No perion, therefore, who has any notion of harmony, will place the accent on the first fyllable of refractory, contemptible, refpectable, corruptible, acaa'emy, pronouncing thefe words refractory, con′temptible, respectable,corruptible, academy. The organs of fpeech and the ear revolt at these difficult and difcordant founds. Mr. Sheridan, however, gives us academy, as well as academy, in his Diaionary. |