Unaccented syllables are generally short; as, Admi're, bald' něss. But to this rule there are many exceptions; as, Al ́sō, ex'ile.

When the accent is on a consonant, the syllable is often more or less short, as it ends with a single consonant or more than one; as, Robber, match'less. When the accent is on a Continuous consonant, the time of the syllable may be protracted by dwelling on the consonant; as, Can', fulfill'. But when the accent falls on an Explosive Consonant, the syllable can not be lengthened in the same manner; as, Bub'ble, tot'ter.

1. All vowels under the principal accent, before the terminations -ia, -io, and ion, preceded by a single consonant, are pronounced long; as, Regālia, fōlio, adhesion, explosion, confusion; except the vowel i, which in that situation is short; as, Militia, punctilio, decision, contrition. The only exceptions to this rule seem to be, Discretion, battalion, gladiator, national, rational.

2. All vowels that immediately precede the terminations -ity and -ety are pronounced long; as, Deity, piety, spontaneity. But if one consonant precedes these terminations, every preceding accented vowel is short, except u, and the a in scarcity; as, Polarity, severity, divinity, curiosity, impunity. Even u before two consonants contracts itself; as, Curvity, taciturnity, &c.

3. Vowels under the principal accent, before the terminations -ic and -ical, preceded by a single consonant, are pronounced short; thus, Satănic, pathetic, elliptic, harmonic, have the vowel short; while Tūnic, rūnic, cubic, have the accented vowel long; and Fanatical, poetical, Levitical, canonical, have the vowel short; but Cubical, mūsical, &c., have the u long.

4. The vowel in the antepenultimate syllable of words with the following terminations is always pronounced short.

158. Accent and Quantity do not coincide. Nothing shows this

more clearly than words like the adjective august', and the sub

stantive August, where the quantity remains the same, although the accent is different. Still, accent has an influence on quantity. "Besides the increase of loudness, and the sharper tone which distinguishes the accented syllable, there is also a tendency to dwell upon it, or, in other words, to lengthen its quantity. We can not increase the loudness or the sharpness of the tone without a certain degree of muscular action; and to put the muscles in motion requires time. It would seem that the time required for producing a perceptible increase in the loudness or the sharpness of a tone is greater than that of pronouncing some of our shorter syllables. If we attempt, for instance, to throw the accent on the first syllable of the word become, we must either lengthen the vowel, and pronounce the word bee-come, or add the adjoining consonant to the first syllable, and so pronounce the word bec-ome. We often find it convenient to lengthen the quantity even of the syllables, when we wish to give them a very strong and marked accent. Hence, no doubt, arose the vulgar notion that accent always lengthens the quantity of a syllable." See GUEST's English Rhythms, book i., chap. xiv. On the relation of Accent to Quantity, see Part VIII., on Poetical Forms.

Having, in the previous chapters, examined the phonetic elements in their combinations, and under the laws of syllabication, accent, and quantity, we shall next examine them in relation to euphony.

QUESTIONS UNDER CHAPTER V.

1. What is quantity in the classic sense, and how is it measured? Give examples.

2. What is quantity in the English sense, and how is it measured? Give examples.

3. Give the long vowel sounds and the short vowel sounds in the language. 4. State the results of the two modes of measurement.

5. Explain and illustrate the meaning of the terms independent and dependent.

6. What relation do these sounds bear to the terms long and short?

7. When is a vowel or a syllable long?

8. When is a vowel or a syllable short?

9. How does a long syllable compare in length with a short one?

10. State the relation of accent to quantity.

CHAPTER VI.

EUPHONIC CHANGES.

DEFINITIONS.

§ 159. EUPHONY, as opposed to cacophony, is that quality of sound by which it strikes the ear agreeably. As the ear, the organ by which we apprehend language, is in this respect the vestibule of the soul, it must be important whether a sound excites the ear, and, of course, the soul, pleasantly or unpleasantly.

Although euphony is a quality of sound, and seems to respect the ear only, yet, if we consider the contiguity of the organs of speech to the ear, and the natural laws of the association of ideas, we shall easily be convinced that it depends for the most part on ease of utterance. The sound produced in the mouth is in close contact with the ear, which is thus constituted its rightful judge. That which passes through the lips easily strikes pleasantly on the ear; that which occasions pain and difficulty in the utterance, makes, on the contrary, a painful impression on that organ.

The facility of utterance depends on a just intermixture of vocalic and liquid sounds on the one hand, and of mute consonants on the other. This undoubtedly is the fundamental principle of euphony. The two faults opposed to this are a superabundance of vowels or liquids, producing too great softness, and a superabundance of consonants, producing too great harshness.

Although the general principles of euphony are obvious, yet, in judging of particular cases, much is left to taste, caprice, and fashion. Habit tends to make an unpleasant sound agreeable, and fashion often predominates to reject sounds in themselves pleasant. Thus different nations have formed for themselves different laws of euphony.

§ 160. The changes produced in words by euphony are called FIGURES. The euphonic changes indicated by the term are entirely distinct from those which arise in the formation and inflection of words.

These figures of euphony have not received in our common grammars the attention they deserve. They have been compressed into a narrow space, and regarded as arbitrary processes. Their connection with the physiology of sound, and their importance in the formation of language, have not been duly estimated. They are now beginning to form the most interesting chapter in comparative philology, and to have their bounds and limits accurately marked

out.

These figures are either necessary, occasioned by the general laws of euphony, or accidental, occasioned by the sense of euphony in a particular people. Both kinds, again, are either external, i. e., such as are perceived from a comparison with a kindred dialect or with an original language; or internal, i. e., such as appear in the structure itself of a particular language.

The following are the principal euphonic figures:

I. APHÆRESIS, Greek doaípɛoiç, a taking away, is the taking of a letter or a syllable from the beginning of a word; as, 'gainst, 'neath, for against, beneath.

II. PROSTHESIS, Greek рóçoɛσiç, addition, is the addition of a letter or syllable to the beginning of a word; as, adown, beloved, for down, loved.

III. APOCOPE, Greek апокопý, a cutting off, is the cutting off a letter or letters from the end of a word; as, th' evening, four o'clock, for the and of.

IV. SYNCOPE, Greek ovукoпý, a cutting short, is the taking away of one or more letters from the middle of a word; as, e'en, se'ennight, for even, sevennight.

V. EPENTHESIS, Greek Eπévoɛoç, is the insertion of a letter or syllable in the middle of a word; as, honour, could, for honor, coud.

VI. PARAGOGE, Greek napaуwyn, a drawing out, is the annexing of a letter or syllable to the end of a word; as, awaken, withouten, for awake, without.

VII. DIERESIS, Greek diaípeois, division, is the dissolving of a diphthong, with a mark over two vowels, which might otherwise be taken for one syllable; as, zoology, aërial.

VIII. SYNÆRESIS, Greek ovvaípeois, contraction, is the contracting of two syllables into one; as, ae and ie in Israel and alienate.

IX. METATHESIS, Greek perálɛoiç, transposition, is the trans

posing of letters in a word; as pistris for pristis; bird for Anglo-Saxon brid.

X. COMMUTATION, Latin commutatio, an exchange, is exchanging one letter for another. See GRIMM's Law, § 161, and also § 162.

GRIMM'S

LAW OF

CONVERTIBILITY.

161. Every language has its own principles of euphony pervading it. This is strikingly manifest in a comparison of the Romanic languages with one another in their departure from their common parent, the Latin. Thus the word flos in the Latin becomes fleur in French, flor in Spanish, fiore in Italian. J. GRIMM, the great historical grammarian of the age, discovered that in the interchange of consonants in the Teutonic languages in their relation to the Sanscrit, Greek, and Latin, which are here reckoned as one, and in their relation to one another, there is a certain law, which, from its discoverer, has been called "GRIMM's law." According to this, MœsoGothic, when compared with the Sanscrit, Greek, and Latin, substitutes aspirates in place of the primitive tenues, namely, h for k, th for t, and f for p; tenues in the place of medials, namely, t for d, p for b, and k for g; lastly, medials in the place of aspirates, namely, g for ch, d for th, and b for p. Upper German holds the same relation to the Gothic which this does to the Greek, according to the following summary.

These are only specimens of a law which obtains in these languages.

LAW OF

CONVERTIBILITY

IN THE LATIN, ENGLISH,

AND GERMAN.

§ 162. As the English language stands on the ground of the MasoGothic, and the German on the ground of the ancient High German,