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Befides, as fuch words, like others, require that their accents fhould be fettled, their founds afcertained, and their etymologies deduced, they cannot be properly omitted in the dictionary. And though the explanations of fome may be cenfured as trivial, becaufe they are almoft univerfally understood; and thofe of others as unneceffary, because they will feldom occur; yet it feems not proper to omit them, fince it is rather to be wifhed that many readers fhould find more than they expect, than that one fhould miss what he might hope to find.

When all the words are felected and arranged, the first part of the work to be confidered is the orthography, which was long vague and uncertain; which at laft, when its fluctuation ceafed, was in many cafes fettled but by accident; and in which, according to your Lordship's obfervation, there is ftill great uncertainty among the beft criticks: nor is it ealy to ftate a rule by which we may decide between custom and reafon, or between the equiponderant authorities of writers alike eminent for judgment and accuracy.

The great orthographical conteft has long fubfifted between etymology and pronunciation. It has been demanded, on one hand, that men fhould write as they speak; but as it has been fhewn that this conformity never was attained in any language, and that it is not more eafy to perfuade men to agree exactly in fpeaking than in writing, it may be asked with equal propriety, why men do not rather fpeak as they write. In France, where this controverfy was at its greateft height, neither party, however ardent, durft adhere fteadily to their own rule; the etymologist

etymologift was often forced to fpell with the people; and the advocate for the authority of pronunciation found it fometimes deviating fo capricioufly from the received ufe of writing, that he was conftrained to comply with the rule of his adverfaries, left he should lofe the end by the means, and be left alone by following the crowd.

When a question of orthography is dubious, that practice has, in my opinion, a claim to preference which preferves the greateft number of radical letters, or feems moft to comply with the general cuftom of our language. But the chief rule which I propose to follow is, to make no innovation, without a reason fufficient to balance the inconvenience of change; and fuch reasons I do not expect often to find. All change is of itself an evil, which ought not to be hazarded but for evident advantage; and as inconftancy is in every cafe a mark of weakness, it will add nothing to the reputation of our tongue. There are, indeed, fome who defpife the inconveniences of confufion, who feem to take pleafure in departing from cuftom, and to think alteration defirable for its own fake; and the reformation of our orthography, which thefe writers have attempted, fhould not pafs without its due honours, but that I fuppose they hold a fingularity its own reward, or may dread the fafcination of lavish praise.

The prefent ufage of fpelling, where the prefent ufage can be diftinguifhed, will therefore, in this work be generally followed; yet there will be often occafion to obferve, that it is in itfelf inaccurate, and tolerated rather than chofen; particularly when, by a change of one letter, or more, the meaning of a word

a word is obfcured; as in farrier, or ferrier, as it was formerly written, from ferrum, or fer; in gib berish, for gebrish, the jargon of Geber and his chymical followers, understood by none but their own tribe. It will be likewife fometimes proper to trace back the orthography of different ages, and fhew by what gradations the word departed from its original.

Clofely connected with orthography is pronunciation, the ftability of which is of great importance to the duration of a language, because the first change will naturally begin by corruptions in the living fpeech. The want of certain rules for the pronunciation of former ages, has made us wholly ignorant of the metrical art of our ancient poets; and fince thofe who ftudy their fentiments regret the lofs of their numbers, it is furely time to provide that the harmony of the moderns may be more permanent.

A new pronunciation will make almost a new fpeech; and therefore, fince one great end of this undertaking is to fix the English language, care will be taken to determine the accentuation of all polyfyllables by proper authorities, as it is one of thofe capricious phænomena which cannot be easily reduced to rules. Thus there is no antecedent reafon for difference of accent in the words dolorous and fonorous; yet of the one Milton gives the found in this

line :

He pafs'd o'er many a region dolorous;

and that of the other in this,

Sonorous metal blowing martial founds.

It

may likewife be proper to remark metrical licences, fuch as contractions, generous, gen'rous; reverend, rev'rend; and coalitions, as region, queftion.

But it is ftill more neceflary to fix the pronunciation of monofyllables, by placing with them words of correfpondent found, that one may guard the other against the danger of that variation, which, to fome of the most common, has already happened; fo that the words wound and wind, as they are now frequently pronounced, will not rhyme to found and mind. It is to be remarked, that many words written alike are differently pronounced, as flow, and brow: which may be thus registered flow, woe; brow, now; or of which the exemplification may be generally given by a diftich: thus the words tear, or lacerate, and tear, the water of the eye, have the fame letters, but may be distinguished thus, tear, dare; tear,

peer.

Some words have two founds, which may be equally admitted, as being equally defenfible by authority. Thus great is differently used.

For Swift and him defpis'd the farce of ftate,
The fober follies of the wife and great,

POPE.

V

As if misfortune made the throne her feat,

And none could be unhappy but the great.

RowE.

The care of fuch minute particulars may be cenfured as trifling; but thefe particulars have not been thought unworthy of attention in more polished languages.

The accuracy of the French, in ftating the founds. of their letters, is well known; and, among the

Italians,

Italians, Crefcembeni has not thought it unneceffary to inform his countrymen of the words which, in compliance with different rhymes, are allowed to be differently fpelt, and of which the number is now fo fixed, that no modern poet is fuffered to encrease it.

When the orthography and pronunciation, are adjusted, the etymology or derivation is next to be confidered, and the words are to be diftinguifhed according to the different claffes, whether fimple, as day, light, or compound, as day - light; whether primitive, as, to act, or derivative, as action, actionable, active, activity. This will much facilitate the attainment of our language, which now ftands in our dictionaries a confused heap of words without dependence, and without relation.

When this part of the work is performed, it will be neceffary to enquire how our primitives are to be deduced from foreign languages, which may be often very fuccessfully performed by the affiftance of our own etymologists. This fearch will give occafion to many curious difquifitions and fometimes perhaps to conjectures, which to readers unacquainted with this kind of ftudy, cannot but appear improbable and capricious. But it may be reasonably imagined, that what is fo much in the power of men as language, will very often be capriciously conducted. Nor are thefe difquifitions and conjectures to be confidered altogether as wanton fports of wit, or vain fhews of learning; our language is well-known not to be primitive or felf-originated, but to have adopted words of every generation, and, either for the fupply of its neceffities, or the encreafe of its copiousness, to have received additions from very diftant

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