Chicane and chicanery, from the French, have the i always short; or more properly slender.
121. Ci before the accent has the i generally short, as ci-vilian, ci-vility, and, I think, ci-licious and ci-nerulent, though otherwise marked by Mr. Sheridan. Ci-barious and ci-tation have the i long.
122. Cli before the accent has the i long, as cli-macter; but when the accent is on the third syllable, as in climacteric, the i is shortened by the secondary accent. See 530.
123. Cri before the accent has the i generally long, as cri-nigerous, cri-terion; though we sometimes hear the latter as if written cre-terion, but I think improperly.
124. Di before the accented syllable, beginning with a consonant, has the i almost always short; as digest, digestion, digress, digression, dilute, dilution, diluvian, dimension, dimensive, dimidiation, diminish, diminulive, diploma, direct, direction, diversify, diversification, diversion, diversity, divert, divertisement, divertive, divest, divesture, divide, dividable, dividant, divine, divinity, divisible, divisibility, divorce, divulge. To these, I think, may be added, didacity, didactic, dilacerate, dilaceration, dilaniate, dilapidation, dilate, dilatable, dilatability, dilection, dilucid, dilucidate, dilucidation, dinetical, dinumeration, diverge, divergent, divan; though Mr. Sheridan has marked the first i, in all these words, long; some of them may undoubtedly be pronounced either way; but why he should make the i in diploma long, and W. Johnston should give it both ways, is unaccountable; as Mr. Scott, Buchanan, Dr. Kenrick, Mr. Perry, and the general usage is against them. Diaeresis and dioptsics have the i long, according to the general rule, (116) though the last is absurdly made short by Dr. Kenrick, and the diphthong is made long in the first by Mr. Sheridan, contrary to one of the most prevailing idioms in pronuncication; which is, the shortening power of the antepenultimate accent. (503) Let it not be said that the diphthong must be always long, since Caesarea and Daedalus have the ae always short.
125. The long i, in words of this form, seems confined to the following: Digladiation, dijudication, dinumeration, divaricate, direption, diruption. Both Johnson and Sheridan, in my opinion, place the accent of the word didascalic, improperly upon the second syllable: it should seem more agreeable to analogy to class it with the numerous terminations in ic, and place the accent on the penultimate syllable; (509) and, in this case, the i in the first will be shortened by the secondary accent, and the syllable pronounced like did. (527) The first i in dimissory, marked long by Mr. Sheridan, and with the accent on the second syllable, contrary to Dr. Johnson, are equally erroneous. The accent ought to be on the first syllable, and the i short, as on the adjective dim. See Possessory.
126. Fi, before the accent, ought always to be short: this is the sound we generally give to the i in the first syllable of fi-delity; and why we should give the long sound to the i in fiducial and fiduciary, as marked by Mr. Sheridan, I know not: he is certainly erroneous in marking the first i in frigidity long, and equally so in placing the accent upon the last syllable of finite. Finance has the i short universally.
127. Gigantic has the i in the first syllable always long.
128. Li has the i generally long, as li-bation, li-brarian, li-bration, li-centions, li-pothymy, liquescent, li-thography, li-thotomy. Litigious has the i in the first syllable always short. The same may be observed of libidinous, though otherwise marked by Mr. Sheridan.
129. Mi has the i generally short, as in minority, militia, mimographer, minacious, minacity, miraculous; though the four last are marked with the long i by Mr. Sheridan; and what is still more strange, he marks the i, which has the accent on it, long in minatory; though the same word, in the compound comminatory, where the i is always short, might have shewn him his error. The word mimetic, which, though in very good use, is neither in Johnson nor Sheridan, ought to be pronounced with the first i short, as if written mim-et-ic. The i is generally long in micrometer, micrography, and migration.
130. Ni has the i long in nigrescent. The first i in nigrifcation, though marked long by Mr. Sheridan, is shortened by the secondary accent, (527) and ought to be pronounced as if divided into nig-ri-fi-cation.
131. Phi has the i generally short, as in philanthropy, philippic, philosopher, philosophy, philosophize; to which we may certainly add, philologer, philologist, philogy, philological, notwithstanding Mr. Sheridan has marked the i in these last words long.
132. Pi and pli, have the i generally short, as pilaster, pituitous, pilosity, plication. Piaster and piazza, being Italian words, have the i short before the vowel, contrary to the analogy of words of this form, (116) where the i is long, as in pi-acular, pri-ority, etc. Piratical has the i marked long by Mr. Sheridan, and short by Dr. Kenrick. The former is, in my opinion, more agreeable both to custom and analogy, as the sound of the i before the accent is often determined by the sound of that letter in the primitive word.
133. Pri has the i generally long, as in primeval, primevous, primitial, primero, primordial, privado, privation, privalive, but always short in primitive and primer.
134. Ri has the i short, as in ridiculous. Rigidity is marked with the i long by Mr. Sheridan, and short by Dr. Kenrick: the latter is undoubtedly right. Rivality has the i long in the first syllable, in compliment to rival, as piratical has the i long, because derived from pirate. Rhinoceros has the i long in Sheridan, Scott, Kenrick, W. Johnston, and Buchanan; and short in Perry.
135. Si has the i generally short, as similitude, siriasis, and ought certainly to be short in silicious, (better written
