we may observe in utility, lucubration, etc. The o, the most open of all the simple vowels, has the same tendency in obedience, opake, position, etc. the e in the first syllable of event, in the second of delegate, the first and third of evangelist, in the second of gaiety, nicety, etc. the a in the first of abate, and the second of probable, etc. and the i in nullity. This unaccented letter being no more than e, and this sound, when long, corresponding exactly with its short sound, (which is not the case with any of the other vowels, 65, 66) the difference between the long and short, or open and shut sound of this letter, is less perceptible than in any other: yet we may easily perceive that a delicate pronunciation evidently leaves it open when unaccented in indivisibility, as this word would not be justly pronounced if the i in every syllable were closed by a consonant, as if divided into in-div-is-ib-il-it-y; the first, third, and fifth syllables would, indeed, be justly pronounced according to this division, as these have all accentual force, which shuts this vowel, and joins it to the succeeding consonant; but in the second, fourth, and sixth syllables, there is no such force, and consequently it must remain open and unconnected with the consonant: though, as was before observed, the long and short sound of this vowel are so near each other, that the difference is less perceived than in the rest. Every ear would be displeased at such a pronunciation as is indicated by ut-til-lit-y, luc-cub-bration, op-pin-ion, pos-ition, ev-vent, ev-van-gel-list, ab-bate, prob-bab-ble, etc. but for exactly the same reasons that the vowels out of the stress ought to be kept open in these words, the slender i must be kept open in the same situation in the word in-di-vis-i-bil-i-ty, an every similar word in the language.[1]
552. From all this it will necessarily follow, that the custom adopted by the ancients and moderns of joining the single consonant to the latter vowel in syllabication, when investigating the unknown sound of a word, has its foundation in reason and good sense: that the only reason why vowels are short and shut, is their junction with a consonant; so those that are not joined to consonants, when we are not speaking metrically, cannot be said to be either short or shut: and that as all accented vowels, when final or pronounced alone, have their open sound, so those vowels that are alone or final in a syllable must necessarily retain their open sound likewise, as nothing but uniting instantaneously with the succeeding consonant can shut them: and though nothing but a delicate ear will direct us to the degree of openness with which we must pronounce the first unaccented o in docility, domestic, potential, proceed, monastic, monotony, etc. we may be assured that it is exactly under the same predicament, with respect to sound, in all these words: and as they can never be pronounced short and shut, as if written dossility, dommestic, etc. without hurting the dullest ear; so the e in event, evangelist, etc. and the i in the third syllable of utility, and in the second, fourth, and sixth of indivisibility, can never be sounded as if joined to the consonant without offending every delicate ear, and overturning the first principles of pronunciation.
553. The only considerable exception to this general rule of syllabication, which determines the sound of the unaccented vowels, is when e succeeds the accent, and is followed by r, as in literal, general, misery, etc. which can never be pronounced lit-e-ral, gen-e-ral, mis-e-ry, etc. without the appearance of affectation. In this situation we find the r corrupt the sound of the e, as it does that of every other vowel when in a final unaccented syllable. For this consonant being nothing more than a jar, it unavoidably mixes with the e in this situation, and reduces it to the obscure sound of short u, (418) a sound to which the other unaccented vowels before r have sometimes so evident a tendency.
554. An obscure idea of the principles of syllabication just laid down, and the contradiction to them perceived in this exception, has made most of our orthöepists extremely wavering and uncertain in their division of words into syllables, when the unaccented e has preceded r, where we not only find them differing from each other, but sometimes even from themselves:
| Sheridan. | Kenrick. | Scott. | Perry. |
| miz-ur-ubl, | mis-e-ra-bl, | mis-er-a-ble, | |
| miz-zur-y, | mis-er-y, | mis-e-ry, | mis-e-ry, |
| sur-dzhury, | sur-ge-ry, | sur-ge-ry, | surg-e-ry, |
| sor-cer-y, | sor-ce-ry, | sor-ce-ry, | sor-ce-ry, |
| rob-bur-y, | rob-ber-y, | rob-be-ry, | |
| fore-jer-y, | for-ge-ry, | for-ge-ry, | forg-e-ry, |
| slave-er-y, | sla-ve-ry, | sla-ve-ry, | sla-ve-ry, |
| na-vur-y, | kna-ve-ry, | kna-ve-ry, | knav-e-ry, |
| bra-vu-ry, | bra-ve-ry, | brav-e-ry, | |
| cook-er-y, | cook-e-ry, | cook-e-ry, | |
| rook-ur-y, | rook-er-y, | rook-e-ry, | rook-e-ry, |
| im-midzh-ry, | im-a-ger-y, | im-a-ger-y, | im-a-ge-ry, |
| flum-mur-y, | flum-mer-y, | flum-ma-ry, | flum-mer-y, |
| mum-mur-y, | mum-mer-y, | mum-me-ry, | mum-me-ry, |
| mur-der-ur, | mur-der-er, | mur-der-er, | |
| mur-dur-us, | mur-der-ous, | mur-der-ous, | |
| fine-ur-y, | fi-ne-ry, | fine-ry, | |
| gun-nur-y, | gun-ner-y, | gun-ne-ry, | gun-ne-ry, |
| dan-je-rus, | dan-ger-ous, | dan-ger-ous, | dang-er-ous, |
| vo-sif-er-us, | vo-cif-e-rous, | vo-cif-er-ous, | vo-cif-e-rous, |
- ↑ It is plain that Mr. Sheridan considered the unaccented vowel i, whether ending a syllable, or joined to the succeeding consonant, as standing for the same sound; for we see him sometimes making use of one division, and sometimes of another: thus he divides the word di-ver-si-ty with the i terminating the penultimate syllable, and u-ny-ver-sit-y with the same i united to the consonant. The same variety takes place in the words di-vis-i-bil-i-ty and in-di-vis-i-bil-it-y, while Dr. Kenrick divides all words of this termination regularly in the former manner.
