18115 A KEY TO THE CLASSICAL PRONUNCIATION OF Greek, Latin, and Scripture Proper Names; IN WHICH THE WORDS ARE ACCENTED AND DIVIDED INTO SYLLABLES ACCORDING TO RULES DRAWN FROM ANALOGY AND THE BEST USAGE. TERMINATIONAL VOCABULARIES THE WORDS ARE ARRANGED ACCORDING TO THEIR FINAL SYLLABLES, By which the general Analogy of Pronunciation may be seen at one view, and CONCLUDING WITH Observations on the Greek and Latin Accent and Quantity; WITH SOME PROBABLE CONJECTURES ON THE METHOD OF FREEING THEM INVOLVED, BOTH BY THE ANCIENTS AND MODERNS. The THIRD EDITION, with large Additions. Price 7s, Boards. BY JOHN WALKER, AUTHOR OF THE CRITICAL PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY, LONDON, PRINTED BY J. M'CREERY, &c. FOR J. JOHNSON, IN ST. PAUL'S CHURCH-YARD, T. CADELL AND W. PREFACE. THE Critical Pronouncing Dictionary of the English Language naturally suggested an idea of the present work. Proper names from the Greek and Latin form so considerable a part of every cultivated living language, that a Dictionary seems to be imperfect without them. Polite scholars, indeed, are seldom at a loss for the pronunciation of words they so frequently meet with in the learned languages; but there are great numbers of respectable English scholars, who, having only a tincture of classical learning, are much at a loss for a knowledge of this part of it. It is not only the learned professions that require this knowledge, but almost every one above the merely mechanical. The professors of painting, statuary, and music, and those who admire their works; readers of history, politics, poetry; all who converse on subjects ever so little above the vulgar have so frequent occasion to pronounce these proper names, that whatever tends to render this pronunciation easy must necessarily be acceptable to the Public. The proper names in Scripture have still a higher claim to our attention. That every thing contained in that precious repository of divine truth should be their accent and quantity depend so much on their termination, such an arrangement appeared to give an easier and more comprehensive idea of their pronunciation than the common classification by their initial syllables. This end was so desirable as to induce me to 'spare no pains, however dry and disgusting, to promote it; and if the method I have taken has failed, my labour will not be entirely lost if it convinces future prosodists that it is not worthy of their attention. CONTENTS OF THE INTRODUCTION. THE pronunciation of Greek and Latin not so difficult The ancient pronunciation of Greek and Latin, a subject The English pronunciation of Greek and Latin injurious No sufficient reason for altering the present pronunciation on ibid. ibid. |