The important ends which Mr. Smerican propofe 10 aniwer by the present publication. ar: pointe. out by ME I th: 10lowing queries.

Whether it wasle net contribute mucho promote the DaU:- D religion. it tre fervice the church were always performer wit propriet, AL fermons gerere: WI", cut force

pronunciations is controverted by the feveral perfons who have adopted them; and what right has this felf-appointed judge to determine which is the best?

The Author allows the propriety of the objection, and therefore thinks it neceffary to lay open the grounds upon which he puts in his claim to this arduous office.

There was a time, and that at no very distant period, which may be called the Auguftan age of England, I mean during the reign of Queen Anne, when English was the language spoken at court; and when the fame attention was paid to propriety of pronunciation, as that of French at the Court of Verfailles. This produced a uniformity in that article in all the polite circles; and a gentleman or lady would have been as much afhamed of a wrong pronunciation then, as perfons of a liberal education would now be of mif-fpelling words. But on the acceffion of a foreign family to the throne, amid the many bleffings conferred by that happy event, the English language fuffered much by being banished the court, to make room for the French. From that time the regard formerly paid to pronunciation has been gradually declining; fo that now the greatest improprieties in that point are to be found among people of fashion; many pronunciations, which thirty or forty years ago were confined to the vulgar, are gradually gaining ground; and if fomething be not done to stop this growing evil, and fix a general standard at prefent, the English is likely to become a mere jargon, which every one may pronounce as he pleases. It is to be wished, that fuch a ftandard had been eftablished at the period before mentioned, as it is probable, that English was then spoken in its highest state of perfection. Nor is it yet too late to recover it in that very state. It was my fortune to receive the early part of my education under a maller, who made that a material object of inftruction to the youth committed to his care. He was the intimate friend, and chofen companion of Swift; who had paffed great part of his life in a familiar intercourfe with the most diftinguished men of the age, whether for rank or genius. Eminent as he was for the purity and accuracy of his ftyle, he was not more attentive to that point in writing, than he was to exactness of pronunciation in fpeaking. Nor could he bear to hear any mistakes committed by his friends in that refpect, without correcting them. I had the happiness to be much with him in the early part of my life, and for several months read to him three or four hours a day, receiv ing ftill the benefit of his inftruction. I have fince had frequent opportunities of being convinced, that a uniformity of pronunciation had prevailed at the court of Queen Anne, by comparing Swift's with that of many diftinguifhed perfonages who were there initiated into life; among the number of which were the Duke of Dorfet and the Earl of Chesterfield. And that very pronunciation is ftill the customary one among the defcendents of all the politer part of the world bred in that reign. Upon investigating the principles on which the pronunciation of that time was formed, I found, that though there were no rules laid down for its regulation, yet there was a fecret influence of analogy conftantly operating, which attracted the different words, according to their feveral claffes,to itself as their centre, And where there were any deviations from that anaR 4

logy,

that of orthography, or the proper manner of writing it, was difplayed in other grammars. How little qualified the writers of these were for the task our Author has undertaken, appears from what he fays of them in his Art of Reading. Nothing can be a stronger proof of the grofs errors into which literary men have fallen, in their feveral grammars and treatises on this fubject, than that the best of them have miftaken diphthongs for fimple founds, and fimple founds for diphthongs; compound confonants for fingle, and fingle for compound: nay, what is ftill more extraordinary, that they have even mistaken vowels for confonants.'

In this Grammar Mr. Sheridan has pointed out, for the first time, the principles upon which our pronunciation is founded, and the general rules by which it is regulated; though hitherto it has been thought that it was entirely left to chance. But he has clearly fhewn, that though, in establishing our pronunciation, there were no certain rules laid down for its regulation, yet there was a fecret influence of analogy conftantly operating, which attracted the different words, according to their feveral claffes, to itself as their centre. For inftance-he has made the discovery, that the pronunciation of our polyfyllables is, for the most part, regulated by the terminating fyllable, of which he has given examples in the general terminations of our words, with the few exceptions under each article. The critical Reader, therefore, need not now be at a lofs to determine which of the controverted pronunciations of many of our words is moft proper; as he can now decide upon the fure ground of principle, not the vague and uncertain rule of authority; and he can affign a reason why he prefers the accenting of the word refractory to that of refractory, concordance to con'cordance, academy to academy, and fo on through all the words of difputable pronunciation.

Our learned Author hath, in this work, opened a field of science which has fcarcely been looked into by the moderns, though it was that in which the ancients delighted to range at large, and where they collected the choiceft flowers both of rhetoric and poetry, to adorn the temple of the Mufes. The pains which they took about the living language were immense, and the labour inceflant. They wifely confidered fpeech as the fubftance, and writing as the fhadow, which followed it of courfe, whilft the moderns have been principally employed in examining the fhadow, and thus have never been able to form a fufficiently juft idea of the proportion, beauty, and colouring of the fubftance itfelf. Had any of the ancient rhetorical grammars been handed down to us, the oratorical art would not fo long have lain dormant. But without fuch affiftance no fuccefsful attempts could be expected from men, trained up and prejudiced

judiced in favour of a language taken in by the eye, when it is confidered, that whoever undertook to execute the task fhould be poffeffed of a chafte uncorrupt ear, cultivated with the nicest care from early childhood; and that, whilst he was capable of penetrating into the myfteries of a very deep and intricate fcience, he should be fo circumftanced as to have his fpeculations aided by conftant practice, and their truth brought to the teft of experiment. Some circumftances in Mr. Sheridan's life feem to have peculiarly qualified him for the prefent undertaking; and as the fubject has employed his thoughts from his early days, his labours have been crowned with fuccefs. What he has laid down is fo plain as to carry conviction with it. He hath erected, upon the broad basis of science, a comprehenfive fyftem of rules, by which the art of elocution may be taught, from the first fimple elements, to their moft extended combinations.

With regard to the Dictionary, the main intention of it is thus fet forth by the Author: In his Dictionary he has reduced the pronunciation of each word to a certainty, by fixed and visible marks; the only way by which uniformity of found could be propagated to any diftance. This we find effectually done in the art of mufic, by notes; for in whatever part of the globe mufic is fo taught, the adepts in it read it exacly the fame way. A fimilar uniformity of pronunciation, by means of this Grammar and Dictionary, may be fpread through all parts of the globe, wherever English fhall be taught by their aid.'

Mr. Sheridan was the first among the moderns, who conceived the idea of establishing a certain ftandard of pronunciation by vifible marks. Having thrown out this idea many years fince, when he firft laid open his plan of his Grammar and Dictionary, the thought was greedily feized on by the late Dr. Kenrick, who refolved to foreftal our Author's Work. However, as it fortunately happened that Mr. Sheridan had kept fecret his intended manner of marking the founds, Dr. Kenrick was obliged to have recourfe to his own invention for this purpose, which availed him fo little, that his contrivance is remarkably clumfy and inartificial. To point out the different founds of our vowels, he has had recourfe to no lefs than fixteen marks; which Mr. Sheridan has accomplished by the ufe of only three. In Dr. Kenrick's way, befides the extreme difficulty of producing a correct edition with fuch a multiplicity of characters, the time which it would take up, for perfons who confult his Dictionary, to become masters of his marks, would be very great; whereas our Author's scheme is the fimpleft that can be conceived. The whole is done by the ufe of the three figures, 1, 2, 3; and all that is required of the learner is, to get a fmall fcheme, confifting of feventeen words, by heart, or to hold it in his hand when he confults the Dictionary; and then he cannot poffibly miftake the pronunciation of the word according to its marks.

R 3

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The important ends which Mr. Sheridan propofes to answer by the prefent publication, are pointed out by him in the following queries:

Whether it would not contribute much to promote the cause of religion, if the fervice of the church were always performed with propriety, and fermons delivered with due force?

Whether it would not be of fervice to the state, if all our fenators, who had from nature the abilities, fhould also be furnished, from art and practice, with the habitual power of delivering their fentiments readily, in a correct, perfpicuous, and forcible manner? And whether this would not be equally ufeful to the gentlemen of

the bar?

• Whether it would not contribute much to the ease and pleasure of fociety, and improvement of politenefs, if all gentlemen in pub. lic meetings, or private company, fhould be able to express their thoughts clearly, and with an utterance fo regulated, as not to give -pain to the understanding, or offence to the ears of their auditors?

Whether it would not greatly contribute to put an end to the odious distinction kept up between the subjects of the fame King, if a way were opened, by which the attainment of the English tongue in its purity, both in point of phrafeology and pronunciation, might be rendered eafy to all inhabitants of his Majefty's dominions, whether of South or North Britain, of Ireland, or the other British dependencies ?

Whether it would not redound much to the honour of this nation, if the attainment of our tongue were rendered easy to foreigners, fo as to enable them to read our excellent authors in the original, and converse with the natives of thefe countries upon equal terms?

Whether many important advantages would not accrue both to the prefent age, and to pofterity, if the English language were afcertained, and reduced to a fixed and permanent ftandard?

Whether the first step neceffary to the accomplishment of these points, be not that of opening a method, whereby all children of thefe realms, whether male or female, may be inftru&ted from the firft rudiments, in a grammatical knowledge of the English tongue, and the art of reading and fpeaking it with propriety and grace; in the fame regular way as other languages, and other arts, of infinitely lefs confequence to them, are now taught?

To compafs thefe points, and others perhaps of ftill greater confequence which may flow from them, has been the chief object of the Author's purfuits in life, and the main end of the prefent publication.'

The fucceeding very curious extract will explain Mr. Sheridan's pretenfions to establish a standard of pronunciation.

But it may be afked, what right the Author has to affume to himself the office of a legiflator on this occafion, and what his pretenfions are to establish an abfolute ftandard in an article, which is far from being in a fettled flate among any class of people? It is well known, that there is a great diverfity of pronunciation of the fame words, not only in individuals, but in whole bodies of men. That there are fome adopted by the univerfities; fome prevail at the bar, and fome in the fenate-houfe, That the propriety of thefe feveral

pro