A) in the accented syllable it answers to: 1) the short Ĭ a) in the close syllable: nymph, lymph, lynx, pym, system, gypsy, hyssop, mysticism. sylph, By way of exception y before a simple r passes over into the dimmed sound, like ir Mýrmidon, myrtle, also in myrrh, although before two r's belonging to different syllables the genuine -sound remains: Pýrrho. b) in an open antepenultimate or prior syllable before an initial consonant of the following: pyramid, hypocrite, týranny; hypochondriast, typographical myriad, lýdian, (on the other hand typography from tŷpe). By way of exception the original diphthong ei is heard under the subordinate accent in hŷmenean, hŷmenëal from hŷmen. In compounds this is natural, as well as in those beginning with hypo and hyper, hypercritical, hypostatical, as well as in those compounced of hydro, cyclo &c., hydrophobia, cyclopædia &c., chŷlifäction from chŷle &c. 2) On the other hand it is a diphthong with the sound (ai) ei: a) in every accented open syllable followed by a vowel: ŷing, crying, dryad, mŷopy, hyacinth, hŷades, hŷaloid; hyacinthine; as also in the syllables belonging to the stem and ending in y: my, thŷ, by. flŷ, dry, sly, skŷ, crŷ, apply, espŷ, denŷ, descrŷ, defy. By way of exception mŷ and bŷ, when they lean proclitically on a subsequent noun, are pronunced like me, bẽ, and thŷ undergoes the same in popular Speech. In composition, moreover, the absence ot accent does not destroy the sanedei of the stem as in oúterŷ, kílndrŷ. b) in the open enultimate followed by an initial consonant: cŷpress, tyrant. Exceptions, in which instead of ei the sound of Ĭ enters, are even here to be found in words ending in ic, il, ish &c.; in ic: lyric, physic, tŷpic, chŷmic; in il: Sybil; in ist: chŷmist; inge: syringe. In panegyric, panegyrist, ŷr sounds like ĕr. c. in the syllable ending with a consonant followed by an organic or inorganic mute e: lŷre, rhŷme, pŷre, scŷthe, gŷve, type, thyme, chŷle, chŷme. B) In the unaccented syllable y has 1) in general in the close and the open syllable the same sound as the unaccented : synonymy, Egypt, physician, analysis, ycléped, dynámical. The sound is dimmed in the final syllable yr, like ir: sátýr, mártyr, mártyrdom. 2) It is a diphthong however (ei): a) in the open syllable before the accented syllable beginning with a vowel: hŷéna, mŷólogy, hŷémal (by some pronounced hyemal). With regard to the open syllable, beginning with a consonant, before the accented syllable beginning with a consonant, the maintenance of the diphthong of the stem is true, as it is of i: lyceum, tŷránnic, tŷránnical, chŷláceous, hŷdátides (plural, from the sing: hŷdatis), gŷration (from gŷre) in typography (from type) and other compounds. So also in those compounded with hŷpo and hŷper, as hypostasis, hypotenuse &c., hyperbole &c. and those with hydro-, hŷdrand hŷgro: hŷdrópic, hŷdráulic &c., hŷgrólogy &c, mostly technical expressions. b) in some verbal terminations, as well as in their inflectional forms: óccupy, próphesŷ, óccupying. The verbal endings fy and plŷ are properly stems (-ficare, -plicare) jústifŷ, múltiply &c. and are in the same predicament as other compounds: see above. Of combinations of the vowel y ye alone exists: it is a diphthong in ei: bye, rye. E has partly the power of e, partly of i. A) In the accented syllable it has 1) the sound of the short ě a) in the close syllable: men, neb, fetch, left, ell, help, chess, pence, defénce, presént, expensive. ") an exception is here again formed by the syllable closed by r (even with another consonant following), in which the guttural dims the e, so that it appears to have the power of ő, although the pronunciation of the vulgar Londoner, who says murcy instead of mercy, is false: hër, detër, fërn, hërd, fërvid. Even here the influence of the guttural is softened, when it is followed by a second (dental) r: intérrogate; yet not when rr concludes the stem ërr. 8) In some syllables ending in r, e assumes the a-sound (er = ar): clerk, sergeant; formerly in many others, as merchant compare Old-Engl. marchandye; Bérkeley compare Old-Engl. Barcssyre Dérby and others, and thus still, provincially, for example in Leicestershire: marcy, desarve &. and with the vulgar Londoner sárvant beside súrvant. So in other provinces e becomes a before other consonants also; for example, in Warwickshire: laft, fatch, batty left, fetch, betty. :) The short i-sound but rarely appears, as in England, énglish cf. Inglond also sec. XVI b. Halliwell I. p. 469 II., pretty, chémistry (pronounced kĭmistry) and clef (where some say clef); yes is also often pronounced yis: compare Old-Engl. zis (GOWER) yis (PIERS PLOUGHMAN); retch sounds just like reach. b) in an open syllable, when the succeeding one begins with a consonant and that accented syllable is the antepenult or prior one; yet no double vowel, the former of which is î or e, must follow the consonant which follows the accented syllable: nébula, légacy, léchery, bétony, béverage, dévilish, géneral, génerous, génesis, several, hésitate, héresy; -cémetery, nécessary; cémentation, géneration. This also appears where the prefixes de and r have the principal or subordinate accent: dérogate, délegate, déliquate, réference, rélevant; déclaration, détonätion. The chief exceptions are words derived from stems with e, in which e sounds like e. that is to say I, as: legalize, behemoth, cenatory, plenary, schematism, schematist (on account of nu) and others; and some among those compounded of de and re, when there syllables fall under the subordinate accent, where the e-sound else appears: décompőse, décompound c. der., dehortätion, deterrätion, detestation; with re this case appears, where it has the more pregnant sense of again: repossess, reproduce, resalüte &c. Exceptions such as vehement, vehicle Lat. vehemens, vehiculum perhaps have the i sound because h does not completely remove the hiatus, compare above annihilate (from Lat. nihil). In composition with preter e under the subordinate accent remains a long I: pretermit, yet short under the principal accent in preterit; likewise in derivation, as preterition. Pre also, Lat. prae, remains I under the main accent in precept, and commonly also under the subordinate accent in presuppose, presurmise, preconceive, preconception and others. Exceptions of another sort are bedlery (beadlery) and many more. 2) the sound of the long ī, ie a) in the accented open syllable followed by a vowel: deism, deist, deity, real, realize, theatre, leo, leonine, theory, deodand; also in re under the subordinate accent: readorn, reabsorb; and in the accented syllable formed by a single vowel: ĕon, ēven, evil, evening, edict, equable, equalize, equinox &c.; elasticity, eructation, ereptation; as well as in monosyllabic words ending in e: be, he, me, we, the. By way of exce-tion the e of this sort is shortened, especially in the antepenultimate accented syllables and maintains the esound; as émulate, émanate, egotize, egotist and even ègoist, as well as under the subordinate accent: erubescent; also in the penultimate: ever, épode, ephod. Among the above named monosyllabic words the proclitic article sounds ie only when spoken emphatically; else, before vowels thĭ; before consonants the, as glib shortness: and generally, these words, proclitically or enclitically, often lose some portion of their quantity. b) in the open penultimate followed by an initial consonant: legist, Peter, fever, feline, cedar. Exceptions again are here formed by many words in which ĕ appears, especially before a derivative syllable, or terminations containing i or e; in y: levy, bevy, replevy, véry, těchy; in id: fétid. tepid. intrépid, gelid; in ic: polemic, energetic, spheric, generic and others; in ish: relish, Rhenish, replenish, splenish, perish, blemish, Flémisch; in lile, (y): peril, beryl, devil, sterile, dě bile; in in: resin; in it: mérit, inherit, crédit, decrépit, debit; in ice: crevice, Venice; in en: leven (otherwise leaven), eleven, seven, heben; in el: level, rebel, revel, bevel, dishevel, shekel; in er: nether, never, leper, alléger (from allege), sever, assever, clever, together, whether; in et: genet, ténet; in ent: clement, present; also anomalous words, as sheriff, Zephyr, rélict, prémiss; levee, prebend, desert, treble. Words ending in obscure vowels are here also rarer; in al: medal, métal, pětal; in age: présage; in ace: menace, preface; in ate: prelate, legate, senate; in ant: pedant, tenant, lieutenant; in on: mélon, lemon, félon, heron; in or: tenor, and a few other, as seraph, herald; Herod, method, věnom, envelop, second, record; cherub, deluge, refuge, prelude, refuse, tenure, sphěrule, gerund; nephew, memoir. - c) in the accented syllable ending in a consonant, and followed by an organic or unorganic mute e: eve, glëbe, theme, these, Crete, here, severe. Except a few words in r, in which e receives the sound of the English äe, much as in the Highdutch Ehre (dimmed by the guttural r): ere, where, there compare Old-Engl. ar (are), ware, pare (ROB. OF GLOUCESTER). Thus too the Englishman pronounces the French commere. In were e is shortened. d) in the accented syllable (under the subordinate accent also), when followed by a double vowel sound, the former of which is or e: species, aperient, aurelia, comedian, abbreviate, allegiance, period, senior, region, genius, previus, egregious, premium, supersedeas, mezēreon, meteor; under the subordinate accent: geniality, deviätion, mediation, mediocrity, periodic, meteorology. Exceptions are rare, as especial, discretion, precious. B. In the unaccented syllable, e, where not silent, (see the silence of the vowels) is always shortened into the power of i. This tinge comes out more distinctly in the open syllable before the accent, likewise at the end of the word, if e is audible at all, and in these positions is distinguished by a lengthening, which however is insignificant, because the attraction is weakened: depárt, sedáte, repóse, elaborate, ecónomy, evént, and at the end of latinized Greek words: Phébe, Penélope, epitome, récipe, apócope, símile, pósse, also in púisne (sometimes spelt púny). It is strictly long in the latinized Greek termination es: ambages, antipodes. The i-sound comes out less decidedly in an originally close syllable: réstlessness, póet, cóvet, helmet, quarrel, bárren, linen; more distinctly in the termination es after a sibilant: bóxes, fáces, áshes, he debáses. In the syllable er it is equal to the dimmed ir, ur: pertúrb, persuade, númber, partáker, even in emperor (compare Old-Engl. pepir pepper, aftur, hongur, longur), softened by the subsequent consonant: cómmerce. It is to be observed that the final bre, tre, cre, gre are exactly equal to the unaccented ber, ter, cer, ger, as they were often spelt in the older English and still sometimes are; and that final sounds such as payer, player, slayer are hardly to be distinguished from those in care, fair. Lastly we must also remark the influence of the nasal n (in ent, ence) on the obscurer tinge of the unaccented e (approaching the English ): prúdent, ágent, amendment, órnament, décence, éxcellence. Of combinations of e with other vowels, to represent vowel (and diphthongal) sounds, ee, ei, ey, ea, eau, eo, eu and ew are to be cited. ee is chiefly found A) in the accented syllable, and serves there almost solely to represent the long I, ie, equal to the English ĕ: needle, bleed, free, feeling, careen, career, debtée, bargainée. In Beelzebub both e's are to be pronounced; it sounds Beelzebub or Beelzebub. In e'er instead of ever and ne'er instead of never e'er is pronounced like ere in there. By way of exception ee appears shortened into ĭ in been (OldEngl. ben) and in common life in threepenny, thréepence (=thripenny, -ence); we also pronounce breeches (from sing. breech) like britches: compare Old-Engl. brych (ROB. OF GLouCESTER). B) In the unaccented syllable ee is shortened like the unaccented e of the power of e: coffee, committee, lévee (according to some levee); in júbilee we use to leave to ee the long sound. ei and ey, whereof the former belongs chiefly, though not exclusively, to the end of stems and to some derivative terminations, are equivalent in their phonetic relations, and are divided into the e-, the i- and ei- sounds. A) In the accented syllable ei has 1) commonly the sound of the long e or the English a and ai: eight, neigh, néighbour, vein, deign, obéisance. Before r it receives the dimmed sound as in there: their, theirs, heir, héiress. 2) sometimes that of the long I, ie, Engl. ē: céil, ceiling, seize, seizin, seine, seignior, re-per-de-con-ceive, deceit, conceit, receipt, inveigle, leizure, and in propernames as Leigh, Leith, Keil, Keith, Keighley, Keightley &c. In Pleiads the pronunciation divides plē-yads. 3) still more unusual is the diphthong sound ei, like the English î in height (from high), sleight, heigh-ho! In either and neither too some think to hear the diphthong ei. By way of exception we pronounce ei as a short ě, English é in heifer and in nonpareil. B) In the unaccented syllable it answers to the short i: fóreign, sóvereign, fórfeit, súrfeit, counterfeit. ey has A) in the accented syllable |