A Book About Words

by G. F. Graham

There is one very improper use of r which must be here mentioned; viz. the addition of this letter to certain words ending in a. Some pronounce ‘sofa’ as if written ‘sofar.’ Also they speak of their papar and mammar, &c. It is scarcely necessary to say that this is a positive vulgarism.

Nowhere, perhaps, is the perversity of our nature more evident than in the pronunciation of, (1), h silent and h aspirate; and, (2), v and w. These sounds are constantly confounded. Many pronounce h where it is not required, and leave it out where it should be sounded. They will say ‘abit’ for ‘habit,’ ‘erd’ for ‘herd,’ ‘ill’ for ‘hill,’ ‘old’ for ‘hold,’ &c.; and, on the other hand, ‘hall’ for ‘all,’ ‘hodd’ for ‘odd,’ ‘huncle’ for ‘uncle,’ &c.

The same vice exists in the pronunciation of v and w. It is clear that the speaker can pronounce both these letters, but he inveterately persists in misplacing them. He will say ‘weal’ and ‘winegar,’ and at the same time, ‘Vy do you veep?’ These faults are made almost exclusively by ignorant, uneducated people.

Under this head may be also mentioned the incorrect pronunciation of wh initial. By many the h is here left out altogether, and these pronounce the pronoun which exactly as if written ‘witch.’ In Anglo-Saxon, whence all this class of words comes, they were spelled, and probably pronounced, with the h first—‘hw;’ and even now, if we listen attentively to those who pronounce them correctly, we shall always hear the aspirate first. We should surely make a difference between ‘who’ and ‘woo,’ ‘when’ and ‘wen,’ ‘where’ and ‘wear,’ &c.; and, though it would be incorrect to mark the aspirate too roughly, the h in such words should be always fairly brought out.

We also perpetually hear (especially in London) words ending in ‘ing’ pronounced as if written ‘in;’ as, for example, ‘standin,’ ‘runnin,’ ‘goin,’ for ‘standing,’ ‘running,’ going,’ &c. In one case a k is put for the g. ‘Nothink’ is said for ‘nothing.’

There is a disposition in many readers and speakers to give a sort of veiled sound to unaccented monosyllables, so that the true pure tone of the vowel is not heard. This is a very common fault. By such readers ‘for’ is pronounced ‘fur,’ ‘of’ is called ‘uv,’ ‘not’ ‘nut,’ ‘from’ ‘frum,’ and ‘was’ ‘wuz,’ &c. &c. It should be remembered that, whether such words be, or be not, accented, the sound of the vowel should always be full and pure.

A point of great importance is to always carefully give the true sound to an unaccented vowel which begins a word. We should never let emotion degenerate into ‘immotion,’ ‘emergency’ into ‘immergency,’ ‘obedience’ into ‘ubbedience,’ &c. No accent, however, should be placed on these syllables, but the initial vowel should be always pronounced in its proper and pure sound.

It is right to be just as careful with vowels which are medial and unaccented. We should not allow ‘monument’ to sound as ‘moniment,’ nor must ‘calculate’ be pronounced with the u close. This fault often happens with words ending in ‘ety’ or ‘ity.’ We hear over and over again, in the pulpit, the words ‘trinity,’ ‘dignity,’ ‘society,’ &c. pronounced as if written ‘trinaty,’ ‘dignaty,’ ‘sociaty,’ &c.

The pronunciation of the word ‘knowledge,’ with the o long, is still occasionally heard; but it is now almost universally called ‘knŏwledge’ (to rhyme with ‘college’).