The English speakers of eminence have shortened the vowel in the first syllable of tyranny, zealous, sacrifice, &c. altho in the primitive words, all agree to give the vowel its first sound. This pronunciation has not spread among the people of this country; but our learned men have adopted it; and it seems in some degree to be the genius of our language. In child, clean, holy, &c. we uniformly give the first vowel its long sound; but when a syllable is added, we always shorten it; children, clenly, holyday.
On the other hand, many people in America say pat-ron, mat-ron; whereas the English say either pa-tron or pat-ron, matron or mat-ron; but all agree in saying, pat-ronage. In patriot, patriotism, the English give a its long sound; but a great part of the Americans, its short sound. In all these cases, where people are not uniform, I should prefer the short sound; for it appears to me the most analogous.
Wrath, the English pronounce with the third sound of a or aw; but the Americans almost universally preserve the analogous sound, as in bath, path. This is the correct pronunciation; and why should we reject it for wroth, which is a corruption? If the English practice is erroneous, let it remain so; we have no concern with it: By adhering to our own practice, we preserve a superiority over the English, in those instances, in which ours is guided by rules; and so far ought we to be from conforming to their practice, that they ought rather to conform to ours.
It is disputed whether g should have its hard or soft sound, in homogeneous and heterogeneous: On this question the standard authors are not agreed. The hard sound, as in go, coincides with etymology; but analogy requires the other, as in genius. The same remarks apply to g in phlogiston.
In the middle and southern states, fierce, pierce, tierce, are pronounced feerce, peerce, teerce. To convince the people of the impropriety of this pronunciation, it might be sufficient to inform them, that it is not fashionable on the English theater. For those who want better proofs, before they relinquish their practice, I would observe, that these words are derived to us from the French; fierce, tierce, from fiers, tiers, and pierce from percer. In the two former, the French pronounce both i and e; but it is evident the English originally pronounced e only; for the i was omitted in the spelling of fierce, and was not introduced into pierce till after Spenser wrote.
"—When he him knew and had his tale herd,
As fers as a leon pulled out his swerd."
Chaucer, Knightes Tale 1600.
"The drought of March hath perced to the rote."
Canterbury Tales.