Lord Chesterfield may have been a polished gentleman, but Dr. Johnson was of the two the more shining character.
CHAPTER I.
OF PRONUNCIATION.
SECTION I.
OF ACCENT.
Though penetrated ourselves by the desire of imparting instruction, we are far from wishing to bore our readers; and therefore we shall endeavour to repeat nothing here that we have said before.
Accent is the marking with a peculiar stress of the voice a particular letter or syllable in a word, in such a manner as to render it more distinct or audible than the rest. Thus, in the word théatre, the stress of the voice should be on the letter e and first syllable the; and in cóntrary, on the first syllable con. How shocking it is to hear people say con-tráry, the-átre! The friends of education will be reminded with regret, that an error in the pronunciation of the first of these words is very early impressed on the human mind.
“Mary, Mary,
Quite contráry,
How does your garden grow?”
How many evils, alas! arise from juvenile associations!