[The inquiry will be found in our 5th Vol., p. 465.]
_Irish Rhymes_ (Vol. vi., and Vol. vii., p. 52.).--CUTHBERT BEDE, in his
notice of the Irish rhymes in Swift's poetry, quoted one couplet in which
_put_ rhymes to _cut_. Is this pronunciation of the word _put_ an Irishism?
A late distinguished divine, who, although he occupied an Irish see, was
certainly no Irishman, and who was remarkably particular and, I believe,
correct in his diction, always pronounced this word in this manner (as
indeed every other word with the same termination is pronounced: as _rut_,
_cut_, _shut_, _nut_, _but_, &c.).
The bishop to whom I allude pronounced the word thus, long before he ever
had any communication with Ireland: and it is strange that, although I have
been in Ireland myself, I never heard _put_ pronounced so as to rhyme with
_cut_ by any native of that island.