Although errors of speech are at all times to be deprecated, and are
generally criticised without much leniency, it must be admitted that
unless they are very gross, reasonable excuses are to be taken for
those who have never made their language a subject of close study, and
whose only use of words is entirely impromptu in the business affairs
of life, in the home circle, or in the social gathering.
Though a person's descent from Belgravia or Billingsgate is in a great
measure revealed by the propriety of his discourse, yet this refers
principally to those words that are employed by the masses in the
every-day conversations of life, rather than to technicalities and
words related to particular professions, the use of which is generally
confined to the specially instructed. But when a man stands forth as
an orator, a teacher, a minister, or a professor of some college, it
is certainly not unreasonable for those that sit under his
instruction, to expect and demand that his speech should be almost
free from errors.
One occupying such a position may well be excused for occasional
embarrassment, poor voice, unpleasant address, hesitation of delivery,
and various failings and peculiarities that can not be overcome, but
little or no allowance can be made for constantly repeated errors.
Probably there has never been a public speaker so perfect in diction,
that he has not in moments of embarrassment, or when much absorbed in
his subject, been guilty of grammatical inaccuracies or mistakes of
pronunciation; and doubtless he is as often aware of them as his
listeners are, as soon as they drop from his lips, but it would be
foolish to call attention to them by going back to correct them. But
when these offenses are so glaring and so frequently repeated that it
is evident the speaker knows no better, it is no wonder that the
educated hearer often thinks that the teacher had better leave his
position and submit to being taught.
What allowance can an intelligent congregation make for their minister
who has nothing else to do but prepare his sermons, if, besides a
multitude of common English mistakes, he pronounces more than half of
his scriptural names in a manner that is not sanctioned by any
authority?
When the orotund medical professor stands up to address his students, or
to engage in the discussions of a convention, and rolls out technicality
after technicality pronounced in a manner that would be disowned by the
original Latin or Greek, and is totally at variance with established
usage, who would not ask for a little less elegance and a little more
education? If it required a great amount of labor outside of the usual
course of study for professional men to acquire a knowledge of the
pronunciation of words peculiar to the professions, the subject might be
treated with more tolerance; but as the definitions and the orthoepy
might be so readily learned together during those years of daily
reference to books that are required before one should be considered
competent to stand as a guide to others, it certainly seems that they do
not properly appreciate the dignity of their position by thus laying
themselves open to public criticism.
Many a student, in order to become instructed in certain branches, has
been compelled to reluctantly sit for months or years at the feet of
those that he felt were far inferior to him in common school
education, hearing hourly such violations of orthoepy and syntax as
would be a discredit to school children. And, doubtless, many such
students have had such a charity for their teachers that they have
wished to direct their attention to their faults, but have been
restrained on account of the fear of enmity, expulsion, or of
lessening the chances for passing the final examination.
The bare thought of being so criticised should be so galling to any
one bearing the dignified title of "professor," that he ought to be
stimulated to endeavor to make himself an authority concerning the
proprieties of speech.
The study of orthoepy was held in such high esteem by the accent
Greeks, and their delicate ears were so offended by any violation of
its rules, that if an orator mispronounced a single word, the entire
audience immediately hissed him.
During the present state of pronunciation it would indeed be
embarrassing to the public speaker, if such a custom existed in this
country. Let us imagine, for instance, our friend Professor Abdominous
Gynæcophonus, with his face ebullient with smiles of self-conceit,
arising to address such an audience. "Gentlemen: I have listened
patiently to this op´po-nent (_hisses_) of al´lo-path-y (_hisses_) and
now arise to make a few remarks and in´quir-ies (_hisses_). In answer
to his objections against hy-os-cy-ā´mus (_hisses_) as an anodyne
and sō´por-if-ic, (_hisses_) I would say that in cases of cough and
sleeplessness, I have long used hyoscyamia combined in trō´chĕz
(_hisses_) without any of those effects that the păt´ron (_hisses_)
of hō´me-o-path-y (_hisses_) mentions. And having made almost a
specialty of the treatment of făç´i-al (_hisses_) neuralgia or
tic-dŏl-o-rōō´" (_hisses_)--and it would certainly be time for
him to dolorously sit down, although he might raise the question--
"What's in a name? that which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet,"
and argue therefrom that the pronunciation of a word should make no
difference so long as its meaning was understood. Amongst professional
men, it has been observed that physicians and dentists are by far more
prone than others to orthoepical errors. Attention is requested to a
few of the more common of these in addition to those found in the
preceding vocabulary connected with words that are alike used by the
professional and the unprofessional, such as: _abdomen_, _acclimated_,
_albumen_, _animalcula arabic_, _citrate_, _embryo_, _excrescence_,
_fetid_, _fetor_, _forceps_, _homeopathy_, _hydropathy_, _jugular_,
_jujube_, _nasal_, _pharmacopœia_, _purulent_, _spasmodic_,
_sulphurous_, _tragacanth_, etc. The authorities appealed to are
Dunglison, Thomas, Webster and Worcester. Notwithstanding the superior
merit of Dunglison's Medical Dictionary, as far as the
comprehensiveness and reliability of its definitions are concerned, it
is evident that it is almost useless as an orthoepical guide. The
principal accent is in many cases marked, but the pronunciation of
preceding and succeeding syllables can not be determined, and there is
no attempt at syllabication.
Dr. Thomas' dictionary, though less comprehensive, is equally reliable
in its definitions, and is excellent authority in regard to orthoepy;
though it is to be regretted that in some words important syllables
are not sufficiently marked. For instance, take the words _as-bes´tos_
and _bis´muth_; how can it be determined whether the first should be
pronounced ăs-bĕs´toss or ăz-bĕs´tōz or the latter
bĭz´muth or bĭss´muth? Webster and Worcester are undoubtedly
good authorities for the pronunciation of the medical words they give.
In the following vocabulary all of the authorities that mention the
words may be considered as agreeing, unless notice is made of their
disagreement.