sometimes shortened in the same manner by the vulgar; and se'night for sevennight is gone irrecoverably into the same analogy; though fortnight for fourteenthnight is more frequently pronounced with the i long.
145. Those ending in ile have the i short, except reconcile, chamomile, estipile. Juvenile, mercantile, and puerile, have the i long in Sheridan's Dictionary, and short in Kenrick's. In my opinion the latter is the much more prevalent and polite pronunciation; but infantile, though pronouncable both ways, seems inclinable to lengthen the i in the last syllable. See Juvenile.
146. In the termination ine, pantomime has the i long, rhyming with time; and maritime has the i short, as if written maritim.
147. Words in ine, that have the accent higher than the penultimate, have the quantity of i so uncertain, that the only method to give an idea of it will be to exhibit a catalogue of words where it is pronounced differently.
148. But first it may not be improper to see the different sounds given to this letter in some of the same words by different orthöepists:
| Columbīne. | Sheridan, Nares, W. Johnston. |
| Columbĭne. | Kenrick, Perry. |
| Saccharīne. | Sheridan, Nares. |
| Saccharĭne. | Kenrick, Perry. |
| Saturnīne. | Sheridan, Nares, Buchanan. |
| Saturnĭne. | Kenrick, Perry. |
| Metallīne. | Kenrick. |
| Metallĭne. | Sheridan, W. Johnston, Perry. |
| Crystallīne. | Kenrick. |
| Crystallĭne. | Sheridan, Perry. |
| Uterīne. | Sheridan, Buchanan, W. Johnston. |
| Uterĭne. | Kenrick, Scott, Perry. |
149. In these words I do not hesitate to pronounce, that the general rule inclines evidently to the long i, which, in doubtful cases, ought always to be followed; and for which reason I shall enumerate those words first where I judge the i ought to be pronounced long: Cannabine, carabine, columbine, bizantine, gelatine, legatine, oxyrrhodine, concubine, muscadine, incarnadine, celadine, almandine, secundine, amygdaline, crystalline, vituline, calamine, asinine, saturnine, saccharine, adulterine, viperine, uterine, lamentine, armentine, serpentine, turpentine, vespertine, belluine, porcupine, countermine, leonine, sapphirine, and metalline.
150. The words of this termination, where the i is short, are the following: Jacobine, medicine, discipline, masculine, jessamine, feminine, heroine, nectarine, libertine, genuine, hyaline, palatine. To these, I think, ought to be added, alkaline, aquiline, coralline, brigantine, eglantine: to this pronunciation of the i, the proper names, Valentine and Constantine, seem strongly to incline; and on the stage, Cymbeline has entirely adopted it. Thus we see how little influence the Latin language has on the quantity of the i, in the final syllable of these words. It is a rule in that language, that adjectives ending in ilis or inus, derived from animated beings or proper names, to the exception of very few, have this i pronounced long. It were to be wished this distinction could be adopted in English words from the Latin, as in that case we might be able, in time, to regularize this very irregular part of our tongue; but this alteration would be almost impossible in adjectives ending in ive, as relative, vocative, fugitive, etc. have the i unformly short in English, and long in the Latin relativus, vocativus, fugitivus, etc.
151. The only word ending in ire, with the accent on the antepenultimate syllable, is acrospire, with the i long, the last syllable sounding like the spire of a church.
152. Words ending in ise have the i short, when the accent is on the last syllable but one, as franchise, except the compounds ending in wise, as likewise, lengthwise, etc. as marked by Mr. Scott, Mr. Perry, and Buchanan; but even among these words we sometimes hear otherwise pronounced otherwiz, as marked by Mr. Sheridan and W. Johnston; but, I think, improperly.
153. When the accent is on the last syllable but two in these words, they are invariably pronounced with the i long, as criticise, equalise.
154. In the termination ite, when the accent is on it, the i is always long, as requite. When the accent in on the last syllable but one, it is always short, as respite, (140) pronounced as if written respit, except contrite and crinite; but when the accent is on the last syllable but two, the i is generally long: the exceptions, however, are so many, that a catalogue of both will be the best rule.
155. The i is long in expedite, recondite, incondite, hermaphrodite, Carmelite, theodolite, cosmopolite, chrysolite, eremite, aconite, margarite, marcasite, parasite, appetite, bipartite, tripartite, quadripartite, convertite, anchorite, pituite, satellite. As the word stands in Kenrick's Dictionary sa-téll-it, having the i short, and the accent on the second syllable, it is doubly wrong. The i in the last syllable is shortened also by W. Johnston and Perry, but made long, as it ought to be, by Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Scott, and Mr. Nares. See Recondite.
156. The i is short in cucurbite, ingenite, definite, indefinite, infinite, hypocrite, favourite, requisite, pre-requisite, perquisite, exquisite, apposite, and opposite. Heteroclite has the i long in Sheridan, but short in Kenrick. The former is, in my opinion, the best pronunciation, (see the word in the Dictionary) but ite, in what may be called a gentile termination, has the i always long, as in Hivite, Samnite, cosmopolite, bedlamite, etc.
157. The termination ive, when the accent is on it, is always long, as in hive, except in the two verbs, give, live, and their compounds, giving, living, etc. for the adjective live, as a live animal, has the i long, and rhymes with strive; so have the adjective and adverb, lively and livelily: the
