| hábitant, | habǐtans, |
| benéficent, | benefĭcus, |
| áccident, | accĭdens, |
| évident, | evĭdens, |
| índigent, | indǐgens, |
| díligent, | dilǐgens, |
| négligent, | neglǐgens, |
| éxigence, | exǐgens, |
| intélligence, | intellǐgens, |
| defícience, | deficǐens, |
| méndicant, | mendīcans, |
| résident, | resīdens, |
| díffidence, | diffīdens, |
| cónfidence, | confīdens, |
| invéstigate, | investīgo, |
| cástigate, | castīgo, |
| éxtricate, | extrīco, |
| írritate, | irrīto, |
| prófligate, | proflīgo, |
| ínstigate, | instīgo. |
In the foregoing list of words we find a very general coincidence of the English and Latin accent, except in the last eleven words, where we depart from the Latin accent on the penultimate, and place it on our own favourite syllable the antepenultimate. These last words must therefore be ranked as exceptions.
(i) Words which have o in the penultimate syllable:
| intérrogate, | interroŏgo, |
| árrogant, | arrŏgans, |
| díssonant, | dissŏnans, |
| rédolent, | redŏlens, |
| ínsolent, | insŏlens, |
| benévolent, | benevŏlus, |
| condólence, | condŏlens, |
| índolence, | indŏlens, |
| armípotent, | armipŏtens, |
| omnípotent, | omnipŏtens, |
| ínnocent, | innŏcens, |
| rénovate, | renŏvo, |
| désolate, | desōlo, |
| eláborate, | elabōro, |
| décorate, | decōro, |
| láborant, | labōrans, |
| ígnorant, | ignōrans, |
| súffocate, | suffōco. |
In this list the difference of the English and Latin accent is considerable. The last six words desert the Latin penultimate for the English antepenultimate accent, and condolonce falls into an accentuation diametrically opposite.
(k) Words which have u in the penultimate syllable:
| fábulate, | fabŭlor, |
| máculate, | macŭlo, |
| ádjuvate, | adjŭvo, |
| córrugate, | corrŭgo, |
| pétulant, | petŭlans, |
| dísputant, | dispŭtans, |
| ímpudent, | impŭdens, |
| spéculate, | specŭlor, |
| púllulate, | pullŭlo, |
| pópulate, | popŭlo, |
| súbjugate, | subjŭgo, |
| abdúcent, | abdūcens, |
| relúcent, | relūcens, |
| imprúdent, | imprūdens, |
| ádjutant, | adjūtans, |
| péculate, | pecūlor, |
| índurate, | indūro, |
| óbdurate, | obdūro. |
Here we find the general rule obtain, with, perhaps, fewer exceptions than in any other class. Adjuvate, peculate, and indurate, are the only absolute deviations; for obdurate has the accent frequently on the second syllable. See the word.
(l) To these lists, perhaps, might be added the English words ending in tion, sion, and ity: for though tion and sion are really pronounced in one syllable, they are by almost all our orthöepists generally divided into two; and consequently nation, pronunciation, occasion, evasion, etc. contain the same number of syllables as natio, pronunciatio, occasio, evasio, etc. and have the accent, in both English and Latin, on the antepenultimate syllable. The same may be observed of words ending in ity, as diversity, variety, etc. from diversitas, varietas, etc.
(m) By this selection (which, though not an exact enumeration of every particular, is yet a sufficient specimen of the correspondence of Latin and English accent) we may perceive that there is a general rule running through both languages, respecting the accent of polysyllables, which is, that when a single vowel in the penultimate is followed by a single consonant, the accent is on the antepenultimate. This is so agreeable to English analogy, that in words derived from the Latin, where the penultimate vowel, followed by a single consonant, is long, and consequently has the accent, we almost always neglect this exception, as it may be called, in the Latin language, and fall into our own general rule of accenting the antepenultimate. Nor is it unworthy of being remarked, that when we neglect the accent of the original, it is almost always to place it at least a syllable higher; as adjacent and condolence are the only words in the whole selection, where the accent of the English word is placed lower than in the Latin.
(n) There is, indeed, a remarkable coincidence of accent between Latin verbs of three syllables, commencing with a preposition, and the English words of two syllables, derived from them, by dropping a syllable,[1] as excēllo, rebēllo, inquīro, confīno, confūto, consūmo, desīro, explōro, procēdo, proclāmo, have the accent in Latin on the second syllable; and the English verbs excel, rebel, inquire, confine, confute, consume, desire, explore, proceed, proclaim, have the accent on the same syllable. This propensity of following the Latin accent in these words, perhaps, in this, as well as in other cases, formed a general rule, which at last neglected the Latin accent, in words of this kind; as we find prefer, confer, defer, desert, compare, compleat, congeal, divide, dispute, prepare, have the accent on the second syllable, though praefĕro, defĕro, confĕro, desĕro, compăro, complĕo, congĕlo, divĭdo, dispŭto, praepăro, have the accent on the first: and this propensity, perhaps, laid the foundation of that distinction of accent which is so remarkable between dissyllable nouns and verbs of the same form. (492)
(o) But when English polysyllables are derived from the Latin by dropping a syllable, scarcely any analogy is more apparent than the coincidence of the principal accent of the English word, and the secondary accent, (522) we give to the Latin word, in the English pronunciation of it. Thus parsimony, ceremony, matrimony, melancholy, etc. have
- ↑ Ben Jonson seems to have had a faint idea of this coincidence, where he says, "all verbs coming from the Latin, either of the supine or otherwise, hold the accent as it is found in the first person present of those Latin verbs, as ánimo, ánimate, célebro, célebrate; except words compounded of facio, as lique-facio, liquefy; and of statuo, as constituto, constitute." English Grammar. Of the extent and justness of these observation, the critical reader will be the best judge.
