midical, pyramidal-qaugosions spherical-xvdgosδὴς cylindrical—κυνοειδής canine, like a dog—κυνηδόν doglike—λυκηδόν wolflike—αγεληδὸν herdlike-μοσχη Sòv calflike. To conclude; the student of the Greek language is to bear in mind, for his encouragement, that in proportion to the multitude of words thus analogically formed-and how vast that is may be judged of from the fact, that there are in lexicons between two and three thousand of that one class of substantives which end in pa-I say, in proportion to their multitude, is it rendered easy for him to retain the meaning of them all; for their perpetual recurrence impresses continually deeper and deeper on his memory that meaning, which in the case of all is determined according to one and the same simple rule. LECTURE VI. PRONUNCIATION OF THE GREEK LANGUAGE. IN a preceding lecture I found occasion, when speaking of the Romaic or modern Greek language, to observe, that we have good reason to believe it differs in its pronunciation widely from the ancient tongue. I intend now to consider that subject more at large, but chiefly as it is involved in our examination of the ancient Greek. A debate about the pronunciation of a dead language may be thought an idle one; but as nothing that concerns the Greek language has been considered by scholars unimportant, so the correct utterance of it has been a subject of much inquiry; and a difference of opinion on this head has ever since the revival of letters exercised the ingenuity of the learned. Nor would the questions that have been raised in relation to this matter be altogether void of interest, though by the solution of them nothing were to be gained besides the gratification of a liberal curiosity respecting so noble a remnant as the Greek language is of ancient times; but since it cannot be taught without adopting some mode of pronunciation, it is desirable that this should be as much like the ancient as our knowledge will enable us to render it; or, at the least, be such as to consist in some degree with that harmony for which the ancient language, whether prose or verse, was famed. The inquiry into this subject of ancient pronunciation has been twofold-first as to that of the letters, separately taken; and secondly as to that of syllables in relation to each other, and of words combined into sentences. The former may be called the elemental; the latter the accentual pronunciation. The dispute as to the right pronunciation of the letters of the Greek alphabet, may be regarded as having been settled in the West of Europe for above two centuries. That which relates to the accentual pronunciation of the language is of somewhat later origin; and is perhaps still undecided. Such particulars as are necessary to a right understanding of the nature, origin, and present state of those controversies I proceed to mention. It may without exaggeration be asserted that for several centuries previous to the fall of Constantinople the Grecian language was unknown in Western Europe.' It was natural, then, that those who learned Greek of the scholars driven by that event from their country, should adopt the pronunciation of their teachers; and also, that this pronunciation should continue for a time unquestioned. But in proportion as the learned became familiar with the writings of the Greeks, the persuasion acquired strength, that this pronunciation, which had been adopted at first without examination, was very different from that used among the ancients. For perceiving that "a language so noble and copious in composition, was in discourse so languid and effeminate, and so destitute of all variety and grandeur of sound," they naturally suspected that it must have been uttered in some other manner by those Greeks to whom Musa loqui," "dedit ore rotundo And upon inquiry finding their suspicions, as they thought, confirmed; and having ascertained, as nearly as from the nature of the subject, their own learning, diligence, and observation they were enabled to do, what the pronunciation of the an 1 Simonis, Introd. Gram. Crit. in Ling. Græc. p. 29. |