English final y (i).

The short sound is favoured in English at the end of words, as in lady, cheery: but this sound should not be introduced for Latin final e, as in the English pronunciation of triste, posse. Except for the different position of the break at the end of the word parce tibi and parcet ibi are pronounced alike.

ACCENTUATION.

There is no doubt that in the Classical period of Greek the accented syllables were pronounced on a higher Greek Accent. pitch or note than the unaccented, and not with more stress, not, that is, with a stronger current of breath and more muscular effort. Therefore, unless and until the student is capable of giving a purely musical value to the Greek signs of accent, they are better disregarded altogether in pronunciation; that is to say, we should certainly make our pronunciation more, not less remote from that of the Greeks themselves if we gave to their accented syllables the same stress as we do to the accented syllables in English. The current method of pronouncing Greek words, in respect of accent, by the Latin rules, though of course equally unscientific, is, in itself, a no larger inaccuracy. Perhaps the most practical reform that could be suggested would be to pronounce Greek words as far as possible with an even degree of stress on all syllables, as approximately in modern French.

Latin Accent.

In Latin the accent implies stress, though not such forcible stress as in English, nor such as involves any slurring or indistinct articulation of the unaccented syllables. The most important laws are (i) that words of two syllables are accented on the first, (ii) that words of three or more syllables are accented (a) on the last syllable but one if that is long, (b) on the third syllable from the end, if the last but one is short. These laws are correctly observed in the 'English' pronunciation: e.g. ámat, vituperáre, régerem, compédibus. Welsh-speaking students, accustomed in almost all words to accent the last syllable but one, need to be careful in the two instances given last, and to avoid such mispronunciations as regérem, compedíbus.

unaccented syllables.

It is necessary to guard the English student by pointing out that the Greek and Latin vowels possess the qualities which have just been described in whatever position Quality in of the word they may occur; for instance the three syllables of exere and the three of regere should be pronounced with exactly the same respective vowel-sounds, Ε and e. But in English almost all vowels in unaccented syllables are pronounced (except in special cases, where the nature of the following sound affects the vowel) simply as the indeterminate, colourless vowel a which was described above; as in villa, better, the wind, author: in careless speech even i in authority, etc. is given the same sound. The student should distinguish the vowels in the unaccented syllables of τίνα, τίνα, mensa, imber, turtur, as well as those in accented syllables like vir, vēr, fūr.

CAMBRIDGE: PRINTED BY J. & C. F. CLAY, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.

BANGOR.

ADDRESS

ON

"Plato's Republic as the Earliest. Educational Treatise "

DELIVERED BY

EDWARD CAIRD, Esq., Ll.D.,

Master of Balliol College, Oxford

AT THE

Closing Ceremony of the Session 1893-94

JUNE 29th, 1894.

Bangor:

JARVIS & FOSTER, PRINTERS & STATIONERS, LORNE HOUSE.