NARES (Robert):

Elements of Orthoepy: Containing a Distinct View of the Whole Analogy of the English Language; so far as it relates to Pronunciation, Accent, and Quantity.

London: Printed for T. Pay and Son..., 1784 FIRST AND ONLY EDITION. 8vo, 214 x 127 mms., pp. xxvi [xxvii note, xxviii blank], 372 [373 - 375 Addenda, 376 blank, 377 - 416 Index], contemporary calf, spine ornately gilt in compartments, red leather label; front joint cracked, rear joint slightly cracked, corners slightly worn, binding a little rubbed, but a good copy. The philologist and clergyman Robert Nares (1753–1829) was one of the most innovative of the scholars in the late 18th century interested in the structure of language, and ODNB notes, "It was one of a number of works published during the last quarter of the eighteenth century (and later) which aimed to provide speakers, especially the linguistically insecure and those aspiring to middle-class status, with clear guidance on how certain words were to be pronounced. He drew particular attention to words in which the stress pattern was susceptible of variation, designating this area of vocabulary 'the most unstable part of the English language'. His list included such words as 'abdomen', 'aristocrat', 'balcony', 'controversy', 'illustrate', 'research', and 'vibrate'. The work was popular, but, inevitably, controversial. James Boswell, nevertheless, thought highly of it, considering it a 'work of uncommon merit and great utility', and claiming that he knew of no work which contained 'in the same compass, more learning, polite literature, sound sense, accuracy of arrangement, and perspicuity of expression'." The Monthly Review concurred with this assessment, concluding in a long review, "We earnestly recommend this work to the lovers of Philology; and we do not scruple to pronounce it the most useful, perspicuous, and complete publication that hath appear on the subject of English Orthoepy."

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Book number: 8804

Catalogue: Pronunciation

Keywords: pronunciation language literature

SHERIDAN (Thomas):

A Rhetorical Grammar of the English Language. Calculated solely for the Purposes of Teaching Propriety of Pronunciation, and Justness of Delivery, in That Tongue, by the Organs of Speech.

Dublin: Printed for Messrs. Prices, W. and H. Whitestone..., 1781. FIRST EDITION. 12mo, 168 x 98 mms., pp. xxiv [xxv - xxvii Contents, xxviii blank], 238, contemporary calf, gilt spine, green morocco label; a few annotations and underlinings in pencil, front joint very slightly worn, but a very good to fine copy. Sheridan writes in his Preface, "'There was a time...called the Augustan age of England...when English was the language spoken at court; and when the same attention was paid to propriety of pronunciation as that of French at the Court of Versailles...." This undoubtedly a bit of an exaggeration, but his comment on the greater attention paid to pronunciation of English throughout the 18th century is accurate. Sherdian's target audience is his fellow Irishmen, whose Anglo-Irish dialect was hindering their cultural and economic progress.

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Book number: 8030

Catalogue: Pronunciation

Keywords: pronunciation language prose

WALKER (John):

A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary, and Expositor of the English Language.... To which are prefixed, Principles of English Pronunciation.... The whole interspersed with Observations, Etymological, Critical, and Grammatical.... The Fourth Edition; With considerable Improvements, and large Additions.

London: Printed for J. Johnson... [iter alia], 1806. 4to, 264 x 205 mms., pp. 87 [88 advertisement, 543, 544 blank], contemporary tree calf, spine ornately gilt, black leather label; corners worn, joints rubbed, but a very good copy. This was the last edition of this work to be published in the lifetime of John Walker (1732 - 1807), but at least another 35 editions were published. In the 18th century, the public on both sides of the Atlantic were eager for guidance on how to speak correctly. John 'Elocution' Walker (1732–1807) met this demand by illustrating how to reproduce a 'cultured' London accent, which he described as 'undoubtedly the best'. A Critical Pronouncing Dictionary (1791) gives advice for people with Scottish or Irish accents, and above all for Londoners with a Cockney accent, which according to Walker was 'a thousand times more offensive and disgusting' (British Library). The first edition of 1971 was widely reviewed, and The European Magazine and London Review termed it, rather lamely, "contains many words omitted in all preceding ones, [and] may be recommended to the reader, as it will afford that information for which works of this kind are calculated."

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Book number: 9283

Catalogue: Pronunciation

Keywords: pronunciation dictionary prose

WALKER (John):

A Key to the Classical Pronunciation of Greek, Latin and Scripture Proper Names; in which the words are accented and divided into syllables.... To which are added Terminational Vocabularies of Hebrew, Greek and Latin Proper Names....concluding with observations on the Greek and Latin Accent and Quantity.... The Second Edition, with large Additions.

London, Printed for the Author, by A. Wilson...and sold by G. and J. Robinson...and T. Cadell and W. Davies..., 1804. Large 8vo, 225 x 140 mms., pp. xxxii, 283 [284 - 286 adverts], engraved portrait (by Heath after Barry), original boards, uncut; front cover detached, rear cover holding on for dear life, most of paper missing from spine. Walker (1731 - 1803) started his career as an actor, working for David Garrick, but turned to teaching in 1769, and started his own school of elocution in 1771. His orthoepic work was so influential that by the end of the 19th century, few educated people would have wanted to pronounce their words in any way other than that sanction by Walker. The first edition of this work was published in 1798 and this second edition, published posthumously, is considerably revised and expanded.

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Book number: 6330

Catalogue: Pronunciation

Keywords: pronunciation elocution prose