diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'pronunc.txt')
-rw-r--r-- | pronunc.txt | 332 |
1 files changed, 332 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/pronunc.txt b/pronunc.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5db6a9f --- /dev/null +++ b/pronunc.txt @@ -0,0 +1,332 @@ +file PRONUNC.WEB +================ + This file gives a number of examples of pronunciation, +using the entity symbols representing the pronunciations as +found in the 1913 Webster unabridged dictionary. Not all +vowel sounds are given here, but the examples should allow one +to recognize the characters and recall the symbols used to +represent them. The set of symbols used for pronunciation +is different from that used in most modern dictionaries, +but a more worrisome problem is that the pronunciations themselves +seem in many cases to differ from modern usage. The places of +the strong and weak accent are, however, in every case +examined, the same as in modern dictionaries. Anyone who is +willing to work at revising the pronunciations to reflect modern +usage or modern symbols should contact PJC. + + + Pronunciations in the 1913 Webster ASCII version + ================================================= + +Syllables: +---------------- + in pronunciations, the short hyphen used in the printed version as a +syllable-break is represented in the ASCII version by an asterisk (*). + the main (heavy) accent is represented by a double-quote ("). + the secondary (light) accent is represented by a left-single-quote +(grave accent) (`) + the hyphen in hyphenated words is represented by the ASCII hyphen (-). + where an accent occurs, no other syllable break is used. + sometimes a hyphen occurs after an accent. + ------------------------------------------------ + +Consonants: + Most consonants have their normal value in the pronunciations, +but there are a few special characters, as the n-submacron and the +"th" ligature. See the end of the "special characters" section. + +Special characters: +-------------------- + The special characters are represented by two different sets of +symbols: (1) the RTF-format hexadecimal codes such as \'94 for +o-umlaut, meaning that the byte code is hexadecimal 94. These +are used only for those symbols which have been designed into a +special font set for this dictionary. The font set can only be used +in a DOS system; or +(2) an "entity" symbol using "<" and "/" as opening and closing +delimiters, with a mnemonic string between. In the case of o-umlaut +the symbol is <oum/. For the vowels, the system is consistent, +thus <aum/ is a-umlaut, and <ium/ is i-umlaut, etc. + These delimiters are used in preference to the HTML-style +(e.g. ä) delimiters because of the heavy use of ampersands in +the dictionary, to minimize file length. For the same reason, +the codes within the delimiters are generally shorter than the +corresponding ISO 8879 codes ( <aum/ rather than ä ). + For this discussion, I will use the "entity" coding. The +equivalent hexadecimal codes, where they exist, will be found in +the tables in the file "webfont.asc". + + The pronunciation system of the 1913 Webster has three peculiarities +relative to systems used in recent dictionaries. +(1) a more complex set of symbols are used. This is evident, for + example, where the long vowels have different symbols whether + they are used in stressed or unstressed syllables. Thus + long a in "acre" or "chaos" is represented as a-macron (<amac/ in + our notation). But in "chaotic" or "connate" or "comate" it is + represented as a symbol looking like a-macron, but with a short + ascender in the middle of the macron above the a. This is denoted + <asl/ ("a semilong") in our notation. + + Also, some sounds have more than one symbol. Thus, there are several + symbols using "y" with a diacritical mark above, representing + identical sounds using "i" or "e", but used in those cases where the + written word has a "y" in it. So words ending in "y" with + pronunciations like the unaccented long "e" usually have + a y-breve (<ycr/) in the pronunciation. Why? + +(2) The indicated pronunciations themselves are in some cases + different from what one would find in a modern dictionary. + In part this is due to differences among orthoepists with + different notions of how a word should sound, and possibly + it is due to differences in the pronunciation between 1890, + when British pronunciations may have had more influence, and + the present. Thus we see that words ending in -"ties", + which are given the pronunciation "-t<icr/z", which sounds + like "tizz", whereas I have always heard such words pronounced + with a long "e", as in "teez". In Webster's 10th collegiate, they + mention that unstressed long e may be pronounced as i in + southern British or southern US dialects, and perhaps it + was more common in the US in 1890. The <icr/ is an unreliable + indicator of modern standard American pronunciation. + +(3) The indefinite value, represented by an upside-down e (called + the "schwa" is not used, the same sound being represented by + symbols like short u <ucr/, or sometimes other vowels. + + So be warned, the pronunciations may not be quite what one would + expect. But for this effort, we are trying to reproduce exactly + the pronuciations in the original work. + + Notice that in pronunciations, vowels that are obscured are often + represented by the italicised vowel without any diacritical marks; + these italicised vowels are represented as either <ait/, <eit/, etc. + or with an <it> tag, as in m<it>e</it>nt + Thus "Christian" is represented as kr<icr/s"ch<it>a</it>n + communicant is represented as k<ocr/m*m<umac/"n<icr/*k<ait/nt + + + Some examples of pronunciations follow: + for further explanations of the entities, see the file "webfont.asc" + ============================================================== + + <amac/ long a (stressed) (a with a macron above it) + late = l<amac/t + later = l<amac/t"<etil/r + comb-shaped = k<omac/m"-sh<amac/pt` + commemorate = k<ocr/m*m<ecr/m"<osl/*r<amac/t + deign = d<amac/n + deflate = d<esl/*fl<amac/t" + defray = d<esl/*fr<amac/" + defrayal = d<esl/*fr<amac/"<ait/l + + + <asl/ long a (unstressed) + commodate = k<ocr/m"m<osl/*d<asl/t + cometary = k<ocr/m"<ecr/t*<asl/*r<ycr/ + + <ait/ italic a + communicant = k<ocr/m*m<umac/"n<icr/*k<ait/nt + defeasance = d<esl/*f<emac/"z<ait/ns + commercial = k<ocr/m*m<etil/r"sh<ait/l + compass = k<ucr/m"p<ait/s + + <acr/ short a (a with a crescent [breve] above it) + adipose = <acr/d"<icr/*p<omac/s + absolve = <acr/b*s<ocr/lv" + land = l<acr/nd + lamp = l<acr/mp + + <adot/ short a (a with a dot above it) + again = <adot/*g<ecr/n" + carouse = k<adot/*rouz" + coma = k<omac/"m<adot/ + comma = k<ocr/m"m<adot/ | *These sound different + command = k<ocr/m*m<adot/nd" | to me + mass = m<adot/s + mash = m<adot/sh + mat = m<adot/t + + <acir/ a-circumflex ("only in syllables closed by r") + care = k<acir/r + chair = ch<acir/r + share = sh<acir/r + compare = k<ocr/m*p<acir/r" + + <aum/ a-umlaut (in pronunciations not the same as in words) + arsenic = <aum/r"s<esl/*n<icr/k + arson = <aum/r"s'n + arm = <aum/rm + carp = k<aum/rp + far = f<aum/r + mar = m<aum/r + compart = k<ocr/m*p<aum/rt" + compartment = k<ocr/m*p<aum/rt"m<eit/nt + + <add/ a double dot ( with a double dot *below*) + all = <add/l + talk = t<add/k + swarm = sw<add/rm [not aum??] + water = w<add/"t<etil/r + default = d<esl/*f<add/lt" + defraud = d<esl/*fr<add/d" + deerstalker = d<emac/r"st<add/k`<etil/r + + + <eacute/ e-acute (e with an acute accent over it -- + not used in pronunciations, but in the + spelling of words derived from European + languages, especially French.) + prot<eacute/g<eacute/ = pr<osl/`t<asl/`zh<asl/" + + <ecr/ short e (e with a crescent [breve] above it) + degenerate = d<esl/*j<ecr/n"<etil/r*<amac/t + delve = d<ecr/lv + end = <ecr/nd + pet = p<ecr/t + ten = t<ecr/n + + <esl/ long e (unstressed) + committee = k<ocr/m*m<icr/t"t<esl/ + defame = d<esl/*f<amac/m" + define = d<esl/*f<imac/n" + comedy = k<ocr/m"<esl/*d<ycr/ + + <eit/ e italic + compartment = k<ocr/m*p<aum/rt"m<eit/nt + -ment = -"m<eit/nt (for most -ment endings) + + <emac/ e macron (long e, stressed) + compeer = k<ocr/m*p<emac/r" + deer = d<emac/r" + + <etil/ e-tilde + (representing the e before r in many words) + (for the same sound in -ur words, <ucir/ is used!) + fern = f<etil/rn + commercial = k<ocr/m*m<etil/r"sh<ait/l + commerce = k<ocr/m"m<etil/rs + + <eum/ e-umlaut (e-diaeresis) + (not used in pronunciations. + represents e after another e, used in the 1913 + Webster to indicate that the two e's are + pronounced as two vowels, as in "reentry". + In the supplemented version, the second e, + which is thus marked in the 1913 version, + usually has no umlaut over it, conforming + to modern orthographic practise.) + + re<eum/nforce = r<emac/`<ecr/n*f<omac/rs" + re<eum/entry = r<emac/`<ecr/n"tr<ycr/ + + <icr/ short i (i with a crescent [breve] above it) + Note: In most cases, this is used where the + short i sound of "lip" is intended, but it is + also used in the middle of words where Americans + use an unstressed long "e" sound, (as the + "i" in "serial" and "serious")!? + and also in words ending in "ies", + coded as "<icr/z" (as in liberties) + lip = l<icr/p + pin = p<icr/n + commission = k<ocr/m*m<icr/sh"<ucr/n + committal = k<ocr/m*m<icr/t"t<ait/l + *serial = s<emac/"r<icr/*<ait/l + *serious = s<emac/"r<icr/*<ucr/s + liberty = l<icr/b"<etil/r*t<ycr/ + *but: liberties = l<icr/b"<etil/r*t<icr/z + + <imac/ i-macron (long i, stressed) (i with a macron above it) + combine = k<ocr/m*b<imac/n" + combined = k<ocr/m*b<imac/"nd + + <isl/ long i (unstressed) + diameter = d<isl/*<acr/m"<esl/*t<etil/r + diagonal = d<isl/*<acr/g"<osl/*n<ait/l + + + <ocr/ short o (o with a crescent [breve] above it) + colossus = k<osl/*l<ocr/s"s<ucr/s + commute = k<ocr/m*m<umac/t" + + <omac/ o-macron (long o, stressed) (o with a macron above it) + boat = b<omac/t + colt = k<omac/lt + comb = k<omac/m + combing = k<omac/m"<icr/ng + commode = k<ocr/m*m<omac/d" + course = k<omac/rs + + <ocir/ o-circumflex ("only in syllables closed by r") + orb = <ocir/rb + lord = l<ocir/rd + lordship = l<ocir/rd"sh<icr/p + lorn = l<ocir/rn + cord = k<ocir/rd + commorse = k<ocr/m*m<ocir/rs" + deform = d<esl/*f<ocir/rm" + deformed = d<esl/*f<ocir/rmd" + dehortative = d<esl/*h<ocir/rt"<adot*t<icr/v + + <osl/ "o semilong" (long o, unstressed) + diagonal = d<isl/*<acr/g"<osl/*n<ait/l + dejectory = d<esl/*j<ecr/k"t<osl/*r<ycr/ + + <oomac/ oo-macron (an oo with a macron above both o's) + boom = b<oomac/m + boot = b<oomac/t + boost = b<oomac/st + commove = k<ocr/m*m<oomac/v" + + <oomcr/ oo-crescent (an oo with a crescent [breve] above both o's) + foot = f<oocr/t + cook = k<oocr/k + + <umac/ u macron (long u) + commute = k<ocr/m*m<umac/t" + definitude = d<esl/*f<icr/n"<icr/*t<umac/d + communicant = k<ocr/m*m<umac/"n<icr/*k<ait/nt + defuse = d<esl/*f<umac/z" + + <ucr/ short u (u with a crescent [breve] above it) + come = k<ucr/m + color = k<ucr/l"<etil/r + colored = k<ucr/l"<etil/rd + Columbia = k<osl/*l<ucr/m"b<icr/*<adot/ + up = <ucr/p + + <ycr/ y-crescent (y with a crescent [breve] above it) + used mostly for y-endings (supposed to sound similar to <icr/!!) + sounds to me like an unstressed long e + comedy = k<ocr/m"<esl/*d<ycr/ + comely = k<ucr/m"l<ycr/ + liberty = l<icr/b"<etil/r*t<ycr/ + + <ymac/ y-macron (y with a macron above it) + used to represent the long i (stressed) sound, but + examples in pronunciations seem to be absent. It is + found in some foreign words in the etymologies. + + ou the common "ow" sound of "town", "browse" + count = kount + + <nsm/ n-submacron (an n with a macron underneath) + represents the "ng" sound when it occurs before a + consonant + defunct = d<esl/*f<ucr/<nsm/kt" + commingle = k<ocr/m*m<icr/<nsm/"g'l + + <th/ the "th" sound in "mother" + this is represented in the printed work by a th ligature + carouse = k<adot/*rouz" + + zh not a special character, but used to represent the + "si" sound in words like + + decision = d<esl/*s<icr/zh"<ucr/n + + th the usual sound as in thing and thorn + sh the usual as in ship + ch the usual as in chip + N (capital N) represents the nasal "n" sound of the French language + |