Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Oration on the Comparativ Elements and Dutys of Grecian and American Eloquence: Delivered Before the Erodelphian Society of Miami University, at Oxford, Ohio, on the 23d of September, 1834
Having been long satisfy'd, that the orthography of the English lan guage not only admitted but requir'd a reform; and believing it my duty to act on this conviction, I hav publishd sevral pamphlets accordingly. I felt that speculation on the propriety of the change was of little avail, without practice. I therefore resolvd to set the example, at the hazard of ridicule and censure: and of the charge of caprice or singularity. The changes in this piece consist chie?y, if not wholly of the following. (1) The silent e is omitted in such classes of words as disciplin, respit, belies, creativ, publishd, remaind, eery, sevral, volly. (2) The e is sup pressd and an apostrophe substituted, after the manner of the poets, where the simple omission of the e might change the sound of the pre ceding vowel from long to short: as in requir'd, refin'd, deriv'd. (3) In nouns ending in y, I hav simply added an s to make the plural, Instead of changing 3, into ie and then adding s, as in plurality/3, enmitys, har monys, aristocracys. (4) In verbs ending in the letter y, instead of changing it into is, and then adding an s, or d, I retain the y, and add 3 or d: as in burg/s, buryd, varys, earyd, hurrys, karryd. (5) In simi lar verbs, where the y is long, I retain the y, omit the e, and substitute an apostfiiflhe, like the poets; as in multiply's, multiply'd, satisfy's, sat isfy'd. (6) In such words as sceptre, battle, centre, I transpose the e, and write scepter, battel, center. (7) I suppress one of two and the same con sonants, where the accent is not on them as in necesary, excelent, ilus triam, recomend, efectual, iresistible, worshipers. (8) In such words as he favor, savior, neighbor, savor, the u is omitted. (9) In adjective ending in y, instead of forming the comparativ and superlativ by changing yinto ie, and adding er and est, I have retaind the y, and have simply ad ded the er and est, as in easyer, easyest, holyer, holyest, pretlyer, prettyest.
In quotations and proper names, I hav not felt calld upon to change the orthography.
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