Pronunciation

3847

Propagation

accepted, pronunciation is the dictionaries.
For most words both the English and the
American dictionaries agree upon essentially
the same pronunciations, but, yet, there are
many words the English pronunciations of
which differ more or less widely from the
American, and also there are many variations
in pronunciation for which no written di-
rections can be given. In the pronunciation
of proper names there is less uniformity than
in that of common words, but for names in
foreign languages the best usage now is to
give as nearly as may be the pronunciation
given to the name in the language to which
the name belongs, English usage in this re-
spect differing largely from the French and
German.

Most of the sounds in foreign languages
are fairly well represented by the ordinary
English sounds, so that the chief difficulty
in a fairly correct pronunciation of foreign
words is to know what values are to be
given to the letters with which they are
spelled.

Although many of the consonant letters
of foreign languages have essentially the same
values as in English, it is quite impossible to
give any general rule that will insure even a
tolerably correct pronunciation of foreign
names. Loosely, we may say that in foreign
knguages each vowel is sounded, except in
the case of double vowels, which usually
make a single long syllable.

In most languages there is a distinctly ac-
cented syllable in each word, and this syllable
corresponds in most languages, especially the
Teutonic ones, to what would be the natural-
ly accented syllable in English. The unac-
cented syllables are generally more distinctly
pronounced than in English, and there is
relatively less emphasis on the accented syl-
lable.

The glides of our English vowels, which
when exaggerated produce a characteristic
drawl, seldom occur in foreign languages, and
care should always be taken, therefore, not
to drawl or unduly prolong the vowels in
foreign words. In a few languages the accent
usually follows certain general rules that are
helpful enough to be worth stating. In Ara-
bic the last long syllable is accented, that is
the last syllable having a long vowel or a
vowel followed by a consonant in the same
syllable, except that a final vowel is not ac-
cented. In Czech and Hungarian the spoken
accent is always on the first syllable, the
written accent in Hungarian being used only
to indicate vowels long in sound. In French

there is characteristically no strong syllabic
accent, but there is a slight emphasis upon
the last syllable. In modern Greek the spoken
follows the written accent. In Italian the ac-
cent is usually on the penult, except in words
derived from Latin words having the penult
short, when the Italian accent is usually on
the antepenult. A graphic accent generally
denotes an accented syllable, except in case
of the acute accent on the letter / in the ter-
minations -fa, -ie> where the graphic accent
is used to distinguish words spelled alike.
In Polish and Welsh the penult usually takes
the accent. In Spanish and Portuguese the
accent is generally on the last syllable, ex-
cept when the last syDable ends in a vowel,
or when, in Spanish, the last syllable is un-
accented and ends in n or s, in which case
the accent is usually on the penult. In Turk-
ish the last syllable usually receives a slight
emphasis, much as in French. In general in
Japanese the accent is on the first syllable.

Proof, in law, the establishment of facts al-
leged in the pleadings. Sometimes the word
'proof is used as synonymous with the evi-
dence itself, and it then means simply com-
petent legal evidence as distinguished from
irrelevant and hearsay evidence.

Proof Spirit. The legal definition in the
U. S, is 'that mixture of alcohol and water
which contains one-half of its volume of al-
cohol, the alcohol, when at a temperature of
60° Ev being of specific gravity .7939, refined
to water at its maximum density as unity.'

Proofs, Correction and Reading of.
See Printing.

Propaganda (Congregatio de Propaganda
Fide), the most important of the congrega-
tions of the Roman curia, and also a mis-
sionary college at Rome, constituted for the
spread of the faith throughout the world.
The congregation was founded by Gregory
xv. in 1622.

Propagation of Plants. The division of
the root-stock is a method applicable to the
majority of perennial plants. In the case of
most corms and bulbs it is necessary to sep-
arate the young bulbels or cormels, and to
plant them out in a bed. In the division of
the root-stocks of herbaceous plants each
plant must include at least one eye or bud,
and must usually also be provided with a
supply of rootlets. Many plants may be
propagated by layering. The carnation is
usually propagated in this way, the layering
being performed in July, and the young
plants being separated a few months later.
Roses may be pegged down and layered in a