Nouns of two syllables ending in er, have the accent on the former syllable: as, "Bûtcher, bâker."
It is, perhaps, a singular thing, that persons who pursue the callings denoted by the two words selected as examples, should always indicate their presence at an area by crying out, in direct defiance of Prosody, "But-chér, ba-kér;" the latter syllable being of the two the more strongly accented.
Dissyllabic verbs ending in a consonant and e final, as "Disclose," "repine," or having a dipthong in the last syllable, as, "Believe," "deceive," or ending in two consonants, as "Intend," are accented on the latter syllable.
"Matilda's eyes a light disclôse, Which with the star of Eve might vie; Oh! that such lovely orbs as those Should sparkle at an apple-pie! "Thy love I thought was wholly mine, Thy heart I fondly hoped to rule; Its throne I cannot but repine At sharing with a goosb'ry fool! "Thou swear'st no flatterer can decéive Thy mind,--thy breast no coxcomb rifle; Thou art no trifler, I beliéve, But why so plaguy fond of trifle? "Why, when we're wed--I don't inténd To joke, Matilda, or be funny; I really fear that you will spend The Honey Moon in eating honey!"
Most { 108}dissyllabic nouns, having a dipthong in the latter syllable, have the aécent also on that syllable: as,
"A Hamlet that draws Is sure of applâuse."
A Hamlet that draws? There are not many who can give even an outline of the character.
In a few words ending in _ain_ the accent is placed on the former syllable: as, "Villain," which is pronounced as the natives of Whitechapel pronounce "willing." Those dissyllables, the vowels of which are separated in pronunciation, always have the accent on the first syllable: as, lion, scion, &c.
When is a young and tender shoot Like a fond swain? When 'tis a scion.
What's the most gentlemanly brute Like, of all flow'rs? A _dandy_lion.'
Trisyllables, formed by adding a termination or prefixing a syllable, retain the accent of the radical word: as, "Lôveliness, shéepishness, knâvery, assûrance." The first syllable of trisyllables ending in ons, al, ion, is accented in the generality of cases: as in the words "sérious, câpital," &c.
"Dr. Johnson declared, with a sérious face, That he reckoned a punster a villain: What would he have thought of the horrible case Of a man who makes jokes that are killing?"