'Hence In Hope, Memory, And Prayer, All Of Us Are Poets."

S I M P L I F I E D   P R O N U N C I A T I O N

     The key to pronunciation in WEBSTER'S NEW AMERICAN DIC-

TIONARY has been simplified to the utmost.  In the unique system

employed, which is the result of much painstaking effort by eminent

lexicographers, the symbols selected and used do not differ in mean-

ing from those of other dictionaries.  The only difference is that there

are fewer of them.

     Short vowels are not marked, and the difference between stressed

and unstressed vowels (that is, between those in accented and unac-

cented syllabels) is not marked, for this distinction takes care of itself

in pronunciation; for example, the short unstressed a in fi'nal is natu-

rally given its correct value if the first syllable is stressed.  Similarly

the a in afford' is given its correct value as a short unstressed vowel

if the last syllable is stressed.  The pronunciation of the e in nov'el,

the two short i's in illu'minate, the second o in om'icron and the

short u in fo'cus are taken care of in the same fashion.  The following

examples show the difference between stressed and unstressed vowels:

     a in absolute and in absurd

     o in historical and in history

     e in even and in event

     u in mule and in emulate

     Stress in a sentence makes similar differences, as the student will

see by pronouncing these sentences and noting the pronunciation of

the vowel in question.

     In the word has:

        He has the book.  He has found the book.

     In the word could:

        How could you?  I could have gone.

     These differences in vowel values are learned by hearing English

sentences and phrases, not by looking up a single word in the dic-

tionary.

     See KEY to PRONUNCIATION on following page.

     See PRONUNCIATION in Educational section: see CONTENTS.

WEBSTER'S

New  AMERICAN

DICTIONARY

COMPLETELY NEW AND UP TO DATE.  PLANNED AND

WRITTEN BY MODERN EDUCATORS AND LEXICOGRAPHERS

ESPECIALLY TO SERVE THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

OF SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND SELF-EDUCATION AT HOME

Managing Editor

LEWIS M. ADAMS

Editor-in-chief

EDWARD N. TEALL, A.M.

C. RALPH TAYLOR, A.M.,

Author of Self-Education Department and Associate Editor;

Editor "The Home University Encyclopedia," "New American Encyclopedia,"

author of "Vital English"

Simplified Self-Education Treatises on:

GRAMMAR PUNCTUATION VOCABULARY TESTS

WRITING   PRONUNCIATION   WORDS MISPRONOUNCED

SPEAKING CAPITALIZATION  DANGER FLAGS

Illustrated -- Self-Pronouncing -- Synonyms -- Antonyms

This Dictionary is not published by the original pub-

lishers of Webster's Dictionary, or by their successors

1959

B O O K S,   I N C .

NEW  YORK