In polysyllables, which often have two accents, this reason has less force, but the derivation, which is from the French _motif_, _relatif_, always requires that _i_ in the termination _ive_ should have the sound of _ee_ short, as in _live_, _give_. This is merely the short sound of the French _i_, and the consequence of the English accent on the first syllable. These reasons, with the authority of the most approved practice, should operate to discountenance the singular drawling pronunciation of the eastern people.[48] The same reasons are opposed to another local practice of a similar nature in the middle states; where many people pronounce _practise_, _prejudice_, with _i_ long. I know of no authority for this beyond the limits of two or three states; and it is clear that the practice is not warranted by any principle in the language. Another very common error, among the yeomanry of America, and particularly in New England, is the pronouncing of _e_ before _r_, like _a_; as _marcy_ for mercy. This mistake must have originated principally in the name of the letter _r_, which, in most of our school books, is called _ar_. This single mistake has spread a false pronunciation of several hundred words, among millions of people.[49] To avoid this disagreeable singularity some fine speakers have run into another extreme, by pronouncing _e_ before _r_, like _u_, _murcy_. This is an error. The true sound of the short _e_, as in _let_, is the correct and elegant pronunciation of this letter in all words of this class. There is a vulgar singularity in the pronunciation of the eastern people, which is very incorrect, and disagreeable to strangers; that of prefixing the sound of _i_ short or _e_, before the dipthong _ow_; as _kiow_, _piower_ or _peower_. This fault usually occurs after _p_, _c_ hard, or those other consonants which are formed near the seat of _ee_ in the mouth, or in passing from which to the succeeding vowel, the organs naturally take the position necessary to pronounce _ee_. But the most awkward countryman pronounces _round_, _ground_, &c. with tolerable propriety. This, with some other peculiarities which prevail among the yeomanry of New England, springs from causes that do not exist, in the same degree, in any other part of America, perhaps not in the world. It may surprize those who have not turned their thoughts to this subject, that I should ascribe the manner of speaking among a people, to the nature of their government and a distribution of their property. Yet it is an undoubted fact that the drawling nasal manner of speaking in New England arises almost solely from these causes. People of large fortunes, who pride themselves on family distinctions, possess a certain boldness, dignity and independence in their manners, which give a correspondent air to their mode of speaking. Those who are accustomed to command slaves, form a habit of expressing themselves with the tone of authority and decision.