One or two authors affect to pronounce _human_, and about twenty other words beginning with _h_, as tho they were spelt _yuman_.[57] This is a gross error. The only word that begins with this sound, is _humor_, with its derivatives. In the American pronunciation, _h_ is silent in the following, _honest_, _honor_, _hour_, _humor_, _herb_, _heir_, with their derivatives. To these the English add _hospital_, _hostler_, _humble_; but an imitation of these, which some industriously affect, cannot be recommended, as every omission of the aspirate serves to mutilate and weaken the language. The word _yelk_ is sometimes written _yolk_ and pronounced _yoke_. But _yelk_ is the most correct orthography, from the Saxon _gealkwe_; and in this country, it is the general pronunciation. _Ewe_ is, by the English, often pronounced _yo_; which is sometimes heard in America. But analogy and the general corresponding practice in this country, with the authority of some of the most accurate writers, decide for _yew_. The English speakers of eminence have shortened the vowel in the first syllable of _tyranny_, _zealous_, _sacrifice_, &c. altho in the primitive words, all agree to give the vowel its first sound. This pronunciation has not spread among the people of this country; but our learned men have adopted it; and it seems in some degree to be the genius of our language. In _child_, _clean_, _holy_, &c. we uniformly give the first vowel its long sound; but when a syllable is added, we always shorten it; _children_, _clenly_, _holyday_. On the other hand, many people in America say _pat-ron_, _mat-ron_; whereas the English say either _pa-tron_ or _pat-ron_, _ma__tron_ or _mat-ron_; but all agree in saying, _pat-ronage_. In _patriot_, _patriotism_, the English give _a_ its long sound; but a great part of the Americans, its short sound. In all these cases, where people are not uniform, I should prefer the short sound; for it appears to me the most analogous. _Wrath_, the English pronounce with the third sound of _a_ or _aw_; but the Americans almost universally preserve the analogous sound, as in _bath_, _path_. This is the correct pronunciation; and why should we reject it for _wroth_, which is a corruption? If the English practice is erroneous, let it remain so; we have no concern with it: By adhering to our own practice, we preserve a superiority over the English, in those instances, in which ours is guided by rules; and so far ought we to be from conforming to their practice, that they ought rather to conform to ours. It is disputed whether _g_ should have its hard or soft sound, in _homogeneous_ and _heterogeneous_: On this question the standard authors are not agreed. The hard sound, as in _go_, coincides with etymology; but analogy requires the other, as in _genius_. The same remarks apply to _g_ in _phlogiston_.