If, however, the syllable _-nu_ take an accent; that is, if the place of the accent be removed from the first to the second syllable, the vowel _u_ still being kept short, we have a word which we spell thus, _monumment_. Now the _u_ in _monumment_ is not only short, but dependent. It is upon this effect of an accent that the quotation from Lee's Hebrew Grammar, p. 149, especially bears. And now two questions arise:--1. How is it that the accent has the effect of rendering such a syllable as the _u_ in _monumment_ dependent? 2. Why do we in spelling such a syllable double the consonant? An accent falling upon a syllable must, of necessity, do one of two things: it must affect the vowel, or it must affect the consonant. If it affect the vowel, the vowel becomes the predominant part of the syllable, as in _m['o]nooment_; but, if it affect the consonant, the consonant becomes the predominant part of the syllable, as _monum'ment_. In words like _monumment_ the consonant is, strictly speaking, as single as it is in _monument_, or _monooment_. Its _absolute_ sound is the same. Not so its _relative_ sound. This is exaggerated by two circumstances:--1, The comparative shortness of the vowel _u_; 2, the fact of the accent falling on it. The increased relative importance of the letter _m_ in the word _monumment_ is mistaken for a reduplication of the sound. This is the reason why in most languages the shortness of a vowel is expressed by the doubling of the consonant following; this doubling being no true reduplication of the sound, but a mere orthographical conventionality. s. 239. Accent and quantity, as may have been collected from pp. 164-167, do _not_ coincide. Nothing shows this more {171} clearly than words like the adjective _aug['u]st_, and the substantive _A['u]gust_ (the month), where the quantity remains the same, although the accent is different. The following quotation from Mr. Guest's English Rhythms is made for the sake of four things:-- 1. Of showing that the generality of writers have the credit of confusing accent with quantity-- 2. Of showing that there is a reason for such a confusion having existed-- 3. Of indicating the propriety of the expressions in italics--It is not stated that the consonant _c_ is doubled, but that it is added to the first syllable. The difference lies, not in its reduplication, but in its distribution. 4. Of taking a slight exception--A syllable (accented or unaccented) must be either independent or dependent; if the latter, then in most immediate contact with the consonant that follows.