22 MAY 1875, Page 25

Practical Hints on the Quantitative Pronunciation of Latin. By Alex-

ander J. Ellis. (Macmillan.)—" The real trouble of the new pronun elation," Mr. Ellis remarks, "begins just where no trouble is suspected, —in accent and quantity." Nothing could be more true, and we strongly suspect that the difficulty is felt especially by English teachers and learners. Practically, its Continental pronunciation, to a great degree, ignores quantity. We have known foreigners, really well read in the classics, if not actually scholars, who were totally ignorant of the quan- tity of syllables which any English fourth-form boy would be certain to know. Such persons would make no difference between the a in prams and the a in malus. To our ears, this would be intolerable. The teacher, then, has to face a great task when he undertakes, as we trust he will undertake, the practice of the new pronunciation. He cannot have a better guide and help than Mr. Ellis's little book.