No. of Members. COMPOUND SERIES. COMMENCING. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 1'. 2'. 1'. 2'. 3'. 1. 2. 3. 4'. 1'. 2'. 3'. 4. 5'. 1'. 2'. 3'. 4'. 5% 6% 1\ 2. 3. 4. 5'. 6'. 7'. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8'. 1'. 2. 3. 4. 5'. 6'. 7'. 8'. 9'. . 1'. 2. 3', 4'. 5'. 6'. 7'. 8'. 9.10'. No. of Members. CONCLUDING. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 1'. 2'. 3'. 1. 2. 3'. 4'. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5'. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6'. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6'. 7'. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7'. 8'. 1'. 2'. 3'. 4'. 5'. 6'. 7'. 8'. 9'. .1'. 2'. 3'. 4'. 5', 6'. 7'. 8'. 9'.10'. COMPOUND COMMENCING Series. GENERAL RULE. The Falling Inflection takes place on every member but the last (1). COMPOUND CONCLUDING Series. GENERAL RULE. The Falling Inflection takes place on every member except the last but one (2). EXAMPLES. (1.) The beauty of a plain', the greatness of a mountain', the ornaments of a building', the expression of a picture', the composition of a discourse, the conduct of a third person', the proportions of different quantities and numbers, the various appearances which the great machine of the universe is perpetually exhibiting, the secret wheels and springs which produce them, all the general subjects of science and taste', are what we regard as having no peculiar relation to us. (2.) They through faith subdued kingdoms', wrought righteousness', obtained promises', stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of fire', escaped the edge of the sword out of weakness were made strong', waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens'. CIRCUMFLEX. The union of the rising and falling inflection on the same syllable is called a circumflex. When the circumflex terminates with the rising inflection, it is called the Rising Circumflex (*); when with the falling, it is designated the Falling Circumflex (^). RISING CIRCUMFLEX. To mediate for the queen? You undertook? Most courteous tyrants :-Romans! råre patterns of humanity !* FALLING CIRCUMFLEX. So, then, you are the author of the conspiracy against me? It is to you that I am indebted for all the mischief that has befallen me. Madam, you have my father much offended.* MONOTONE. When the tone of the voice is not varied, it is called Monotone. In the strictest application of the word, it implies a continued sameness of sound. Such a sound may have degrees of loudness or softness, but continues exactly in the same pitch. It is chiefly used to denote something awful or sublime. Monotones, judiciously introduced and managed, have a wonderful effect in diversifying delivery. It is indicated by a horizontal line (—). EXAMPLE. Of man's first disobedience', and the fruit Sing, heav'nly muse, that on the secret top Of Oreb, or of Sinai didst inspire That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed, In the beginning how the heav'ns' and earth' Rose out of chaos'. Monotone, at the commencement of poetic descriptions adds, greatly to the dignity and grandeur of the objects described. Thus, in the sublime description of the consultation of the fallen spirits in Tartarus, and the richness of Satan's throne : These inflections are delivered in an ironical manner, High on a throne of royal state', which far Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand HARMONIC INFLECTION. This kind of emphasis is entirely regulated by the good taste of the reader. Mr. Walker observes: " Besides that variety which necessarily arises from attention to the foregoing rules (that is, from annexing certain inflections to sentences of a particular import and structure), there is still another source of variety in those parts of a sentence where the sense is not at all concerned, and where the variety is merely to please the ear. This part of pronunciation, though of little importance to the sense, is of the utmost importance to the harmony of a sentence." This kind of emphasis is susceptible of various degrees of energy in the delivery, according to the force and animation of the sentiments; and consists in a reciprocal application of the rising and falling inflections, producing a pleasing and forcible variety; sometimes taking place at the beginning, sometimes in the middle, but most frequently near the conclusion of a sentence. EXAMPLES. I must confess, I think it below reasonable creatures to be altogether conversant in such diversions as are merely innocent, and have nothing else to recommend them but that there is no hurt in them. Whether any kind of gaming has even this much to say for itself, I shall not determine; but I think it very wonderful to see persons of the b'est s'ense p'assing awa'y a dozen hours together in shuffling and dividing a pack of cards, with no o'ther conversation but wha't is made up of a few game' phrases', and no other' ideas', but those of black and red' spots', ranged' together' in different figures. Produ'ces fraud and cruelty and stri'fe, A brave' man struggling-in the storms' of fate, REPETITION. The repeated word should be pronounced with the rising inflection, accompanied by animation and a suitable pause. EXAMPLE. Newton was a Christian! Newton'! whose mind burst forth from the fetters cast by nature on our finite conceptions.-New C ton'! whose science was truth, and the foundation of whose knowledge of it was philosophy; not those visionary and arrogant presumptions which too often usurp its name, but philosophy resting on the basis of mathematics, which, like figures, cannot lie.-Newton'! who carried the line and rule to the utmost barrier of creation, and explored the principles by which, no doubt, all created matter is held together and exists. ACCENT.* GENERAL RULE. Whatever inflection be adopted, the accented syllable is always louder than the rest; but if the accent be pronounced with the rising inflection, the accented syllable is higher than the preceding, and lower than the succeeding syllable; and if the accent have the falling inflection, the accented syllable is pronounced higher than any other syllable, either preceding or succeeding. EXAMPLES. Sooner or later virtue must meet with a reward. Most certainly virtue will meet with a reward, not puʼnish ment. If virtue must have a rewa'rd, it is our interest to be virtuous. What earthly name to interrogatories, Shall task the free wrath of a sacred king? RULE. Emphasis requires a transposition of accent, when two words which have a sameness in part of their formation, are opposed to each other in the sense. EXAMPLES. This corruptible inust put on in'corruption, and this morʼtal must put on immortality. Religion raises men above themselves'; ir'religion sinks them beneath the brutes'.' * Mr. Walker corrects an error into which people generally fall, in observing upon provincial tones," that such and such a one speaks English with an Irish or Scotch accent." The people of these nations accentuate on precisely the same syllable as the English; the error is in the inflection; the Scotch pronouncing far the greater part of their words with the acute, and the Irish with the grave inflection. For example: Scotch. Exercise and teꞌmperance strengthen the constitution. Irish. Exercise and temperance strengthen the constitution. whereas, the English judiciously vary the inflection: English. Exercise and temperance strengthen the constitution. EMPHASIS. Emphasis is an earnest, vehement, or expressive signification of one's mind it is a form of speech that indicates more than there is expressed by words, and can be comprehended only from a significant manner of pronunciation. Emphasis may be divided into two branches, viz, explanatory and expressive; by the first is meant that stress of utterance which presents more clearly to conception the meaning of what we deliver. In cases where the sense is doubtful, proper emphasis is indispensably necessary,—for instance :— 8 Did the Englishman deserve to die? Let the reader emphasise this passage alternately on did, Englishman, deserve, and die, and the importance will be obvious. Expressive emphasis is that which we use to render a passage, whose meaning is obvious, more forcible : He bids the spiry firs arise, The cedar vig'rous pierce the skies, Fearless amid conflicting storms The towering stork his cradle forms High on the sounding bough. In which the characteristics of the fir, cedar, stork, &c. are strikingly indicated by a marked emphasis. RULE. Both the cause and effect, in any sentence, require an em-` phasis. EXAMPLE. To live well, is to die happy. To be good, is to be great. Guilt is the source of sorrow. EMPHASIS AND INFLECTION. The proper emphatic word being fixed, the particular inflection which should accompany it must be ascertained; for, as the meaning is absolutely perverted by placing the emphasis on a wrong word, so is the sense perverted by putting a wrong inflection on the right word. Rules for this purpose are of little value, simple or complex emphasis being nothing but examples of antitheses. However, they can do no harm. SINGLE EMPHASIS. RULE. When a sentence is composed of a positive and a negative, the positive must have the falling, and the negative the rising inflection. EXAMPLES. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God! therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. |