Page images
PDF
EPUB

exprefs ourselves emphatically, and always place the em phafis right. Let the fame natural mode be adopted when reading and speaking in public, and the reader will have an infallible rule of laying the emphafis right in all fentences, the meaning of which he compreher ds.

OF PAUSES OR STOPS:

RULE V.

Acquire a juft Variety of Paufe and Cadence. PAUSES, or refts, in fpeaking and reading, are a total ceffation of the voice, during a perceptible, and, in maby cafes, a meafureable fpace of time.

Paufes are equally neceffary to the fpeaker, and to the hearer. To the speaker, that he may breathe; and relieve the organs of Speech from too long action. To the hearer, that the car may be relieved from found continued too long, and that the understanding may have time to mark the distinction of fentences, and their feveral members.

There are too kinds of paufes; firft, emphatical paufes, and next, fuch as mark the diftinction of the fenfe. An emphatical paufe is made, after something has been faid of great importance, and on which the fpeaker defires to fix the hearer's attention. Such paufes have the fame effect as a ftrong emphafis, and are fubject to the fame rules, especially that of not using them too frequently.

Paufes in reading and public fpeaking, mult be govern- ed by the fame manner, in which we utter ourselves in or dinary, fenfible converfation, and not upon the ftiff, artifi cial manner, which we acquire, from reading books according to the common punctuation. The points in printing are far from marking all the paufes which ought to be. ufed in speaking. A formal attention to thofe refting places, has been the caufe of a tedious monotony, by lead. ing the reader to a fimilar tone at every flop, and an uni form cadence at every period..

To render paufes pleafing and expreffive, they must not only be used in the right place, but also accompanied with a proper tone of voice, by which the nature of thefe pauses is intimated. Sometimes it is only a flight and fimple fufpenfion of voice that is proper; Sometimes a degree of

cadence in the voice is required; and fometimes that peculiar tone and cadence, which denote the fentence to be finished. In all thefe cafes we are to regulate ourselves, by attending to the fame manner, in which nature teaches us to speak, when engaged in real and earnest discourfe with others.

It is a general rule, that the fufpending paufe fhould be ufed when the fenfe is incomplete; and the clofing one, when it is finished. But there are phrases, in which, although the fenfe is not completed, the voice takes the clofing, rather than the fufpending paufe; and others, in which the fentence finishes by the paufe of fufpenfion. (1) Nothing is more deftructive to energy and propriety than the habit of confounding the closing paufe, with that fall of the voice, or cadence, with which many readers uniformly finish a fentence. The tones and inflexions of the voice, at the close of a sentence, should be varied according to the general nature of the difcourfe, and the particular conftruction and meaning of the fentence. In plain narra❤ tive and argumentation, attention to the manner, in which we relate à fact, or maintain an argument, in conversation, will show, that it is frequently more proper to raise the voice, than to fall it, at the end of a sentence.

In pathetic pieces, efpecially thofe of the plaintive, tender, or folemn kind, the tone of the paffion will often require a ftill greater cadence of the voice. The best method of cor recting a uniform cadence, is frequently to read felect fen tences, (2) in which antithefes are introduced; and argumentative pieces, (3) or fuch as abound with interroga sives, (4) or earnest exclamations. (5)

OF THE PITCH AND MANAGEMENT or THE

VOICE.

RULE VI.

Pitch your Voice in your ordinary Speaking Key.

The first attention of every one who reads or fpeaks in public, is to be clearly underftood by all who hear him.

(1) See Chapter XI.

(2) See Chapter II. and XXXVIII. (3) See Chapter XIV, and LIII,

(4) See Chapter IX, and VII. (5) See Chapter X and XI,

Much depends for this purpofe on the proper pitch, and management of the voice. Every perfon has three pitches in his voice, the high, the middle, and the low one. The middle pitch is that, which is ufed in ordinary discourse, from which he either rifes or falls, as the matter of his discourse, or emotions of his mind may require. This middle pitch therefore is what ought to be used, for two reasons; first, because the organs of the voice are strong er, and more pliable in this pitch, from conftant ufe; and the fecond reafon is, because it is more easy to rife or fall from that pitch, to high or low with regular proportion.

The quantity of found, neceffary to fill even a large space, is much fnialler than is generally imagined; and to the being well heard, and clearly understood, a good and diftinct articulation contributes more, than power of voice. Poffeffed of that, a man with a weak voice, has infinite advantages over the frongest without it. If the voice be weak, and the articulation good, the attention and filence of the hearers will be proportionably greater, that they may not mifs any thing that is faid.

The best rule for a speaker to obferve is, never to utter a greater quantity of voice than he can afford without pain to himself, or any extraordinary effect. Whilft he does this, the other organs of fpeech will be at liberty tổ dif. charge their feveral offices with cafe; and he will always have his voice under command. But when he tranfgreffes thefe bounds, he gives up the reias, and has no longer any management of it.

To acquire the power of changing the key on which you fpeak, at pleasure, accuftom yourself to pitch your voice in different keys, from the lowest to the higheft notes you can command. Many of these would neither be proper or agreeable in fpeaking; but fuch a practice will give you fuch a command of voice, as is fcarcely to be acquired by any other method. Having gained the power to fpeak with ease at feveral heights of the voice, read, as exercifes on this rule, fuch compositions as have a variety of fpeakers, (1) or such as relate dialogues, (2) observing the height of voice which is proper to each, and endeavour to change them as nature directs.

(1) See Chapter XII, for Examples.
(2) See Dialogues.

Different fpecies of fpeaking require different heights of voice. Nature inftructs us to relate a story, to fupport an argument, to command a fervant, to utter exclamations of anger or rage, to pour forth lamentations and forrows, not only with different tones, but with different elevations of voice. The vagrant, when he begs; the foldier, when he gives the word of command; the watchman, when he announces the hour of the night; the fovereign, when he iffues his edict; the fentur, when he harangues; the lover, when he whispers his tender tale, do not differ more in the tones, which they use, than in the key in which they speak. Reading and fpeaking, therefore, in which all the variations of expreffion in real life are copied, must have continual variations in the height of the voice.

Sometimes the height of the voice may be altered, in the fame compofition, in paffing from one part to another,, without any change of perfon.

TONES.

RULE VII..

Let the Emotions and Paffions, which your Words exprefs, be accompanied with correspondent Tones, Looks, and Geflure.

TONES are different both from emphasis and pauses; confifting in the modulation of the voice, the notes or variations of found which we employ, in expreffing our r.fenti

ments..

There is not an act of the mind, an exertion of the fan ey, or an emotion of the heart, which has not its peculiar. tone, or note of the voice, by which it is to be expreffed; and which is fuited exactly to the degree of internal feel. ing. It is chiefly in the proper use of these tones, that the life, fpirit, beauty, and harmony of delivery confist.

If we enter into the spirit of the author's fentiments, as well as into the meaning of his words, we shall not fail to deliver the words in suitably varied tones. There are very

few, who have not an accurate ufe of emphasis, pauses, and tones, when they utter their fentiments in earnest dif courfe; and the, reafon that they have not the same use of them in reading aloud the fentiments of others, may be

traced to the very defective and erroneous method in which the art of reading is tanght; whereby all the va rious, natural, expreffive tones of fpeech are fuppreffed, and a few artificial, unmeaning, reading notes, are substituted

for them.

Gestures are the motions of the hands, or the body, correfponding with the fentiments which the fpeaker defigns to exprefs. It is quite unnatural in a public fpeaker, and inconfiftent with that earnestnefs and seriousness which he ought to discover in all affairs of moment, to remain unmoved in his outward appearance, and to let the words drop from his mouth without any expreffion of meaning, or warmth in his gefture. The general rule, in the use of geftures, is to be natural and eafy. Attend to the looks and geflures in which earneftnefs, indignation, compaffion, or any other emotion, discovers itself to the best advantage in the common intercourse of men; and let an imitation of these be your model, with care, however, that you "o'erftep not the modely of Nature."

The tone of the voice expreffes the various emotions and paffions, more emphatically than mere words. Lam entation and forrow are expreffed by a low tone; a spirited command by a much higher; when a pathetic addrefs is made, the tone of the voice must be on the middle key, not too low, nor too high; but in a manly, firm, and yet plaintive tone. (1) Finally, in reducing every part of a just delivery to practice, guard against every appearance of affectation, as a certain ruin of good reading or fpeaking. Let your manner, whatever it is, be your own; whatever is natural, though accompanied with defects, is likely to please, becaufe it has the appearance of coming from the heart. To attain a graceful, forcible, and perfuafive manner, is in the power of most perfons, if they will follow nature, and will speak in public as they do in private, when they speak in earnest and from the heart.

OF THE STOPS OR POINTS AND OTHER CHARAC TERS USED IN WRITING.

THE use of punctration is defigned, first to affift the reader to difcern the grammatical conftruction, and next (1) See Chapter XII. for Examples.

« PreviousContinue »