He desires me to ask you—will you persevere. All these exceptions require the falling inflection. But, Such stated or quoted question occurring in a simple interrogative or negative sentence, will receive the inflection due to the sentence: as, Will you still go about and ask one another-what news? For it is the condition of the sense-i. e., whether finished or unfinished,—that governs the inflection due to a sentence. Departures from the above general rules of inflection for simple, direct sentences, are occasionally made for force and effect under the power of emphasis,which will be presently explained. BODY OF A SENTENCE-SUSPENSION OF VOICEINFLECTION. There is a distinction to be observed between suspension of voice;-by which I mean, holding the voice up and not letting it fall—and a rising inflection, which, as we have seen, is an actual ascent of the voice. Inflection marks and denotes meaning, or, the actual condition of the sense; suspension of voice accompanies suspension of sense, while it is in the course of formation; and the full close of the sense of a sentence, leaving nothing to be added or supposed, is denoted by the falling inflection. This is clear from the preceding rules: and holds good as to simple sentences; i. e. sentences not having several members intervening (and requiring variety of inflection) between the commencement and the close of the period. GENERAL RULES. 1. The voice must be suspended till it take an inflection under some rule; and the last word of the suspended sense -immediately preceding that on which the formation of complete sense begins-must be marked with a distinct rising inflection. This inflection, at this point of the sentence, accompanied by the middle pause, serves to divide a simple sentence into two parts; the opening, or incomplete part, and the closing, or perfect part.-(See Rule 1, of Middle Pause, p. 66.) 2. If the sense be completed before the close of the period, the falling inflection must mark it; and this, even if many other words and members follow-provided their addition do not vary or qualify (though they may explain and strengthen) the previous meaning. that, whenever it is neglected, their virtues lose a great degree of lustre. 2. The rule itself is an example in point; at the words, ' mark it' and 'follow'; and the following sentence This proposition was, however, rejected, and not merely rejected" but rejected with insult. The perfect understanding of the preceding rules of simple inflection-which are the basis of all that will follow-is essential before advancing a step further. Their application tends much to correct that unmeaning sameness or monotony so common to readers in general, and so tiresome to the ear: and when, to the practice of these rules, is added that of the doctrine of rhetorical pause, the style is at once indued with meaning, life, and a pleasing variety. This is the first step towards the MUSIC OF ELOCUTION. COMPOUND INFLECTIONS. There are also compound or double inflections,consisting of a concrete slide ascending or descending, and embracing five and even eight tones,-that is, a full octave-under the influence of strong feeling, expression, or energy. These inflections are fully treated of hereafter in Part III. of 2d Division. Before we enter upon the intricacies and variations of inflection necessary to long, or particularly-constructed periods, let us for the present proceed to the third principle under our second division, viz. 3. EMPHASIS is a word of Greek origin and form, adopted in its original spelling (sμqaris) into our language; its derivation is ev (on) and onu (to speak), or paris (speech): according to which, therefore, emphasis strictly signifies a speaking (strongly) upon; or, as it is popularly called, a stress of the voice upon a certain word (or words) to which a particular meaning or force is attached, and particular attention desired: and this is called the emphatic word; (I denote it by this line written under the word,) thus: He spoke for religion, not against it. This book is mine, that yours. In the utterance of the above sentences, the words marked as emphatic receive an impulsive or explosive force of sound, which distinguishes their power and importance above the other words. Just in the same manner as what we call the accented syllable in any word is marked by stress, or stroke of sound, from the other syllables with which it is combined: as in the words vir-tue, mer-ciful, pól-icy, resolution, con-stancy, in which the stress, or impulse of sound, is thrown on to one particular syllable, which is popularly called the accented,* but more properly, the heavy syllable, in contradistinction to the light or (as they are called) unaccented syllables, which have no weight of sound, or stress upon them: so, in a sentence, the stress or emphasis being thrown by an impulse of sound on any particular word, that word is called the emphatic word. And, in fact, this emphasis, when applied to a word, falls always on the accented or heavy syllable of the word, doubling the stress upon it. We shall presently see that emphasis requires, to be complete, not only stress, but inflection; and that that inflection is governed by the character of the emphasis. But, first, it is proper to observe here the distinction between our language and that of the Greeks and Romans, who measured the march of their language by quantity, of long - or short syllables: and all the words of their language had a certain and fixed prosodial quantity; according to which their verses are supposed to have been constructed and scanned or measured. Our language, on the contrary, acknowledges no fixed and certain quantity to its syllables; the distinction between which is of light and heavy, not of long and short: for the length or time of utterance to be given to a word or syllable in our language, is regulated not by any fixed prosodial rule (to which it is not amenable,) but by other circumstances of a varying nature, as, its force and value to the sense,—or the amount of feeling that is to be conveyed by or upon it; so that in our versi * See "Inflection," and Note to page 75. |