I tell you, though

you,

though all the

world,

though an an

should declare the truth of it, I could not believe

The rising slide, on the contrary, as it occurs in an emphatic series of direct questions, rises higher on each particular, as it proceeds.

L

15] RULE X. Emphatic repetition requires the falling slide.

Whatever inflection is given to a word, in the first instance, when that word is repeated with stress, it demands the falling slide. Thus in Julius Cæsar, Cassius says; You wrong me every way, you wròng me, Brutus.

1

The word wrong is slightly emphatic, with the falling slide, in the first clause; but in the second, it requires a double or triple force of voice, with the same slide on a higher note, to express the meaning strongly. But the principle of this rule is more apparent still, when the repeated word changes its inflection. Thus I ask one at a distance, Are you going to Boston? If he tells me that he did not hear my question, I repeat it with the other slide, Are you going to Boston ?*

* In colloquial language, the point I am illustrating is quite familiar to every ear. The teacher calls a pupil by name in the rising inflection, and not being heard, repeats the call in the falling. The answer to such a call, if it is a mere response, is "Sir;" -if it expresses doubt, it is "Sir." A question that is not understood is repeated with a louder voice and a change of slide:" Is this your book? Is this your book ?" Little children with their first elements of speech, make this distinction perfectly.

I cannot forbear to say here, though the remark belongs to style more than to delivery, that while it is the province of dulness to repeat the same thoughts or words, from mere carelessness; there is scarcely a more vivid figure of rhetoric than repetition, when it springs from genius and emotion. But as the finest strains of music derive increase of spirit and effect from repetition, so in delivery, increase of emotion demands a correspondent stress and inflection of voice. For this reason, the common method of reading our Saviour's parable of the wise and the foolish builder, with the rising slide on both parts, is much less impressive than that which adopts the falling slide with increase of stress on the series of particulars as repeated.

Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock : and the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell nót,—for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, that built his house upon the sànd: and the ràin descended, and the floòds came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fèll;—and great was fall of it.

the

16] RULE XI. The final pause requires the falling slide.

That dropping of the voice which denotes the sense to be finished, is so commonly expected by the ear, that the worst readers make a cadence of some sort, at the close of a sentence. In respect to this, some general faults may be guarded against, though it is not possible to tell in absolute terms what a good cadence is, because, in different circumstances, it is modified by different prin

ciples of elocution. The most common fault in the cadence of bad speakers, consists in dropping the voice too uniformly to the same note. The next consists in dropping it too much. The next, in dropping it too far from the end of the sentence, or beginning the cadence too soon; and another still consists in that feeble and indistinct manner of closing sentences, which is common to men unskilled in managing the voice. We should take care also to mark the difference between that downward turn of the voice which occurs at the falling slide in the middle of a sentence, and that which occurs at the close. The latter is made on a lower note, and if emphasis is absent, with less spirit than the former; As, "This heavenly benefactor claims, not the homage of our lips, but of our hearts; and who can doubt that he is entitled to the homage of our hearts." Here the word hearts has the same slide in the middle of the sentence as at the close. Though it has a much lower note in the latter case than in the former.

It must be observed too that the final pause does not always require a cadence. When the strong emphasis with the falling slide comes near the end of a sentence, it turns the voice upward at the close; as, "If we have no regard to our own character, we ought to have some regard to the character of others." "You were paid to fight against Alexander, not to rail at him." This is a departure from a general rule of elocution; but it is only one case among many, in which emphasis asserts its supremacy over any other principle that interferes with its claims. Indeed, any one who has given but little attention to this point, would be surprised to observe accurately,

how often sentences are closed, in conversation, without any proper cadence; the voice being carried to a high note, on the last word, sometimes with the falling, and sometimes with the rising slide.

CIRCUMFLEX.

17] RULE. XII. The circumflex occurs chiefly where the language is either hypothetical or ironical.

The most common use of it is to express indefinitely or conditionally some idea that is contrasted with another idea expressed or understood, to which the falling slide belongs; thus ;-Hume said he would go twenty miles, to hear Whitefield preach. The contrast suggested by the circumflex here is; though he would take no pains to hear a common preacher. You ask a physician concerning your friend who is dangerously sick, and receive this reply. He is better. The circumflex denotes only a partial, doubtful amendment, and implies But he is still dangerously sick. The same turn of voice occurs in the following example, on the word importunity.

Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

This circumflex, when indistinct, coincides nearly with the rising slide; when distinct, it denotes qualified affirmation instead of that which is positive as marked by the falling slide. This hint suggests a much more perfect rule than that of Walker, by which to ascertain the proper slide under the emphasis. See Emphatic Inflection, pp. 80-88.

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CHAP. IV.

ACCENT.

18] Accent is a stress laid on particular syllables, to promote harmony and distinctness of articulation. The syllable on which accent shall be placed, is determined. by custom; and that without any regard to the meaning of words, except in these few cases.

First, where the same word in form, has a different sense, according to the seat of the accent. This may be the case while the word continues to be the same part of speech, as des'ert, (a wilderness) desert', (merit)-to conjure, (to use magic) to conjure', (to entreat). the accent may distinguish between the same word used as a noun or an adjective; as compact, (an agreement) compact', (close) min'ute, (of time) minute', (small). Or it may distinguish the noun from the verb, thus :

Ab'stract to abstract' com'pound to compound'

Or