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fhort ones they are, however, no lefs real in one, than in the other; as a good ear will eafily perceive, by beginning at the long words, and repeating down to the fhort ones. From No I. to No IX. the contrafted words are rifing at the comma, and falling at the note of interrogation; and from N° X. to N° XVIII. they are falling at the comma, and rifing at the period.

Left an inaccurate ear fhould be led to fuppofe, that the different fignification of the oppofing words is the reafon of their founding differently, we have given fome phrases composed of the fame words, which are neverthelefs pronounced with exactly the fame difference of inflexion as the others. Thus the words. confcience, N° IV. are pronounced with the fame difference of inflexion as the preceding phrases; that is, the firft confcience has the rifing, and the laft the falling inflexion: the following words, unjustly, pride, mind, all, and lad, have the fame diverfity of pronunciation; and the diverfity in thefe, as in the reft, is in an inverted order in the oppofite column.

If we confider these flides or inflexions with. refpect to quantity; that is, how long the upward inflexion continues to rife from the point where it begins, and how long the downward inflexion falls from its commencing point; we fhall find, that as this difference is not easily afcertained, fo, in an outline of this kind, it is of no great confequence: the rifing or falling of the flide, in a greater or a lefs degree, does not effentially affect the fenfe or harmony of a fentence; while adopting one flide for the other, will often deftroy both. See See p. 67. 3

Thus in the interrogative sentence, N° XIX. Did he act justly? the voice ought to adopt the rifing inflexion, and continue the upward flide on the word justly, fomewhat longer and higher than if it had been a mere comma; and yet, if we mark the rifing inflexion on the word justly in the fentence, N° XX. the difference of the flides on these two words in these different fentences is not very confiderable.

If we confider the fentence, N° XXI. as concluding a fubject or a confiderable bran ch of it, the voice will gradually flide into a lower tone towards the end, and the word unjustly will be pronounced in a lower tone of voice than in the sentence, N° V.; but the downward flide in both will be nearly of the fame duration and extent for, as we have before obferved, as the different key in which we fing or play a tune, makes no difference in the length or fhortnefs of the notes; fo the different pitch of voice in which we speak or read, has no relation to the height or lownefs of the flide or inflexion with which we terminate our words.

It will be neceffary for the pupil to practise over these series of words, and to form fentences of his own, for the purpose of using the ear to diftinguish the inflexions. In order to this, he must dwell longer on the words at which he pauses, and on those which have emphasis, than is proper when he is reading or speaking in common, that the ear may be better enabled to catch the inflexion: it may be remarked too, that the more colloquial and familiar the language, provided it is earnest and emphatical, the more perceptible the inflexions are; and the more elevated and poetical, the less fo. The plain

tive tone, fo effential to the delivery of elegiac compofition, greatly diminishes the flides, and reduces them almost to monotones; nay, a perfect monotone without any inflexion at all, is fometimes very judiciously introduced in reading verfe. Thus in the fublime defcription of the richness of Satan's throne, in the beginning of the fecond book of Paradife Loft:

High on a throne of royal ftate which far
Outíhone the wealth of Ormus or of Inde,
Or where the gorgeous Eaft with richest hand
Show'rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold,
Satan exalted fat.-

In this paffage, I fay, every word of the third and fourth line, but pearl and gold, may be pronounced in a monotone; and this monotone will greatly add to the dignity and grandeur of the object described.

As poetry, therefore, when properly read, will often greatly diminish, and sometimes even entirely fink the inflexions into a monotone; emphatic fentences in profe will be the best for the learner to practise upon, in order to acquire an idea of the difference of inflexion: constantly observing to prolong and drawl out the pronunciation of the word, the inflexion of which he wants to discover.

Perhaps the best method of knowing whether we make use of the inflexion we intend, is to form it into a question with the disjunctive or, and to repeat it in the fame manner as the interrogative sentences, Plate II.

Thus in the following fentence:

A contented mind, and a good conscience, will make a man happy in all conditions.

In order to pronounce this fentence to the

beft advantage, it will be neceffary to lay the falling inflexion on the word mind, the rifing on confcience, and the falling on all; if I would know the falling inflexion I am to lay on mind, let me form the word into this question, Is it mind, or mind? and the pronunciation of the laft mind, as in N° VII. will be that which I muft adopt in the fentence; if I want to know the rifing inflexion on confcience, I must fay, Is it confcience, or confcience? and the first pronunciation of the word, as in N° IV. is that which I must adopt the falling inflexion on all will be determined by faying, Is it all, or all? as the last all has the inflexion fought for. In the fame manner, if, in the following couplet of Pope,

What the weak head with strongest bias rules
Is pride; the never-failing vice of fools.

If in this couplet, I fay, we are directed to lay the falling inflexion on pride, we need only form the word into this queftion,-Is it pride, or pride? and the last being the falling inflexion, is that which we ought to adopt in reading the couplet.

It may not, perhaps, be altogether useless to obferve, that these angular lines may be confidered as a kind of bars in the music of speaking each of them contain a certain portion of either the rifing or falling inflexion; but though every word in each line is pronounced with the fame inflexion, they are not all pronounced with the fame force; no line can have more than one accented or emphatic fyllable in it, and the reft, though preferving the fame inflexion, abate of the force of found.

With respect to the relative force of these unemphatic words, fee Introduction to the Theory of Emphasis.

Utility of a Knotoledge of the Inflexions of the Voice.

But it will be demanded: fuppofe we could conceive the nature of thefe inflexions ever fo clearly, of what ufe will it be? I anfwer, that as the fenfe and harmony of a sentence depend fo much on the proper application of these inflexions, it will be of infinite ufe to an indifferent reader to know how a good reader applies them.

It will, perhaps, be objected, that an attention to thefe inflexions, marked upon paper, will be apt to embarrass the mind of the reader, which fhould be wholly employed on the fenfe of the writer. To this objection it may be an fwered, that the very fame argument will lie against the use of paufes in printing; and the ancient Greek method of writing without any intervals between words, will, according to this reafoning, be by far the most eligible. The truth is, every thing new embarraffes; and if we have already acquired an art in an imperfect way, the means of facilitating a more perfect acquifition of it, will at first retard our progrefs: if a child has once learned to read tolerably, without having the words divided into fyllables, fuch a divifion will appear new and embarraffing to him; and though fyllabi cation is fo confeffedly useful to learners, thofe who can once read without it, would be rather puzzled than affifted by it. To thofe, there

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