RECITATION ELEVENTH.

MEASURE OF SPEECH.

We are now to enter on a subject highly curious as a part of the Physiology of speech, and connected with facility of utterance.

Whether habits of frequent public speaking shall be compatible with easy respiration, and with health, or shall in many cases be destructive of the constitution, will depend on a comprehension and application of the principles contained in this section of our subject. On a preservation of the measure of speech, as here explained, will depend harmony of utterance as well as its healthful exercise. Public speaking is a healthful exercise if properly conducted; but of most evil tendency to every delicate constitution, if prosecuted against the laws of measure. We request attention to the following preliminary observations.

The Larynx, (the primary organ of voice) is a compound organ. It performs the function of an air tube and of a musical instrument. The first is essential to respiration, the second to speech. By a beautiful law of relation, which we shall presently explain, a perfectly undisturbed respiration is compatible with the flow of energetic discourse. But that law requires, the division of continued speech, into measures.

Definition. A measure, as applied to speech, consists of a heavy or an accented portion of syllabic sound, and of a light or unaccented portion, produced by one effort

of the organ of voice. In the production of all immediately consecutive sounds the larynx acts by alternate pulsation and remission. On this account, two heavy or accented syllables cannot be alternated with each other; while a heavy and a light one or an accented and an unaccented one, can. The word Hunter can be uttered by a single effort of voice; the first portion of that effort is pulsative, the second is remiss, and the two syllables alternate with each other. But the syllable "hunt" cannot be uttered, as it is spoken in the word "hunter," that is, under accent, twice, in immediate alternation. There must be a palpable hiatus or pause between the repeated syllables as hunt, hunt. Therefore in assuming consecutive pulsation and remission of the organ of the voice, in the pronunciation of the word "hunter," we intend to express the fact of alternation in the utterance of the syllables and to account for it upon some law of alternate forcible and remiss organic action.

Let stand for heavy or accented, and ... for light or unaccented in our future explanations.

A perfect measure in speech consists of one, or any greater number of syllables, not exceeding five, uttered during one pulsation and remission of the organ of voice. A single syllable may constitute a measure; for if it be extended in quantity, the first portion may be under accent, or may be perceptibly heavy, and the latter unaccented or light. A short syllable will not constitute a measure. The syllables hail, woe, man, and others will make a perfect measure,—their length admitting of a remission as palpable as if the word consisted of two written syllables. Syllables therefore of indefinite quantity can be so pronounced as to constitute a measure or

not, at the option of the speaker. The heavy or accented portion of a measure cannot be spread over more than a single syllable; in other words from some inexplicable law of the voice, more than one syllable cannot be uttered during what we have ventured to call its pulsative effort; while, as we shall see presently, its remiss action can be farther divided. A measure may consist of two distinct syllables, as temper, the first heavy, the se

cond light but it may consist of three, as in temperance,

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the first being heavy, and responding to pulsation, the two latter ones light, and dividing between them the remiss action of the voice. Four syllables may make a measure, as in spiritual-so may five, as spiritually: here the

remission is farther subdivided; but in its nature it is distinct organic action from that employed on the first syllable. I believe more than five syllables cannot be crowded into one measure. Five are sometimes employed in lyric poetry. Milton and Shakspeare, have not, as far as I know, ever employed, in any of their lines more than four syllables in a measure. It is by no means necessary that a measure should consist of a single word. I only make this observation because single words have been employed for illustration, and I was afraid they might mislead some of my junior readers into wrong notions at the outset. 'Came to the', is a measure; so is 'when he

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was in.' He had a fever | when he was in Spain. So

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is the part distinguished by notation in the following sec

tion of a sentence. "In the second | century of the

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christian era, &c.;" for it can be uttered during a single movement of the voice.

An imperfect measure in speech consists of a syllable on which only the heavy part of the voice is heard, or of a syllable or syllables on which only the light portion of the measure occurs. A bar is a mere technical invention employed to separate one measure from another; the time being calculated from one bar to another. The time of every bar is actually, or is supposed to be, equal in speech, as in music. A bar may contain an imperfect foot, the accented, or the unaccented, portion of the measure being wanting. The time of the bar is, in that case, completed by a rest indicated in this grammar by the following mark 7.

EXAMPLE.

"Twas at the royal feast 7 | 7 for | Persia won.

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Δ

Δ.

A.... Δ.

In this example "feast" is heavy, and "for" light. The whole time of a bar may pass in silence | 77 | the two rests indicating the time of the heavy and light portions of the measure; or, two or more may be occupied in the same manner | 77 |77|77|. The number must be determined by the sense, and the consequent necessity of longer or shorter pauses.

In a succession of measures, each is supposed to consist of a heavy and a light portion of sound; but imperfect measures must occur, and their time is consequently.

completed by pauses. For measures of equal time, however constituted, make musical proportion.

Heavy and light sounds in immediate succession, copstitute the bases of such syllables as fancy, picture, linden,

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temper. Light and heavy sounds, make such as attest,

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.. Δ

impel, attack, and others which begin in a similar manner.

.. Δ .. Δ

Heavy sounds in succession, require intervening pauses, as may be perceived by uttering the words house 7 top Δ. .. Δ

Monosyllables, constituting nouns, and verbs not merely auxiliary, are generally affected to the heavy or accented function of the voice, and particles to the unaccented or light.

This alone shows the importance of accent in the use of language. Light syllables can be rendered heavy by emphasis, heavy ones light, as man, woman.

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From what has been stated, it is evident, that a series of syllables, of which each is heavy, will employ, together with the pauses between them, the same time as if light syllables followed the heavy ones.

These are all supposed to be pronounced short, though

some might be prolonged. They will occupy the time of the following series.