Further examples for illustrating these several modulations of voice. It was neither black', nor white`. Unless we do it quickly', we shall not do it at all`. Saul and Jonathan were lovely in their lives', and in their deaths' they were not divided. Boys' and girls'; men' and women'; old' and young'; parents' and children'; love' and hatred'; hope' and fear'. If the case stands thûs, there is no more to be done. I never thought that he would act in this manner, (whatever others might do.) It is bad enough to be betrayed by an enemy'; but to be betrayed by a friend, is hard indeed. If I could persuade James', I should soon gain the consent of John'. I can be there by ten in the morning', but not sooner. As things are now, there is no remedy; as they were then', there was some chance of improvement. I know not what others may think', but as for me I long since gave up every hope. It should be observed that all the inflections vary greatly in degree. Sometimes they are very strongly marked, and they are then called intensive. Sometimes they are so faintly made as to be scarcely noticeable; yet, by careful attention, they will be discerned on even the shortest syllables, and in a rapid utterance. The learner should have his attention first turned to those which are strongly marked; after this he will gradually become able to distinguish those which are fainter. -The inflections, whenever they are intensive at all, are always made on those syllables in a word which are either long, or accented. MONOTONE. Although, in reality, the voice in reading is never kept on an exact level, so far as the inflections are concerned, but will in all cases turn somewhat upwards or downwards, yet there are cases where it will not vary from a level, for several words in succession, to the amount of a tone, or semitone. This uniform level of the voice, for several words in succession, is called a MONOTONE. It is chiefly used in the utterance of some grave or lofty sentiment, and in making formal comparisons. Sometimes it is employed for the sake of emphasis. EXAMPLES. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhābītēth ētērnīty, whōse name is Hōlý, "I dwell in the high and hōly place." Sōft as thē slūmbērs ōf ā sāint fōrgīven', And mild as ōpening gleams of promised heaven. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy Gōd în vāin. NOTE 1. A monotone is pointed out, in this book, by a short horizontal line drawn over a vowel.-See the foregoing examples. NOTE 2. Whenever a similar line is drawn over a vowel in a single word or syllable only, without being repeated, it denotes that the voice is prolonged on that word or syllable.EXAMPLE. We recovered the goods that were stolen, but the thief escaped. CADENCE. One of the greatest difficulties that most readers have to encounter, is to close a sentence properly. This difficulty arises chiefly from a mismanagement of what is called the cadence. In sentences which are not interrogative, and it is of such that I am now speaking, the voice must commonly fall at the close; and it falls only on the last syllable, whenever it drops gracefully and naturally. If it begins to fall. further back, it is weakened, made tremulous, and dies away unpleasantly.-Let it be remembered, then, that A CADENCE IS A FALL OF THE VOICE ON THE LAST SYLLABLE OF A SENTENCE. From what has now been said, it is evident that the last syllable but one in a sentence, where there is a cadence, must always be higher than the one on which the cadence is made, and must always govern it. To avoid, therefore, a feeble cadence, we must raise the voice preparatory to its fall. If we do this we shall not fail to make a vigorous close. But if the reader begins to lower his voice before he arrives at the final syllable, he will inevitably depress it at the close so as to make it faint.-This undue falling of the voice is a principal cause of that want of vivacity, of that monotony, and melancholic tone, which we so often hear. A cadence is commonly attended with the downward slide, but not always. In sprightly, animated, discourse, and in the language of conversation, the rising slide is very often used, although the voice makes, in every respect, a full cadence. The reader must be careful to distinguish properly between a cadence, and a mere falling inflection. A cadence causes the voice to drop to the full amount of a tone or semitone, and sometimes even more; while a mere slide, or inflection, never amounts to either. Without attending to this distinction, the downward slide and cadence are often mistaken for each other. NOTE. A point placed over a syllable denotes that the voice is raised on such syllable, at least, a full note. A point placed under a syllable denotes that the voice is made to fall on that syllable, at least, a full note. EXAMPLES. Did you do that? Here the voice rises a note on the word that.-It was John who did it. Here the voice falls a note on John, and on it.-REMARK. The voice as truly rises or falls on a short, or unaccented syllable, as on a long, or accented one; and on a syllable that is not emphatic, as well as on one that is. INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES. An interrogative sentence is one which asks a question.Questions are not always put for the sake of being answered. Sometimes they are put for the sake of emphasis merely; as, -What would I not give to see my friend ?-Sometimes they express a strong negation; as,-Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? In all such cases no answer is expected from the person, or persons, to whom the questions are addressed. Again, questions are often asked with the expectation that they will receive a mental, though not a formal answer; as in these examples,-Who can refuse to believe that he is mortal? Yet who is there in this assembly, I ask, who lives as though he realized this great truth? Were a speaker to put these questions to an audience, he would not expect that a direct and formal answer would be given him aloud, but he would expect that a silent, mental answer would be returned.-Finally, questions are often put, when a direct and formal answer is demanded and expected—when the person interrogated is strongly pressed, and urged, to make a reply. For example:-Charles, did you take my penknife?-Was the friend, whom you called to see, at home?—I do not ask whether you thought, or supposed, or believed, that the prisoner struck this man; I ask, did you see him strike? In all interrogative sentences, whatever may be the nature of the question asked, and whatever may be the design of the speaker in regard to the answer, the close is just the reverse of a cadence; that is, the last syllable of the sentence will be on a higher note than the syllable which immediately precedes it. In those cases of interrogation where no answer is expected, or desired, the last syllable is not raised to so high a note as in those which demand a reply; and it is usually raised in proportion to the urgency with which the question is asked. In the former class of questions the voice is seldom raised higher than the key note of the sentence ;* and in order to bring it there, and prevent its rising higher, the last syllable but one is dropped below the key note, and thus the relative position of the two syllables is preserved. When an answer to a question is really demanded, and the voice at the close of the sentence rises above the key note, the last syllable but one must be on that note; or on a still higher one if the elevation of the last syllable requires it, as it may, if the question is very forcibly put. The general rule for reading interrogative sentences may now be stated as follows: AN INTERROGATIVE SENTENCE SHOULD BE SO READ THAT THE LAST SYLLABLE SHALL BE ON A HIGHER NOTE THAN THE ONE WHICH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDES IT; or, what is the same thing, THE VOICE SHOULD BE SO MANAGED THAT THE LAST SYLLABLE BUT ONE SHALL BE A NOTE LOWER THAN THE LAST SYLLABLE ITSELF. In interrogative sentences, the voice sometimes rises for a number of syllables before the close; particularly so, when an answer is very strongly urged. In other cases, the voice may begin to fall for several syllables before the close, and then rise on the last one only, or on the last two. But whatever course the voice takes previously, the last syllable must be higher than the one which immediately precedes it. When a question is put with the intent to have it answered, either audibly or otherwise, the rising slide is used at the close; if no answer is to be given, the rising slide is not required, but the relative position of the last two syllables must be maintained, as already pointed out. The secondary rising slide may sometimes be employed instead of the primary, but no certain rule can be given in regard to it. This, and *The key note is the medium note of a sentence; and is the one on which the voice ought to be pitched. many other particulars, must be left to the discretion and good taste of the reader. So, too, emphasis will sometimes require the downward slide to be used; for emphasis often reverses a general rule, as will be shown hereafter. No sentences are usually read worse than interrogative ones. For this reason the reader should be early accustomed to right views on this subject, and should be guarded against the formation of bad habits in relation to it. If he will endeavor to understand correctly the general principles here laid down, and accustom himself to practice according to them, he will be saved from committing many blunders which are quite too common. EMPHASIS. EMPHASIS is any mode of utterance which draws the special attention of the hearer to some particular thought, word, or part of a sentence. It is wholly a mistake to suppose that emphasis consists, as we are often told that it does, only in a greater stress of voice which is laid on some particular word, or number of words, in a sentence. A mere whisper is sometimes very emphatical. When a number of persons are engaged in loud conversation, if some one should suddenly speak in an audible whisper, or under tone, the attention of the whole company would be sooner turned to him, than if he were to speak in a high tone of voice. Hush! hark! be still!-if spoken in an under tone, will much sooner command the attention of all present, than if uttered on a high note. A word, or phrase, is often made emphatical by a pause immediately following it. EXAMPLE. "There are tearsfor his love', joy-for his fortune', honor-for his valor', and death-for his ambition." Emphasis is sometimes produced by a change of the inflections; that is, by using an inflection the opposite of the one which would have been employed without any emphasis. EXAMPLE. "Some people will never learn any thing, for this reason-because they understand every thing too soon'." The emphasis, and inversion of the slide, are on soon.— -Why do you postpone till to-morrow', what you ought to do to-day"? Here to-day is made emphatic by inverting the slide. A word at the close of a sentence is often made emphatical by inverting the cadence. EXAMPLE. "All men think all men mortal but themselves." Here, the voice is thrown |