RECITATION EIGHTH.

THE application of rising and falling thirds, fifths, and octaves, as well as the different waves of the voice, will be seen under the head of emphasis, and that of the language of emotion.

EMPLOYMENT OF QUANTITY.

The extension of the time of syllables without changing their standard pronunciation, is one of the most important uses of the voice. It is not possible to give a serious, solemn, or dignified expression to speech, nor to employ one of the forms of emphasis of a highly impressive and agreeable character, without a command over quantity. Some syllables cannot be extended in their time without changing their natural sound, or rendering their pronunciation affected. Act, pit, cat, fate, dip, arc, are of this sort. So also are blood, carry, memory, abominable. Others again are capable of great prolongation, and with an increase of pleasure to the ear. Hail, all, thee, isle, own, ooze, how, are of this description.

If any person will take these words one by one, and pronounce them as shortly as possible, and then draw them out more and more, at successive efforts, till (without changing their familiar and acknowledged sound,) he finds that they are lengthened to such a degree as to become very emphatic, he will obtain an elementary notion of quantity. When this is done properly, the syl

lables are just what they were before, except that they are vastly longer, without drawl, and with a finer effect upon the ear. The high degree of impressive emphasis thus communicated, even upon a solitary syllable, will at once demonstrate the importance of that mutable eharacter, which it possesses as to time. Indeed, how could such a curious power of varying them, be given in vain. It is, like many other powers of the voice, directly related to the language of emotion, for the use of all those who have any.

There are syllables susceptible of slight extension, which are intermediate between the two classes above described.

If a syllable cannot be extended in quantity, without changing the elementary sounds which compose it, or rendering its pronunciation affected, it is not to have it. Such a syllable may be considered as immutable with regard to its time. The conditions above stated, limit the time of such syllables as are mutable. Those which are capable of great extension, may be termed indefinite. In giving great length to syllables, and avoiding at the same time, any other form of emphasis except that of time, the flexure of the wave of the second, is necessarily assumed, because the simple rise or fall of the voice is not of sufficient duration for the display of very extended quantity. A power of giving great quantity, therefore, implies a power over the wave, and a few trials will communicate it to the student. The exhibition of quantity is to be perfectly free from the slightest drawl. This can only be avoided by taking care to give the syllables with a gradual lessening of the volume of the voice, during its pronunciation, and ending it with the vanish for

merly described. The preservation of the exact conditions of the concrete slide as heretofore explained, can alone preserve a speaker from degenerating into song, or drawl in the use of long quantity. That part of our subject should be reconsidered with special reference to it

the

All the long vowel elements are eminently susceptible of quantity, and always with an agreeable effect upon ear; consequently, all syllables which end with these elements, can be prolonged. So can many which commence with them. The following are specimens.

Day, age, law, awed, Fa (in father,) thee, eel, who, ooze, thy,

arm,

isle, thou,

our.

The consonant elements do not admit of time at the beginning of syllables. If quantity be given to them in this situation, and consequently to the syllables of which they make a part, the pronunciation becomes affected, as will be perceived on pronouncing the words contained in the table page. The following passage would have a very affected utterance, if the elements marked by italics were to be considerably extended in quantity.

Oh could I fl-ow l-ike th-ee, and m-ake thy str-eam
M-y gr-eat e-x-ample, as it is my theme;

Though d-eep, yet cl-ear, though g-entle, yet not d-ull;
Str-ong without r-age, without o'er-fl-owing, full.

I know a gentleman whose constant habit was to give length to every consonant susceptible of it, wherever found. Very few persons, who by accident get a habit of quantity, are entirely free from the faults of lengthening the consonants.

With reference to quantity, consonant elements may be submitted to the following classification.

*1. Those which produce entire occlusion, as P, T, K. These never perceptibly increase the time of syllables. Their utterance is a mere point of sound, as a-t, o-p, a-c, t-le, p-le, c-le.

2. Those which consist of mere aspiration, as f, s, h, wh, th, sh, ch, can be extended, but they are a bad material for time, and ought to be uttered as short as possible, without rendering their enunciation indistinct. The following are specimens of their combination with other elements, as fle, so, os, horse, wheat, thin, truth, shun, ash, church.

3. Those which soon produce occlusion, but are first vocal in the throat, are susceptible of some quantity, though not of the longest. They are b, d, g, and are heard in orb, aid, egg.

4. Those which are vocal without occlusion, are all susceptible of extension, and are proper subjects of quantity in certain combinations, with other elements: they are 1, m, n, r final, and ng; the trilled r with which syllables commence, does not admit of much quantity; a single slap of the tongue, so as to make the trill manifest, is sufficient; a farther continuation of it is disagreeable and affected. The words, all, aim, own, song, war, will display the quantity of these elements.

5. Some of those elements, which are partly vocal, and partly aspirate, have quantity in certain combinations, while others rarely, if ever, admit of it. The vocal as

* I am indebted to Dr. Fitch, Professor of Divinity, in Yale College, for the suggestions which led to this classification.

pirates are v, z, y, w, th, th as in th-ou, zh in a-z-ure. Of these, v and z are the most liable to quantity at the end of syllables, as sa-v-e, i-s, wa-s; the others seldom require or bear extension.

Let the following words be pronounced with extended quantity, with a fine display of the vanishing movement; and without the slightest affectation or change of cha

Let the syllables marked in italics, in the following sections of sentences be prolonged as much as possible consistent with natural and unaffected pronunciation, and with the attenuated vanish of the voice.*

Hail, ho-ly light. "Or of the eternal co-eternal beam, may I express thee un-blamed."

* Care must be taken not to mouth the syllables marked in italics. Mouthing is a deviation from standard pronunciation, and is most apt to occur upon the sounds ou, oo, aw, o, and m. Whenever these sounds pass the organs of speech, exercise a vigilant observation over the movement of the lips. The less the lips are used, the more free will be the pronunciation from the defect we have pointed out: