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phatic or unaccented is always short; as, "We saw ǎ child playing about." The used before a vowel, takes the long sound of e, but before a consonant, the short: as, “The oranges were good, but the dates bad. These distinctions deserve particular attention in primary and intermediate schools. They are much neglected. My when emphatic takes the long sound; as, "It is my book, not yours," but in most other cases it takes the short sound. Even in reading, the Sacred Scriptures, good taste prefers the short sound, except in expressions of marked solemnity, or in connection with the Holy Name. By seldom adopts the short sound. In colloquial phrases like the following, however, it is allowable; as, "By-the-by, or by-the-way." These examples are like words of three syllables, with the accent on the third. In the word myself, the y never takes the long sound, the syllable self receiving the stress when it is emphatic, except when referring to the Deity. There, when used as an adverb of place, takes the full sound of ê (long a); as, "The boy was certainly there;" but when merely employed to introduce a word or phrase, it takes the lighter sound of e; as, “Oh, there is the boy." So with their; as, "It is their duty, not yours." "They will not neglect their duty." In the same manner your, when emphatic, sounds as the word ewer does out unemphatic, it shortens into yur, having less the sound of long u. The following seven words used as adjectives always have the e sounded-aged, learned, blessed, cursed, winged, striped, streaked; as, "An agéd man; a learned professor; the blesséd God," not " An ag'd man, &c." When this word is compounded, however, the ed is short; as, "A full-ag'd person."

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"Those who wish to pronounce elegantly" as Walker ha justly said, "must give particular attention to these syllables, as a neat pronunciation of these, forms one of the greatest beauties of speaking." But great defects are common in this respect, not only in the humbler grades of society, but among the educated and refined. In the pulpit, in the halls of legislation, everywhere, indeed, this is more or less the case.

The word modulation is derived from a Latin word signi

fying to measure off properly, to regulate; and it may be applied to singing and dancing as well as speaking. It is not enough that syllables and words are enunciated properly, and that the marks of punctuation are duly observed. Unless the voice sympathetically adapts itself to the emotion or sentiment, and regulates its panses accordingly, it will but imperfectly interpret what it utters.

The study of pronunciation, in the ancient and most com prehensive sense of that word, comprised not only the consideration of what syllables of a word ought to be accented, but of what words of a sentence ought to be emphasized. The term Emphasis, from a Greek word signifying to point out or show, is now commonly used to signify the stress to be laid upon certain words in a sentence. It is divided by some writers into emphasis of force, which we lay on almost every significant word, and emphasis of sense, which we lay on particular words, to distinguish them from the rest of the sentence.

The importance of emphasis to the right delivery of thoughts in speech must be obvious on the slightest reflection. "Go and ask how old Mrs. Brown is," said a father to his dutiful son. The latter hurried away, and soon returned with the report that Mrs. Brown had replied that "it was none of his business how old she was." The poor man had intended merely to inquire into the state of her health; but he accidentally put a wrong emphasis on the word old.

Another instance of misapprehension will illustrate the importance of emphasis. A stranger from the country, observing an ordinary roller-rule on a table, took it up, and on asking what it was used for, was answered, "It is a rule for counting-houses." After turning it over and over, up and down, and puzzling his brain for some time, he at last, in a paroxysm of baffled curiosity, exclaimed: "How in the name of wonder do you count houses with this?" If his informer had rightly bestowed his emphasis, the misconception of his meaning would not have taken place.

Emphasis and intonation must be left to the good sense and feeling of the reader If you thoroughly understand

and feel what you have to utter, and have your attention concentrated upon it, you will emphasize better than by attempting to conform your emphasis to any rules or marks dictated by one writer, and perhaps contradicted by another.

A boy at his sports is never at a loss how to make his em phasis expressive. If he have to say to a companion, “I want your bat, not your ball," or "I'm going to skate, not to swim," he will not fail to emphasize and inflect the italicized words aright. And why? Simply because he knows what he means, and attends to it. Let the reader study to know what his reading-lesson means, and he will spend his time more profitably than in pondering over marks and rules of disputed application. It is for the teacher, by his oral example, to instil a realization of this fact into the minds of the young.

Dr. Whately, in his Treatise on Rhetoric, pointedly condemns the artificial system of teaching elocution by marks and rules, as worse than useless. His objections have been disputed, but never answered. They are: first, that the proposed system must necessarily be imperfect; secondly, that if it were perfect, it would be a circuitous path to the object in view; and, thirdly, that even if both these objections were removed, the object would not be effectually obtained.

He who not only understands fully what he is reading, but is earnestly occupying his mind with the matter of it, will be likely to read as if he understood it, and thus to make others understand it; and, in like manner, he who not only feels it, but is exclusively absorbed with that feeling, will be likely to read as if he felt it, and communicate his impression to his hearers.

Exercises in Emphasis.

In their prosperity, my friends shall never hear of me heir adversity, always.

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There is no possibility of speaking properly the ladguage of

any passion without feeling it.

A book that is to be read requires one sort of style; a man that is to speak, must use another.

A sentiment which, expressed diffusely, will barely be admitted to be just, expressed concisely will be admired as spirited.

Whatever may have been the origin of pastoral poetry, it is undoubtedly a natural and very agreeable form of poetical composition.

A stream that runs within its banks is a beautiful object, but when it rushes down with the impetuosity and noise of a torrent, it presently becomes a sublime one.

Those who complain of the shortness of life, let it slide by them without, wishing to seize and make the most of its golden minutes. The more we do, the more we can do; the more

busy we are, the more leisure we have.

This without those, obtains a vain employ;

Those without this, but urge us to destroy.

The generous buoyant spirit is a power

Which in the virtuous mind doth all things conquer.
It bears the hero on to arduous deeds;

It lifts the saint to heaven.

To err is human; to forgive, divine.

INFLECTION.

WITH regard to the Inflections of the voice, upon which so much has been said and written-there are, in reality, but two-the rising and the falling. The compound, or circumflex inflection, is merely that in which the voice both rises and falls on the same word-as in the utterance of the word "What !" when it is intended to convey an expression of disdain, reproach, or extreme surprise.

The inflections are not termed rising or falling from the high or low tone in which they are pronounced, but from the upward or downward slide in which they terminate, whether pronounced in a high or low key. The rising inflec tion was marked by Mr. Walker with the acute accent (');

the falling, with the grave accent (). The inflection mark of the acute accent must not be confounded with its use in accentuation.

In the utterance of the interrogative sentence, "Does Cæsar deserve fame' or blame?" the word fame will have the rising or upward slide of the voice, and blame the falling or downward slide of the voice. Every pause, of whatever kind, must necessarily adopt one of these two inflections, or con tinue in a monotone.

Thus it will be seen that the rising inflection is that upward turn of the voice which we use in asking a question, answerable by a simple yes or no; and the falling inflection is that downward sliding of the voice which is commonly used at the end of a sentence.

Lest an inaccurate ear should be led to suppose that the different signification of the opposing words is the reason of their sounding differently, we give below, among other examples, some phrases composed of the same words, which are nevertheless pronounced with exactly the same difference of inflection as the others.

EXAMPLES.

The Rising followed by the Falling.

Does he talk rationally', or irrationally'?
Does he pronounce correctly', or incorrectly'?
Does he mean honestly', or dishonestly`?
Does she dance gracefully, or ungracefully`?

The Falling followed by the Kising.

He talks rationally,' not irrationally'.
He pronounces correctly' not incorrectly'.
He means honestly', not dishonestly'.
She dances gracefully', not ungracefully'.

The rising progression in a sentence connects what has been said with what is to be uttered, or what the speaker wishes. to be implied, or supplied by the hearer; and this with more

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