Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

5. FROM "HAMLET."

Hamlet. Hold you the wútch to-night?
Mar. and Ber. We dò, my lord.
Hamlet. Ármed, say you?

Mar. and Ber. Armed, my lord.

Hamlet. From top to tóc?

Mar. and Ber. My lord, from héad to fòot.
Hamlet. Then you saw not his fáce?

Hor. Oh, yés, my lórd; he wore his beaver ùp.
Hamlet. Whát, looked he frówningly?

Hor. A countenance more in sûrrow than in ănger. Hamlet. Pále or rèd?

Hor. Nay, very pale.

Hamlet. And fixed his eyes upon you?

Hor. Most constantly.

Hamlet. I would I had been there.

Hor. It would have much amazed you. SHAKESPEARE.

III.

INFLECTIONS OF THE PARENTHESIS.

Rule I. The words included in a parenthesis, or between two dashes used as a parenthesis, and any phrase corresponding in effect to a parenthesis, are read with the same inflection as the clause immediately preceding them.

"A lower and less forcible tone, and a more rapid utterance, than in the other parts of a sentence, together with a degree of monotony, are required in the reading of a parenthesis. The form of parenthesis implies something thrown in as an interruption of the main thought in a sentence. Hence its suppressed and hurried tone; the voice seeming to hasten over it slightly, as if impatient to resume the principal object. The same remark applies, with more or less force, to all intervening phrases, whether in the exact form of parenthesis or not."

RUSSELL.

EXAMPLES.

1. Uprightness is a habit, and, like all other habits, gains strength by time and exercise. If then we éxercise upright prínciples (and we cannot have them, unless we éxercise them), they must be perpetually on the increase.

2. "And this," said hé-putting the remains of a crust into his wallet-" and this should have been thỳ portion," said hè, "hadst thou been alive to have shared it with me."

3. To my mind-though I am native here,

And to the manner bórn-it is a custom

More honored in the breach than the observance.

SHAKESPEARE.

SUMMARY OF INFLECTION.

1. The stronger the emphasis, the longer the slides. 2. In unimpassioned reading, the emphasis is slight and the slides are short: in bold and dignified composition, the emphasis is stronger and the slides are longer: and in highly impassioned or dramatic reading, the emphasis is strongest and the slides are longest.

3. The general principle that underlies all the rules of inflection is as follows: The rising inflection in general denotes incompleteness of statement, comparatively unimportant statement, interrogation, or negation; the falling inflection denotes completed or emphatic statement.

GENERAL INFLECTION DRILL.

1. Sing the scale, upward and downward.

2. Substitute in place of the note names the long vocals, nus: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, ā, ē, ō.

3. Sound the third, fifth, and eighth notes of the

scale; then substitute for the note names the following: ē, ä, oo.

4. Give the long vowel sounds, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, (1) with the rising "second;" (2) with the rising "third;" (3) with the rising "fifth;" (4) with the rising "eighth."

5. Give the long vowel sounds, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, with the falling "second," "third," "fifth," and "eighth."

6. Give the long vowel sounds, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, with the rising wave of the "third;" of the "fifth;" of the "octave;" the falling wave with the same degrees.

IV. THE CIRCUMFLEX INFLECTION. The circumflex, or wave, is a combination of the rising and falling inflections on the same word or sound.

The rising circumflex ends with the rising inflection, and is denoted thus (); the falling circumflex ends. with the downward slide, and is marked thus (^).

The circumflex is more emphatic than the direct rising and falling inflections. The circumflex may be divided into the distinctive and the emotional.

I. THE DISTINCTIVE CIRCUMFLEX OF THE THIRD.

The distinctive, or unimpassioned, circumflex occurs. when the voice rises or falls through the interval of the third. It is the characteristic inflection of good-natured raillery, of humor, and of wit. It is used in expressing a pun, or a play upon words. It expresses a double meaning, or a double relation. It carries the mind back to something that has been said, or forward to some thing to be said. This form of circumflex is a delicate wave of the voice, and is very expressive; but great care should be taken not to overdo it. Carried to excess, it becomes ridiculous.

II. INFLECTION DRILL.

1. Sound the long vocals, ā, ē, I, ō, ū, with the slight rising circumflex of the third; with the slight falling circumflex.

2. Count from one to twenty, with the slight rising circumflex; with the falling wave of the third.

3. It is n't the secret I care about, Mr. Caudle. It's the slight.

4. Do you hear the rain, Mr. Caudle?

5. When lawyers take what they would give,
And doctors give what they would take.

6. I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong,
Who, you all know, are honorable měn.

7. Men, indeed! call themselves lords of creation! Pretty lords, when they can't even take care of an umbrella!

8. Let any man resolve to do right now, leaving then to do as it can; and if he were to live to the age of Methuselah, he would never do wrong. But the common error is to resolve to act right after breakfast, or ǎfter dinner, or to-morrow morning, or next tîme. But now, just now, this once, we must go on the same as èver.

III. EMOTIONAL CIRCUMFLEX.

The emotional circumflex occurs when the voice rises or falls through an interval of the fifth or the eighth. It is the wave of irony, sarcasm, scorn, contempt, hatred, revenge, astonishment, or amazement. It is the inflection of very strong emphasis.

The rising circumflex occurs where, otherwise, the direct rising inflection would be used; and the falling wave where, otherwise, the falling slide would be applied.

IV. INFLECTION DRILL.

1. Sound the long vocals, a, e, i, o, u, with the rising circumflex of the fifth; with the falling circumflex.

2. Repeat, five times, with surprise, the words, "ǎh! indeed!" with the rising circumflex of the fifth.

3. Gone to be married! gone to swear a peace! 4. Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions?

5. Repeat, with irony and the falling wave of the fifth, the expression, "I told you sô.”

6. Sound the long vocals, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, with the rising wave of the eighth; the falling wave of the eighth.

7. Repeat, five times, with the greatest possible astonishment, the following: ah! indeed! is it true!

8. O noble judge! O excellent young man!

9. No! by St. Bride of Bothwell, no!

10. Soars thy presumption then so high,
Because a wretched kern ye slew,
Homage to name to Roderick Dhu?

V. EXAMPLES OF THE DISTINCTIVE CIRCUMFLEX.

The distinctive circumflex is the delicate wave of the voice, generally of the rising or falling third, indicative of mirth, fun, wit, humor, and good-natured raillery. In the following examples, be careful not to overdo the inflection or the emphasis.

EXAMPLES.

1. THE DEBTOR.

A debtor is a man of mark. Many eyes are fixed upon. him; many have interest in his well-being; his movements are of concern; he can not disappear unheeded;

« AnteriorContinuar »