Obrázky stránek
PDF
ePub

of the consonant may be dwelt upon; and the syllable thus rendered long.

The consonant sounds are divided into mutes and semivowels; the mutes are divided into pure and impure mutes. The pure mutes are ek, ep, et; the impure are eb, ed, eg. The semivowels are ef, el, em, en, er, es, ev, ex, eth,* eth,† esh, exh, eng. The sound of the pure mutes cannot be at all prolonged; that of the impure, for a little time; and that of the semivowels during pleasure. As the question is about prolonging the sounds of consonants, what is to be said on that head, must chiefly refer to the semivowels. Of which the sound of some is disagreeable when continued ; of others pleasing to the ear. Of the former kind, are, ef, em, er, es, eth, eth, esh, exh. F, when prolonged, resembles the blowing of wind through a chink, and like s, retains no mark of an articulate sound after it is once formed. M, having its sound entirely through the nose, is disagreeable if continued any length of time after its formation; as it resembles more the lowing of oxen, than an articulate sound. R, when continued, is a harsh sound, like the snarling of curs. S is only a hiss, like that of serpents. Eth, eth, esh and ezh, have too much of the breath mixed in forming them to make their sounds agreeable, when continued. The only sounds, therefore, which can be prolonged with pleasure to the ear, are el, en, ev, ez, and eng. Not but all the others will admit of prolongation, on certain occasions.

Rules for sounding the Consonants.

1. None of the consonants are to be prolonged, except when the accent is upon them.

2. The sound of the consonants is never to be prolonged, except in monosyllables, or final syllables of other words; as in tell, can, love, buzz, sing, fulfil', begin, forgive, belong'.

3. Neither consonants nor vowels are to be dwelt upon beyond their common quantity, when they close a sentence. Thus, in the following line:

And if I lose my love-I lose my all.

The sound of the word love may be prolonged, as the sense is not completed; but that of all, though equally emphat

[blocks in formation]

ical, must not be continued beyond its common time, as it closes the sense. If we transpose the members of the line, the thing will be reversed; as thus

I lose my all-if I lose my love.

Here the time is increased in the word all, and that of love reduced to its common quantity.

4. When the consonants begin a word or syllable, they must be sounded short; and great care must be taken, that before their union with the following letter, they be not preceded by any confused sound of their own. This is very disagreeable to the ear, and yet it is no uncommon fault. The not attending to this, in pronouncing the letter s, has been the chief cause, why our language has been called by foreigners, the bissing language. If care be not taken carly in forming the pronunciation, people are apt to contract a habit of hissing before they utter the sound of s, as well as of continuing it at the end of words. This confused sound, at the beginning of words, is very disagreeable any of the consonants.

in

General Directions for sounding the Consonants and Vowels. Let your pronunciation be bold and forcible. An insipid flatness and languor, is almost a universal fault in reading.

In order to acquire a forcible manner of pronouncing your words, inure yourself, while reading, to draw in as much air as your lungs can contain with ease, and to expel it with vehemence, in uttering those sounds which require an emphatical pronunciation.

Let all the consonant sounds be expressed with a full impulse or percussion of the breath, and a forcille action of the organs in forming them; and let all the vowel sounds have a full and bold utterance. Continue thest exercises with perseverance, till you have acquired strength and energy of speech. But in observing this rule, beware of running into the extreme of vociferation.

EMPHASIS.

Emphasis is a forcible stress of the voice, laid upon certain words in a sentence in order to convey the meaning. Emphasis discharges in sentences, the same kind of office, that accent does in words. As accent is the link which connects syllables together, and forms them into

words; so emphasis unites words together, and forms ther into sentences and members of sentences. As accent dignifies the syllable on which it is laid, and makes it more distinguished by the ear than the rest; so emphasis ennobles the word to which it belongs, and presents it in a stronger light to the understanding. Accent is the mark which distinguishes words from each other, as simple types of our ideas, without the mutual relation in which they stand to each other. Emphasis is the mark which points. out their several degrees of relationship, in their various combinations, and the rank which they hold in the mind. Were there no accents, words would be resolved into their original syllables; were there no emphasis, sentences would be resolved into their original words; and in this case, the hearer must be at the pains himself, first, of making out the words, and afterwards their meaning: Whereas, by the use of accent and emphasis, words and their meaning being pointed out by certain marks, at the same time that they are uttered, the hearer has all the trouble saved, but that of listening; and can accompany the reader or speaker if he deliver himself well, at the same pace that he goes, with as clear a comprehension of the matter offered to his consideration, as the speaker himself has.

Emphasis is of two kinds, simple and complex: simple, when it serves only to point out the plain meaning of a proposition: complex, when, besides the meaning, it marks also some affection or emotion of the mind; or gives a meaning to words, which they would not have in their usual acceptation without such emphasis.

An infallible Rule for properly placing the Emphasis.

Every one who has any thing to read or recite in publick, should reflect in what manner, and with what kind of emphasis he would point out the meaning, if he were to deliver those words, as proceeding from the immediate sentiments of his own mind.

PAUSES OR STOPS.

Pauses or stops are a total cessation of sound, during a perceptible, and, in poetick composition, a measurable space of time.

Pauses are of two kinds; one of which conveys the idea of continuation; the other, that of completion. The former

may be called the suspending; the latter the closing pause. It is necessary, that upon the word immediately preceding the pause, the voice should be suspended in such a manner as to intimate to the hearers, that the sense is not completed.

Long and frequent pausing is essentially necessary in order to speak with ease and propriety. A solemn pause after a weighty thought, is very beautiful and striking. A well timed stop gives as much grace to speech, as it does to musick.

The pauses are governed, however, not by the common rule, (viz. that the voice should stop at the comma, semicolon, colon, and period, in proportion to the numbers one, two, three, four) but by the sense, connection, and effect of what is spoken. The construction sometimes requires a point, where a pause would be unnatural; and it is frequently proper, to pause, where none of the ordinary points can be placed.

The pauses are regulated in a great measure by emphasis. As emphasis is the link which connects words together, and forms them into sentences, or into members of sentences, when in the same sentence, there are more than one member, and more than one emphatical word, that there may be no mistake with regard to the number of words belonging to each emphasis, at the end of every such member of a sentence, there ought to be a perceptible pause.

As every member of a sentence contains some idea of more or less importance to the drift of the whole, there ought to be a sufficient pause at the end of each member, to give time for each idea to make its due impression on the mind; and the proportion of time in the pause, should be regulated by the importance of each idea, or by the closer or more remote connection which it has with the main object of the sentence. If there be any proposition or sentiment, which the reader or speaker would enforce more strongly than the rest, he may either precede it by a longer pause than usual, which will rouse attention, and give it the more weight when it is delivered; or he may make a longer pause after it is closed, which will give time for the mind to ruminate upon it, and to let it sink deep into it, by reflection; or according to the importance of the point, he may do both. He may go still further, and make

a pause before some very emphatical word, ven neither the sense nor common usage would admit of any; and this, upon proper occasions, may produce a very powerful effect.

PITCH AND MANAGEMENT OF THE VOICE.

Every one who is not corrupted by bad habits has three pitches in his voice; the Middle, the High, and the Low. The middle pitch is that which is used in ordinary discourse, from which he either rises or fails, according as the matter of his discourse or the emotions of his mind may require. This pitch, therefore, is that which ought to be generally used, for two reasons; first, because the organs of speech are stronger, and more pliable in this pitch, from constant use; secondly, because it is more easy to rise or fall from this pitch, to high or low, with regular propor

tion.

The high pitch of voice is proper in the expression of tender, plaintive, and joyous passages.

[ocr errors]

The low pitch is properly applied to passages of a solemn and gloomy nature.

A man may read or speak louder or softer in the same key; when he speaks higher or lower, he changes his key: So that it is the business of every one to proportion the force or loudness of his voice to the room and number of his auditors, in his usual pitch. If the room and number of his auditors be larger than ordinary, he is to read or speak louder, not higher; in his usual key, not in a new one. And whoever neglects to do this, will never be able to manage his voice with ease to himself, or pleasure to his hearers.

The best rule for a speaker or reader, is, never to utter a greater quantity of voice than he can afford without pain to himself, or any extraordinary effort.

Every speaker or reader should take care in the management of his breath, always to get a fresh supply before he feels any want; for while he has some to spare, he recruits it with such ease, that his hearers are not at all sensible of his doing it.

The second rule for giving a proper degree of loudness, or issuing a sufficient quantity of voice, proportioned to the room and audience, is this, let the speaker, after having looked round the assembly, fix his eyes on that part of his auditory which is farthest from him, and endeavour to pitch his voice so that it may reach them.

« PředchozíPokračovat »