prolonged the vowel and the liquid sounds. It may here be remarked that the liquid sounds capable of being prolonged in emphasis are l, m, n, and r. The short vowel sounds and the consonant sounds, with the exception of l, m, n, r, cannot be prolonged in emphasis. 5. "Every sentence," says Prof. William Russell, “contains one or more words which are prominent, and peculiarly important, in the expression of meaning. These words are marked with a distinctive inflection; those, in particular, which illustrate the reading of strong emotion, or of antithesis. 6. "The words which are pronounced with peculiar inflection, are uttered with more force than the other words in the same sentences. This special force is what is called emphasis. Its use is to impress more strikingly on the mind of the hearer the thought, or portion of thought, embodied in the particular word or phrase on which it is laid. 7. "It gives additional energy to important points in expression, by causing sounds which are peculiarly significant, to strike the ear with an appropriate and distinguishing force. It possesses, in regard to the sense of hearing, a similar advantage to that of 'relief,' or prominence to the eye, in a well-executed picture, in which the figures seem to stand out from the canvas. 8. "Emphasis, then, being the manner of pronouncing the most significant words, its office is of the utmost importance to an intelligible and impressive utterance. It is the manner of uttering emphatic words which decides the meaning of every sentence that is read or spoken. 9. "A true emphasis conveys a sentiment clearly and forcibly to the mind, and keeps the attention of an audience in active sympathy with the thoughts of the speaker; it gives full value and effect to all that he utters, and secures a lasting impression on the memory.” II. FAULTS IN EMPHASIS. In animated conversation, most persons emphasize correctly because they know clearly what they wish to express; but, in reading the long and involved sentences of literary composition, the faults of untrained readers are numerous. 1. Sometimes the emphasis is misplaced because the reader does not clearly comprehend the sense of what is read. 2. Sometimes the emphasis is applied at random, without reference to prominent ideas. 3. Sometimes the untrained reader reads in a dull, monotonous tone, without any emphasis whatever. 4. Not unfrequently the pupil overdoes the emphasis, and reads in a jerky, dogmatic manner. 5. There is often a tendency to a regular recurrence of emphasis, combined with the falling inflection, on random words, particularly at the end of every line of poetry, or of every alternate line, or at the end of every phrase or clause. III. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF EMPHASIS. 1. Words or groups of words that express leading ideas are emphatic; those that express what is comparatively unimportant, or that merely repeat what has been previously stated, are unemphatic. 2. Words expressing contrast of ideas are emphatic. 3. The subject and predicate of a sentence are, in general, emphatic. 4. Articles, pronouns, and connectives are, in general, unemphatic, though any part of speech may sometimes become emphatic. 5. The emphatic words of a sentence are generally the words most strongly marked by the rising, falling, or circumflex inflection. IV. DISTINCTION OF EMPHASIS. Emphasis may be divided into two kinds, antithetic or relative emphasis, and absolute emphasis, Antithetic emphasis is applied to words that indicate contrast of ideas: Absolute emphasis is used to show the importance of a single word or to express feeling, emotion, or passion The degree of emphasis to be applied to words may be considered as slight, moderate, or strong. V. EXAMPLES OF ANTITHETIC EMPHASIS. 1. He is not a friend but an enemy. 3. To be or not to be-that is the question. 5. As for me, give me liberty or give me death. 9. Tálent is power; táct is skill. 11. He spoke for education, not agáinst it. 12. The clerk, in letting Scrooge's nephew out, had let two other people in. 13. Put not your trust in money, but put your money in trust. 14. The noblest mind the best contentment has. 15. Be thou famíliar, but by no means vulgar. 16. Give every man thine éar, but few thy voice. 17. Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment. 18. COMPENSATION. Polárity, or áction and réaction, we meet in every part of nature-in dárkness and light; in heat and còld; in the ebb and flow of waters; in male and female; in the inspiration and expiration of plants and ànimals; in the equation of quantity and quality in the fluids of the animal body; in the sýstole and diàstole of the heart; in the undulations of fluids and of sound; in the centrífugal and centripetal gravity; in electricity, gálvanism, and chemical affinity. Superinduce magnetism at one end of a needle, the opposite magnetism takes place at the other end. If the south attracts, the north repèls. To empty here, you must condense thère. An inevitable dualism bisects nature, so that each thing is a half and suggests another thing to make it whole; as, spírit, màtter; mán, woman; ódd, èven; súbjective, òbjective; in, out; úpper, under; motion, rest; yêu, này. All things are double, óne against another-tit for tat; an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; blood for blood; méasure for measure; love for love. Give and it shall be given you. He that wátereth shall be watered himself. What will you have? quoth Gód; pay for it and take it. Nothing venture, nothing have. Thou shalt be paid exactly for what thou hast done, no more, no less. Who doth not work shall not eat. VI. EXAMPLES OF ABSOLUTE EMPHASIS. EMERSON. Absolute emphasis is applied to words according to their importance in the sentence, or according to the degree of emotion or passion to be expressed. When words are repeated for the purpose of intensifying emotion, each successive repetition is more forcibly emphasized. 1. It was a turkey! He never could have stood upon his légs, that bird. He would have snapped 'em short off in a minute, like sticks of sealing-wax. 2. What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? 3. "Revenge! revenge!" the Saxons cried. 4. Then rose the terrible cry of fire! fire! fìre! 5. We must fight; I repeat it, sir, we must fight! 6. "To arms! to arms! to arms!" they cry. 7. Háppy, happy, happy páir ! None but the brave, None but the brave, None but the brave deserves the fàir! 8. CHRISTMAS CAROL. "Why, bless my soul!" cried Fred, "who's that?” "It's I. Your uncle Scrooge. I have come to dinner. Will you let me in, Fred?" Let him in ! It is a mercy he did n't shake his arm óff. He was at home in five minutes. Nothing could be heàrtier. His niece looked just the same. So did Topper, when he cáme. So did the plump sister, when she came. So did every one when they came. Wonderful párty, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, wonder-ful happiness! DICKENS. 9. GRANDMOTHER'S STORY OF BUNKER-HILL BATTLE. Then we cried, "The troops are routed! they are beat— it can't be doubted! God be thanked, the fight is over!"-Ah! the grim old soldier's smile! Tell us, TELL us why you look so? (we could hardly speak we shook so.) "Are they beaten? áre they béaten? àre they beaten?" "Wait awhile." And we shout, "At last they 're done for; it's the barges they have rùn for: They are beaten! bèaten! BEATEN! and the battle's over now." HOLMES. |