alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

PA.RT IV.
PROSODY.
1050. PROSODY treats of Elocution and Versificatioll.
ELOCUTION.
1051. ELOCUTION is correct pronunciation, or the proper
management of the voice in reading or speaking.
1052. In order to read and speak with grace and effect, alteution must
be paid to the proper pitch of the voice, the accent and qUill/lily of the
syllables, and to emphasis, pauses, and tones.
1(}53.-1. In the PITCH and management of the voice, it should be
neither too high nor too low; it should be distinct and clear; the utterance
neither too quick nor tuo slow, and neither too varied nor too monotouous.
1054.-2. ACCE"T is the laying of a particular stress of voice on a certain
syllable in a word, as the sy Hable vir- in vir' tue, vir' tuous.
1055.-3. The QUANTITY of a syllable is the r~lative time which is required
tu pronounce it. A long syllable, in quantity, is equal to two short
ones. Thus, pine, tube, note, require to be sounded as long again as pin,
tub, not.
In English versificatiou, an accented syllable is long, an unaccented
one is short.
1056.-4. E~IPHA8IS me:tD8 that greater stress of the voice which we
lay on some palticular word or words, iu order to mark their superior importance
in the sentence, and thereby the better to convey the idea intended
by the writer or speaker.
10!J7.-5. PAUSES or rests, are cessations of the voice, in order to enable
the reader or speaker to take breath; and to give the heal'er a distinct
perception of the meaning, not only of each sentence, but of the whole
discourse (985). For poetic pauses, see (1115-1118).
1058.-6. TONES consist in the modulation of the voice, and the notes,
or val'iations of Bouod, which we employ in speaking, to express the dif·
fe~ent sentiments, emotions, or fecliugd, intended .
... * A full cousideration of these topics, in a work of this kind, would
be as impracticable as it would be out of place, since it would require a
volume for that purpose. They are fully treated of and exemplified in
works on elocution-a subject which is, or should be, taken up liS a separate
branch of study.