SECTION IV.

INFLECTIONS.

I. NATURE OF INFLECTIONS.

INFLECTIONS are slides of the voice upward or downward. Of hese there are two. One is called the rising inflection, in which the voice slides upward, and is marked thus ('); as, Did you walk'? The other is called the falling inflection, in which the voice slides downward, and is marked thus ('); as, I did not walk'. They are both exhibited in the following question: Did you walk', or did you ride'? In pronouncing the word walk' in this question, the voice slides upward. On the contrary, the voice slides downward, in pronouncing the word ride'. This is sometimes exhibited

you

walk

or

ride?

in the following way of writing the words: Did It is important that these inflections should be familiar to the ear of the learner. In the following questions, the first member has the rising, and the second member, the falling inflection.

Is he sick', or is he well?

Is he young, or is he old`?
Is he rich', or is he poor?
Did

you say valor', or value`?
Did you say statute, or statue`?

Did he act properly', or improperly`?*

In the following answers to these questions, the inflections are used in a contrary order, the first member terminating with the falling, and the second, with the rising inflection.

He is well, not sick.
He is young, not old.
He is rich, not poor.
I said value`, not valor.

I said statue, not statute'.

He acted properly, not improperly'.

These slides of the voice are sometimes very slight, so as to be scarcely perceptible, but at other times, when the words are

*These questions and similar ones, with their answers, should be repeatedly pronounced with their proper inflections, until the distinction between the rising and falling inflection is well understood and easily made by the learner. He will be assisted in this, by emphasizing strongly the inflected; thus, Did you ride' or did you walk?

pronounced in an animated tone, and strongly emphasized, the voice passes upward or downward, through several notes. This will readily be perceived, by pronouncing the above questions or answers with a strong emphasis.

QUESTIONS.-What are inflections? How does the voice slide in the rising inflection? How, in the falling? Explain their use in the question given as an example. Explain the different inflections, in the questions, commencing with, "Is he sick', or is he well?" Explain them, in the answers to these questions. Are these inflections always very plainly perceived? When are they most readily perceived?

II. FALLING INFLECTION.

RULE I. The falling inflection is generally proper, wherever the sense is complete; as,

Truth is more wonderful than fiction.

Men generally die as they live`.

By industry we obtain wealth`.

The falling of the voice at the close of a sentence is sometimes called a cadence, and properly speaking, there is a slight difference between it and the falling inflection, but for all practical purposes they may be considered as one and the same. It is of some importance, and requires attention to be able to close a sentence gracefully. The ear, however, is the best guide on this point.

Parts of a sentence often make complete sense in themselves, and in this case, unless qualified or restrained by the succeeding clause or unless the contrary is indicated by some other principle, the falling inflection takes place, according to the rule; as,

Truth is wonderful`, even more so than fiction.

Men generally die as they live`, and by their lives we must judge of their character`.

By industry we obtain wealth`, and persevering exertion will seldom be unrewarded`.

Exception. When a sentence concludes with a negative clause, or with a contrast or comparison, (called also antithesis), the first member of which requires the falling inflection, it must close with the rising inflection. See Rule VI, and 28, Note. Examples: No one desires to be thought a fool'.

I come to bury Cæsar, not to praise him. If we caro not for others, we ought at least to respect ourselves". He lives in England`, not in France'.

In bearing testimony to the general character of a man we say,

He is too honorable' to be guilty of a vile act`.

But if he is accused of some act of baseness, a contrast is, at once, instituted between his character and the specified act, and we change the inflections, and say,

He is too honorable to be guilty of such an act.

A man may say, in general terms,

I am too busy' for projects`.

But if he is urged to embark in some particular enterprise, he will change the inflections, and say,

I am too busy for projects'.

In such cases, as the falling inflection is required in the former part, by the principle of contrast and emphasis, (as will hereafter be more fully explained,) the sentence necessarily closes with the rising inflection.

Sometimes also, emphasis alone seems to require the rising inflection on the concluding word. See exception to Rule II.

Remark. As a sentence generally ends with the falling inflection, harmony and variety of sound seem to require, that the last but one should be the rising inflection. Such, in fact, is the very common custom of speakers, even though this part of the sentence, where the rising inflections would fall, should form complete sense. This principle may, therefore, be considered as sometimes giving authority for exception to the rule. This may be illustrated by the following sentence. If read according to the Rule, it would be inflected thus:

Hearken to thy father who hath cherished thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

If read in accordance with the principle above stated, it would be inflected thus:

Hearken to thy father who hath cherished' thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

If the two words only, "cherished" and "old" are inflected, the latter perhaps would be the correct reading, but let the word "mother" be also inflected, and the two principles no longer conIflict with each other. It would then be read as follows:

Hearken to thy Father who hath cherished` thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

In many cases, however, it may be necessary that one or the other of these principles should give way. Which of them should yield, in any given case, must depend upon the construction of the sentence, the nature of the style and subject, and often, upon the taste of the speaker.

RULE II.-Language which demands strong emphasis, generally requires the falling inflection.

Under this head may be specified the following particulars: 18 Command, or urgent entreaty; as,

Begone`,

Run to your houses, fall upon your knees.
Pray to the Gods to intermit the plagues.
Answer me, to what I ask you.

O save me, Hubert`, save me; my eyes are out
Even with the fierce looks of these bloody men.

2§. Exclamation, especially when indicating strong emotion; as, Gods! ye Gods! must I endure all this?

Oh, ye

Hark! hark! the horrid sound

Hath raised up his head.

A present deity! they shout around,

A present deity! the vaulted roofs rebound.

For remarks on the interrogatory exclamation, see Rule V, Note. 38. In a series of words or members, where each particular is specified with some degree of emphasis, if it be a commencing series, the falling inflection is proper at each word or member, except the last, which must have the rising inflection; if it be a concluding series, the falling inflection is given to each word or member, except the last but one, which requires the rising inflection.

EXAMPLES OF COMMENCING SERIES.

Wine, beauty, music`, pomp', are poor. expedients to heave off the load of an hour from the heir of eternity`.

Absalom's beauty`, Jonathan's love`, David's valor, Solomon's wisdom, the patience of Job', the prudence of Augustus, the eloquence of Cicero, and the intelligence of all, though faintly amiable in the creature, are found in immense perfection in the Creator`.

I conjure you by that which you profess,
(Howe'er you came to know it,) answer me;
Though you untie the winds and let them fight
Against the churches; though the yeasty waves

Confound and swallow navigation` up;

Though bladed corn be lodged, and trees blown down`;
Though castles topple on their warder's heads`;
Though palaces and pyramids do slope

Their heads to their foundations; though the treasures
Of nature's germens tumble altogether`,

Even till destruction sicken'; answer me

To what I ask` you.

Such series as the above, whether in the beginning or middle of a sentence, if they do not conclude the sentence, are called commencing series. If, however, they close the sentence, they are called concluding series.

EXAMPLES OF CONCLUDING SERIES.

They passed o'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp;

"Rocks, caves, lakes`, fens`, bogs`, dens', and shades of death`.

They, through faith, subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword`, out of weakness were made strong, wazed valiant in fight', turned to flight the armies of aliens.

NOTE. When the emphasis on these words or members, is not marked, they take the rising inflection, according to Rule IV; as,

They are the offspring of restlessness', vanity', and idleness`.
Love', hope', and joy' took possession of his breast.

48. When words, which naturally take the rising inflection, become emphatic by repetition or any other cause, they often take the falling inflection. For examples, see Exceptions to Rules IV. and V.

Exception to the Rule.-While the tendency of emphasis is decidedly to the use of the falling inflection, sometimes a word to which the falling inflection naturally belongs, when it becomes emphatic, changes this for the rising inflection; as,

Three thousand ducats', 't is a good round sum'.

It is useless to point out the beauties of nature to one who is blind'. Here sum and blind, according to Rule I, would take the falling inflection, but as they are emphatic, and the object of emphasis is to draw attention to the word emphasized, this is here accomplished, in part, by giving an unusual inflection. Some speakers would give these words the circumflex, but it would be the rising circumflex, so that the sound would still terminate with the rising inflection.