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is decided by custom, and does not form any part of the present inquiry. The question here discussed is, What is the nature of that force on a certain syllable of a word, which word cannot properly be called emphatical? Thus, in the following sentence,

Evil communication corrupts integrity,

not a single word is emphatical. Every word is pronounced with an equal degree of force, and every word has one accented syllable pronounced evidently louder than the rest. But in the following sentence,

Censure is the tax a man pays to the public for being eminent;

-in the pronunciation of this sentence, I say, we find the words in Italics pronounced with an equal degree of force, but that the others sink into a feebleness, distinguishable by the dullest ear. If we inquire what degree of feebleness it is which these words fall into, we shall find it to be exactly that which is given to the unaccented syllables of the words censure, public, and eminent: so that if we consider the words in Roman letters as unaccented syllables of the others, and joined to them as such, we shall have a precise idea of the comparative force of each. Let us, for example, suppose them written in the manner following,

Censure isthetax amanpàys tothepúblic forbeingèminent; and we find we have a precise and definite idea of the two forces, and need not recur to the common vague direction of " pronouncing some words more forcibly, but not so as to deprive the rest of all force:"-the forces of these two kinds of words are as much settled as the two kinds of force on accented and unaccented syl

lables, and these are sufficiently understood by all who have the gift of speech.

The first obvious distinction, therefore, between the sounds of words, with respect to force, is, into accented and unaccented; and while we know what force we ought to give to the unaccented syllables of a word, we can be at no loss for the force on unaccented words; and we need but consider these words as the unaccented syllables of the others, to pronounce them properly.

On Emphatic Force.

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EMPHATIC force, or that force we give to words either placed in opposition to other words, or suggesting such an opposition,-this force, I say, is not quite so definite as the force of ac cent very luckily, however, the degree of emphatic words is not so essential to emphasis as the degree of accented force is to accented words: if we pronounce the smaller and less important words of a sentence with the same force we do the more significant words, we shall soon find that accent is of much more importance to the sense than emphasis. Let us, example, pronounce every word in the foregoing sentence (where there is no emphatic word) with an equal degree of force, and we shall find they want that light and shade which is necessary to form a strong picture of the thought. On the contrary, let us preserve the proper inflexions upon the accented syllables of emphatic words, and we shall find the sense fully and clearly brought out, without any more force upon these words than is given to the other accented words, which are not emphatical. Thus, in the following sentence,

The corruption of the best things produces the worst, we find the two words best and worst are in opposition to each other, and are therefore emphatical; but in order to express this emphasis, we do not find ourselves under the least necessity of pronouncing these words louder or more forcibly than the words corruption and produces. The 'word things indeed must necessarily be pronounced feeble, like an unaccented syllable of the word best; and it is on this feebleness of the word, which belongs to both parts of the emphasis, that the emphatic sense depends much more than on the force which is given to the emphatic words themselves. Let us try to illustrate this by examples.

Prosperity gains friends, and adversity tries them.

In this sentence we find the force of the emphatic words depends entirely on the feebleness with which we pronounce the words common to both parts of the antithesis: for if, instead of pronouncing the words friends and them as unaccented syllables of gains and tries, we should give them the same force we do to the latter words, the emphasis and meaning of the sentence would be entirely lost. Let us take another example.

I do not so much request as demand your attention.

Here the words your attention may be called the elliptical words; for it is by ellipsis only that they are omitted after request; and these words must necessarily be pronounced like unaccented syllables of the word demand, or the sentence will be deprived of its energy. If we pronounce these words feebly, the words request and demand may only have common accented force,

and yet the emphatic sense of the sentence will be very perceptible; but if we pronounce your attention with as much force as the words request and demand, let us increase the force on these latter words as much as we please, we shall find it impossible to make the sentence emphatical.

Thus we see, that pronouncing the elliptical words feebly, and as if they were only unaccented syllables of those to which they belong, is of much more importance to the sense of a sentence than any additional force on the emphatic word. If it be demanded what is the degree of force we must give to emphatic words when we do bestow this force on them, it may be answered, that this will in a great measure depend on the degree of passion with which the words are expressed; but if we have merely an eye to the expression of the sense (for expressing the sense of a passage, and expressing the passion of it, are very different things) we may make the force of the emphatic words exceed that of the accented words as much as the accented force exceeds the unaccented.

Having thus shown the nature of accent and emphasis, as they are two species of force, and endeavoured to evince the necessity of attending more to the inflexion of the accent than to any greater degree of force upon it; I shall, in the next place, give a concise view of the cause of emphasis, or that particular meaning in the words which requires a more than common force in the pronunciation of them.

What it is that constitutes Emphasis.

In every assemblage of objects, some will apIN pear more worthy of notice than others. In every

assemblage of ideas, which are pictures of these objects, the same difference will certainly reign among them; and in every assemblage of words, which are pictures of these ideas, we shall find some of more importance than others. It is the business of a speaker to mark this importance, and, consequently, a good speaker will make his pronunciation an exact picture of the words. The art of speaking then must principally consist in arranging each word into its proper class of importance, and afterwards giving it a suitable pronunciation, We have seen, in the last article, that the prepositions, conjunctions, and smaller words, are generally pronounced like unaccented syllables of the nouns, verbs, and participles, to which they belong, and that these are sometimes pronounced more or less forcibly, according to the peculiar meaning annexed to them.

Now what is this peculiar meaning in words which requires a more than ordinary force in pronouncing them, and properly denominates them emphatical? This question, however difficult it may appear at first sight, may be answered in one word,-opposition. Whenever words are contrasted with, contradistinguished from, or opposed to, other words, they are always emphatical. When both parts of this opposition or contrast are expressed, the emphatic words become very obvious; as in the following passage from Pope :

'Tis hard to say, if greater want of skill
Appear in writing, or in judging ill:
But of the two, less dangerous is th' offence
To tire our patience, than mislead our sense;
Some few in that, but numbers err in this;
Ten censure wrong, for one who writes amiss.

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