Elements of Elocution. By J. Walker. Two Volumes. 8vo. 125

Robinfon.

THIS work is the fubftance of a courfe of lectures on the art of reading, delivered at feveral colleges in the uni verfity of Oxford.

It is not merely a collection of fentences, and independent obfervations; but a regular fyftem, founded on certain prin ciples, which the author has illuftrated and fupported with great industry, modefly, and ingenuity.

The elocution, which is the object of this effay, is the pronunciation, which is given to words, when they are arranged into fentences, and form a difcourfe. The mode of pronouncing fingle words, independently on one another, is nơ part of his plan.

As the fenfe of an author is the first object of reading, he finds it neceffary to enquire into thofe divifions and fubdivifions of a sentence, which are employed to fix and afcertain its meaning. This leads him to confider the doctrine of punc tuation. The use of the comma, being perhaps attended with more difficulty, than that of the other points, he has confidered it with particular attention, and laid down a great variety of rules for its proper application. The greatest part of thefe directions are undoubtedly right; but, we apprehend, that if certain general rules could be adopted, the business of punctuation, or, which is the fame thing, that of pausing in reading, would be more eafily understood, and more regularly

obferved.

Sentences, in general, require a comma, or a pause, where there is a connective particle, or a word, introducing a new member, which may be feparated from the preceding part.

you are the author.

1. All conjunctions are, as it were, the joints, where the body of a sentence ought to be divided. For inftance: I am convinced, that it is a mistake. I am informed, that I wish to know, whether you intend to go to Italy, or not. I fhall be fatisfied, when I have feen the original. I fhall keep it, if you pleafe. I fhall stay, but you may return. He has finished it, as you directed. I will fet out immediately, left I fhould be too late. He will continue there, till the end of Auguft, &c.

2. Perfonal pronouns may generally admit a comma, or a fmall paufe, before them: as, the author, who wrote on that fubject. The tree, which grows in the garden. The lady, whom I faw at Paris. The fruit of that forbidden tree, whose mortal tafte. The folio volume, that lies on the table, &c.

3. If a prepofition is prefixed to the pronoun, the pause is before the prepofition. For inftance: the room, in which I am fitting. The gentleman, with whom I am acquainted. The country, from which he came. The prize, for which he contends, &c.

There are many rules, mentioned by this writer, which deserve attention, and to which we must refer those readers, who wish to form a competent idea of punctuation. We have fuggefted these three as hints only, which may open the way to a farther investigation of the subject.

Befides the paufes, which indicate a greater or lefs feparation of the parts of a sentence, and a conclufion of the whole, there are certain inflections of voice, accompanying those paufes, which are as neceffary to the fenfe of the fentence, as the pauses themselves. Any method therefore, which can afcertain those inflections, and convey them to the understanding of the reader, by certain written marks and diftinctions, cannot fail of being acceptable to thofe, who wish to become proficients in the art of elocution.

A laudable attempt to discover something of this nature has led our author into a distinction of the voice, which, though often mentioned by musicians, has been but little noticed by teachers of reading; which is, that diftinction of the voice into the upward and downward slide, into which all speaking founds may be refolved. The moment, fays he, I admitted this diftinction I found I had poffeffion of the quality of the voice I wanted.

These two slides, or inflexions of voice are the axes, as it were, on which the force, variety, and harmony of speaking turns. They may be confidered as the great outlines of pro nunciation; and if thefe outlines can be tolerably conveyed to a reader, they must be of nearly the fame ufe to him, as the rough draught of a picture is to a pupil in painting. This then we fhall attempt to accomplish, by adducing fome of the most familiar phrases in the language, and pointing out the inflexions which every ear, however unpractifed, will naturally adopt in pronouncing them. These phrafes, which are in every body's mouth, will become a kind of data, or principles, to which the reader must constantly be referred, when he is at a lofs for the precife found, that is understood by thefe different inflexions and these familiar founds, it is prefumed, will fufficiently instruct him.'

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-Much of that force, variety, and harmony which we hear in fpeaking arifes from two different modes of uttering the words of which a fentence is composed; the one, that which terminates the word with an inflexion of voice that rifes, and the other, that which terminates the word with an inflexion of voice VOL. LII. Aug. 1781. that

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that falls. By rifing, or falling, is not meant the pitch of voice in which the whole word is pronounced, or that loudness or softnefs which may accompany any pitch'; but that upward or downward flide which the voice makes when the pronunciation of a word is finishing; and which nray, therefore, not improperly be called the rifing and falling inflexion.

So important is a juft mixture of these two inflexions, that the moment they are neglected, our pronunciation becomes forcelefs and monotonous; if the fenfe of a fentence requires the voice to adopt the rifing inflexion, on any particular word, either in the middle, or at the end of a phrafe, variety and harmony demand the falling inflexion on one of the preceding words; and on the other hand, if emphafis, harmony, or a completion of fenfe requires the falling inflexion on any word, the word im mediately preceding, almost always demands the rifing inflexion; fo that thefe inflexions of voice are in an order nearly alternate.

This is very obfervable in reading a fentence, when we have, miftaken the connexion between the members, either by fuppofing the fenfe is to be continued, when it finishes, or fuppofing it finished when it is really to be continued: for in either of these cafes, before we have pronounced the laft word, we find it neceffary to return pretty far back to fome of the preceding. words, in order to give them fuch inflexions as are fuitable to those which the fenfe requires on the fucceeding words. Thus, in pronouncing the fpeech of Portius in Cato, which is generally mifpointed, as in the following example:

"Remember what our father oft has told us,
The ways of heav'n are dark and intricate,
Puzzled in mazes and perplex'd in errors ;
Our underflanding traces them in vain,
Loft and bewilder'd in the fruitless fearch:
Nor fecs with how much art the windings turn,
Nor where the regular confufion ends."

If, I fay, from not having confidered this paffage, we run the fecond line into the third, by fufpending the voice at intricate, and dropping it at errors, we find a very improper meaning conveyed; and if in recovering ourfelves from this improper pronunciation, we take notice of the different manner in which we pronounce the fecond and third lines, we fhall find, that not only the laft word of thefe lines, but that every word alters its inflexion: for, when we perceive, that by miftaking the paufe, we have mifconceived the fenfe, we find it neceffary to begin the line again, and pronounce every word differently, in order to

make it harmonious.

But though there two inflexions of voice run through almost every word-of which a fentence is compofed, they are no where fo perceptible as at a long paufe, or where the fenfe of the words requires an emphafis: in this cafe, if we do but attend

nicely

nicely to that turn of the voice, which finishes this emphatical word, or that member of a fentence where we paufe, we fhall foon perceive the different inflexion with which these words are pronounced.

In order to make this different inflexion of voice more eafily apprehended; it may not, perhaps, be ufelefs to attend to the foĺlowing directions. Let us fuppofe we are to pronounce the following fentence:

Does Cæfar deferve fame or blame?

This fentence, it is prefumed, will, at first fight, be pronounced with the proper inflexions of voice, by every one that can barely read; and if the reader will but narrowly watch the founds of the words fame and blame, he will have an example of the two inflexions here fpoken of: fame will have the rifing, and blame the falling inflexion: but to make this diftinction still clearer, if instead of pronouncing the word fame flightly, he does but give it a strong emphatic force, and let it drawl off the tongue for fome time before the found finishes, he will find it flide upwards and end in a rifing tone; if he makes the fame experiment on the word blame, he will find the found flide downwards, and end in a falling tone; and this drawling pronunciation, though it lengthens the founds beyond their proper duration, does not alter them effentially; the fame inflexions are preferved as in the common pronunciation; and the diftinction is as real in one mode of pronouncing as in the other, though not fo percep

tible.

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Every paufe, of whatever kind, muft neceffarily adopt one of these two inflexions, or continue in a monotone: thus when we afk a question without the interrogative words, we naturally adopt the rifing inflexion on the last word: as,

• Can Cæfar deserve blame? Impoffible!

Here blame, the laft word of the question, has the rifing inflexion, and impoffible, with the note of admiration, the falling: the comma, or that fufpenfion of voice generally annexed to it, which marks a continuation of the fenfe, is most frequently accompanied by the rifing inflexion, as in the following fen

tence :

• If Cæfar deserves blame, he ought to have no fame. Here we find the word blame, marked with the comma, has exactly the fame inflexion of voice as the fame word in the interrogative fentence immediately preceding; the only difference is, that the rifing inflexion flides higher at the interrogation than at the comma; efpecially if it is pronounced with emphafis.

The three other points, namely, the femicolon, colon, and period, adopt either the rifing or falling inflexion as the fenfe or harmony requires, though in different degrees of elevation and depreflion.'

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The

The author proceeds to illuftrate these principles by a great variety of examples, fhewing, what flide or inflexion of the voice is fuited to exprefs the feveral pauses and diftinctions of punctuation, with clearness, ftrength, and propriety; and what pronunciation is required by emphasis, variety, harmony, and paffion.

This fubject leads him infenfibly into intricacies and diftinctions, whither perhaps few of his readers will be able to follow him; they who are able will undoubtedly profit by his ingenious fpeculations.

The following obfervation concerning the modulation of the voice in public speaking; is juft and important.

The fafeft rule is to begin, as it were, with those of the affembly that are neareft to us; and if the voice be but articulate, however low the key may be, it will ftill be audible; and those who have a fufficient ftrength of voice for a public auditory, find it so much more difficult to bring down, than to raise the pitch, that they will not wonder I employ my chief care to guard against an error by far the most common, as well as the most dangerous.

Few speakers have a voice too weak for the public, if properly managed; as audibility depends much more on a proper pitch of voice, accompanied with distinctness of articulation, than on a boisterous and fonorous loudness; this is evident from the diftinctness with which we hear a good actress in the eafy chit chat of genteel comedy; nay, even a speech afide, which is little more than a whisper, though uttered in a lower tone of voice, is fo articulated by a judicious actor, as to be equally audible with the loudest burfts of paffion. A voice, therefore, is feldom inaudible from its want of force, fo much as from its want of mo dulation; and this modulation depends fo much on not fuffering the voice to begin above its natural pitch, that too much care cannot be taken to guard against it.

'Much, undoubtedly, will depend on the fize and structure of the place we fpeak in: fome are fo immenfely large, as many of our churches and cathedrals, that the voice is nearly as much diffipated as in the open air; and often with the additional inconvenience of a thousand confufed echos and re-echos. Here a loud and vociferous fpeaker will render himself unintelligible in proportion to his exertion of voice: as departing and commencing founds will encounter each other, and defeat every intention of diftinctness and harmony.

Nothing but good articulation will make a speaker audible in this fituation; and a judicious attention to that tone of voice which is moft fuitable to the fize and imperfections of the place.'

As an effay towards reducing to practice the fyftem of inflexions, laid down in the prefent work, the author has attempted