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only rule necessary in such cases is, to pronounce the words which imply it with such a degree of emphatic force as will best bring out the full meaning of the sentence. And this every reader will naturally do, if he keeps in mind, and puts into practice, the great and fundamental rule for GOOD READING, namely, Understand what you read, and read it as if you understood it.

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In a preceding part of this introduction we have fully explained the difference between ACCENT and EMPHASIS. The former, as we have shown, refers to syllables, and the latter to words. This distinction, however, is not always observed. Mr. Walker, from his unwillingness to admit of any emphasis, except the antithetic, uses the term accent" and "accented" to denote the more important words in any sentence or clause of a sentence; and those writers who adopt his system, naturally adopt his language. But this is to confound accent with emphasis. Accent refers to syllables only, and it should never be applied to words in the sense of emphatic; for, as we have already shown, the more important words in a sentence are more or less emphatic, and as such they should be described.-See page 36; and, also, page 45.

The simple theory of emphasis which we have adopted, will enable us to reduce to a few general principles the numerous rules that have been laid down with regard to " ACCENTUATION." In fact, if we keep in mind

*The following is Walker's definition of emphasis:-"EMPHASIS, when applied to particular words, is that stress we lay on words which are in contradistinction to other words either expressed or understood. And hence will follow this general rule: Wherever there is contradistinction in the sense of the words, there ought to be emphasis in the pronunciation of them; the converse of this being equally true, Wherever we place emphasis, we suggest the idea of contradistinction.

"All words are pronounced either with emphatic force, accented force, or unaccented force. This last kind of force we may call by the name of feebleness; or, in other words, where the words are in contradistinction to other words, or to some sense implied, we may call them emphatic; where they do not denote contradistinction, and yet are more important than the particles, they may be called accented; and the particles or lesser words may be called unaccented or feeble.”

that ACCENTUATION, when applied to words, is really a weaker kind of emphasis, we may dispense with those rules, and apply the simple principles we have described.

In the "Art of Reading," published by the Commissioners of National Education, there are upwards of twenty rules given with regard to the accentuation of words. The preceding observations will enable us at once to see the reason of those rules, and to reduce them to one or two general principles; and, in fact, they are all comprised in two general principles, which are stated in the same publication.

"The general principle of ACCENTUATION [emphasis] is, that whatever word, in any phrase, was most directly before the mind of the writer-or whatever word he was most desirous to impress upon the minds of his readers should have in reading the primary or principal accent [emphasis]. The secondary accent [emphasis] is to be given to those words which are of secondary importance to be impressed on the mind of the hearer."

Now according to the view we have taken, this is an excellent description of emphasis. The same observations will apply to the other general principle alluded to.

"One general principle of ascertaining where the accent [emphasis] lies, and which determines a great variety of cases, is, that whatever word limits the phrase or renders it more specific, requires the primary accent [emphasis]; because the limitation is usually that which the speaker wishes, or finds it necessary most determinately to impress upon his auditors. Thus, when an adjective qualifies a noun, the adjective* carries the accent [emphasis], as, ‘a góod man,' ' a táll horse,' ' a hígh house.' When an adverb* qualifies a verb, the adverb carries

* In such phrases as "a good man," ""a high house," "read slowly," "speak distinctly," the words good, high, slowly, and distinctly are more directly before the mind of the speaker than the other words, and hence they should be pronounced with a greater degree of force than the words man, house, read, and speak; and this, every reader who understands what he says, will naturally and spontaneously do. As a general rule, however, it may be laid down, that ADJECTIVES, and NOUNS USED ADJECTIVELY (as cherry tree, market day, gun-powder, book-case), and all ADVERBS, not connective, are more or less emphatic-or, to express the rule more generally, Qualifying words should be pronounced with a greater degree of force than the words which they qualify.

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the accent [emphasis], as, read slówly,' 'speak distinctly.' The negative particle, however, does not come under this rule, but is treated as if it formed part of the verb itself, as 'réad not,' thou shalt not.'* On the same principle, in compound numbers, the smaller numbert carries the accent [emphasis], as twenty-óne,' 'twenty-two,' 'twenty-thrée,' &c.; or, óne and twenty, twó and twenty,' thrée and twenty,' 'a hundred and fìfty-óne,' 'a hundred and fiftytwó,' &c. When a verb follows its nominative, the verb carries the accent [emphasis], as 'the sùn shines,' 'the wind blows,' 'the thrush sings.' In the case of a verb governing its objective, the objective carries the accent [emphasis], as read the létter,' call the sérvant,' 'light the candle;'§ but if the objective be a pronoun, the verb carries the accent [emphasis], as 'call him,' 'light it,' 'read it.'

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*If we lay an emphasis on not in such cases as "Thou shalt not steal," ""Thou shalt not kill," it would imply that the person or persons whom we address were insisting upon stealing and killing.

"The smaller number" is obviously the word which the speaker has more directly before his mind, and hence he naturally pronounces it with a greater degree of force. In exemplification of this, we have only to listen to any person, even a person unable to read, repeating such combinations of numbers. Supposing that he begins at twenty, he will pronounce the word distinctly, and with a certain degree of emphatic force; but in repeating twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, &c., he will pronounce the word "twenty" in a quicker and less distinct tone, because it is already before the mind of the person or persons whom he addresses; and he will lay a certain amount of emphasis on the words one, two, three, four, &c., because, introducing them for the first time, he naturally wishes to draw special attention to them. When he comes to thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, &c., the same changes in his pronunciation will be observable; and this he will naturally and spontaneously do, without the aid of rules, and, in fact, without ever having heard of any rules on the subject.

In all such cases, as "the sun shines," "the wind blows," "the thrush sings," the verb or assertion is obviously the word more directly before the mind of the speaker, and, therefore, he naturally pronounces it with a greater degree of force or distinctness; but should the nominative or the subject be in a similar position, it will, of course, be similarly pronounced, as in the following sentence-" The sun shines by day, and the moon by night."

§ It is obvious from what we have said, that in all such cases as "read the letter," "light the fire," "call John," the nouns are the words to which the speaker wishes to draw the special attention of the person whom he addresses; and it is equally obvious that in all such cases, as "read it," "light it," "call him," the verb becomes the prominent word, unless the pronoun be antithetic.-See page 37.

The pronoun may be emphatic [contrasted or antithetic], in which case it would carry the accent [emphasis]; and it may be laid down as a general rule, that to accent a pronoun always suggests a contrast; that is, it renders the pronoun emphatic.

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When one noun governs another in the possessive case, the noun governed usually carries the primary accent [emphasis], as the light of the sun,' the cold of the ice,' the warmth of the fire;' but when nouns form their possessive case by adding s the governing word is frequently that which the speaker has most directly before his mind, and therefore takes the primary accent [emphasis]; as the children's book,' a lion's máne.'

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The observations that we have made in the preceding NOTES apply to all the rules that have been given with regard to ACCENTUATION OF EMPHASIS. In every case it will be found that the word under consideration is more or less emphatic, not because it is this or that form or part of speech, but because it is more or less directly before the mind of the speaker. It is obvious, also, from what has been said, that if we understand what we read, and read it as if we understood it, we need give ourselves little trouble about such rules-we mean, practically; for it is useful to read them, and refer them to the simple principles on which they are founded.

It may be objected, however, that "emphatic" is too strong a term to apply to words which are merely "accented;" and, according to the meaning usually attached to emphasis, this objection, it must be admitted, is wellfounded. But if we take into consideration that the term emphasis strictly and properly means that stress which, in pronunciation, distinguishes one word from another; and that it may, according to the occasion, be either slight, strong, or vehement, the objection will not hold. Besides, after all, there can be no objection to such a use of the terms "accent" and " accented," if we only keep in mind that in such cases they really mean "slight emphasis," and "slightly emphatic."

With regard to the "UNACCENTED WORDS" in a sen

tence (that is, the least important words), Walker has stated that

"We should give them just that degree of force which we give to the unaccented syllables of words; so that two words, one accented and the other not, are to the ear exactly like one word. Thus the words, even an indifferent constitution are sounded like a word of eleven syllables, with the accent on the fifth."

Again, he adds in a note:—

"In the first edition of this work, I had not sufficiently considered the nature of unaccented words, and, therefore, gave them the very vague and indefinite appellations I met with in other authors, namely, obscure and feeble; a further prosecution of the subject, in the Rhetorical Grammar, enabled me to ascertain the real force of these unaccented words, and to class them with the unaccented syllables of accented words. Thus a clear and definite idea was substituted for an indeterminate one. And I could, with confidence, tell my pupil that the sentence "I do not, so much request, as demand your attention," was pronounced like three words: I do not, like a word of three syllables, with the accent on the second; so much request, like a word of four syllables, with the accent on the last; as demand your attention, like a word of seven syllables, with the accent on the third.”*

This is a good rule; but the fact is, every person who reads understandingly is sure to give the least important words in a sentence such a pronunciation. For the greater degree of force which he gives to the more important words, naturally and necessarily leads him to pronounce the other words with so much the less distinctness; just as dwelling upon the accented syllable of a word leads us to give the other syllable or syllables of it a quicker and less distinct pronunciation.+

*We stated at the commencement of this Introduction that the followers of Walker had made far more of his system than even he attempted, and here is a proof of it. Mr. Spalding's whole System of Accentuation, as given in the " Art of Reading," published by the Board, is evidently based upon this obiter dictum. But we are wrong in setting down Mr. Spalding as a follower of Walker, or of any other person. See his observations, page 49.

+ Accent, from its very nature, must affect not only the syllable

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