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6. Did he say eel, or eel? He said eel, not eel.

He said men, not men. He said her, not her.

eye.

7. Did he say men, or men? 8. Did he say her, or her? 9. Did he say eye, or eye ? 10. Did he say it, or it? 11. Did he say old, or old? 12. Did he say ooze, or ooze? 13. Did he say not, or not? 14. Did he say up, or up? 15. Did he say tune, or tune? 16. Did he say pull, or pull? 17. Did he say oil, or oil? 18. Did he say thou, or thou? He said thou, not thou.

He said
eye, not
He said it, not it.
He said old, not old.
He said ooze, not ooze.
He said not, not not.
He said up, not up.
He said tune, not tune.
He said pull, not pull.
He said oil, not oil.

The student may always use the form of question and answer as a criterion of the inflection of any syllable he is in doubt about. The pronunciation of a question with different degrees of intensity or 'feeling' will, of course, bring out corresponding differences in the length of the slide. As an initiatory exercise, it will be sufficient merely to distinguish between the rise and fall, the discrimination of special intervals being left to a later period of study.

Thus prepared, the student will find but little difficulty in inflecting any syllable, upward or downward, at will. The following table of rising and falling inflections is so arranged as to put to the test his capability in this respect. A different syllable is prefixed to each series, but any syllable may of course be used as a basis for the inflection.

59. Table for Practice on the Simple Rising and
Falling Inflections.

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A much more difficult, but much more useful, exercise will consist in giving, after an instrument, or the illustration of a master, and finally from memory alone, the above series of simple rising and falling inflections under their several specific intervals-of a semitone, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and octave. But such accuracy in estimating the extent of vocal slides by the ear, with a corresponding ability in executing them by the voice, can be acquired only by close attention and long practice. In the case of the compound inflections about to be described, the power of mentally tracing, and of vocally executing, their wind

D

ing course on the musical scale, is still more difficult and slow of acquisition.

60. A Compound Inflection is the union of two or more simple inflections. The rising may be continued into the falling, or the falling into the rising; while additional turns may be given to either of these forms. Like the simple form, a compound inflection is either

1. Rising, or
2. Falling.

It is called Rising, and marked thus, when its last interval takes an upward course.

It is called Falling, and marked thus, when its last interval takes a downward course.

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62. Inflection becomes Compound whenever the actual meaning is stronger than that which the words. literally convey.

Thus if I put the question 'Do you know your lesson ?' to a boy confident in his knowledge, he would give his affirmative with one of the simple falling intervals:

Yes.

And here the verbal and vocal sign justly and expressively coincide.

If, on the other hand, he were doubtful, though still affirming by the word, the rising inflection, which by a natural law he would employ, would overrule the verbal sign, and betray his doubtful state of mind:

Yes.

These simple inflections express a simplicity of statement, or doubt. But let the meaning of the speaker 'struggle for expression,' and the inflection becomes compound.

Thus, an ill-bred boy that does know his lesson is not unlikely to take offence at your asking such a question of him. An impudent rejoinder may express itself by a variety of means, not the least important among which will be the compound falling inflection:

Yes.

And again, a boy that does know his lesson may yet hesitate, or imply something more than the mere fact, as if he said, 'I do know it, but . ,' when his voice will assume the compound rising inflection:

Yes.

To be more precise, compound inflection exhibits itself in implied statement (a), irony (b), sneer (c),

marked antithesis (d), and, in short, all strong emphasis struggling for expression' (e).

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a) 'I couldn't treat a dog ill.' [However I might deal with venomous reptiles.]

'I couldn't treat a dog ill.' [Not even a dog, and, a for-
tiori, certainly not a human being.]

(b) 'Oh, sir, you are wondrous condescending.
What should I say to you? Should I not say,

"Hath a dog money? is it possible

A cur can lend three thousand ducats ? "

Merchant of Venice, i. 3.

(c) He had a fever when he was in Spain,
And, when the fit was on him, I did mark

How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake.'

Julius Cæsar, i. 2.

(d) 'Not he, but they are at fault.'

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They tell us to be moderate, but they, they

Are to wallow in profusion.'

Roses have thorns, and silver fountains mud.'

(e)

SHAKSPEARE, Sonnet 35.

'You say so:

You, that did void your rheum upon my beard
And foot me as you spurn a stranger cur
Over your threshold.'-Merchant of Venice, i. 3.

63. Combinations of Compound Inflections. Both in the colloquial and oratorical use of the voice, especially in animated conversation, the compound inflections are combined in an almost endless variety, expressing, according to the mingling of their intervals, the most delicate and the deepest shades of colouring.

A very little experiment will assure the student that it is all but impossible to reduce these multiform permutations of inflection to a didactic system. At the

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