when deprived of it. Wit and humor cease to exist to the ear, if the ambiguous and equivocal, or graphic effect of the "wave," is dropped. An intelligent and discriminating use of this element, is indispensable, however, to its right effect. Adopted too frequently, and expressed too pointedly, it offends the ear; as it implies a want of skill on the part of the reader or speaker, and a want of perception on that of the hearer. It forms, when given in excess, the striking feature in overdone emphasis, or that which seems, by its obtrusiveness, to forestall the judgment of the person who is addressed, and compel his perceptions. It is the usual resort of the author of a pun so poor, that, without his syllabic and waving enunciation, you could not have surmised its existence. The "wave" exists sometimes, as a mere local accident of usage, in what is termed national accent. The dialects of Scotland and of New England, furnish striking examples of the unmeaning prevalence of the "wave." The popular "Yankee story," and, not unfrequently, the emphasis of well-educated people, abound in instances of this local intonation. The use of the "wave" should be carefully practised, in the spirit of the closest analysis, on the following examples, and, in its principal forms, applied to "tonic" elements, long syllables, and expressive words and phrases. EXAMPLES. I. -The "Equal Wave." ("Effusive orotund :” “Subdued" force: Full and prolonged "median swell:" "Low pitch:" "Equal wave of the second." The "wave" so slight as barely to be discernible.) 1.- FROM THE MORNING HYMN. - Milton. "His1 praise, ye winds that from four quarters blow, 2.- FROM AN EVENING HYMN.-H. M. Williams. "While Thee I seek, protecting Power! Be my vain wishes stilled; With better hopes be filled!" 1 The "wave" occurs on the letters denoted by italic type. Pointed Antithesis. Serious Expression. 1. ("Pure tone:" "Animated" force: "Radical and median stress:" "Middle Pitch:" "Equal wave of the third.") MORAL TO A FABLE. -Jane Taylor. "Let any man resolve to do right now leaving thěn to do as it can: and if he were to live to the age of Methuselah, he would never do wrong. - But the common error is to resolve to act right after breakfast, or after dinner, or to-morrow môrning, or nêxt time. But now, just now, this ônce, we must go on the same as ever." 2. ("Pure tone :" "Moderate" force, "grave" style: "Median stress :" "Middle pitch:" "Equal wave of the third.") CHANCE. - Shakspeare. "Alas! the while! If Hercules, and Lichias, play at dîce Pointed Antithesis. Half-humorous Style. 3. ("Pure tone :" "Animated" force: "Median stress :" "Middle pitch:" "Equal wave of the third.") ROMAN CITIZEN, MURMURING AGAINST THE PATRICIANS. - Shakspeare. "We are accounted poor citizens; the patricians good. What authority surfeits on, would relieve ûs. If they would yield us but the superfluity, while it were wholesome, we might guess they relieved us humânely; but they think we are too dêar: the leanness that afflicts us, the object of our misery, is an inventory to particularize their abundance: ôur sufferance is a găin to thêm. - Let us revenge this with our pîkes, ere we become råkes: for the gods know I speak this in hûnger for bread, not in thirst for revênge. 1 The "direct wave" is marked by the usual circumflex accent, the "inverted wave," by an inverted circumflex. Wit. ("Pure tone," laughing voice: "Radical and median stress :" "High pitch:" "Equal wave of the third.") BEATRICE, SPEAKING OF BENEDICK. - Shakspeare. "In our last conflict, four of his five wits went halting off; and now is the whole man governed with ône: so that if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a difference between himself and his horse; for it is all the wit that he hath lêft, to be known a reasonable créature." Raillery. ("Pure tone:" "Animated" force: "Median stress:" "High pitch:" "Equal wave of the third.") MENENIUS, TO THE TRIBUNES BRUTUS AND SICINIUS. - Shakspeare "You blame Marcius for being proud ? Brutus. We do it not alone, sir. Men. I know you can do very little alone; for your helps are many; or else your actions would grow wondrous sîngle: your abilities are too infant-like for doing much alône. You talk of pride: Oh! that you could turn your eyes towards the napes of your něcks, and make but an interior survey of your good sêlves!" II. -The Unequal Wave. Irony and Derision. ("Pure tone:" "Animated" force: "Stress” varying from "radical" to "median:" "High pitch:" Unequal wave of the "third" and "fifth.") THE CRITIC. - Sterne. "How did Garrick speak the soliloquy, last night?" - "Oh! against all rule, my lord, most ungrammatically! Betwixt the substantive and the adjective, which should agree together in number, case, and gender, he made a breach thus-stopping, as if the point wanted settling; and betwixt the nominative case, which, your lordship knows, should govern the verb, he suspended his voice in the epilogue, a dozen times, three seconds and three fifths by a stopwatch, my lord, each time." "Admirable grammarian! - But, in suspending his voice, - was the sense suspended? - Did no expression of attitude or countenance fill up the chasm? Was the eye silent? Did you narrowly look?" - " I looked only at the stopwatch, my lord!" "Excellent observer!" Contempt and Derision. ("Aspirated quality:" "Impassioned" force: "Median stress:" "High pitch:" "Unequal waves.”) NORVAL, IN THE QUARREL WITH GLENALVON.-Home. "And who is Norval in Glenalvon's eyes? Glenalvon. A peasant's sôn, [3. & 5.]1 a wandering beggar bôy! [3. & 8.] [3. & 5.] At bêst no more, -even if he speaks the truth. [3. & 5.] [5. & 3.] "Hear him, my lord: he's wondrous condescend ing! [5. & 3.] Mark the humility of shepherd Norval!" [3. & 8.] Scorn and Derision. ("Aspirated pectoral and guttural quality:" "Impassioned" force: "Vanishing stress:" "High pitch :" "Unequal wave.") CORIOLANUS, TO THE SENATORS, WHEN HIS ELECTION TO THE CONSULATE "Shall! ["semitone and octave."] And such a one as he, who puts his shall, [as before.] THE "ΜΟΝΟΤΟΝΕ." This designation, like many others used in the technical language of elocution, is not strictly applicable to the fact of voice which it is 1 The figures indicate the "unequal wave of the "third" and "fifth,” &c. In these exemplifications it is not intended that either a weaker or a stronger "expression," an inferior or a greater "wave," may not be appropriately used, if it be not out of proportion to the context. In the stronger expressions, there might even be a prolonged and repeated, or "double" "wave," in highly animated reading. used to denote. The word "monotone" should import a strict musical sameness of sound; but, in actual usage, it applies, rather, to successive repetitions of the same "radical" and "concrete pitch," in the common form of the latter, as in the "radical" and "vanish" of unimpassioned or inexpressive utterance. Two causes have contributed to the license of language, in the vague use of this term: first, the fact that what is termed monotone, as differing from mere monotony, (the one being an intentional and impressive effect; the other, an accidental fault of the ear and habit,) is, usually, the utterance of a long, and even protracted, vowel sound, with a peculiarly full "median stress," which absorbs the attention, and occupies the ear, to the exclusion of the differential sounds of the "radical" and the "vanish." The style in "monotone" approaches comparatively near to that of music, as contradistinguished from speech by more or less of the "swell." Hence the middle point of each sound will be most impressive to the ear, and obliterate the effect of the extremes. An apparent absolute monotone, is thus produced. - Another cause of error in the designation of " monotone," is the effect of the close and frequent recurrence of apparently the same note, in the repetition of the same "radical" and "concrete pitch," on successive words; as what is termed "monotone" is usually a partial sameness of voice on several, or on many words, in succession. The term "monotone," then, when used in the language of elocution, must be understood as conventional, and employed merely to avoid circumlocution. It implies the successive repetition of the same "radical" and "concrete" pitch, with the addition of a full and prolonged "median stress," so executed as to occupy the ear to the exclusion, nearly, of the "radical" and "vanish" of the sounds to which it is applied. The partial sameness of voice, thus produced, has been, not inaptly compared, as mentioned before, to the repeated sounds of a deep-toned bell; as the "monotone" is usually the expression of low-pitched, solemn utterance, analogous in effect, to the bell's perpetually recurring low note. The "monotone" is, in the true, natural, and unstudied use of the voice, - the invariable standard of elocution, the style of awe, reverence, solemnity, sublimity, grandeur, majesty, power, splendor, and all other modes of feeling which imply vastness and force, particularly when associated with the idea of supernatural influence or agency. It expresses, also, the feelings of amazement, terror, and horror, or whatever emotion arises from the contemplation of preternatural effects. The reason why this peculiar form of utterance is associated with the extremes of emotion, seems to be the same that we observe when we hear a person who has been an eye-witness of an awful event, relating what he has seen: the excess of feeling denies him the power of varied utterance; and his perpetually low, husky note, |