INFLECTION.
In speaking or reading, the voice must either rise or fall, if it do not continue in the same uniform tone. This rising and falling, or upward and downward sliding of the voice, is called inflection.
When the voice rises, it is, of course, called the rising inflection, and when it falls, the falling inflection.
When the voice, instead of either rising or falling, continues during the utterance of several words in the same tone, it is called a monotone. That falling of the tone which usually takes place at the end of a sentence or paragraph is termed a cadence.
The voice sometimes rises and falls, or falls and rises, on the same word or syllable. This is called a circumflex.
The inflections are generally marked thus:
| Rising Inflection, | (ˊ) |
| Falling Inflection, | (ˋ) |
| Cadence, | (ˋ) |
| Circumflex, | (ˇ) |
The following rules will assist the learner in determining the inflections. They are as few and as simple as possible, and can be understood with very little effort, particularly by the aid of a competent teacher.
I. Whenever the voice must be suspended without the sense being complete, the rising inflection should be used.
EXAMPLES.
1. No man can rise above the infirmities of naˊture, unless he is assisˊted by God.ˋ
2. To acquire knowˊledge is the duty of man.
3. Shame being lostˊ, all virtue is lost.
4. Fathˊers, Senators of Romeˊ, arbiters of naˊtions, to you I fly for refuge.
5. Poor were the expectations of the modˊest, the virˊtuousˊ, and the goodˊ, if the reward of their labors were expected only from man.
6. An honest manˊ, (as the poet has saidˊ,) is the noblest work of God.
II. At the end of a sentence, and in all places where the sense is complete, the falling inflection should be used.
EXAMPLES.
1. Peace will soon be estabˋlished; confidence will come with peaceˋ; capˋital will follow conˋfidence; employment will increase with capˋital; educationˊ will be diffuˊsed, and virtue will grow with educaˋtion.
2. It is of the last importance to season the passions of a child with devoˋtion; which seldom dies in a mind that has received an early tincˋture of it.
3. Temˊperance, by fortifying the mind and bodˊy, leads to hapˋpiness.
4. Sincerity is to speak as we thinkˋ, to do as we pretend and professˋ, to perform and make good what we promˋise, and really to be what we appearˋ to be.
5. The consequences of intemperance are disgraceˋ, povˋerty, disease, and premature deathˋ.
6. I could not treat a dogˋ ill. Unkindness seldom produces other than evil effectsˋ.
III. When a question is asked by an interrogative word, the word which asks the question, as well as all other important words in the question, takes the falling inflection.
EXAMPLES.
1. Whatˋ will you do in the day of visitaˋtion?
2. Whereˋby shall I knowˋ this? Howˋ shall the manifestaˋtion be madeˋ?
3. Whoˋ do men say that I amˋ? Whomˋ do they represent me to beˋ?
4. Whoˋ is here so braveˋ that he would be a bondˋman?
5. Whatˋ have I doneˋ that you should give me this cruel treatmentˋ?
6. Whyˋ bendest thou in stormˋ; whyˋ lower thy headˋ?
IV. When a question is asked commencing with a verb, the previous rule is reversed, and all the important words in the question, particularly the last, take the rising inflection.
EXAMPLES.
1. Is the windˊ blowˊing? Is the sunˊ shinˊing? Is it rainˊing? Is it snowˊing?
2. Do I loveˊ? dost thou loveˊ? do we loveˊ?
3. Are you coldˊ? Is he poorˊ? Is she vainˊ?
4. Has he not involˊved himself by his improvˊidence?
5. Has that poorˊ man been cheatˊed? has his povˊerty been no protecˊtion?
Exception.—When the question defies contradiction, and is only interrogatory in form, being really an assertion, the falling inflection is used: as—
6. Are not the happy rareˋ? Are not the good the most hapˋpy?
7. Does he not possessˋ this world’s goodsˋ as if he possessed them notˋ?
8. How fewˋ can we find whose activˋity has not been misappliedˋ?
V.—Words that are contrasted with one another have opposite inflections; and answers have, generally, opposite inflections to the questions.
EXAMPLES.
1. We see the moteˋ in anothˊer’s eye, but cannot discern the beamˊ in our ownˋ.
2. He strikes othˊers but hurts himselfˋ.
3. We should judge by the heartˋ rather than the headˊ.
4. Did he act justˋly or unjustˊly? He acted justˊly, not unjustˋly.
5. Did he say trueˋ or untrueˊ. He said trueˊ, not untrueˋ.
6. I am more inclined to be gladˋ than sorˊry, to loveˋ than to hateˊ, to make friendsˋ than to deserve foesˊ, to be a good friendˊ than a bad enemyˋ.
VI.—When words express pity, joy, or grief, they take the rising inflection; and in all language expressive of tender emotion the rising inflection predominates.
EXAMPLES.
1. Ohˊ dearˊ me. Oh genˊtle sleepˊ, nature’s soft nurseˊ.
2. Piˊty, kindˊ gentlemen, friendsˊ of humanityˊ.
3. Ohˊ, my lordˊ, let me speak a word in thy earˊ.
4. I am thy fathˊer—oh, my sonˊ! my sonˊ!
5. Poor Maˊry. How my heartˊ bled to see her angˊuish, when she looked upon her departed childˊ.
6. Ohˊ that I knewˊ how I could consoleˊ her, how I could bring peaceˊ to her mind.ˋ
VII.—When words express denunciation, reproach, violent passion, or dignified emotion, they take the falling inflection.
EXAMPLES.
1. You wrong me evˋery way—you wrongˋ me, Brutus.
2. Revengeˋ, revengeˋ, Timotheus cries.
3. Let no man dareˋ speak ill of my departed fatherˋ.
4. Oh wretched manˋ. Oh unhapˋpy sinner.
5. Wretchˋ that I amˋ, whereˋ shall I goˋ?
6. Avauntˋ and quit my sightˋ. Let the earth hideˋ thee. Begoneˋ!
7. What a splendid piece of workˋmanship is manˋ.
8. Behold the child of purˋity arrayed in her inˋnocence.
9. Oh, dearˋest to my soulˋ—now goneˋ, alasˋ, from my sight. Woeˋ is me, that my sojourning is prolongˋed.
VIII.—In a commencing series, of three or four numbers, the last number or numbers of the series, and in a concluding series, the last but one, generally takes the rising inflection, and all the other take the falling inflection.
EXAMPLES.
1. Honorˋ, virˋtue, and truthˊ, distinguish himˋ.
2. He is distinguished by honˋor, virˊtue, and truthˋ.
3. Haˋtreds, dissenˋtions, disˋcords, and warsˊ are produced by ambiˋtion.
4. You have a friend who will pityˋ, supportˋ, defendˊ, and relieveˋ you.
5. The wind and rain are oˋver; calm is the morn of dayˋ; the clouds are divided in heavˊen; over the green hills flies the inconstant sunˋ.
6. A true friend unbosoms freeˋly, advises justˋly, assists readˋily, takes all paˊtiently, and continues a friend unchangeˋably.
7. A good disposiˋtion, virtuous princiˋples, a liberal educaˋtion, and industrious habˊits, are passports to happiness and honˋor.
8. Hapˋpiness and honorˊ are the reward of a good disˋposition, virtuous prinˋciples, a liberal educaˊtion, and industrious habˋits.
9. If you look about youˊ, and consider the lives of othˊers as well as your ownˋ; if you think how few are bornˋ with honˊor, and how many dieˊ without nameˊ or childˋren; how little beautyˋ we seeˊ, and how few friendsˊ we hearˋ of; how many diseasesˊ and how much povˋerty there is in the worldˊ, you will admireˊ, instead of repinˋing at God’s provˋidence.