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EASE OF PRONUNCIATION.

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and are pronounced with less effort. Thus, above is easier than puff; go thou than cut.

The liquids, r, I, m, n, ng, and the sibilants, s, sh, z, zh, all represent continuous sounds, approaching in this respect to the vowels; while w and y are a kind of consonant vowels. There is no abruptness in rain, loom, sing, shame, leisure. The Greek and Roman languages (particularly the Greek) showed a preference for the flat mates, the liquids, and the sibilants; and, for the most part, softened the sharp mutes, especially p, t, k, by combination with the more. flowing letters, as clepsydra, prurient. We have the benefit of this in English, owing to the great number of words adopted by us from the classics.

116. The abrupt consonants are easiest in alternation with vowels, and especially long vowels; as, appear, Attica, I go to put a cabbage apart, I took a ticket above.

In these cases, the transition of the voice from consonant to vowel is easy with the other class of consonants, it is less easy; as, elimination, clamminess, azure. Hence there is a characteristic lightness and rapidity in the alternation of mutes with vowels, while the other combination yields a slow and soft melody.

117. A sharp and a flat mute cannot be easily sounded together; as, up, by, eke, go.

In the flat mates, there is an accompanying vocal sound from the larynx, which it takes a certain time to commence. Even an intervening vowel, if short, does not suffice to make the pronunciation easy, as may be seen in pab, keg, ted. A long vowel, or a combined liquid or sibilant, will remove the difficulty, as in toad, pobe, trod.

118. The cumulation of consonants makes difficulty of pronunciation; which is aggravated when they do not coalesce, and when the vowels are short and emphatic. Thus the words pledged, adjudged, struggled, scratched, strengthened, disrespect, fifthly, are harsh.

The lightest and most agreeable words are those that alternate vowels and consonants, or vowels and easy combinations of consonants. Such are celerity, fertility, intimidation.

119. The alternation of vowel and consonant makes the succession of words more agreeable; as, a lovely boy, a good intention.

The change of the indefinite article into a before a consonant sound is in accordance with this principle.

When the same consonant sound ends one word and begins the next, the effect is unpleasant; as, keep people, brief fate, hear right, come more, gone now, dress soon, tax Xerxes. It is difficult to make a pause, and go back upon the same letter. If the consonants differ somewhat, the effort is easier; as, brief petition, let there, cut down, comes soft. A liquid and a mute, or two liquids (not the same), are pronounced without difficulty; as, rare doings, come back, calm retreat.

120. It is desirable to avoid the clash of vowels, both in the middle of words and between one word and another; as in idea, hiatus, re-assume, you unite, potato only.

Many persons never say idea of, but idear of.

In the clash of vowels, it is better that one should be short and the other long, or one emphatic and the other not; as, go on, the ear. When the precedes an uncmphatic syllable, we are obliged to make it emphatic, the endeavor. If the vowels are different, the pronunciation is easier; lively oracles, pity us, blew over.

121. Long vowels out of accent are somewhat hard to pronounce; as, u in contribute, ow in follow, a in reprobate.

Some words allow more time for these vowels; as, mountaineer, usual.

122. It contributes to the melody of language, to

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avoid the too frequent repetition of the same letters, whether consonants or vowels.

Our language may be said to contain 23 consonants, and 15 vowels in accent, with unaccented vowels, and diphthongs. A writer aiming at melody will endeavor, instead of repeating the same letters, whether vowels or consonants, to ring the changes throughout the entire alphabet. In the first stanza of Gray's Elegy, nearly all the vowels are introduced.

The commencing of successive words with the same letter, or syllable, is called Alliteration, and is objectionable, unless done on a regular plan, as in balanced composition and in some kinds of poetry. Long live Lewis, come conqueror, are bad alliterations. It is still worse when the similarity extends to syllables, as convenient contrivance. The same remark applies to iterations at the end or in the middle of words. All such as the following are inharmonious: indulgent parent, instead of a steady, uniform formality.

Even a short interval is not enough to allow the repetition of very marked sounds; as, "I confess with humility, the sterility of my fancy, and the debility of my judgment." "What is of more importance, the principles being propounded with reverence, had an influence on the subsequent jurisprudence."

The endings ion, ing, ity, nee, and ed, often occur too close for melody. As regards the verb-ending ed, the irregular verbs afford an important means of variety; "given and received;" "I came, I saw, I conquered."

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123. In the succession of syllables, the same regard should be paid to ease of pronunciation, and the avoidance of monotony.

(1.) As the words of our language usually have but one accented syllable, words of many syllables are apt to be difficult of pronunciation. Hence we avoid lengthening words with numerous prefixes or terminations; unsuccessfulness, peremptoriness, wrongheadedness, are objectionable in this respect.

(2.) Words containing a succession of unaccented short vowels are a trial to the voice; as, primarily, cursorily, sum

marily. Still worse is the repetition of the same letter or syllable; as in farriery, lowlily.

(3.) A due alternation of long and short, of accented and unaccented, syllables, is an essential condition of melody. This is one part of English versification; and, although prose allows a greater latitude, yet the principle has to be attended to. The Shakespearian line, "The pomp and circumstance of glorious war," is a perfect alternation, besides being melodious through the variety of the letters and the nature of the closing syllable.

It is from the want of this due alternation that a series of monosyllables is usually objectionable: as, "Good Lord, give us bread now;" where, except us, every word is emphatic, rendering the pronunciation heavy. If, however, there be an even distribution of unemphatic words, the bad effect does not arise. "Bless the Lord of hosts, for he is good to us," is not inharmonious; every second word is unaccented. So in Macbeth:—

"Stars, hide your fires,

Let not light see my black and deep desires,
The eye wink at the hand. Yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see."

In ordinary cases, melody arises through the alternation of long and short words. A succession of long words is seldom melodious.

(4.) Even difficult and harsh combinations of letters may be brought in as an agreeable variety, after a succession of smooth and liquid sounds. Monotony in sweetness is the most painful of all.

124. The closing syllables of a sentence should allow the voice to fall by degrees.

(1.) This will happen if the concluding syllable is long and ends in a continuing consonant; as, appear, disgrace. A short vowel is admissible when the consonants give scope for the voice to die away; as, defend, mischance, world.

(2.) The other method is to close with one or more unemphatic syllables; as, blessing, liberty.

VARIETY ESSENTIAL TO MELODY.

115

Very long words do not make a melodious close; as, intimidation, irresistible.

The worst kind of ending is a syllable short, emphatic, and abrupt; as, "He came up." A monosyllable is not necessarily a bad close. It may be unemphatic, as often happens with the pronoun it, and with the prepositions of, to, for, &c. or it may have liquid or other consonants that protract the sound; as, ease, same, shine.

Even an abrupt close may be pleasing in alternation with others.

The present rule applies with greatest force to the close of a paragraph.

125. The principle of variety, or alternation, applies to Clauses, to Sentences, and to Composition throughout.

Melody forbids a succession of clauses of one cadence or arrangement. The structure and length of sentences should be varied, subject to the more important considerations of meaning and force in the matter.

Let us consider some farther examples of the foregoing principles.

Johnson says, "Tediousness is the most fatal of all faults." The stiffness of this sentence is felt at once. On examination, we note: 1st, The want of melody in the word tediousness, from the crowd of consonants, and the iteration of s. 2nd, The additional hissing consonant in is (although the hard sound z). 3rd, The occurrence of four unemphatic syllables in succession; namely, the last two in tediousness, and is the. 4th, The additional s in most. 5th, The concurrence of consonants at the end of most, and the beginning of fatal; this cannot always be avoided. 6th, The alliterations, fatal all, fatal faults, all faults, make the last few words singularly unmelodious.

"The men that gave their country liberty," is melodious from the variety of the vowels and consonants, and from the suitable fall, although the combination that gave is somewhat heavy, and there is an alliteration in the last two words.

"They often save, and always illustrate, the age and nation

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