subtonics and atonics to a tonic, that do not destroy its singleness of impulse; as, a, an, and, land, gland, glands.

A tonic is usually regarded as indispensable in the formation of a syllable. A few syllables, however, are formed exclusively by subtonics. In the words bidde-n, rive-n, rhyth-m, schis-m, fic-kle, i-dle, lit-tle, and words of like construction, the last syllable is either pure subtonic, or a combination of subtonic and atonic. These final syllables go through the radical and vanish movement, though they are far inferior in quality, euphony, and force, to the full display of these properties on the tonics.

In combining the oral elements into syllables, students should carefully observe the following

RULES FOR THE FORMATION OF SYLLABLES.

1. INITIAL CONSONANTS.-The elements of consonants that commence words should be uttered distinctly, but should not be much prolonged.1

2. FINAL CONSONANTS.-Elements that are represented by final consonants should be dwelt upon, and uttered with great distinctness; as,

He accepts the office, and attempts by his acts to conceal his faults.

3. WHEN ONE WORD OF A SENTENCE ENDS and the next begins with the same consonant, or another that is hard to produce after it, a difficulty in utterance arises that should be obviated by dwelling on the final consonant, and then taking up the one at the beginning of the next word, in a second impulse of the voice, without pausing between them; as,

It will pain nobody, if the sad dangler regain neither rope.

1 Initial elements prolonged.— On this point, Dr. RUSH mentions the error of a distinguished actor, who, in order to give great force and distinctness to his articulation, dwelt on the initial letters, as marked in

the following lines:

"Canst thou not m-inister to a m-ind diseased,

Pl-uck from the m-emory a r-ooted sorrow?"

Such mouthing defeats its object.

4. FINAL COGNATES.—In uttering the elements of the final cognates, b, p, d, t, g, and k, the organs of speech should not remain closed at the several pauses of discourse, but should be smartly separated by a kind of echo; as,

I took down my hat-t, and put it upon my head-d.

5. UNACCENTED SYLLABLES should be pronounced as distinctly as those which are accented: they should merely have less force of voice and less prolongation; as,

The thoughtless, helpless, homeless girl did not resent his rudeness and harshness.

Very many of the prevailing faults of articulation result from a neglect of these rules, especially the second, the third, and the last. He who gives a full and definite sound to final consonants and to unaccented vowels, if he does it without stiffness or formality, can hardly fail to articulate well.

EXERCISE.1

1. THIRTY years ago, Marseilles' lay burning in the sun, one day. A blazing sun, upon a fierce August day, was no greater rarity in Southern France then, than at any other time, before or since. Every thing in Marseilles, and about Marseilles, had stared at the fervid sky, and been stared at in return, until a staring habit had become universal there.

2. Strangers were stared out of countenance by staring white houses, staring white walls, staring white streets, staring tracts of arid road, staring hills from which verdure was burnt away. The only things to be seen not firedly staring and glaring were the vines drooping under their load of grapes. These did occasionally wink a little, as the hot air barely moved their faint leaves.

3. There was no wind to make a ripple on the foul water within the harbor, or on the beautiful sea without. The line of demarkation between the two colors, black and blue, showed the point which the pure sea would not pass; but it lay as quiet as the abominable pool,

1 Direction-Students will give the number and names of the syllables, in words of more than one syllable, and tell what rule for the

formation of syllables each letter that appears in italics, in this exercise, is designed to illustrate.

2 Marseilles (mår sålz').

with which it never mixed. Boats without awnings were too hot to touch; ships blistered at their moorings; the stones of the quays had not cooled, night or day, for months.

4. The universal stare made the eyes ache. Toward the distant line of Italian coast, indeed, it was a little relieved by light clouds of mist, slowly rising from the evaporation of the sea; but it softened nowhere else. Far away the staring roads, deep in dust, stared from the hillside, stared from the hollow, stared from the interminable plain. 5. Far away the dusty vines overhanging wayside cottages, and the monotonous wayside avenues of parched trees without shade, drooped beneath the stare of earth and sky. So did the horses with drowsy bells, in lõng files of carts, creeping slowly toward the interior; so did their recumbent drivers, when they were awake, which rarely happened; so did the exhausted laborers in the fields.

6. Every thing that lived or grew was oppressed by the glare; except the lizard, passing swiftly over rough stone walls, and the cicada, chirping his dry hot chirp, like a rattle. The very dust was scorched brown, and something quivered in the atmosphere as if the air itself were panting. Blinds, shutters, curtains, awnings, were all closed and drawn to keep out the stare. Grant it but a chink or keyhole, and it shot in like a white-hot ǎrrow.

7. The churches were freest from it. To come out of the twilight of pillars and arches-dreamily dotted with winking lamps, dreamily peopled with ugly old shadows piously dozing, spitting, and begging-was to plunge into a fiery river, and swim for life to the nearest strip of shade. So, with people lounging and lying wherever shade was, with but little hum of tongues or barking of dogs, with occasional jangling of discordant church bells, and rattling of vicious drums, Marseilles, a fact to be strongly smelt and tasted, lay broiling in the sun one day.

III. ACCENT.

CCENT is the peculiar force given to one or more syllables of a word. In many trisyllables and polysyllables, of two syllables accented, one is uttered with greater force than the other. The more forcible accent is called primary, and the less forcible, secondary.

The mark of acute accent ['] is employed, first, to indicate primary accent; secondly, the rising inflection (p. 44); as,

Réading, or read'ing. If thine enemy hunger', give him bread.

The mark of grave accent [`] is employed, first, to indicate secondary accent; secondly, that the vowel over which it is placed, with its attendant consonant, forms a separate syllable; thirdly, that the vowel in the unaccented syllable is not an alphabetic equivalent, but represents one of its usual oral elements; and fourthly, the falling inflection (p. 44); as,

Magnificent, or mag`nificent. A learnèd man caught that wingèd thing. Her goodnèss moved the roughèst. Away', thou coward` !

The student will be required to give the office of each mark in the following

EXAMPLES.

1. Vèrácity first of all, and fòréver.

2. The finest wits have their sédimènt.

3. Hunting men', not beasts', shall be his game.

4. Hónèst stúdents learn the greátnèss of hùmílity.

5. A fool with júdgès'; among fools', a judge'.

6. Costume, mánnèrs, ríchès, civilizátion, have no pérmanènt ínterèst for him. His héedlèssnèss offénds his trúèst friends.

7. In a crówdèd life, on a stage of nátions, or in the obscúrèst hámlèt, the same bléssèd élemènts óffer the same rich chóicès to each new cómer.

WORDS DISTINGUISHED BY ACCENT.

Many words, or parts of speech, having the same form, are distinguished by accent alone.

Nouns and adjectives

are often thus distinguished from verbs.

EXAMPLES.

1. Why does your ab'sent friend absent' himself?

2. Did he abstract' an ab'stract of your speech from the desk? 3. Note the mark of accent, and accent' the right syllable.

4. Buy some cem'ent and cement' the glass.

5. Desert' us not in the des'ert.

6. If that project fail, he will project' another.

7. My increase is taken to increase' your wealth.

8. Perfume' the room with rich perfume.

9. If they reprimand' that officer, he will not regard their rep'rimand.

10. If they rebel', and overthrow' the government, even the reb'els can not justify the o'verthrow.

A few dissyllables, which are at once nouns and adjectives, are distinguished by accenting the nouns on the first syllable and the adjectives on the last. The fourth example differs.

EXAMPLES.

1. In August, the august' writer entered into a com'pact to prepare a compact' discourse.

2. In'stinct, not reason, rendered the herd instinct' with spirit. 3. Within a min'ute from this time, I will find a minute' piece of gold.

4. Her gallant', the gallant captain, says, the will of that invalid (invaled') is invalid.

ACCENT CHANGED BY CONTRAST.

The ordinary accent of words is sometimes changed by a contrast in sense, or to express opposition of thought.

EXAMPLES.

1. He must in'crease, but I must de'crease.

2. He did not say a new ad'dition, but a new e'dition.

3. Consider well what you have done, and what you have left un'done.

4. I said that she will sus'pect the truth of the story, not that she will expect it.

5. He that de'scended is also the same that as'cended.

6. This corruptible must put on in'corruption; and this mortal must put on im'mortality.