AN

ELOCUTIONARY ANALYSIS.

INTRODUCTION.

ALL that language or tones can effect, to convince the understanding, arouse the feelings, or enlist sympathy, must be done by the voice addressed to the ear. Hence, upon its quality and management depends the perfection of reading and speaking. A full, clear, and energetic utterance, united with richness and mellowness of tone, constitutes the properties of a good voice. In order to acquire these properties, by practising exercises designed for vocal culture, freedom of movement must be allowed to all the enunciatory organs.

1. The posture of the body must be upright and easy, the head erect, and the shoulders held back and down, so as to expand the chest as much as possible.

2. The teeth must not be too nearly closed, or the cavity of the mouth so contracted but that the tongue may execute its proper movements with celerity and exactness.

3. The lungs must be kept inflated; the portion of air given out being constantly and imperceptibly supplied, so that there shall always be a quantity in reserve.

4. In order to preserve an erect and easy position, when standing, the feet should be placed a few inches apart, one being a little in advance of the other, with its heel slightly turned inward; and the foot kept back should receive the principal weight of the body.

VOCAL GYMNASTICS.

GYMNASTICS in the open air are among the most important aids to vocal culture. The following movements and breathings, suitable for

Upon what depends the perfection of reading or speaking? tutes the properties of a good voice? What should be the body? How must be the teeth and mouth? The lungs? feet be placed? What is said of Gymnastics? What of the

What constiposture of the How must the movements?

the school-room, by expanding the chest, quickening the circulation, and imparting energy and pliancy to the respiratory organs, have considerable use as a preparatory drill in developing the voice.

MOVEMENTS.

1. Backward, with arms akimbo. With the head erect, and the shoulders back and down, place the hands upon the hips in such a manner that the thumbs shall press upon the side of the back, and the fingers upon the body in front, and then throw the elbows forcibly backward.

2. Downward, with arms and hands extended. Move the hands, after extending them downward by the sides, briskly up and down.

3. Upward, with the arms and hands extended. Let the hands and arms be placed in a vertical position, and then drawn down and projected upward, with force.

4. Forward, with the arms and hands extended. Draw back the hands and arms, after being extended horizontally forward, and project them forth again quickly, with force.

5. Backward, with arms and hands extended. Place the arms horizontally forward, with the palms of the hands together, and then throw them apart forcibly, bringing the backs of the hands as near together as possible behind the back.

BREATHINGS.

1. Full breathing. Place the arms and hands as required in the first movement; then, after slowly drawing in the breath until the chest is fully expanded, emit it with the utmost slowness.

2. Gentle breathing. Draw in the breath as in a full breathing, and expire it audibly in a prolonged sound of the letter h.

3. Forcible breathing. Fill the lungs, and then let out the breath with some degree of force, in the manner of a whispered cough.

4. Abrupt breathing. Send forth a full breath suddenly and forcibly, in the shortened sound of h, in the manner of an abrupt whispered cough.

5. Sighing. Fill suddenly the lungs with a full breath, and emit it as quickly as possible.

6. Sobbing. With a slight convulsive effort, inflate the lungs, and then send forth somewhat more gently the breath.

Describe and illustrate the first movement. The second. The third. The fourth. The fifth. Illustrate each of them, five times, rapidly. Describe and illustrate full breathing. Gentle breathing. Forcible breathing. Abrupt breathing. Sighing. Sobbing.

7. Gasping. Like sobbing, only the lungs must be fillea with more violence and haste.

8. Panting. Breathe quickly and violently, making the emission of the breath loud and forcible.

ARTICULATION.

ELOCUTION, or the art of speaking and reading with ease, elegance, and effect, makes a just Articulation, which is a clear and distinct utterance of all the elementary sounds entering into the formation of words, of the greatest consequence. It is certain that a speaker who possesses only a moderate voice, if his articulation be good, will be better understood, and heard with more pleasure, than another, speaking ever so loudly, whose articulation is imperfect.

The elements of our language have been divided, according to the quality of their sounds, into tonics, subtonics, and atonics.

TONICS.

The tonics are so called because they have perfect tone or vocality.

They are the only elements admitting of an indefinite prolongation of sound. They are nineteen in number.

2. A " Arm-Mart-Half. 12. U" Full-Pull - Bush. 13. U" Up-Spun- Dull.

3. A "At-Man Have. 4. A" Air- Care-Fare.

-Past-Dance. 14. A in Ale - Mate - Laid. 15. I "Ice-Lime - Find. 16. O "Old-Ode- Note. 17. Ou" Our-Ounce-Loud. 18. Oi "Oil-Joint-Voice. 19. U "Use-Union-Mute.

5. A "Ask6. E" End-Let-Mesh. 7. E" Err-Fern-Earl. 8. E" Eve-Eel-Seize. 9. I "It-Since - Did. 10. O" Odd - Rob- Blot.

1

OBSERVATIONS.

1. The sounds of the first thirteen elements in the table are simple, that is, they may be indefinitely prolonged with

Describe and illustrate gasping. Panting.
is Articulation? How have the elements of
Why are the tonics so called? What is said
What are the sounds of A? Of E? Of I?
Of Ol? Which of the elements are simple?

What is Elocution? What the language been divided? of them? Their number? Of O? Of U? Of OU? Name them.

16

ELOCUTIONARY ANALYSIS.

out change of tone; the other six cannot thus be prolonged without change, and are compound; thus,

A in ale begins with the initial sound of a, and ends with a slight sound of e in eve. I in ice begins with a in at, and ends with i in it. O in old is compounded of an opening sound vanishing into o in do. Ou in our is formed by commencing with u in up, and closing with a short quantity of o in do. Oi in oil is compounded of o in old and i in it. U in use is the sound of e in eve, blended with o in do.

2. There are a few medium or modified sounds which require careful attention, in order that their utterance may be strictly conformed to the standard of elegant usage; as,

A in air, when articulated by the best speakers, is an intermediate sound between a in ale and e in end.* A in ask, properly articulated, is an intermediate element between a in arm and a in at.* E in err sounds between e in end and u in cur.* The sound of ur, also, as heard from good speakers, in some words is so much softened as to approach very nearly to e in err.† O in on is somewhat lengthened before f, s, th, and ng; as in often, moss, cloth, and long.

3. In forming the tonics the voice is simply put forth from the mouth opened at certain distances; thus,

A in all is formed by opening wide the mouth, with resonance of sound in the chest. Ŏ in on is the same as a in all, only its quantity of sound is shorter. E in err is also the same, except the mouth is a little closer. In forming a in arm, the mouth is about as far open as in e in err, but with the corners of the mouth a little drawn back, and with a resonance of sound in the head. Of a similar formation, but differing in degrees of quantity, are a in ask, a in air, e in end, and u in up. A in ale, like these, has a resonance in the head, but requires in its formation that the corners of the mouth be somewhat more drawn back, and the teeth somewhat more nearly closed. In forming e in eve, the mouth is drawn still further back, and the teeth very nearly together. I in it, the same as the last, except a shorter sound.. I in ice combines in its formation that of a in at and i in it. O in old requires the lips to be in a circle, and has a resonance in the head. O in do, like the last, except that the lips must project in the manner of pouting. U in full is a shorter sound, formed like o in do. U in use combines the formations of e in eve and o in old. Ou in our unites the methods of forming u in up and o in do; and oi in oil, the methods of forming o in old and i in it.

Which of the elements are compound? Of what sounds is a in all composed? I in ice? O in old? Ou in our? Oi in oil? U in use? What is said of the medium sounds? What of a in air? A in ask? E in err? O in on, before f, s, th, and ng? How are the tonics formed? What of a in all? Of o in on? E in err? A in arm? E in err? A in ask? A in air, e in end, and u in up? A in ale? E in eve? I in it? I in ice? O in old? O in do? U in full? U in use? E in eve? Ou in our? Oi in oil?

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1. A.

All, also, daub, draw, straw, nor, for, broad, ought, fought.

2. A.

Arm, ah, harm, farm, part, balm, calm, heart, guard, yard.

3. A.

At, add, ban, hand, has, bat, slant, jam, shall, plaid, wax.

4. A.

Air, fare, dare, rare, ware, tare, bear, prayer, there, where.

5. A.

Ask, graff, graft, glance, chance, clasp, brass, branch, grant. 6. E.

End, den, hence, shell, beg, theft, rest, any, many, bury.

7. E.

Err, earth, perfect, gird, firm, myrrh, myrtle, curl, burden.

8. E.

Eve, me, feel, field, team, heat, cheek, wheel, pique, frieze.

9. I.

It, hid, grim, zinc, sing, been, women, busy, sylvan, hymn.

10. O.

Odd, fond, not, on, rob, wad, was, often, loss, froth, prong. 11. O.

Do, to, prove, noon, soup, tour, troop, rude, rule, true, drew. 12. U.

Full, bull, push, put, would, could, should, wolf, foot, good. 13. U

Up, bud, dull, hum, run, hut, love, glove, blood, touch, does. 14. A.

Ale, age, make, fame, aim, hail, may, stray, obey, weigh.

15. I.

Ice, life, pile, sign, wipe, die, eye, guide, buy, style, type. 16. O.

Old, tome, ode, note, oak, hoe, door, soul, snow, beau, show. 17. OU.

Our, thou, loud, pound, rout, row, now, cow, fowl, growl.

18. OI.

Oil, soil, point, void, noise, voice, joy, coy, boy, destroy. 19. U.

Use, fume, lure, dupe, due, sue, feud, few, hew, new, blew.

Give, first, the element, then the words of each illustration. Point out the instances of the same element being represented by different letters.