VOCAL EXPRESSION.

CHAPTER VII.

LANGUAGE.

Language in its broadest function reveals not only that which man designs to express, but infinitely more. It expresses not only what the man creates in his mind, but really what he is also.

The orator's office, perhaps, is to express only what he thinks and feels; but as what a man does is inseparable from what he is, it may be profitable to look briefly at language in the broadest light. But first, the intentional language of the orator does not consist merely of the literal or spoken form. "It was not what he said, but it was the way he said it," is a comment frequently heard upon another's utterance. The most scathing invective may be couched in language of complimentary form. Irony gets its meaning and sting from the tone in which it is spoken, while the words pretend to praise.

Delsarte classified these different agents and methods of expression as "nine languages."

First, the language of forms. The nature and habits of the snake or eagle may be determined by its form.

Man's place in the order of beings is also indicated by the form of his body. The hand especially indicates his superiority. The form is more or less modified by the inner life.

Second, Attitudes. All emotions strong enough to pronounce themselves, find expression in appropriate attitude, or significant change of form and position in relation to others.

Third, Automatic movements.

These are unconscious es

capes of character, unpurposed movements, as trembling, nodding, biting of the lips, etc.

Fourth, Gesture. This is nature's language, a valuable handmaid to articulate speech.

Fifth, Facial expression. "The eye is the window of the soul." I think it is equally as true, and fully as trite, that the face is the mirror of the soul. The animated face is an open book of the soul's contents.

Sixth, Inarticulate noises. "All organic or emotional states seeking uncontrolled expression, reveal themselves in crude noises," as the whistle, hiss, cough, sob, groan, etc.

Seventh, Inflected tones. "The quality, pitch, cadence of voice, reveal the range of emotion in kind and degree." The "yell of rage," the "wail of sorrow," the " monotone of sublimity," etc., are found under this head.

Eighth, Articulate language. Articulate language is the

medium of the intellect.

Ninth, Deeds. This is a very solid manifestation of self. So the proverb comes that "actions speak louder than words."

We will study at greater length the second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth of these languages.

Articulate and Inflected Language. - Words reveal the intellectual state. So we have the incisive and compact utterance of the clear thinker, in contrast to the intellectual status of the wordy speaker, bankrupt in thought.

Voice reveals the sensitive state. None fail to appreciate the "clear, honest voice of health and refinement, the mincing fop, the muddy vocality of vice."

Inflections reveal the moral state. The positive inflection of the man of conviction, the circumflex of a double dealer, the mechanical and nasal whine of the hypocrite, are interpreted by all, if all are not able to analyze the mechanics of the language used.

Articulate Language. The first effort of every speaker should be to make himself understood.

Emphasis. The intelligibility of articulate language depends upon emphasis. Words are made emphatic by giving them prominence, compelling them to stand out in the sentence. This is accomplished by pausing before or after a word, by the quality of the voice used, but most usually by an increased force ("stress ") of voice on the accented syllable on a higher pitch. The word to be emphasized is the one that conveys the meaning intended. Any sentence may convey as many meanings or shades of meaning as it has words. Do you study elocution? Really, I do not. tion? No, but my brother does. Do No, I ignore it as beneath my dignity. tion? No, I prefer theology.

Do you study elocuyou study elocution? Do you study elocu

The author must have clearly in his mind what he does mean, and then command the emphasis to express it. Reporters are not always to blame for misunderstanding the speaker; speakers and readers are frequently slovenly in using emphasis. In deliberative assemblies, I have heard speakers interrupted, and questioned as to their meaning. With the same sentence, but correctly emphasized, the speaker re-states himself, and the audience is no longer in doubt.

Usually the word that expresses the most, when separated from the rest of the sentence, is the one that reveals the thought.

"From the workshop of the Golden Key, there issued forth a tinkling sound, so merry and good-humored, that it suggested the idea of some one working blithely, and made quite pleasant music.”

In reading this sentence, the majority of persons will emphasize "sound," but tinkling expresses not only sound, but tells the character of the sound, and should therefore be emphasized. "Tinkling," "blithely," and "music," given

with proper inflection and action, will express more than any other words of the sentence.

New idea. In a succession of ideas, the new one is to be emphasized according to the principle above.

"Tink, tink!' clear as a silver bell, and audible at every pause of the street's harsher noises, as though it said, 'I don't care!'" To emphasize "noises," would be to emphasize the old idea included in " 'tinkling." The idea is to contrast the clear bell sound with the harsh sounds of the street. Antithesis. Antithetic emphasis is placed really according to the principle of the new idea.

Faults. 1. Emphasizing too many words.

are generals, there are no privates.

is equal to emphasizing none.

Where all

Emphasizing every word

2. Emphasizing words at regular intervals without regard

to sense.

3. Placing the emphasis on unaccented syllables.

4. Emphasizing small or unimportant words.

5. Emphasizing words at random, without clearly discerning the thought.

Practice.

- I. Get command over the power to place the emphasis on any word at will.

2. Analyze what you are to read, for the most important word; (a) by separating the words of the sentence, (b) by placing the emphasis on different words in succession.

3. Clearly think your thought, then utter the words that convey your meaning with due emphasis.

The Language of Inflected Tones. While words reveal thought, inflection shows how that thought affects the speaker. It is the language of emotion. A perfect man would have no difficulty in perfectly expressing himself. Children are generally less trammeled than men, to express themselves thoroughly and accurately through the inflections.

We understand inflection to be the slide of the voice from one pitch to another.

"Pitch is the place of the sound in the musical scale."

Concrete pitch is that movement of sound from a lower to a higher, or from a higher to a lower pitch, without any break ; it is accomplished by one impulse of sound.

Discrete pitch is that of two or more sounds separated fron each other. If the finger is slid down the string of the violin. while the bow is drawn across, we have a sound continuing from one pitch to another, without any break whatever; this is a concrete pitch, for the pitches grow together. Now if the performer change his finger to give a distinct pitch with an interval between, we have a discrete pitch, for one pitch is distinguished from another.

In slides we use concrete pitch.

"High," "low,” and

"middle" pitch refer to the part of the vocal scale.

In a succession of two tones, if the second begins a tone above the beginning of the first, it is called a discrete rising second; if it falls below, it is called a discrete falling second.

According to the interval made, we have a discrete rising second, third, fifth, octave, etc., if the voice ascends in the scale; or falling second, third, etc., etc., if it falls in the scale. The voice may rise or fall two or more tones, making discrete intervals of only a tone, thus touching every tone in ascending or descending. A succession of tones on the same pitch is a monotone. A phrase of melody is an alternating set of rising or falling tones.

Rising Slides.* The semitone. Let a plaintive or mournful expression be given to the following sentence, and it will exhibit the rising semitone on the "I," and the falling semitone on "boy": "I will be a good boy," answering the question, "Who will be a good boy?

Rising slide of a second. Let the following sentence be de liberately and clearly uttered, and the "I" will exhibit the

* For the examples on the slides of the voice, the author is indebted to Dr. Barber's "Grammar of Elocution."