It cannot be necessary to inquire further into the general nature and uses of interrogations. They are, in fact, too extensive to be enumerated, even if it were practicable to do it, without a prolixity disproportionate to a work of this kind. Enough has been done to establish conclusively this fact, that every interrogative sentence contains a question, which, whether it be answered directly or not, admits an answer in some form or other. Another truth would seem to be equally obvious,—that, whenever a sentence is really an interrogative one, it should be so read or spoken as to make the interrogation apparent to those who hear it, and that this cannot be done unless it be read or spoken in some manner different from the reading and speaking of a common sentence. Now, by an attentive consideration of this subject, it will be seen that we generally close sentences which are not interrogative with a cadence, as pointed out in the chapter under that head. Emphasis may form some exceptions to this general principle, as it does to many others, but not so often, it is believed, as might at first be supposed. In most cases where it might at first be thought that the voice is raised a note or a semitone on the last syllable in a sentence, it will be found that the rising inflection alone is used, and sometimes nothing more than the secondary falling one; but when the voice is really raised a note or semitone on that syllable, there may be, after all, a doubt produced in the minds of the hearers whether a question was not implied in what was said. The general principle, therefore, in respect to a cadence, is not affected by such exceptions. The general conclusion to which we are brought (that the close of an interrogative sentence must be different from a cadence) will be best expressed in the first of the rules which will here follow.

RULE I.

In all kinds of interrogative sentences, the last syllable should be raised, in reading or speaking, at least a note or semitone higher than the one which precedes it, or, what amounts to the same thing, the penult syllable should be a note or semitone lower than the last syllable.

If this rule is correct, it appears that the close of an interrogative sentence is a cadence inverted, and that, in this particular, there is an important distinction between such a sentence and a common one, a disregard of which must be a confusion of the two.*

* In Dr. Porter's rule, however, for reading such questions as cannot be answered by yes or no, there is no such distinction made, and we are taught to read them as we should those which are not interrogative. Nor has he, indeed,

RULE II.

When a question is asked in an earnest, spirited, or fearless manner, or with a view to obtain an answer, the penult, and sometimes the antepenult syllable, will be on or above the key note of the sentence; the last syllable will, of course, be higher still. In some cases, the voice will begin to rise still farther back, and there are times when it gradually rises from the commencement of a sentence, especially if it be not a long one, to its close.

Emphasis produced by contrast or antithesis may depress the voice on a particular syllable or syllables for the sake of marking the thing contrasted with something else, but still not so as to change the relative position of the two last syllables with each other. A consideration of this, however, belongs to the treating of emphasis, and the occurrence itself does not interfere with the general rule.

RULE III.

The last syllable of an interrogative sentence should have the rising slide, and the same slide is required at every pause in the sentence, whether the pause be grammatical or rhetorical.

In some cases, the secondary rising inflection may be used, but not often. Here, again, the kind of emphasis before mentioned may sometimes invert the slide on any syllable but the last; but so instinctively inclined are we to turn the voice upward in asking questions, that, even in the case of such emphasis, we invariably employ, I believe, the secondary falling inflection, and not the primary.

This rule is, in fact, no more than a particular application of Rule I. in the chapter on inflections. When a question is asked, the thought or sentiment is, of course, carried forward from the beginning to the end of the sentence, and the current of the voice should correspond with that of the thought. It is the rising slide which is mainly employed for this purpose; yet sometimes the secondary downward slide, if the upward turn at its close is strongly marked, answers the same purpose; but this current of the voice is entirely interrupted by a cadence.

made such a distinction any where else. All he has said is, that those questions which can be answered by yes or no are to have the rising inflection, and those which cannot be so answered are to have the falling; yet he has not even told us where these inflections are to be made, and has uniformly marked only the long and the accented syllables nearest the close, though several short ones might immediately follow them. Such imperfections, surely, ought not to be perpetuated.

Yet how often is such a cadence used even by those who wish to be accounted good readers and speakers!

RULE IV.

When a question is asked in a vague and general manner, or for the mere purpose of expressing a thought forcibly without the design of exacting an answer in form, or in a kind and gentle manner, the last syllable may be on the key note or be below it, while the preceding syllables may take any arrangement in the scale of the voice consistent with leaving the penult a note or semitone lower than the last one.

To avoid all uncertainty of meaning with regard to the rising and falling of the voice, the same mode of expressing it will be pursued in the examples following under these rules as was adopted in the illustration of cadence.

this tumult'?

ést?

earn in

Answer me directly',-did you make all

Can't I speak in jêst without being taken

Now read the same example in a complaining or despairing

tone: Can't I speak ; jest without being taken

in

And the king said unto her', "What wilt

ther', and what is thy re

quest'?"

in

earnvest'?

And the king Ahasuerus answered, and said unto Esther,

he^,

hè,

the queen', "Who is and whère is that durst presume

man admits the importance of this country. Think you the First Consul', whose capacious mind embraces the globe^, is

alone ignorant of its

valué?

win by a rattle' to comply with your

a nurse, sing him to a

lullaby'?

If you have no hope from a

fondling attention and soothing sounds, what

také ?

change?

have' you to offer

Have you any thing to give which will

he

He wants powér: you have no power. He wants dominión : you have no dominion—at least, none that you can grant. He wants influence in Europé; and have you

fluence

in

Európe ?

any in

I will now introduce a few examples taken from "Porter's Rhetorical Reader," that any who wish it may have an opportunity of comparing his principles and method of notation with those here adopted. They are taken from pages 33 and 34, under Rule VII., and from page 90, under exercise 7.

What, Tuberó, did that naked sword of yours mean' in the battle of Phar,.á? At whose breast was its aiméd?

What was the meaning of your arms', your spìrít, your eyes',

"Who say the people that I They answering said', "John the Baptist; but some say Elìás, and others say that one of the old pròphets' is risen again." Where is

boàsting',

then'? It is excluded. Who first se

duced them to that foul re

volt?

The infèrnál sèrpént.

The governor answered, and said unto them, "Whether of

the twain will ye that I release

unto you' ?" They said,

" Barabbas." Pilate said unto them, "What shall I do, then,

Christ' ?"

They all say unto him',

with Jesus', which is called "Let him be crucified'." And the governor said, "Why^, what done'?" But they cried out the more, sayingʻ,

evil
hath he
"Let him be crucified."

Where, now, is the splendid robe of the conlate'? Where

es'?

su

are the brilliant torch Where are the appfàuses' and dan

ces', the feasts and entertain

and the canop

ies'?

ments' ?

Where are the coronets

Where the huzzas of the city' the compliments of the circus', and the flattering acclamations of he All these have perished.

specta

tors'?

It is proper to remark, that persons of good taste may vary somewhat in the particular modulation of the voice in certain cases of interrogation, but yet without any violation of first principles. Some would elevate the voice a note or semitone more than others, or in like manner depress it, on a particular word or syllable, when it could be done without destroying the interrogative character of the sentence. Different apprehensions of the meaning conveyed, and different states of feeling at the time, may contribute to this variety. Even the same individual, owing to the same causes, may have some diversity of manner in his expression. No diversity, however, of this kind, can vary the general principle respecting the relative position of the penult and last syllable.

CHAPTER VII.

EMPHASIS.

Any mode of utterance which is calculated to draw the particular attention of the hearer to a thought, syllable, or part of a sentence is called emphasis. The usual definition, that emphasis is a particular stress of the voice laid on one or more words in a sentence, is very incomplete. Emphasis often exists without any special stress of the voice: a mere whisper may sometimes give a word or phrase an emphasis which mere stress could not do. There are other modes, also, of making language emphatic, as I shall have occasion to show, and which are inconsistent with the common definition.

Emphasis is a part of reading and speaking which deserves special consideration. Without it our reading would be dull