9 ACCENT. 



intuit and the instant of high-water are nearly equal; but from con- 

 junction to the fin* quarter, and from opposition to the third quarter, 

 the intervals are lea than on the dan of syiygy and quadrature, or 

 the time of high-water is accelerated; while from the time of the 

 first quarter to that of full moon, and from the third quarter to the 

 new moon, the interval is greater, or the time of high-water U retarded. 

 The time first mentioned (Ih. 57m. 17.) i that which is called the 

 Establishment, at London; but Dr. Whewell recommends that the mean 

 of the times (Ih. 25m. 35s.),which he calls the mean, or correct, establish- 

 rnent, should be used in preference, because it differs less, on any day, 

 from the vulgar establishment 



From Dr. Whewell's paper in the ' Philosophical Transactions' for 

 1836, we find that at Liverpool, when the moon passes the meridian at 

 30ui. P.M., her hour-angle at the time of high-water is llh. 18m. 16s.; 

 when the hour of transit is 64 P.M., the hour-angle U lOh. 40m. 62s. ; 

 and whrn it i 11) r.M., the angle in llh. 33m. 36s. The mean, or 

 correct establishment, at that port, is llh. Cm. 



The acceleration and retardation of the times of high-water must 

 evidently depend on the distance of the moon from the earth, and 

 they are presumed to be proportional to the difference between the 

 actual and the mean horizontal parallax of the luminary : this is called 

 the parallax inequality of the tide* ; and La Place ha* determined, for 

 the lunar tide*, that the ratio of tho daily variations, when the moon 

 in in apogee and in perigee, is nearly OH 2227 to 2899. He esti- 

 matea tiie variation at 9m. 26'4s. for a change equal to one minute in 

 the moon's apparent semidiameter at the times of conjunction and 

 opposition, and at one-third of that quantity at the times of quadra- 

 ture. Corresponding variations, but less in amount, take place with 

 respect to the solar tides. 



ACCENT (in Mathematics). To avoid the confusion arising from 

 the use of many letters in an algebraical problem, and on other 

 account*, it is customary to signify different magnitudes of the same 

 kind, or magnitudes similarly connected with the question, by the 

 same letter, distinguishing these magnitudes from one another by 

 accents. It is, therefore, to be understood that the same letter with 

 two different accents may stand for magnitudes as different in value as 

 those represented by different letters. The convenience of the accent 

 may be illustrated as follows : If a men can do 6 things in days, 

 and e men can do/ things in g days, we have the following equation : 



afcssebg. 



Now, instead of using t,f, and .'/. in the second pnrt of the question, 

 let us use the letters which stood for the corresponding quantities in 

 the first part, with accents ; that is, let a' men do 4' things in <' days. 

 The equation then becomes 



a V c == a' 6 c'. 



In this new form of the equation some thing* are evident to the eye, 

 to ascertain which, had the first equation been used, we must have had 

 recourse to the question itself. For instance, that if a', b", f* express 

 men, things, and days, as above, ab' c = a" 6 e', only placing two 

 accents now where there was one before. In many investigations, the 

 judicious use of accent* gives a symmetry to the processes and expres- 

 sions which could scarcely be otherwise obtained. 



For the unmathematical reader, we may illustrate the use of accents 

 in the following way : Let us suppose a bookcase to consist of four 

 row* of shelves, each divided into six compartments. If we call the six 

 compartments in the lowest range A, 8, c, D, E, and r, respectively. \v. 

 might let the compartment directly over A be called G, and so on ; but 

 it would be much simpler and more easy of recollection to call this com- 

 partment A', the one over it in the third row A", and so on. Thus each 

 letter would indicate a certain vertical line of compartments, while tin 

 accent would point out in which horizontal line the one designated is 

 to be found. This is precisely the mathematical use of the accent. 

 All quantities of the same kind, or which the problem places in similar 

 politico*, are designated, with regard to this question, by the same 



The accented letter a' s read a aecenled, or a dathed ; a* is read a 

 I fire accented, or a lidct dathed, or, more conveniently, though without 

 iniM-li attention to idiom, a too doth, Ac. When accents become too 

 many to be used with convenience, the Roman figure* are substitute 

 for them. Thus o h would be used for a"" : at Cambridge, of late 

 yearn, the i and v are an accent, and two accents joined at the base 

 which is very expressive. The Unman figures prevent a'' from beinj 

 taken fur ', or a multiplied three times by itself. The young algc 

 braist should be cautious in his use of accent*, until experience has 

 Uught him to do so with propriety. 



ACCENT (in Music*, signifies, in a general sense, emphasis, and is 

 either grammatical or oratorical. 



i.nmmatieal accent ia the emphasis, always slight, given to notes 

 which are ia the accented parte of a bar. If the first, fifth, and ninth 

 note* of the following series are accented, the whole will he divide< 

 into bars of common or equal time : 





ACCENT ta 



If an emphasis be given to the first, fourth, and seventh note*, the 

 series will divide into Mrs of triple time tin-.- : 





I I I 



Again, an entirely different effect will be produced by throwing the 

 accent on the second, sixth, and tenth notes of the same aeries : 



--- r r JJ 



So important is this accentuation, that the above examples give really 

 lifferent tunes, although the notes are the same. 



Oratorical accent is expression is the accent dictated by feeling 

 and not confined to any particular part of the bar. It is often required, 

 .hough the composer may not have marked it by any sign, but left ii 

 t< the knowledge and taste of the performer to discover an<l enl 

 Commonly, however, the terms rinfonato (strengthened), and tfonato 

 violently forced), are used for the purpose, though these participles are 

 ao often thought synonymous. An acute angle (=-) is also employed 

 to indicate such emphasis. 



The accented parts of a bar arc such as naturally require some 

 emphasis. In common time, the bar of which is divided into four 

 larts, the first and third are accented, the second and fourth unaccented. 

 In triple time of three crotchets, the accent is on the first ; the second 

 and third are usually unaccented ; but a slight accent is sometimes 

 riven to the third or last note. In three-quaver time the accent is on 

 ;he first quaver only. In six-quaver time, it is on the first and fourth 

 iua\e]>. Nine quaver and twelve-quaver times, which are only 

 multiples of the two former, and are seldom used, follow the same 

 ride as those. The extremes, however, of slowness and quickness in 

 times, though not altering their names, change the number of accented 

 part*. [CLEF; TIMK.] 



ACCENT. When a child begins to read, he is apt to pronounce all 

 the syllables of a word in the same key, with the same loudness and 

 clearness, dwelling the same time \i|>n cadi, and pausing the same 

 time between each pair. He soon, however, learns that, in nearly 

 word there is one syllable at least which must lie distinguished from 

 the rest by a more impressive utterance, as in the examples rrt/t^n, 

 mpfctfnl, respcctaUe. If the word is a long one, it requires a second 

 accent, as rej><ctaliilili/. mtln ufdrtorti , !iuin6rtalt*e. On the other hand, 

 when short words come together, one or two are often o!,\ c,i.l of accent, 

 as in the phrase 6n the t6j> uf a hill. When it is stated that the accented 

 syllable is pronounced more impressively than the rest, it is not meant 

 that all accented syllables are to be equally impressive. In the examples 

 given above, the first accent in minttfactory seems to be weaker than 

 that on the third syllable; so the last accent in immtrlalttr, and that 

 attached to the prepositou on, among the six monosyllables, da tin '''/' 

 of a MU, are comparatively very faint. The consideration of 

 often determines whether or not we pronounce the initial h [& 

 AN]; and, consequently, whether the article tin or n is to be used 

 before such a word. Ui>ou accent depends the melody of verse, at least 

 in modern languages. Of the ancient, ]wirticularly the Greek accent , it 

 is better to abstain from speaking, because the opinions of pc. 

 the subject of Greek accent are both unsettled and contradictory. We 

 may remark, however, that it is the practice of the modern Greeks, in 

 a very great number of instances, to ptit the chief stress on that syllable 

 which, in our printed Greek hooks, has the accentual mark (') on it ; 

 I >ut. in doing this, they frequently and unavoidably neglect the stress 

 on those syllable- which we are accustomed to pronounce most empha 

 tically. It is said that the principle of Greek versification is quuiitili/. 

 or, as it is defined, the mere duration of a sound. Possibly, on , 

 examination of the question, it would lie found, that what the ancient* 

 meant by quantity, was not very different from what we mean by 

 arrrnt. A. writer in the ' Transactions of the Philological Society for 

 1855' (pp. 119 145), has put forward arguments to show, that to 

 accentuate the writings of Homer, ^Gschylus, Thucydides, as i> Hie 

 present practice, is simply an anachronism, inasmuch as the ac< 

 marks were introduced at a much later ]ieriod for Hi. \ cry purpose of 

 denoting the changes of pronunciation, when the distinctive v 

 and ii were no longer trustworthy guides. It does not accord with the. 

 nature of the present work to enter into details : Imt we may be |XT- 

 mitted to say, that the challenge to scholars contained in the pajier ha- 

 not yet been accepted. To return to the safer ground of our own 

 language, the reader of our older writers, Shaksperc and Milton, f.,r 

 instance, should know that the accents of words from time to ti> 

 changed, and even variable at the same time. Tim-. OK veil* which 

 we call Mum/)/.. a.- with Milton generally trium/ili ; the noun and the 

 verb being commonly distinguished l>y him in the same w 

 the noun and prodtce the verb are at the present day. What we call 

 ip\rit, was with him more commonly ipirUe, or almost *}ir\r : .md 

 dipect, prtteu, were atptct, itrorfm. Even in our time, aOttrAMMSHl 

 has become adtfrtutment. In those changes, the usual tendency in our 

 language is, and has been, to throw the- accent farther back from tho 

 end of the word. Such a tendency is, perhaps, inherent in all languages, 

 and seems to arise solely from an endeavour to nave labour by rapiditv 

 of utterance. 



