in PROBATION AND AETICULATION 171 



h, or spiritus lenis of Greek which is not usually marked in 

 writing. 



In each syllable accent and quantity have to be distinguished. 

 " Accent " means the loudness and pitch of tone with which the 

 syllable is pronounced. In syllables which consist of one or two 

 vowels combining with one, two, or three semivowels or consonants, 

 the accent falls on the sound which is uttered in the strongest 

 and highest voice : this is the sonant of the syllable. The rest 

 of the elements associated with the sonant and pronounced in a 

 weaker and lower voice, whether vowels, semivowels, sounding 

 consonants, or dumb consonants form the consonants. 



Word accent, again, must be distinguished from syllabic accent ; 

 it falls on those syllabic sonants which are pronounced in the 

 loudest, highest voice. Physiologically the accent may be sub- 

 divided as phonic and tonic according to its strength or pitch. 

 Practically this distinction is rarely made, because the accent 

 generally depends on the higher pitch at which the syllable is 

 uttered. 



The " quantity " of the syllables depends on their brevity or 

 length, i.e. the physiological duration of the expiratory breath in 

 which they are uttered, which varies according to the different 

 vowels, semivowels, and consonants. In Greek and Latin the 

 quantity of the syllable was regularly distinguished and used as 

 the base of metric poetry. Modern languages attach little weight 

 to the quantity i.e. brevity or length of the syllables, since 

 this is dominated by the accent, which has become the base of 

 modern metrical poetry. Even when imitating classical metres 

 we emphasise the accent, not the length of the syllables a 

 splendid example of this being the work of the Italian poet, 

 Carducci. 



The combination of syllables leads to the formation of sentences 

 which are divided by pauses of different length, marked in writing 

 by commas, semicolons, etc. The words of which they consist are 

 variously accentuated. There is also a sentence accent, which 

 falls on the words we emphasise in speaking, and sometimes 

 underline in writing. The pitch of the ordinary speaking voice 

 varies within the limits of a half-octave. In European languages 

 the different tones of the language colour the phrases and alter 

 their expression. Correct diction and accent is a special gift with 

 which different individuals are very variously endowed. This 

 may not make their speech more intelligible, but it certainly 

 renders it more effective and agreeable. 



XI. The development of speech in children closely follows 

 their anatomical development and the physiological exercise of 

 the speech organs. They begin by vocalising, and utter high- 

 pitched vocal sounds, i, a, e, which constitute the cries and in- 

 articulate sounds of infancy. The child's first articulate utterances 



