800 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
accent is on the second. If the accent is on the first, they are of 
the forms L I ; if on the last, of the forms I J. Examples — accident, 
s J 
recollect. The monosyllabic pressure in these words marks a 
secondary accent. A similar analysis is given of the pressures on 
words of four, five, six, seven, and eight syllables, with varied 
position of the primary and secondary accents. It is shown that 
not more than two unaccented syllables can occur together. A 
sentence may begin with three apparently unaccented syllables — 
for instance, “ in the beginning ; ” but these words must have two 
pressures, one effecting the utterance of the words “ in the ” and 
the other sufficing for the word “ beginning,” the notations being 
L JL. The amount of pressure in a monopressure can be varied. 
The author recognises three degrees corresponding to the accent, the 
secondary accent, and the accent by position. 
The same sentence may be uttered in a great variety of ways, by 
varying the number and form of the monopressures. Children 
beginning to speak use a monopressure for each syllable. A 
proper distribution of the syllables to the monopressures and a 
proper regulation of the strength of the latter, so as to fit the 
meaning of each sentence, are essential elements of good speaking 
and reading. By means of examples from Shakespeare and Milton, 
the author shows how rhythm in verse depends upon the arrange- 
ment of the four forms of monopressure. He believes his theory 
and the notation founded on it may be successfully applied to 
instruction in pronunciation and rhythm, to textual criticism of 
Shakespeare, and to the decision of questions as to accentuation in 
Hebrew and Greek, and that it may lead to the economy of breath 
pressure and voice, and to an easy elocution which only an under- 
standing of the mode in which voice is produced can help to 
perfect. 
