1810.] 
Scotch.—-Ex'ercise and témperance stréngthen 
the constittition, 
Irish. Exercise and ttmperance strengthen 
the constitution, 
With considerable reluctance, I dissent 
from the authority of so distinguished a 
professor; but Lam inclined to think, 
that after more accurate Investigation, 
the voices spoken of by the late Mr. 
Mr. Wright on his New Theory of Inflection. 
* 
135 
Walker, will be found to be the union of 
inflexions at contrary terminations, called 
the risingand falling circumflexes. When, 
on the same syllable, the concluding part 
of the falling inflexion unites with the 
commencing part of the rising inflexion, 
and vice versd, they are termed circum- 
flexes. They descend and ascend by 
musical fifths: 
falling circumflex a 
Ast. example oD: : 
2d. example > z aie 
The student will take notice of the 
propriety of distinguishing these turns of 
voice, by the names affixed to the exam- 
ples. The circumflex A in the first ex- 
ample, falls a fifth, and, in returning, the 
veice dces not ascend above the key- 
note: and, vice versd, the circumflex B 
in the same example, rises a fifth, and, 
in returning, it does not descend below 
the key-note. -To form the cadence, the 
circumflexes must be reversed, as in the 
second example. " 
Our initial proposition is somewhat 
supported by two observations in the 
Jearned work of the Rev. James Adams. 
Speaking of the dialect of the Scots, he 
says, ‘* every word has some peculiar 
twang, or twist, discordant with received 
classical English sounds.” “ The Irish- 
English,” the same gentleman observes, 
“‘may be said to be chiefly confined to 
the singular tone, or false rise and fall of 
voice, approaching to the note of re- 
strained mterrogation,” 
These peculiar turns of voice are given 
to the pronunciation of certain words in 
oblique phraseology, wherein more is 
understood than the mere words seem to 
express. Tropes of this class convey 
their-meaning either by the known ac- 
ceptation of the nature of the persons 
or things to which they are applied, by 
the mode of pronunciation, or by educ- 
tiou from the context. If the following 
series be pronounced according to the 
inarked words, and accompanied with a 
sneering smile, the student will discern 
more satisfactorily the true nature of cir- 
cumflexes. ‘ There is no doubt of it; 
thy integrity got thee absdived ; thy mé- 
. paige : 
desty drew thee out of danger; and the 
rising circumflex 
Vv 
innecency of thy past life saved thee.” 
This form of phraseology may be consi- 
dered peculiarly characteristic of the 
Scottish people; and if, in the foregoing 
example, the words “ doubt, absolved, 
modesty, innecency, past, and saved,” 
were marked the same as the rest of the 
accented words, viz. with the falling cir- 
cumflex instead of the rising circumflex, 
‘we should then have an instance of the 
turn of voice in their pronunciation. 
- The following is an instance of the turn 
of voice in the Irish pronunciation : 
“‘ Good mérrow my pretty féilow ; upon 
my word thou hast acquitted thyself véry 
handsomely.” Better pronounced thus: 
* Good morrow my pretty fellow; thou 
hast acquitted thyself very handsomely.” 
By the circumflex, the contrary is under- 
stood. 
The circumflex is also made use of in 
the pronunciation of. certain words, in 
that class of rhetorical figures which 
serves to embellish the argumentation. 
In the concession at the end of Pope’s 
Ode on St. Cecilia’s Day, the fall- 
ing circumflex on the word fell is a stri- 
king instance of the strength and beauty 
of the modification of sound, when used 
in a proper manner: : 
¢* His numbers rais’d a shade from~ heli: 
Her’s lift the soul to heavea.?”,» —___—__— 
———$<—— 
pages 
The passazes which I have quoted in 
illustration of this position appear con-— 
vincing; and I flatter myself, that, from 
the quickness of thought, aud the aceu- 
racy of discerament, which such class of 
tropes and figures are found to contain, 
and 
