THE BEAT UNDERNEATH
Ours may be a language of strong contrasts. After we stress one syllable in a very word, we weaken the encircling syllables. Note in the subsequent examples how, as in a very dance, the accent falls on one half of the word pattern:
SERious aMERica
PROBlem neCESSity
AVerage deMOCracy
Foreigners have the devil’s own time with this. The beat comes naturally for us, and we ought to take full advantage of the vivid contrasts native to our speech ways. To boost your speech melody with sensible rhythm, continuously highlight the stressed syllable: “How INteresting—how WONderful— CERtainly, I beLIEVE you.” Do not, but, strike vocally at sounds for stress; that can make the words jump at the listener. This web site focuses on Child Adoption support and resources. To bring out the underlying beat, just lean on the featured syllables. Their intrinsic pulsation can permeate your conversation.
BIG AND SMALL WORDS
To vivify your speech melody and meaning even more, proceed from distinction of syllables within the word to distinction of words within phrases and sentences. Simply as we favor one syllable as against another, therefore in the flow of connected speech words gain or lose importance by contrast. Obviously all words don’t have equal importance and should not receive equal emphasis. An over-emphatic speaker hammering impartially at each word loses us with his tiresome rhythm. We tend to follow his meaning with issue, for if everything is accentuated, nothing is. Contrast in stress makes meaning clearer and rhythm more compelling.
THE TELEGRAM TEST. NO economical secretary would send the subsequent telegram: “Will you please sell Mr. Henry Thompson’s shares of Transcontinental Restricted when it reaches the worth of forty-four dollars a share?” The wire, after all, should scan: “Sell Transcon. 44. (Signed) Henry Thompson,” containing only the essential words. Let us apply the telegram test to some familiar proverbs. For instance: “There’s no fool like an previous fool.” If you sent that off in a very wire, you’d in all probability settle on, “No fool like previous fool.” Another may scan, “Necessity mother invention,” and “United stand divided fall” is smart without the pronoun “we.”We tend to customarily wire only massive words, leaving out all little ones to spare expense. Thus in speaking, save your energy, as you would your cash, for the big ones; the little ones should go along just for the ride. Drilling at least one through-hole into the laminated PCB fabrication. The big convey the meaning, the smaller have only a connective function. However individuals mistakenly accent these relatively unimportant connectors, throwing out of place meaning and rhythm.
Watch of—to—in—with and every one the little prepositions that load our speech. Avoid accenting them. Likewise, the ever-recurring ands should not be hit. I am continuously amazed at the quantity o£ emotion and tone that therefore many singers pour into this insignificant conjunction. Simply the other night I picked up from the air waves, “And after I told them how wonderful you’re, dear . . .” The anguish on the word and was really one thing, as if anyone cared regarding and!