Sixteen Experimental Investigations from the Harvard Psychological Laboratory by Hugo Münsterberg (100 books to read .txt) 📕

not by combining the records of each subject, but by combining all the

stanzas of a single type, in order to eliminate individual

peculiarities.

TABLE VII.

Verse pauses in unrhymed stanzas, together with the foot pause

within the verse. Length of last foot, together with the

average foot within the verse:

Average first Last foot Average of first Verse Pause.

3 feet of verse. of verse. 3 foot pauses

of verse.

Iambs:

36 56.5 24 45.5

57 122 35 100

63.5 111.5 42 93

63.5 117.5 39 93.5

66 135 42 110

56.5 68 41 54

53 53.5 37 41.5

56 73 34 45

85 98 56 54

39 50 26.5 36

37 43 17 30

42.5 45 28 30

31 72.5 21 55

33 66 23 54

33 76 22 64

Dactyls, catalectic:

56 63 (The pauses cannot be

60 62 compared because of the

55 66 omission of elements in

51.5 76 the final foot.)

37 40

55 58.5

53 59.5

40 73

38 65

Throughout the series of measurements made the accented element was

nearly always longer, and in no case did the accent fail to increase

the length of the sonant. Ebhardt’s suggestion that there are two

significant parts in each foot-element, viz., sonant and pause, does

not seem good. Although the sonant is much longer when accented, the

ratio between the sonant and the following interval is not definite.

An examination of thirty-two stanzas of unrhymed iambic and dactylic

(catalectic) tetrameters (cf. Table VII.) shows that the verse pause

is always at least one fourth larger than the foot pause. In the

unrhymed stanzas the verse pause varies widely, and may be as large as

three times the foot pause. A pause longer than the foot pause is

absolutely essential to the unity of the verse. All sorts of ratios

are presented; evidently the verse pause is not a function of the foot

pause.

The next table (Table VIII.) shows a variety of different dynamic

shadings in the verse. It is noteworthy that in these nonsense verses

the type is uniform throughout the stanza. Representing the

intensities by curves similar to those used by the subjects in

listening to rhythms, we have the forms shown in Fig. 6 (a).

The general curve is like that in Fig. 6(b).

[Illustration: FIG. 6.]

When a special emphasis is prescribed on some particular accent in the

verse, the type becomes invariable, not only in each stanza, but for

all stanzas of all subjects.

The records show that the accent is produced in a variety of ways.

One, for example, gets the accent by a slight increase in intensity,

but especially by a pause following the sonant.

TABLE VIII.

THE INTENSITY RELATIONS WITHIN THE TOTAL, UNRHYMED VERSE.

UNRHYMED IAMBIC TETRAMETERS.

Average

Intensities. length Length

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ of first of last

- - - - 3 sonants. sonant.

Ha. 2 5 4 5 2 4 3 6 31 31s

4 4 2 4 2 5 3 7 33 36s

2 5 3 4 1 5 3 9 32 29s

2 4 2 5 2 5 3 7 31 22s

3 5 1 5 3 4 3 5 37 35s

2 5 2 4 2 4 3 6 35 27s

2 4 2 4 2 4 2 6 38 22s

1 4 3 4 1 5 3 6 34 23s

Hu. 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 5 25 33

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 26 32

5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 19 33

5 5 5 6 8 9 8 9 28 50

9 9 8 9 9 9 9 8 43 51

9 7 8 7 7 8 9 10 48 45s

6 7 7 7 6 7 6 7 43 43s

6 6 5 6 4 7 7 8 36 50

G. 9 14 7 14 4 12 6 10 20 25

7 12 7 14 7 10 6 10 16 26

7 12 6 11 4 12 5 10 17 26

6 13 6 11 1 9 7 12 16 26

10 8 7 30 6 15 7 16 18 25

7 14 8 12 6 15 10 13 15 28

7 16 9 15 4 14 7 12 16 25

7 15 7 13 5 13 6 12 17 25

In verses marked ‘s’ the last sonant is shorter than the average of

the preceding sonants.

UNRHYMED IAMBIC TETRAMETERS: PRESCRIBED ACCENT ON THE THIRD FOOT.

‘

/ — / — / — / —

Mc. Couplets. 4 6 6 7 4 6 4 4

5 8 5 6 2 12 8 5

4 6 5 10 4 11 5 3

4 6 5 10 4 10 4 4

7 11 5 9 9 15 5 5

5 19 20 22 21 24 6 6

12 22 16 22 20 22 8 7

12 22 14 31 10 26 6 7

Ha. Couplets. 4 7 4 8 8 9 5 7

5 7 4 6 6 8 2 7

2 6 2 6 5 6 3 6

2 7 3 6 2 10 3 4

3 7 3 7 4 6 4 6

4 5 3 6 4 7 2 6

5 7 1 6 4 8 2 5

2 7 3 5 3 7 2 6

UNRHYMED IAMBIC TETRAMETERS: PRESCRIBED ACCENT ON THE SECOND FOOT.

‘

/ — / — / — / —

Mc. Couplets. 13 22 22 30 22 18 15 18

11 20 22 26 15 19 15 10

10 25 20 26 20 24 12 23

10 19 17 26 19 11 9 10

12 23 18 26 22 17 10 15

8 23 20 27 16 22 15 16

12 23 26 30 22 21 10 17

14 28 26 34 11 28 11 21

Ha. Couplets. 6 9 4 12 4 5 3

4 5 4 12 1 5 2 5

3 5 3 12 2 5 2 6

1 6 4 15 1 6 2 7

- 15 3 12 - 8 - 5

- 6 4 12 - 7 - 5

- 7 - 7 4 13 - 4

- 6 3 13 - 5 - 4

G. Couplets. 9 19 11 20 4 12 3 10

5 13 6 16 5 10 6 11

8 16 10 18 5 10 6 11

6 12 6 16 6 10 6 10

8 16 13 19 5 13 8 12

9 17 11 19 3 10 6 12

9 16 9 18 6 10 7 9

7 15 7 15 5 10 5 10

Frequently the special accent seems to be made by a contrast between

the accented foot and the feet which follow. In most cases the

influence of the special accent is to be seen, not merely within the

accented foot itself, but both before and after the accented foot.

Often the appearance under the microscope is very striking; the

sonants of the feet, both accented and unaccented, increase to the

special accent and then decrease in a regular crescendo—diminuendo

form. Much of this is not shown by the mere measurements.

[Illustration: FIG. 7]

[Illustration: FIG. 8 Iambic Tetrameter Verse

(with the accent on the second foot)]

In general the special accent may he said to be the climax of the

verse movement. It is the crest of the wave, and, as noted above, the

dynamic shading is not always made by an increase up to the accent,

nor by a stress on a special accent, but by a sharp diminuendo

immediately following the accent. A study of the phonograph record

brings out these forms of shading, especially when the record is

repeated slowly, exaggerating the dynamic variations and giving an

opportunity for more careful observation.

Within the verse the general form of the syllable as it appears in the

mass of closely written vibrations, often varies, but nearly always

shows a square end. Several very common shapes are noticed and appear

in the record as (1) ‘truncated cones,’ (2) ‘boxes,’ and (3)

‘truncated spindles.’ (See Fig. 7.)

With the particular syllable used, ‘ta,’ the beginning of curve form

was usually square and abrupt (4), and not gradual (5), although a few

of the latter type are found (‘spindle’).

One syllable form has an especial interest, because of its bearing on

the problem of ‘finality’ feeling at the close of the verse. At the

close of each verse, whether with or without rhyme, the syllable form

is always a ‘cone’ (6) (cf. Fig. 8). Of about 600 verses measured not

more than 15 are exceptions to this rule. Of these 15 exceptions 10

are under special conditions and confirm the hypothesis that this form

is related to the finality process. The form very rarely occurs within

the verse, and when it does it is usually before some cæsura, or under

unusual conditions.

This ‘cone’ form of the closing syllable of the verse indicates a

falling of the intensity of the voice. It is often, though not always,

associated with a fall in the pitch, showing relaxation of the vocal

cords. It seems to be an indication of the dying out of the intensity

factor, a sinking of the tension, at the close of the verse. In the

case of unrhymed verses, with long verse pause, the cone is often very

much elongated, and it is quite impossible to say where the sound

ceases.

Special accentuation of the long syllable of the foot increases the

length of the sonant, of the accented element, and of the entire foot.

There is probably a slight increase of the total length of an

accented verse as compared with the similar unaccented, but no

calculations were made to show that point. This is quite in accord

with other results (Meumann, Ebhardt). This special accentuation is

connected with an increased mean variation of the time values, as

noted above. It is in that sense a ‘disturbing factor.’

TABLE IX.

VERSE PAUSES (INCLUDING FINAL SONANT) TOGETHER WITH THE AVERAGE OF THE

CORRESPONDING ELEMENT WITHIN THE VERSE.

Average long Verse pause Verse pause Verse pause

element of of 1st verse of 2d verse of 3d verse

first 3 feet. of stanza. of stanza. of stanza.

End Rhymes.

Mc. 26 34 104a 35

45 45a 80b 80a

31 33 64a 36

41 52a 51b 75a

Ha. 41 44a 44 45a

43 47a 43b 46a

39 41a 49b 46a

43 46a 45b 45a

36 44 41a 53

35 44a 58a 38b

33 40 73a ×30

Hu. 28 ×25a 50 28a

Feminine Rhymes.

Hu. 18 21a 37a 19b

19 20a 22a 16b

19 21a 21a 16b

Mc. 36 72a 64 51a

36 ×32 41a 40

22 22a ×18 29a

Ha. 27 31a 44b 28a

36 79 ×30 40

30 36 79a 30b

31 38 50a 36

32 39a 42 40a

Am. 34 70 95a 85

35 73a 94 89a

30 45 47a 86

28 54 53a 70

G. 19 64a 64 79a

19 73a 83b 76a

21 81 67a —

19 61 83a 79

The rhymes are marked ‘a’ and ‘b’; e.g., couplets a, a, b, b,

etc. Verse pauses in italics are equal to the foot pause; those

marked ‘x’ are less than the foot pause.

3. Modification of the Normal Form of