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

Verse Pause in Rhymed Material.

There are as wide, isolated variations as in the case of unrhymed

material. As compared with unrhymed verse, the pause is in general

decidedly shorter. The verse pauses of the feminine rhymes are

generally much like those of the end rhymed material. But there are

very few cases of the verse pause being as short as the foot

pause—only four cases in sixty (6.6 per cent.). See Table IX.

This wide variation of the verse pause and its occasional equivalence

to the foot pause in rhymed verses is in accord with the notion that

the rhyme in some way brings the verse to a close by a process more

rapid than that in unrhymed material.

The introduction of rhyme seems to be favorable to the division of a

stanza into two parts by producing an unusually long verse pause after

the second verse. Of 43 unrhymed stanzas there are 19 which show a

decidedly long pause at the close of some one of the verses. But of

these 19 cases, only 8 (18 per cent.) have the break at the close of

the second verse. Of 64 rhymed stanzas, 29 show the division, and of

this 29, 22 (34 per cent.) have the break at the close of the second

verse.

Influence of the Rhymes on Intensities.

The intensities at the close of the verse, without rhyme, may be

slightly greater than within the verse. The dynamic shading of the

verse is elastic, and a variety of forms is possible, a decrescendo at

the close of the verse is not unusual (cf. Table VIII.). But when the

rhyme is introduced the general dynamic form of the verse is fixed,

and in the material measured this is true not only of the verses in a

stanza which contain the rhyme but of other verses in the same stanza.

Of the 32 verses containing rhymes in Table X., but four verses are

exceptions to the rule of an increase of intensity on the rhyme. There

are two cases of double, alternating rhymes where it is doubtful if

the subject actually felt one of the alternating rhymes. This increase

of intensity on the rhyme is not confined to that particular syllable

or foot; often, as indicated by the italics, the influence of the

accent makes itself felt earlier in the verse.

TABLE X.

INTENSITIES OF IAMBIC TETRAMETER WITH END RHYME (SHOWING INCREASED

INTENSITY OF THE RHYMING SYLLABLE). ALSO AVERAGE LENGTH OF THE FIRST

THREE SONANTS, TOGETHER WITH THE LENGTH OF THE LAST SONANT.

Intensities. Average length

of first 3 Length of last

sonants. sonant.

/ - / - / - / -

Mc. — 5 — 5 — 4 — 5 19 27

— 4 — 4 — 4 — 11a 34

— 4 — 4 — 4 — 7 21

— 4 — 5 — 3 — 8a 23

— 6 — 6 — 5 — 6 19 22

— 8 — 7 — 6 — 10a 34

— 4 — 3 — 4 — 5 26

— 3 — 5 — 4 — 5a 30

2 3 5 4 4 5 6 7a 29 34

2 3 3 4 2 4 2 7b 48

1 2 3 2 2 2 1 4a 35

2 3 3 3 2 3 4 5b 20

— — — — — — — —a 25 40

3 4 4 14 3 4 5 5b 39

2 3 1 2 2 3 1 3a 25

1 3 2 2 1 3 3 5b 43

Ha. 6 15 9 12 3 10 4 16 No increase in length.

3 5 3 7 3 5 5 15a

1 15 1 5 4 6 2 9

4 5 2 5 1 5 2 14a

2 6 4 8 1 6 5 11a No increase in length.

1 7 5 7 3 6 7 11b

2 5 2 6 2 6 4 12a

1 5 1 5 2 6 3 15b 33 38

4 9 5 9 1 3 6 9a 25 33

2 8 5 6 4 5 5 10b No increase in length.

2 5 2 5 2 5 5 11a

1 5 2 5 5 10 2 12b 32 34

The evidence of an increased intensity on the rhyme is not so positive

in the case of rhymes in the third foot. Among the rhymes in the

second foot there is but one exception. The rhymes in the second and

third feet were never given very satisfactorily by several of the

subjects. The rhymes within the verse determine a climax in the foot

in which they occur, and all the verses follow this well-defined type.

It is interesting to note, in studying the phonographic record, that

in verses in which the accentuation of the rhythm is not very

definite, the accentuation is perceived when the record is repeated at

the normal speed. If the record is repeated more slowly, and

especially at such a distance that the rhyming consonants cannot be

distinguished, then the accentuation seems to disappear. It is

probable that after a verse or stanza type has been established the

voice may deviate from the type, and the accentuation will be supplied

by the hearer.

TABLE XI.

INTENSITIES OF IAMBIC TETRAMETERS WITH RHYMES IN THE THIRD FOOT

(SHOWING INCREASE IN INTENSITY OF THE RHYME SYLLABLE).

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

/ — / — / — / —

Ha. 13 18 10 16 7 9a 6 12

9 10 4 11 7 14a 4 7

— 12 5 10 7 9b 6 9

2 12 5 12 3 14b 4 6

2 12 4 13 7 8a 4 9

6 8 4 14 4 15a 2 9

2 13 — 12 8 8b — —

5 9 6 10 — 3b 4 6

Am. 10 10 4 12 6 14a 5 5

4 12 6 9 7 8a 4 4

5 12 8 9 7 10b 3 4

3 7 5 8 5 7b 2 4

10 13 5 10 4 10a 4 6

1 9 4 9 3 5a 3 5

2 8 3 5 — 8b 1 5

1 7 2 7 5 8b 2 3

G. 6 13 6 13 7 12a 1 10

6 10 6 6 7 7a 1 8

4 9 7 7 6 9b 1 7

7 12 4 10 2 7b 1 7

10 12 4 11 6 10a — 8

5 12 5 11 6 10a — 8

3 9 6 9 7 9b 3 8

2 8 5 9 5 5b 1 6

D. 10 12 10 10 7 9a 7 11

5 8 6 9 7 7? 6 6

5 12 7 9 6 10b — 8

6 9 7 10 7 7b 5 5

10 15 5 11 6 9a — 9

5 9 4 8 6 6a? 6 7

7 11 7 11 11 13b 8 10

8 11 8 10 7 9b 6 8

INTENSITIES OF IAMBIC TETRAMETERS WITH RHYMES IN THE SECOND FOOT.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

- - - -

Hu. 5 6 6 6a 5 7 5 6

5 6 5 4a 5 4 5 6?

5 6 6 7b 5 6 4 7

5 6 4 4b 5 7 4 7

5 7 7 7a 6 7 6 6

5 7 5 5a 5 6 5 6?

5 7 6 8b 6 7 6 7

6 7 6 5b 6 7 6 7

Mc. 5 7 6 10a 5 4 3 5

1 6 6 8a - 6 1 4

1 6 6 10b 1 4 - 4

- 7 6 5b 3 3 - 3

Ha. 16 14 8 10a 6 10 5 9

5 10 7 8a 5 9 5 7

2 8 4 11b 4 7 2 8

2 8 4 6b 1 9 4 8

7 12 7 10a - 10 6 10

3 10 5 8a 5 8 6 10

2 8 3 11b 3 7 3 10

- 7 5 9b 4 8 6 12

Am. 4 9 9 10a 4 7 4 5

4 8 9 7a 5 7 4 6

1 8 5 10b 4 6 3 6

- 10 10 7b_ 3 5 2 7

15 15 10 13a_ 9 11 - 11

5 12 7 9a 4 10 4 9

5 8 8 9b 4 7 - 6

7 8 5 9b 2 4 - 3

G. 2 6 6 8a 1 7 2 3

- 10 7 12a 1 9 4 8

4 9 6 9b 8 8 2 7

- - - -b - - - -

4 9 5 11a - 7 4 6

- 8 6 7a 2 7 4 5

- 9 7 6b - 7 3 6

- 7 3 5 - 5 - 3

D. - - - - - - - -

7 11 11 9a 7 11 6 10

11 15 11 11a 8 11 9 14

6 10 10 8b 7 8 7 11

12 13 10 10a 7 1? 8 11

6 10 9 8a 5 8 5 9

9 12 12 13b 8 10 7 9

7 11 10 7b 4 8 4 8

The values surrounded by ‘_’s (Transcriber’s Note: Original

italics) show the increase in intensity. Rhymes are indicated

by ‘a’ and ‘b.’

IV. SUGGESTIONS FOR A MOTOR THEORY OF RHYTHM.

If the basis of rhythm is to be found in muscular sensations, rather

than in the supposed activity of some special ‘mental’ function, the

nature of the movement cycle involved is of the greatest interest.

In every case where a rhythm comes to peripheral expression, there are

two opposing sets of muscles involved. If a rhythmic movement be

attempted with but a single set of muscles at work, it is very

unsatisfactory and soon ends in the tonic contraction of the muscle

set. One may assume that in all cases of rhythm perception there is a

cycle of movement sensations involved, and that the simplest possible

case of a peripheral rhythmic movement is the type of any rhythm. In

tapping a rhythm with the finger, the flexors which bring the finger

down become the positive muscle set, and the opposing extensor muscles

which raise the finger for the next blow become the negative muscle

set.

In Fig. 9 the upper curve represents the actual movement of the finger

tip, and the heavy lines a, a’, a” represent the

pressure-tension-sound sensation which we call the ‘beat,’ and which

is the limiting sensation of the rhythm, and the regulating factor in

the movement cycle of the rhythm. The movement is divided into two

phases; B, the phase of relaxation, during which the finger is

raised, and A, the phase of contraction, during which the finger

delivers the blow which produces the beat.

The curves below represent the changes in the two opposing sets of

muscles whose interaction brings about the movement cycle. The

contraction of the flexors, the positive muscle set, is represented by

the curve above the base line. It is obvious that during the

contraction phase, the contraction in the positive muscle set is at

its height; it continues at a maximum during the