Sixteen Experimental Investigations from the Harvard Psychological Laboratory, Hugo Münsterberg [top fiction books of all time TXT] 📗

verses are normal, but first accent of II. is fading.

4 The accent is less and less on first element of II.

3.3 The accent is almost gone on first element of II.

3 (.25 sec.) First foot of II. has quite lost accent. There is now but

one verse. ‘Amalgamation.’

Mc.

7 (.58 sec.) The verses are normal.

5.3 Either first element of II. has its normal accent, or

it wavers to a secondary accent, and the verses

become one.

5 (.416 sec.) First foot of II. has quite lost accent. Amalgamation.

3 (.25 sec.) ‘Last verse completely spoiled.’ Last verse

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

becomes — /- -, — - -, — - -, — —.

Unsatisfactory.

2 (.16 sec.) The II. has become mere ‘medley.’

H.

6 (.5 sec.) Normal.

5 First element of II. attaches to I., and its accent is

lessened.

3 (.25 sec.) First element of II. has lost its accent; the verses

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

become – – – - / - – – –. But one verse.

Amalgamation.

J.

5 (.42 sec.) Normal.

4.6 First element of II. is losing accent.

3 (.25 sec.) First two elements of II. ‘tumble over each

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

other.’ – – – - / –- – –.

Unsatisfactory. Amalgamation.

L.

5 (.42 sec.) Normal.

4 Last element of I. losing accent.

3.3 Last element of I. and first of II. have completely

lost accent. Amalgamation.

G.

7 (.58 sec.) Normal.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

3 (.25 sec.) – – – - / - –— – -. Amalgamation.

 

Mi.

4.3(.35 sec.) Normal.

4 First two elements of II. equal in accent.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

3 (.25 sec.) – – – - / - — – – -. Amalgamation.

 

As soon as the accents are within a certain distance they affect each

other. As a rule the first retains its original intensity and the

second is weakened; rarely the first yields to the second. The table

shows that the distance at which this occurs is about .42 seconds.

Under many conditions it is quite possible for two accents to occur at

that distance, e.g., in rapid rhythms, without any ‘fusing.’ The

subject has a type of rhythm very definitely in mind and the only

hypothesis which will explain the difficulty in observing the type, in

spite of the slight change in time values, is that somehow the cyclic

automatic movement has been affected and can no longer produce the

normal, limiting sensation at the accent. There is not time for the

phase of relaxation before the next, objective, limiting sensation

occurs. We may figure the movement as follows:

 

[Illustration: FIG. 2.]

 

A is a curve in which B is the relaxation phase. At C the

tensions are rapidly increasing in anticipation of the next limiting

sensation at A. But if the objective factor appears too early, the

tensions will be discharged prematurely, and the second accent will be

weakened. Exactly the obverse of these phenomena is often noticed,

when a slight retardation of the second accent produces a slight

increase in its intensity. When, finally, the second accent has been

moved so near the first accent that it occurs within the phase of the

first, it disappears as an independent accent. At the same time the

objective stimuli immediately following now appear at quite irregular

intervals in the cycle, the coördination is broken up, and chaos

without accentuation for some distance is the result. Occasionally the

process does not right itself before the close of the verse. As this

process eliminates the verse pause, the two verses become one, as the

accents approach each other. In cases where the first accent is lost,

one may suppose that the first accent functions as an anticipatory

stimulus, while the second simply increases the effect (cf. Hofbauer

and Cleghorn), and marks the culmination. The fact that the second

accent is only lost at very close range favors this idea.

 

TABLE III.

 

Dactylic, catalectic couplet of the general form:

ÍII ÍII ÍII Í / ÍII ÍII ÍII Í (with rhyme).

 

Each dactyl (ÍII) is, in terms of spaces between the pegs, 324;

or, in seconds, .25, .17, .33.

 

The pause between the two verses was gradually lessened.

 

B.

 

At 4 (.33 sec.) Normal.

2 (.17 sec.) First accent of II. is weakening.

1.3(.21 sec.) Amalgamation. Rhyme retains the accent.

Mc.

5 (.42 sec.) Normal.

4 II. has become anapæstic.

2 (.17 sec.) Rhyme is lost. Amalgamation.

J.

3 (.25 sec.) Normal.

2 (.17 sec.) Accent of rhyme is lost. Amalgamation.

L.

4 (.33 sec.) Normal.

1.6(.18 sec.) Rhyme retains accent, first accent of II.

is lost. Amalgamation.

G.

4 (.33 sec.) Normal.

2 (.17 sec.) Accent of rhyme retained. Amalgamation.

Mi.

2 (.17 sec.) Normal.

1.6 First foot of II. amphibrachic.

.4(.03 sec.) Accent of rhyme retained. Accent of first foot

of II. lost. Amalgamation.

 

When the qualitatively different click representing the rhyme is

introduced, its most striking effect is decidedly to shorten the

possible distance between the two accents. This is in accord with the

notion suggested of the function of rhyme at the verse end. The rhyme

seems greatly to hasten the relaxation phase, as compared with the

time required in the ordinary foot.

 

There is a variety of forms possible to the unrhymed verse, but that

with the climax at the close is decidedly the most frequent. When the

rhyme is introduced the climax goes with it, and the verse flows down

as it were to the end. When the rhyme is put in the very first of the

verse, however, a secondary or even a primary accent may be developed

at the close of the verse. The natural place for the climax of the

verse movement is apparently at the close, and the fact that not only

is the earlier part of the verse more vague, but also that the end is

the natural, climactic position, makes the synthesizing and delimiting

factor, rhyme, preferable at the close.

 

The records of the next table were obtained by asking the subjects to

repeat the series with prescribed accents, until they decided whether

or not the rhyme could be felt under the conditions.

 

TABLE IV.

 

Rhymes under prescribed accentual conditions: iambic tetrameter.

Heavy accent marked acute (´). Slight accent marked grave (`).

Rhyme indicated by brace.

 

Ta ta ta ta ta ta ta dó)

gò)

dò

dò

Hu. Rhymes imperfectly.

Mc. Rhymes imperfectly.

G. Rhymes imperfectly.

Ha. Rhymes imperfectly.

Hy. Rhymes fairly well.

 

Ta ta ta ta ta ta ta dò)

gó)

dò

dò

Hu. Cannot get rhyme.

Mc. Rhymes imperfectly. ‘Produced by some sort of tension.’

G. Rhymes imperfectly.

 

Ta ta ta ta ta ta ta dò)

gò)

dó

dò

Hu. Rhymes well.

Mc. Rhymes well.

G. Rhymes well.

 

Ta ta ta ta ta ta ta dò

gò)

dó)

dò)

Hu. Cannot get rhyme.

Hy. Cannot get rhyme. ‘Accent spoils it.’

G. Cannot get rhyme. ‘Accent breaks it all up.’

Mc. Rhymes imperfectly.

 

The table shows that rhymes of syllables which have accents of

strikingly different degrees are difficult to feel. In the last case,

of the rhyming verses separated by a verse having a heavy end accent,

it was practically impossible to hear the rhyme across the break made

by the heavy accent. Somehow the particular condition of the organism

which constitutes the expectation of a rhyme is broken up by a heavy

accent.

 

The material for the records of Table V. was read to the subjects, the

tones were in every case those of the speaking voice, and intervals

having a definite speech character were chosen. The fifth is the

interval of the rising inflection of the question, the fourth is the

interval of the rising inflection of indifference or negation, and the

single falling slide used is a descending interval of a third or

fourth at the close of the sentence. The fifth appears in the table as

5/, the fourth as 4/, and the single descending interval of finality

as the period (.). Each verse was read on approximately the first tone

of the interval, the rhyming syllable only had the second tone of the

interval.

 

TABLE V.

 

RHYMES UNDER GIVEN PITCH CONDITIONS.

 

Iambic tetrameters: two-verse stanzas.

 

The body of the verse is omitted; the closing intervals alone are

indicated. ‘1’ is read ‘good rhyme;’ ‘2’ is ‘poor rhyme’; and ‘0’ is ‘no

rhyme.’

 

Couplets:

—do 5/} 5/} .} .} 5/}

—go .} 4/} 5/} .} 5/}

G. 2 2 0

S. 0 0 2 1

R. 2 2 1 2 2

Mc. 0 0 0 1 1

Hu. 0 0 ? 1

Ha. 1 2 1 2

 

Iambic tetrameters; four-verse stanzas.

 

Rhymes are indicated by ‘a’ and ‘a,’ ‘b’ and ‘b.’ Capital* letters are

read ‘poor rhyme;’ ‘o’ is read ‘no rhyme.’

 

I. II. III. IV. I. II. III. IV. I. II. III. IV. I. II. III. IV.

do, no, go, so. do, no, go, so. do, no, go, so. do, no, go, so.

5/ . 5/ . . 5/ . 5/ 5/ 5/ . . 5/ 5/ . 5/

G. a b a b a b a b a a b b a a a o

R. a b a b a a b b

Mc. a b a b a o a o

Hu. a b a b a b a b a a b b a a o a

Ha. a b a b o o o o a a B B a a o a

 

5/ 5/ 5/ … . 5/ … . . 5/ . .

G. a a a a a a a o a a a a o o a a

Hu. a a a o a a a o a a a a a o a a

Ha. a a a o a a A o a a a a a o a a

Mc. a a a o a a a o A A A A A o A A

R. a a a o a a a o a a a a A o A A

 

5/ 5/ 4/ 5/ . . 5/ 5/ 5/ . 4/ . 5/ . . 5/

G. a a o o a a b b o a o a o o o o

a b a b A A B B

R. A A A A /o o a a a a b b

a a o o/

Hu. a a o a

Mc. a a o a A A B B

Ha. A A B B a a b b o a o a

 

4/ 4/ 4/ . 5/ 5/ 5/ 5/ 5/ 4/ 5/ 4/

G. a a a a o a o a

Mc. a a a o

R. a a a o a a b b

Ha. A A A A

 

*Transcriber’s Note: Original used italic lower case letters.

 

The table shows that there is a decided tendency to prefer rhymes in

which the members of the rhyme have the same interval. The only

exception is in the case of couplets, where two contrasting slides 5/

and . rhyme, whenever the finality interval occurs last. Perhaps the

similarity of pitch of the rhyming syllables is a part of the

‘Gestaltqualität’ whose recognition brings about the release and

satisfaction of the state which we know as the ‘feeling of expecting a

rhyme.’ Definite pitch relations in music seem to make rhyme of little

significance. We seldom notice the rhymes in a hymn or in a song of

any musical worth. In comic operas and popular ditties rhyme does now

and then figure. In such cases the pitch of the two