he language of vivacious
conversation, but extended, and with distinct, attenuated vanishes, in
grave and important monologue. In quality, whenever the diction,
departing from its simple character, becomes pervaded by some deep
emotion, the natural mode will give place to the orotund. And while
effusive utterance is always the prevalent mode, it will give place to
the expulsive mode or to the explosive, when energy of thought or force
of passion requires it so.

Thus, _as the diction rises_ from plain discourse to the language of
feeling, _the appropriate vocal expression gathers intensity and becomes
more varied_, assumes, as may be said, brighter colors and displays
greater contrasts; and so, in the third class of diction, the diction of
passion, it displays its intensest and most vivid modes--its brightest
colors, its deepest contrasts.

As it is in a general sense only, that diction can be understood to be
referrible to three classes, so also, in a general sense only, can it be
understood that any particular sentence or passage has its appropriate
vocal expression. All that is intended is simply this: an analysis of
the sentence, or passage, or selection, gives to the careful student a
certain conception of the quality and intensity of the feeling or
passion that pervades it; this is to be interpreted, as well as may be,
by the most appropriate vocal signs possible--the whole constituting the
vocal expression suitable to the piece. In respect to its pervading
emotion, the selection will have what is called a =drift=, or general
tendency, towards one of those states described as characteristic of the
diction of discourse, the diction of feeling, and the diction of
passion, respectively; and it is the business of the reader to watch for
this drift, which of course may vary from passage to passage, from
sentence to sentence, and sometimes from word to word, and to interpret
it as best he may.

To indicate what modes of voice utterance are naturally most appropriate
to the expression of these various emotional states and drifts, it will
be best to take up, one by one, the different properties of the voice,
and the several modes in which they are manifested, and to state
briefly, and in general terms, the emotional state or drift of which it
is an appropriate expression. (With respect to quality and abruptness
this will be sufficiently done indirectly.) The student then must for
himself, if he wishes to apply these re