Sixteen Experimental Investigations from the Harvard Psychological Laboratory - Hugo Münsterberg (best life changing books txt) 📗
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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
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