Tones and meaning

While reading Frye's chapter on Myth, I found at the very beginning, a light bulb moment. "

Our handbook would not give the reader a complete musical education, nor would it give an account of music as it exists in the mind of God or the practice of angels--but it would do for its purposes."

This brought back my waitressing days at The Great China Wall. My boss, who spoke Mandarin as well as English, explained to me that in the Mandarin language, the way you say the words is as important as the words that you are using when speaking. The rhythm, intonation, stressing, pitch, and movement makes words very different in meaning when they are spelled the same on paper.

I found this new form of language intimidating and intriguing, as I tried to say a basic, "hello, how are you today?" with the right vocal inflections. I never did get it right.  I also caused great amusement in the kitchen when I tried to say hello to the cooks. After that lesson, I listened to the conversations that went on around me, and I was aware that the sounds that I heard meant a great deal more than I had assumed before. 

Frye's comparison of music to literature shows how it would be impossible to write about music, and explain it correctly even if what was written entails all that can be vocalized about music.  

And Literature, as Frye says, is an "

art of words."

It makes sense to me that, as we have already said in class, the way things are said imply different meanings, as well as providing different incatatory sounds. 

S

o I wonder why we don't have ways to show what the desired effect is in English.  In other languages, there are signs used to show how to say the words.  In Spanish an ~ is used.  In Latin, a Diacritical mark explains how to say the word.  I don't think this is exactly what Frye meant, but it does support his idea that the system for interpreting literature is archaic and underdeveloped.

 

NF "In this book we are attempting to outline a few of the gr

ammatical rudiments of literary expression, and the elements of it that correspond to such musical elements as tonality, simple and compound rhythm, canonical imitation and the like."