SPORTSMEN'S LANGUAGE
Sir-*"Thid" said he would take to bowls if a statement of his were incorrect. I pointed out his error, but instead of admitting it like a sportsman, and taking to bowls as he promised, he argues about it, and actually says I "threaten him with bowls" when he himself said he would take to bowls if he were wrong. What can one think of a sportsman like that? As to these metrical terms, one feels that "Thid" does not really understand them. If he did how could he say that the words quoted, "They are Jagged, Red Peak, North and Couloir’ have five feet of trochees? Trochee trips from long to short. "Thid" asks if I can suggest exactly what the words are, They
are eight English words, and do not fit into any classical metre. Metre, measure, is the name given to the particular scheme of rhythm adopted by the verse-maker for any particular:composition. It depends in English verse on the accentuation of syllables and on the number of stressed syllables in a line. Accent corresponds to quantity in Latin and Greek verse. In these languages each syllable in a word had its fixed quantity, and stress had nothing to do with it. The foot measure may alter with the case-mensa (nominative) is a trochee, but mensa (ablative) is a spondee, two long syllables. In English any syllable may be stressed in. the metre, though it may not be so stressed in speaking the verse. The. classical metres are fixed and rigid. How can we really adapt English verse to these metres? We can’t satisfactorily. We try to do so, to retain the classic nomenclature for English verse. We say "Singing the Hundredth Psalm, that grand old Puritan anthem" or the run of words in the Bible: "Husbands, love your wives and be not bitter against them," are hexameters, and Caverley’s "Ode to Tobacco" and Canning’s "Needy Knife Grinder’ are said to be in Horatian metre. But they can only be tortured into classic forms, the English words don’t fit in naturally, But if you do use classical terminology, pentameter, trochee, iambic, etc., you should use it correctly, which "Thid" did not do. :
JOHN
DOE
(Auckland),
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19401227.2.26
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 79, 27 December 1940, Page 12
Word count
Tapeke kupu
369SPORTSMEN'S LANGUAGE New Zealand Listener, Volume 4, Issue 79, 27 December 1940, Page 12
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in