The circumflex is a union of the rising and falling inflections. Properly
speaking, there are two of these, the one called the rising circumflex, in
which the voice slides down and then up; and the other, the falling
circumflex, in which the voice slides upward and then downward on the same
vowel. They may both be denoted by the same mark, thus, (^). The
circumflex is used chiefly to indicate the emphasis of irony, of contrast,
or of hypothesis.

EXAMPLES.

1. Queen. Hamlet, you have your father much offended.
Hamlet. Madam, you have my father much offended.

2. They offer us their protec'tion. Yes', such protection as vultures give
to lambs, covering and devouring them.

3. I knew when seven justices could not make up a quarrel; but when the
parties met themselves, one of them thought but of an if; as, If you said
so, then I said so; O ho! did you say so! So they shook hands and were
sworn brothers.

REMARKS.--In the first example, the emphasis is that of contrast. The
queen had poisoned her husband, of which she incorrectly supposed her son
ignorant, and she blames him for treating his father-in-law with
disrespect. In his reply, Hamlet contrasts her deep crime with his own
slight offense, and the circumflex upon "you" becomes proper.

In the second example the emphasis is ironical. The Spaniards pretended
that they would protect the Peruvians if they would submit to them,
whereas it was evident that they merely desired to plunder and destroy