466 OF THE VOICE AND SPEECH. 



tion of the tongue is, indeed, one of the primary conditions of the variation 

 of the sound ; for it may be easily ascertained that, by peculiar inflexions of 

 this organ, a great diversity of vowel sounds may be produced, the other parts 

 remaining the same. Still there is a certain position of all the parts, which 

 is most favourable to the formation of each of these sounds ; but this could 

 not be expressed without a lengthened description. The following table, 

 slightly altered from that of Kempelen, expresses the relative dimensions of 

 the buccal cavity and of the oral orifice, for some of the principal of these ; 

 the number 5 expressing the largest size, and the others in like proportion : 



Vowel. Sound. Size of oral opening. Size of buccal cavity. 



a as in ah 5 5 



a as in name 4 2 



e as in theme 3 1 



o as in cold 2 4 



oo as in cool 1 5 



These are the sounds of the five vowels, a, e, i, o, u, in most Continental 

 languages ; and it cannot but be admitted, that the arrangement is a much more 

 natural one than that of our own vowel series. The English a has three dis- 



O 



tinct sounds capable of prolongation:* the true broad a of ah, slightly modi- 

 fied in far; the a of fate, corresponding to the e of French; and the a of fall, 

 which should be really represented by au. This last is a simple sound, though 

 commonly reckoned as a diphthong. In Kempelen's scale, the dral orifice 

 required to produce it would be about 3, and the size of the buccal cavity 4.t 

 On the other hand, the sound of the English i cannot, like that of a true vowel, 

 be prolonged ad libitum; it is in fact a sort of Diphthong, resulting from the 

 transition from a peculiar indefinite murmur to the sound of e, which takes 

 its place when we attempt to continue it. The sound oy or oi, as in oil, 

 is a good example of the true diphthong; being produced by the transition 

 from au to e. In the same manner, the diphthong on, which is the same with 

 ow in owl, is produced in the rapid transition from the broad a of ah, to the 

 oo of cool. Much discussion has taken place as to the true character of y, 

 when it commences a word, as in yet, yawl, &c. ; some having maintained 

 that it is a consonant, (for the very unsatisfactory reason, that we are in the 

 habit of employing a rather than an, when we desire to prefix the indefinite 

 article to such words,) whilst others regard it as a peculiar vowel. A slight 

 attention to the position of the vocal organs during its pronunciation, makes it 

 very clear, that its sound in such words really corresponds with that of the 

 long (English) c; the pronunciation of the word yawl being the same as that 

 of eaul, when the first sound is not prolonged, but rapidly transformed into 

 the second. The sound of the letter iv, moreover, is really of the vowel 

 character, being formed in the rapid transition from oo to the succeeding 

 vowel; thus wall might be spelt ooall. Many similar difficulties might be 

 removed, and the conformity between spoken and written language might be 

 greatly increased (so as to render far more easy the acquirement of the former 

 from the latter), by due attention to the state of the vocal organs in the pro- 

 duction of the simple sounds. 



* The short vowel sounds, as a in fat, e in met, o in pot, &c., are not capable of prolonga- 

 tion. 



)" The mode of making a determination of this kind may here be given, for the sake of 

 example. If the broad a be sounded, the mouth and fauces being opened wide, and we 

 contract the oral orifice by degrees, at the same time slightly elevating the point of the 

 tongue, we gradually come to the sound of au; by still further cnutraeting the orifice, and 

 again depressing the tongue, we form oo. On the other hand, in sounding e, the tongue is 

 raised nearly to the roof of the mouth; if it be depressed, without the position of the lips 

 being altered, aw is given. 



