8' Dr. Hall on the 



Art. II. — Some Obseivations on the Physiology of Speech, 

 read to a Literary Society, at Nottingham, on January 

 the 3rd, 1825; by Marshall Hall, M.D., F.R.S.E., SfC.Src. 



[Communicated by the Author.] 



The different parts which compose the mouth and nostrils con- 

 stitute the organ of Speech, as distinguished from the Vdce, which 

 is formed in the larynx, or upper part of the windpipe ; and 

 speech may be defined as consisting in those modifications of the 

 vocal sounds, produced by impressions made upon the air, after it 

 has left the organ of voice. These impressions are chiefly 

 effected in the mouth ; the office of the nostrils is far more sim- 

 ple, being merely to admit the egress of the air in the articulation 

 of certain letters, whilst it is intercepted in that of others. 



The parts of the mouth which principally conspire to perform 

 the functions of articulation, are the lips, the teeth, the tongue, 

 the palate, and the velum pendulum palati, or pendulous vail of 

 the palate. The offices of each of these parts will be explained as 

 we proceed, and, with the exception of that of the part last men- 

 tioned, will be readily understood by every one. Of this last 

 part, it is only necessary to say, that it forms a sort of curtained 

 arch, hanging over the posterior part of the tongue, and may be 

 readily seen, on looking into the throat. The function of the 

 pendulous vail of the palate is, in the enunciation of certain 

 letters, to close the nostrils at their posterior orifices ; for this 

 purpose, it is drawn upwards, and accurately applied to the ori- 

 fices into the nostrils, by means of an appropriate set of muscles. 

 In the course of the subsequent remarks, we shall have abund- 

 ant occasion to notice the wonderful manner in which the dif- 

 ferent parts of the mouth concur to perform their very varied 

 functions, of which articulation is only one. It may not be ir- 

 levant, indeed, very shortly to notice some other of the func- 

 tions of these parts, before I proceed to the more immediate 

 object of this essay. We shall thus be still more struck with 

 admiration, that functions so very different should be performed 



