64 



THE STUDY OF SPEECH CURVES. 



religious and parenthetical phrases have comparatively little of it (see 

 researches on melody above referred to). The dubitative or questioning 

 "oh"' (figure 49) is characterized by a high pitch throughout and a rising 

 melody. This " oh," which seems to the ear to be simply a rise from begin- 

 ning to end, nevertheless shows the fundamental convexity distinctly. 

 The sorrowful or despairing "oh"s of "oh dear" (figure 51) and "oh my" 

 (figure 52) are in general aUke; they have less convexity than the other "oh"s. 



The sorrowful "ah" (figure 50) has a 

 very small amount of circumflexion, 

 the pitch being almost monotonous; 

 the main effect comes from the straight- 

 ness and evenness of the melody. The 

 sorrowful effect of the phrase "oh 

 dear" and "oh my" is due largely to 

 the sameness and the general lowness 

 in each phrase, and also essentially 



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150 



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50 



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Fio. -19. — "Oh," questioningly. 



Fig. 50. — "Ah," sorrowfully. 



to the lack of convexity. This is in strong contrast to the plot for " oh, 

 not really" (figure 53), where the surprise and possible doubt appear in the 

 hvely circumflexion of the three vowel groups. It is easy to see how a 

 change in the melody at any point would change the expression. For 

 example, "oh" spoken with the melody of "ah" (figure 50) would still 

 be sorrowful, but with quite a different shade of emotion from the "oh" 

 in figure 47. It is interesting to note that the course of melody in the 

 sorrowful interjection is not smooth, but shows minor fluctuations. These 

 trembhngs of the voice are vital elements of emotional expression that are 



