1861.] 293 [Towels. 



the two latter sounds with the mouth wide open, in order to con- 

 vince himself of the fact that in the pronunciation of o in note, the 

 middle of the tongue is raised about midway in the posterior part of 

 the mouthj let him put one of his fingers lengthwise into the 

 mouth, and pronounce successively the vowels a in father, and o 

 in hole, and he will find that in the pronunciation of a in father the 

 tongue remains entirely undisturbed, but in the pronunciation of o 

 the middle of the tongue is raised and presses against the finger, 

 which pressure increases upon the pronunciation of u influfe.l 



From this description it is evident that the changes in the cavity 

 of the mouth which contribute to the modulation of the vowels, con- 

 sist in an elevation and depression of the middle of the tongue in 

 the anterior and posterior parts of the mouth ; it is evident, also, 

 that the true order of succession of the vowels is a, e, i, u, o, a, 

 k,Q. in father, Y.dye, machine, flute, and note, and that there is a na- 

 tural transition from each of these vowels into the next. 



With regard to the process by which the several vowel-sounds are 

 formed, I must further observe, that, although the position of the 

 middle of the tongue, and the enlargement and contraction of the 

 opening of the mouth are essential to a full pronunciation of each of 

 these vowels, they are by no means the only part of the mouth in- 

 fluencing their modulation. Each change in the position of the 

 middle of the tongue, and in the enlargement and contraction of the 

 opening of the mouth, is the efi'ect of a certain disposition of those 

 organs of speech which effect an alteration in the shape of the ca- 

 vity of the pharynx, viz., the larynx, the root of the tongue with 

 the o.s I'uKjiue, the muscular portion of the pharynx itself, and the 

 soft palate with the uvula, which opens and shuts the passage to the 

 nostrils. The changes in these parts of the mouth are beyond our 

 scrutiny, as well as beyond our control. All we can know about their 

 disposition is, that during the pronunciation of a in age and i in ma- 

 chine, where the tongue is drawn into the anterior part of the mouth, 

 and presses more or less against the palate, the space in the pharynx 

 must be greatest, whilst in the pronunciation of u in flute, and o in 

 note, where the tongue is drawn into the posterior part of the mouth, 

 it must be smallest (read also the experiments of Dr. Czermack with 

 regard to the greater or lesser tension of the soft palate in the pro- 

 nunciation of the several vowels, in Kemark 2) ; however, of the pe- 

 culiar deflections and the shape of the pharynx during the pronun- 

 ciation of each of the vowels, we have as yet no definite particulars. 

 There is one circumstance showing us clearly the efi'ect of the in- 



VOL. viii. — 2o 



