Tafel.] 294: [October. 



ternal parts of speech on the modulation of the vowels; for, upon 

 making the attempt, we find that an arrangement merely of the outer 

 parts of the mouth, without a corresponding disposition of its inner 

 parts, is not sufficient for the modulation of the vowels. For in- 

 stance : let the outer parts of the mouth be kept in the position 

 which they occupy in the pronunciation of i in machine, and let the 

 interior parts of the mouth be disposed for the pronunciation of the 

 vowel a in father, i. e., let the reader try to pronounce the sound of 

 a in father, with the tongue in the position which it occupies in the 

 pronunciation of i in machine, and he will find, after some trials, 

 that he may succeed in pronouncing the sound of a in father, or at 

 least an approximation to it. under these circumstances. It does not, 

 however, follow from this that the conclusions at which we arrive, 

 by carefully noting the changes in the position of the middle portion 

 of the tongue, and in the enlargement and contraction of the open- 

 ing of the mouth, are based upon fldlacious grounds ; for I hold, as I 

 have stated above, that the changes in the arrangement of the outer 

 parts of the mouth are efi"ects, corresponding to changes wrought in 

 the disposition of its inner parts ; and were we enabled to analyze 

 the changes in the latter as well as in the former parts, we might 

 thence deduce results similar to those at which we arrive by consi- 

 dering the positions of the mere outer parts. I shall, therefore, in 

 speaking of the formation of the several vowels, continue to treat the 

 position of the middle portion of the tongue, and the enlargement 

 and contraction of the opening of the mouth as prime fiictors, but I 

 wish distinctly to be understood, that, in saying that a certain posi- 

 tion of the tongue, together with a proportionate enlargement or 

 contraction of the opening of the mouth, determines the particular 

 sound of a vowel, I, at the same time, suppose a corresponding ar- 

 rangement of the interior parts of the mouth, or, in other words, 

 I suppose a disposition on their part to pronounce those vowel-sounds 

 for the pronunciation of which the outer parts of the mouth have 

 been arranged. 



Upon analyzing the positions of the tongue in the formation of the 

 above vowel-sounds, we find that they describe a curve, resembling 

 a circle or an ellipse. The point 1, denotes the place where the 

 tongue is at rest ; point 2, where the middle of the tongue is raised 

 half-way in the anterior part of the mouth ; point 3, where the 

 middle of the tongue reaches the anterior part of the palate ; point 

 4, where it reaches its posterior part ; point 5, where it is lowered 

 in the posterior part of the mouth about midway; and point 1, 



