Tafel.J 298 [October. 



that Dr. Briicke does not entertain in his. work the idea of a vowel- 

 line, such as presented in my work ; but, nevertheless, he furnishes 

 all the elements for constructing one. 



A favorite diagram among the phonologists for the illustration of 

 the vowels (which is also used by Dr. Briicke) is a triangle, of which 

 a in father forms the apex and i in machine and w m flute the base; 

 of this we give here some specimens : No. 1 is used by Dr. Briicke, 

 page 23, No. 2 by Prof Rapp (Physiologic d. Sprache, vol. i, page 

 30), No. 3 by Prof. Lepsius (in Bunsen's Philosophy of Universal 

 History, vol. ii, page 401) : 



In favor of my own diagram I hold that it represents a line de- 

 scribed by the tongue itself in the cavity of the mouth, during the 

 successive pronunciation of a m father, a in age, i in machine, u in 

 flute, and o in note. The upper limb of the oval, from point 3 to 4, 

 is the line traversed by the raised middle portion of the tongue, when 

 from the sound of i in machine by means of intermediate sounds we 

 arrive at the sound of u in rude. The posterior extremity of the 

 oval from point 4 to point 1, is a line described by the middle por- 

 tion of the tongue upon sinking down from the raised position it oc- 

 cupies in the pronunciation of w m flute, through o in note, into that 

 of a m father. The lower limb of the oval with point 1 is produced 

 when the middle portion of the tongue, after having finished its work 

 in the posterior part of the mouth, by a stretching of the whole 

 member is brought into the anterior part of the mouth again, ready 

 to generate anew the vowel-sound a in age. The anterior extremity 

 of the oval with point 2, finally, is described, when from its depressed 

 position during the pronunciation of a in father, the middle portion 

 of the tongue is gradually raised again in the anterior part of the 

 mouth, until, after passing through the position of a in age, it finally 

 reaches that of i in machine. By this diagram, representing the 

 very motions of the tongue, we arc not only enabled to explain the 



