and on Reed Organ-Pipes. 233 



4 



Kempelen's mistake, like that of every other wiiter on this 

 subject, appears to lie in the tacit assumption, that every illus- 

 tration is to be sought for in the form and action of the organs 

 of speech themselves*, which, however paradoxical the assertion 

 may appear, can never, I contend, lead to any accurate know- 

 ledge of the subject. It is admitted by these writersf, that the 

 mouth and its apparatus, was constructed for other purposes 

 besides the production of vowels, which appear to be merely 

 an incidental use of it, every part of its structure being adapted 

 to further the first great want of the creature, his nourishment. 

 Besides, the vowels are mere affections of sound, which are 

 not at all beyond the reach of human imitation in many ways, 

 and not inseparably connected with the human organs, although 

 they are most perfectly produced by them: just so, musical notes 

 are formed in the larynx in the highest possible purity and 

 perfection, and our best musical instruments oifer mere humble 

 imitations of them ; but who ever dreamed of seeking from the 

 larynx, an explanation of the laws by which musical notes are 

 governed. These considerations soon induced me, upon entering 

 on this investigation, to lay down a different plan of operations; 

 namely, neglecting entirely the organs of speech, to determine, 

 if possible, by experiments upon the usual acoustic instruments, 

 what forms of cavities or other conditions, are essential to the 

 production of these sounds, after which, by comparing these with 

 the various positions of the human organs, it might be possible, 

 not only to deduce the explanation and reason of their various 

 positions, but to separate those parts and motions which are 



* Kempelen's definition of a vowel, for instance, is deduced entirely from the organs of 

 speech, " Une voyelle est done un son de la voix qui est conduit par la langue aux levres, qui 

 " le laissent sortir par leur ouverture. La difference d'une voyelle a I'autre n'est produile que 

 " par le passage plus ou moins large que la langue ou les levres, ou bien ces deux parties 

 " ensemble accordent i la voix." §. 106. 



t Kempelen, %. 98. 



Vol. III. Part I. Go 



