lOO H. L. BROOM ALL : 



mass, as well as the sounds, of the actions and objects named. 

 The words exemplif3'ing the fact have been classified accord- 

 ing to their form because under such categories the speaker 

 more easily appreciates a significance he gives a particular 

 sound recurring in many words. Passing, now, from evidence 

 of the fact to its explanation, we ma}' reconsider the cate- 

 gories with regard to the means bj' which motion and mass, 

 as well as sound, are imitated by vocal sounds. 



The basis of the imitation in the first class, exemplified 

 by the / of Jigii'lc, the r of jigger, and the rl of ivhirl , is the 

 peculiar movement of the tongue in the utterance of ;' and /. 

 Other consonants are made with one position of the vocal 

 organs, the sound being produced while the position is steadily 

 maintained, as .^ or ///, or upon the assuming or release of the 

 position, as k, w, d or p. To produce / or r, however, the 

 position of the vocal organs changes during the utterance, 

 and, without this change, true / or ;• is not heard. The con- 

 sonant begins and ends with a different position of the tongue. 

 This characteristic of the particular means by which / or ;' is 

 produced, this flap or change of position of the tongue, 

 affords the speaker a simulation, while he utters these sounds, 

 of repeated, quick or rotary motion. The simulation is not 

 directly by sound, but by motion in making sound, and the 

 sound thus made becomes associated with and imitative of 

 motion. 



The common characteristic of the other two classes, exem- 

 plified b}^ secsaiv, and Jigg/e compared with Jogg/c, is contrast 

 of sound associated with contrast of motion, direction or 

 mass. The etymological basis of seesa7v is the sazviiig motion. 

 Bui the reciprocal action of seesaiv is pictured, as it were, by 

 the change from c to mv. The change from / to a in zigzag 

 sinuilates the change of direction in the object the word 

 names. In fiaiHhv-panihv and hrltcr-skrltcr the present signifi- 

 cance of the words is due to the sense of diverse, contrasted, 

 mixed motion, which is imitated by the alternation of ;/ with 

 /) and li with sk . 



