818 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION J. 
Conversely, rough and discordant sounds produced by the 
human voice indicate that the harmony within the soul is 
disturbed; while gentle tones convey to the hearer a sense 
of sweet peace within the speaker’s soul. But all this is 
true only in the case of pure feelings. As soon as the 
speaker learns to reason, he learns also to hide or disguise 
his feelings by restraining their visible or audible expression. 
The angry man smoothes his brow and lowers his voice when 
he wishes to be considered calm and gentle; the weak 
coward blusters, to convey the impression that he is bold and 
strong. 
Indeed, the poetical or ironical transference of meanings 
attached tosounds producesavery great variety of significant 
sound-groups, to which is to be added the practically infinite 
variety of sound-groups expressive of the feelings in them- 
selves, and as modified by the influence of reason. 
Each of these sound-groups represents a group of thoughts 
or feelings, and forms what is called a syllable. It is, 
indeed, most probable that the original speech of mankind 
consisted of a succession of separate syllables. Of course, 
these syllables could and would be gathered into groups of 
several syllables, to express more complicated thoughts or 
feelings. In such a case the predominant idea of each group 
would be indicated by special emphasis of sound, expressive 
of the relatively greater force of the impulse it conveyed. 
This emphatic sound is the “accent” of a word of several 
syllables. 
When words are connected in meaning, so as to express 
a series of thoughts im a “sentence,” the process is the same 
in principle as when syllables are combined into words. 
The thought becomes still more complex, and the whole 
sentence receives a tone or accent of its own, expressive of 
the feeling which prompts its utterance. For instance, the 
sentence, “Did you take my book?’ conveys different 
meanings, according as the emphasis is placed on different 
words. Again, different impressions are conveyed by utter- 
ing any sentence as a statement, as a question, or as a 
command. The sound is prompted by the feeling, and sets 
up sympathetic vibrations in the hearer’s soul, which in their 
turn may find utterance in sound. 
The power of sound to indicate feeling is not limited to 
single sentences. These generally express only temporary 
states of the soul; but the character, or habitual set of 
feelings. of a person is also shown in the tone of all he 
says. We can easily distinguish the ruler from the slave by 
the sound of their speech, though they speak the same words 
