THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF SPEECH 119 



which will now be adduced will be almost wholly confined 

 to the English language, since I have no sufficient know- 

 of foreign tongues. I also think that the importance and 

 reality of the principle will be better shown by illus- 

 trations drawn from one language only, while such a 

 method will certainly be both more intelligible and more 

 interesting to general readers. 



First, then, we have a considerable number of pairs of 

 words which are pronounced with mouth-gestures very 

 similar to those of go and come. Thus we have to and 

 from, out and in, dovsn and np,faM and rise, far and near, 

 that and this ; in all of which we have, in the first series, 

 the broad vowels a or o, pronounced, expressively, with 

 rather widely-open mouth, while in the second series we 

 have the thin vowels c, i, or it, or the terminal consonants 

 m, n, or p, which are pronounced either within the mouth 

 or with closed lips ; and in each special case the action will 

 be found to be expressive of the meaning. Thus, in to 

 the lips are protruded almost as much as in go (always 

 supposing we are speaking impressively and with energy), 

 while from requires only a slight motion of the lips 

 ending with their complete closure ; in out we have an 

 energetic expiration and outward motion of the lips, while 

 in is pronounced wholly inside the mouth, and does not 

 require the lips to be moved at all after the mouth is 

 opened ; in doicn we have a quick downward movement of 

 the lower jaw, which is very characteristic, since the word 

 cannot be spoken without it ; while in up the quick 

 movement is upward, after having opened the mouth as 

 slowly as we please; in/«//we require a downward motion 

 of the jaw as in doicn, but slower, and the word is com- 

 pleted with the mouth open, indicating, perhaps, X\\?it fall 

 is a more decided and permanent thing than doicn, which 

 implies position rather than motion, while in rise we have 

 a slight parting of the lips, and the meaning would 

 probably be made clearer by the gesture of raising the 

 head, which is natural during insj^iration. In repeating 

 the lines — 



' ' On the swell 

 The silver lily heaved and fell," 



