VII THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF SPEECH 129 



Just as certain motions were seen to be distinguished 

 by the use of harsh or liquid sounds, so are the qualities 

 of objects on which these varied kinds of motion often 

 depend equally well characterized. Compare, for example, 

 the words smooth, ez?e7t, polished, with rough, rugged, gritty, 

 and we at once see that these are not merely conventional 

 terms, but that they are as truly and naturally expressive 

 as are the most direct imitations of human or animal 

 cries. Corresponding to these, we have the names of 

 many smooth substances — as oil, soap, slime, varnish, 

 characterized by smooth or liquid sounds ; and, on the 

 other hand, such objects as rock, gravel, grit, grouts, 

 ground, all containing the harsh sounds implying rough- 

 ness. When we pronounce the words sticky, or clammy, 

 we seem to feel the tongue and palate stick together, and 

 have to pull them apart ; and the same peculiarity applies 

 to the words cling and glue. 



There are in all languages words allied to foul, putrid, 

 pus, &c., which are usually traced to the interjectional 

 expressions of disgust, puh ! fie ! Similar expressions are 

 shown by Mr. Ty4or to be used, among the most widely 

 separated races in all parts of the world, and the reason 

 of this identity is to be found in the natural and almost 

 involuntary action of blowing away, through both mouth 

 and nostrils, the emanations from putrid matter — as when 

 we draw back the head and say puh ! — an action more 

 or less common to all mankind. 



The words hard, and soft are also expressive, though it 

 is more difficult to define why. The former word, how- 

 ever, is pronounced with a strong aspirate, and the 

 terminal rd requires more effort to pronounce than the 

 gentle sibilant and terminal ft of soft. But when we 

 consider the various terms designating contrasts of size, 

 we have no such difficulty. The words great, grand, huge, 

 vast, immense, monstro^cs, gigantic, are all pronounced with 

 well-opened mouth and with some sense of effort, and the 

 more stress we lay upon the word, the more distinctly we 

 show our meaning by the wide opening of the mouth. 



In the correlative words small, little, luee, tiny, pigm^y, on 

 the contrary, we use no effort, and hardly need to open 



VOL. II. K 



