THE EXPRESSIVENESS OF SPEECH 131 



the natural expressiveness of the words, drags, slow, and 

 length, is what conveys such a sense of appropriateness to 

 the simile. Tennyson also is full of such naturally 

 descriptive passages. The lines — 



' ' The myriad shriek of wheeling ocean-fowl, 

 The league-long roller thundering on the reef," 



owe much of their force and beauty to the natural 

 expressiveness of our common words ; and the same is the 

 case in the still more beautiful lines — 



" Myriads of rivulets hurrying through the lawn, 

 The moan of doves in immemorial elms, 

 And murmuring of innumerable bees." 



A few examples of words that are especially expressive 

 may now be given, in order to illustrate some of the varied 

 ways in which the principle has acted, and how largely it 

 has influenced the formation of language. The word 

 groivth is expressive of the gradual extension of a young 

 plant owing to the circumstance that we begin its 

 pronunciation far back in the mouth, and that it seems to 

 move outwards till the tongue touches the teeth or even 

 the protruded lips. If we watch carefully we shall see 

 how curiously, when we say "growth," we imitate with 

 our vocal organs the very process which the word implies. 

 From this foundation the name of the colour green has 

 been derived, as that of growing things, and probably also 

 grasa, graze, and even ground. This last word is usually 

 supposed to be allied to grind, as implying that the 

 ground is dust, earth, or rock ground up. But this is 

 surely a very unlikely idea to have occurred to primitive 

 man, since the natural ground is usually firm and covered 

 with some kind of vegetation or " growth," whence its 

 name would be naturally derived. 



When pronouncing the work suck, we are evidently 

 imitating both the sound and the action of sucking, by 

 drawing back the tongue during an inspiration; and in 

 taste we are equally imitating the act of tasting, by 

 moving the tongue twice within the mouth into contact 

 with the palate, as we do when using it to move about 



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