THE PRODUCTION OP THE VOICE. 551 



Among these consonants are h, m, n, f, s, r, 1. Corresponding differences 

 in respect to the time that may be occupied in their utterance exist 

 in the vowel sounds, and principally constitute the differences of long 

 and short syllables. Thus the a as in far and fate, the o as in go and 

 fort, may be indefinitely prolonged; but the same vowels (or more 

 properly different vowels expressed by the same letters) , as in can and 

 fact, in dog and rotten, cannot be prolonged. 



All sounds of the first or explosive kind are insusceptible of com- 

 bination with vocal tone (intonation), and are absolutely mute ; nearly 

 all the consonants of the second or continuous kind may be attended 

 with intonation. 



Ventriloquism. The peculiarity of speaking, to which the term 

 ventriloquism is applied, appears to consist merely in the varied modi- 

 fication of the sounds produced in the larynx, in imitation of the modi- 

 fications which voice ordinarily suffers from distance, etc. From the 

 observations of Muller and Colombat, it seems that the essential 

 mechanical parts of the process of ventriloquism consist in taking a full 

 inspiration, then keeping the muscles of the chest and neck fixed, and 

 speaking with the mouth almost closed, and the lips and lower jaw as 

 motionless as possible, while air is very slowly expired through a very 

 narrow glottis ; care being taken also, that none of the expired air passes 

 through the nose. But, as observed by Miiller, much of the ventrilo- 

 quist's skill in imitating the voices coming from particular directions, 

 consists in deceiving other senses than hearing. We never distinguish 

 very readily the direction in which sounds reach our ear; and, when 

 our attention is directed to a particular point, our imagination is very 

 apt to refer to that point whatever sounds we may hear. 



Action of the Tongue in Speech. The tongue, which is usually 

 credited with the power of speech language and speech being often 

 employed as synonymous terms plays only a subordinate, although very 

 important part. This is well shown by cases in which nearly the whole 

 organ has been removed on account of disease. Patients who recover 

 from this operation talk imperfectly, and their voice is considerably 

 modified ; but the loss of speech is confined to those letters in the pro- 

 nunciation of which the tongue is concerned. 



Stammering depends on a want of harmony between the action of 

 the muscles (chiefly abdominal) which expel air through the larynx, and 

 that of the muscles which guard the orifice (rima glottidis) by which it 

 escapes, and of those (of tongue, palate, etc.) which modulate the sound 

 to the form of speech. 



Over either of the groups of muscles, by itself, a stammerer may 

 have as much power as other people. But he cannot harmoniously 

 arrange their conjoint actions. 



