738 VOICE AND SPEECH. [OH. LIV. 



this gives us the vowel sounds ; the consonants are produced by 

 interruptions, more or less complete, of the outflowing air in 

 different situations. The soft palate is raised at each word. 

 When the larynx is passive, and the resonating cavities alone 

 come into play, then we get whispering. 



The pitch of the Vowels has been estimated musically ; u has the lowest 

 pitch, then o, a (as in father), a (as in cane), i, and e. We may give a few 

 examples of the shape of the resonating cavities in pronouncing vowel 

 sounds, and producing their characteristic timbre : when sounding a (in 

 father) the mouth has the shape of a funnel wide in front ; the tongue 

 lies on the floor of the mouth ; the lips are wide open ; the soft palate is 

 moderately and the larynx slightly raised. 



In pronouncing u (00), the cavity of the mouth is shaped like a capacious 

 flask with a short narrow neck. The whole resonating cavity is then 

 longest, the lips being protruded as far as possible ; the larynx is depressed 

 and the root of the tongue approaches the fauces. 



In pronouncing o, the neck of the flask is shorter and wider, the lips being 

 nearer the teeth ; the larynx is slightly higher than in sounding oo. 



In pronouncing e, the flask is a small one with a long narrow neck. The 

 resonating chamber is then shortest as the larynx is raised as much as 

 possible, and the mouth is bounded by the teeth, the lips being retracted ; 

 the approach of the tongue near the hard palate makes the long neck of 

 the flask. 



The Consonants are produced by a more or less complete closure of 

 certain doors on the course of the outgoing blast. If the closure is com- 

 plete, and the blast suddenly opens the door, the result is an exploit re ; 

 if the door is partly closed, and the air rushes with a hiss through it, 

 the result is an aspirate ; if the door is nearly closed and its margins are 

 thrown into vibration, the result is a vibrating; if the mouth is closed, 

 and the sound has to find its way out through the nose, the result is a 

 resonant. 



These 'doors are four in number ; Briicke called them the articulation 

 position*. They are 



1. Between the lips. 



2. Between the tongue and hard palate. 



3. Between the tongue and soft palate. 



4. Between the vocal cords. 



The following table classifies the principal consonants according to this 

 plan : 



Articulation , . 

 position Explosives. Aspirates. Vibratives. Resonants. 



1 ... B, P. ... F, V, W. ... ... M. 



2 ... T, D. ...S,Z,L,Sch,Th.... R. ... N. 



3 ... K, G. ... J, Ch. ... Palatal R. ... Ng. 



4 ... ... H. ...R of lower Saxon... 



Defects of Speech. 



Speech is an action confined to man ; experiments on animals are therefore 

 here inapplicable ; hence our knowledge of the nervous mechanism of speech 

 defects depends on deductions drawn from the clinical and pathological 

 study of disease. 



