488 VOICE AND SPEECH. 



ent vowels, are differences in the size of two parts the oral 

 canal and the oral opening ; and the same is the case with 

 regard to the mute vowels. By oral canal, Kempeleu means 

 here the space between the tongue and palate : for the pro- 

 nunciation of certain vowels both the opening of the mouth 

 and the space just mentioned are widened ; for the pronuncia- 

 tion of other vowels both are contracted ; and for others one 

 is wide, the other contracted. Admitting five degrees of size, 

 both of the opening of the mouth and of the space between 

 the tongue and palate, Kempelen thus states the dimensions of 

 these parts for the following vowel-sounds : 

 / 



Vowel. Sound. Size of oral Size of oral 



opening. canal. 



a as in 



a " 

 e " 

 o " 

 oo " 



'far,". 

 ' name," 

 ' theme," 

 'go," . 

 'cool," 



5 3 



4 2 



3 1 



2 4 



1 5 



Another important distinction in articulate sounds is, that 

 the utterance of some is only of momentary duration, taking 

 place during a sudden change in the conformation of the 

 mouth, and being incapable of prolongation by a continued 

 expiration. To this class belong 6, p, d, and the hard g. In 

 the utterance of other consonants the sounds may be continu- 

 ous; they may be prolonged, ad libitum, as long as a particular 

 disposition of the mouth and a constant expiration are main- 

 tained. Among these consonants are h, m, n, /, s, r, I. Cor- 

 responding differences in respect to the time that may be 

 occupied in their utterance exist in the vowel-sounds, and prin- 

 cipally 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 let- 

 ters), as in " can" and " fact," in " dog" and " rotten," cannot 

 be prolonged. 



All sounds of the first or explosive kind are insusceptible of 

 combination with vocal tone (" intonation "), and are abso- 

 lutely mute ; nearly all the consonants of the second or con- 

 tinuous kind may be attended with " intonation." 



The peculiarity of speaking, to which the term ventriloquism 

 is applied, appears to consist merely in the varied modification 

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

 fications which voice ordinarily suffers from distance, &c. From 

 the observations of Miiller and Colombat, it seems that the 

 essential mechanical parts of the process of ventriloquism con- 

 sist in taking a full inspiration, then keeping the muscles of 



