H78 SPEECH. [BOOK in. 



merit of an obstruction in the buccal passage, in B and D in the 

 sudden removal of an obstruction. If there be, as in nasal catarrh, 

 an adequate obstruction to the exit through the nasal passages of 

 the expiratory blast which creates the sound, it becomes difficult if 

 not impossible to establish the obstruction in the mouth, since in 

 that case there is no exit at all for the expiratory blast. Hence in 

 nasal catarrh there is a tendency for the effort to pronounce M to 

 result in B, and that to pronounce N in D ; ' name ' becomes ' dabe.' 



If the tongue be brought to the back instead of to the front 

 of the hard palate the consonant K (hard C) is uttered ; if voice 

 be added the sound is G (hard). These are guttural explosives. 

 Allied to them is the brief sound which in certain cases inaugurates 

 a vowel and which, due to the sudden opening of the closed glottis, 

 is immediately followed by the vibrations of the cords and so by 

 the true vowel sound. This is the spiritus lenis as distinguished 

 from H or the spiritus asper, of which, formed as it is in a different 

 manner, we shall speak directly. 



Certain other consonants are continuous, and like L are 

 formed by the rush of air through a constriction formed some- 

 where in the passage ; they are frictional in origin. They differ 

 however from the ordinary L in that they are not always accom- 

 panied by voice ; like the explosives they may be uttered without 

 any vibrations of the vocal cords, and when these do accompany 

 the frictional sound the consonant is altered in its characters and 

 receives another name. As in the case of the explosives, in forming 

 the different members of the group, the vibrations giving rise to 

 the sound are started in different parts of the passage, at the lips, 

 at the teeth or hard palate, or at the fauces. 



When the constriction is caused by the lip being brought into 

 contact with the teeth (and generally the lower lip and upper 

 teeth are used), so as to reduce the outlet to a narrow space, the 

 vibrations started at the constriction give rise to F, when no 

 voice is uttered at the same time. If voice be also uttered the 

 F becomes V. If the teeth take no part in the constriction, 

 and this be made exclusively by the two lips, the vowel chamber 

 at the same time assuming the shape proper to the vowel U, the 

 sound if voice be uttered is W\ the English W and the allied 

 French ou (in oui) may be regarded as the vowel U (in two 

 different forms) turned into consonants. The sound which is 

 formed by the two lips alone, in the absence of voice is the English 

 (North Country) Wh. 



When the constriction is formed between the tongue and the 

 teeth in such a way that the tip of the tongue protrudes between 

 the partially open rows of teeth the sound is called Th : a ' hard ' 

 Th as in ' thin ' if without voice, a ' soft ' Th as in ' this ' if with 

 voice. The effect of this manoeuvre does not differ greatly from 

 that of forming F, and certain persons in attempting to pronounce 

 a hard Th give utterance to F, as in the cockney ' nuffin.' 



