160 



PHYSIOLOGY 



CHAP. 



in the Franco- Italian and Anglo-Saxon languages. This fact, 

 according to Helinholtz, explains why the vowel tones as fixed 

 by Bonders and also by Merkel, Auerbach, Konig, and other 



f 



E r 



u 



FIG. 101. Pitch of vowels according to Helmholtz. 



later observers differ in certain respects from those which he 

 obtained. 



He finally concluded that " vowel qualities of tone consequently 

 are essentially distinguished from the tones of most other musical 

 instruments by the feet that the loudness of their partial tones 



FIG. 102. Konig's apparatus for illustrating the quality of vowel tones by a manometric flame. 

 Above, the figure shows a section of Konig's manometric capsule and the rubber membrane 

 which divides the stream of gas from the air of the tube that is sung into. 



does not depend upon the numerical order, but upon the absolute 

 pitch of those partials." l 



Helmholtz attempted to demonstrate the correctness of his 

 view by synthetically combining the tones of certain tuning-forks 



1 Page 172, Ellis' tr., q.v. 



