THE PHONOGRAPH, OR VOICE-RECORDER. 289 



small elevations are seen. The continuous consonants pro- 

 duce elevations less steep and less high ; aspirates and 

 sibilants give rounded hills. But the results vary greatly 

 according to the position of a consonant ; and, so far as I 

 can make out from a careful study of the very interesting 

 diagrams accompanying Mr. Barlow's paper, it would be 

 quite impossible to define precisely the characteristic records 

 even of each order of consonantal sounds, far less of each 

 separate sound. 



We could readily understand that the movement of the 

 central part of the diaphragm in the telephone should give 

 much more characteristic differences for the various sounds 

 than Barlow's logograph. For if we imagine a small pointer 

 attached to the centre of the face of the receiving diaphragm 

 while words are uttered in its neighbourhood, the end of 

 that pointer would not only move to and fro in a direction 

 square to the face of the diaphragm, as was the case with 

 Barlow's marker, but it would also sway round its mean 

 position in various small circles or ovals, varying in size, 

 shape, and position, according to the various sounds uttered. 

 We might expect, then, that if in any way a record of the 

 actual motions of the extremity of that small pointer could 

 be obtained, in such sort that its displacement in directions 

 square to the face of the diaphragm, as well as its swayings 

 around its mean position, would be indicated in some 

 pictorial manner, the study of such records would indicate 

 the exact words spoken near the diaphragm, and even, 

 perhaps, the precise tones in which they were uttered. For 

 Barlow's logograph, dealing with one only of the orders 

 of motion (really triple in character), gives diagrams in 

 which the general character of the sounds uttered is clearly 

 indicated, and the supposed records would show much 

 more. 



But although this might, from d priori considerations, 

 have been reasonably looked for, it by no means follows 

 that the actual results of Bell's telephonic experiments could 

 have been anticipated. That the movement of the central 



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