4 OF ARTICULATION 



intensity and tone, thus receive their various modifica- 

 tions by means of the larynx. 



As there are two passages which communicate with 

 the mouth, the oesophagus, or canal which leads to the 

 stomach, and the larynx, or windpipe ; and as the 

 .esophagus is beyond the larynx, the food, in passing to 

 the stomach, must necessarily pass over the windpipe : 

 to prevent it from falling into it, there is a small valve 

 called the epiglottis, which, in the action of swallowing, 

 lies flat over the upper part of the larynx ; and should 

 the smallest crumb or drop insinuate itself under the 

 epiglottis, it produces a kind of convulsive irritation 

 and coughing in order to expel it, for were it to go down 

 the larynx the result might be suffocation and death. 

 After the breath has passed through the glottis, the 

 harmony and modulation of the voice will depend prin- 

 cipally on the tongue, the palate, the teeth, and the 

 nostrils. 



Of all the members the tongue is the most active, and 

 by its surprising flexibility can accommodate itself to 

 any position ; it can contract or extend, be applied to 

 the teeth or the palate, or assume any shape necessary 

 for articulation. If the tongue be too large, the speech 

 will be thick and indistinct. The palate, or roof of the 

 mouth, collects and reverberates the voice, which is 

 deep and sonorous in proportion to the size of its arch. 

 By the teeth the breath is collected and retarded, and 

 they, in conjunction, with the tongue and lips, give 

 utterance to some of the consonants. The nostrils are 

 also of much use in producing a pleasing and clear 

 sound. If they are obstructed, the voice assumes a 

 thick and disagreeable twang. 



As it must be evident that no person can read or 

 speak even moderately well without a clear and perfect 

 articulation, the greatest care should be taken that chil- 

 dren do not in their early infancy acquire faulty habits ; 

 for when confirmed, it will be scarcely possible to 

 eradicate them. 



In reading, every syllable, and almost every letter, in 

 the word should be uttered distinctly, without mutter- 

 ing or suppressing any of the sounds. 



