604 THIS KTJMAN BODY. 



narrowed; for 66 still more narrowed, and the lips protruded 

 so as to increase the length of the resonance chamber. The 

 partial tones reinforced in each case are, according to 

 Helmholtz 





00 



In other cases the mouth and throat cavity is partially sub- 

 divided, by elevating the tongue, into a wide posterior and 

 a narrow anterior part, each of which has its own note; and 

 the vowels thus produced owe their character to two rein- 

 forced partials. This is the case with the series a (man), 

 e (there) and i (machine). The tones reinforced by reson- 

 ance in the mouth being 



The usual I of English, as in spire, is not a true simple 

 vowel but a dipththong, consisting of a (pad) followed by 

 e (feet) ; as may be observed by trying to sing a sustained 

 note to the sound I; it will then be seen that it begins as a 

 and ends as ee. A simple vowel can be maintained pure 

 as long as the breath holds out. 



In uttering true vowel sounds the soft palate is raised so 

 as to cut off the air in the nose, which, thus, does not take 

 part in the sympathetic resonance. For some other sounds 

 (the semi-vowels or resonant s) the initial step is, as in the 

 case of the true vowels, the production of a laryiigeal tone; 

 but the soft palate is not raised, and the mouth exit is more 

 or less closed by the lips or the tongue; hence the blast 

 partly issues through the nose, and the air there takes part 

 in the vibrations and gives them a special character; this 

 is the case with m, n } and ng. 



