CHAP. vn. J SOME SPECIAL MECHANISMS. 341 



When the constriction takes place ^between the tongue and 

 the teeth in such a way that a narrow cfiannel is formed between 

 the upper incisors and the tip of the tongue curved into a groove 

 the sound is called S (soft C) if without voice, and Z if with 

 voice. If the constriction be formed a little farther back behind 

 the front teeth by the approximation of the tongue to the front 

 of the hard palate, the sound uttered without voice is Sk ; if voice 

 be added the sound becomes the French ./, which we represent by 

 z as in ' azure ' or by g as in ' badger.' 



If instead of being formed by the teeth the constriction be 

 carried farther back from the region of the teeth and hard palate 

 to that of the soft palate and fauces, a guttural aspirate is formed. 

 Without voice this is the hard Ch as in the Scotch ' loch, with 

 voice the soft Ch. 



Y appears to be the vowel / (ee) used as a consonant, much 

 in the same way that, as stated above, W is U used as a con- 

 sonant. 



Lastly, a consonantal sound may be formed by the glottis itself 

 supplying a constriction but in such a way that the vocal cords 

 are not thrown into musical vibrations. When in uttering a vowel 

 we begin with the glottis not closed as in the spiritus lenis but open, 

 and send through the glottis an expiratory blast which creates 

 irregular vibrations by friction before the cords are brought into 

 a proper position for their regular vibrations, the result is the 

 aspirate H, the spiritus asper. The particularly powerful H of 

 Arabic is produced by bringing the processus vocales into contact 

 with or near to each other but so as to leave the cartilaginous glottis 

 widely open and the membranous glottis more or less open ; at 

 the same time the ventricular bands are approximated, and the 

 superior aperture of the larynx is forcibly constricted. The 

 expiratory blast driven through the series of irregular passages 

 gives rise to the irregular vibrations which constitute the sound, 

 the vocal cords being motionless or at least not giving rise to 

 the regular vibrations of voice. 



We have seen that in whispering no true voice is uttered, no 

 regular vibrations are generated in the vocal cords, though the 

 passage of the air through the glottis produces vibrations which 

 serve as the basis of the whisper, being modified by the vowel 

 cavity so as to form vowels. To these vibrations may be added the 

 vibrations of the consonants, so that a whisper becomes complete 

 though feeble speech. Since the irregular glottic vibrations of & 

 whisper are very weak compared with the relatively powerful true 

 vocal vibrations, the distinction between consonants with voice 

 and without voice is in a whisper largely obscured ; it is difficult 

 for instance in a whisper to distinguish between P and B. 



