520 



THE FORMATION OF VOWELS. 



when u and i are sounded, then with o and c, and least with a. "When sounding m and n it 

 does not move ; it is high (like n) during the utterance of the explosives. With 1, s, and 

 especially with the gutteral r, it exhibits a trembling movement (Gentzen, Falkson). 



Speech is composed of vowels and consonants. 



A. Vowels (analysis and artificial formation, 415). A. During whispering, 

 a vowel is the musical tone produced, either during expiration or inspiration, by 

 the inflated characteristic form of the mouth, which not only has a definite pitch, 

 but also a particular and characteristic timbre. The characteristic form of the 

 mouth may be called " vowel-cavity." 



I. The'pitch of the vowels may be estimated musically. It is remarkable that the funda- 

 mental tone of the "vowel-cavity" is nearly constant at different ages and in the sexes. The 

 different capacities of the mouth can be compensated for by different sizes of the oral aperture. 

 The pitch of the vowel cavity may be estimated by placing a number of vibrating tuning-forks 

 of different pitch in front of the mouth, and testing them until we find the one which 

 corresponds with the fundamental tone of the vowel-cavity. This is known by the fact, that 

 the tone of the tuning-fork is intensified by the resonance of the air in the mouth, or the 

 vibrations may be transferred to a vibrating membrane and recorded on a smoked surface, as in 

 the phon autograph of Donders. 



According to Kb'nig, the fundamental tones of the vowel-cavity are for 



U = b, = b', A = b", E = b'", I = b"". 



If the vowels be whispered in this series, we find at once that their pitch rises. 

 The fundamental tone in the production of a vowel may vary within certain limits. 

 This may be shown by giving the mouth the characteristic position and then per- 

 cussing the cheeks (Auerbach); the sound emitted is that of the vowel, whose pitch 

 will vary accordingly to the position of the mouth. 



When sounding A, the mouth has the form of a funnel widening in front (fig. 366, A). The 

 tongue lies in the floor of the mouth, and the lips are wide open. The soft palate is moderately 



Fig. 366. 

 Section of the parts concerned in phonation. Z, tongue ; p, soft palate ; e, epiglottis ; g, 

 glottis ; A, hyoid bone ; 1, thyroid, 2, 3 cricoid, 4, arytenoid cartilage. 



raised (Czermak). It is more elevated successively with 0, E, U, I. The hvoid bone appears 

 as if at rest, but the larynx is slightly raised. It is higher than with U, but lower than with I. 



If we sound A to I, the larynx and the hyoid bone retain their relative position, but both are 

 raised. In passing from A to U, the larynx is depressed as far as possible. The hyoid bone 

 passes slightly forward (Briicke). When sounding A, the space between the larynx, posterior 

 wall of the pharynx, soft palate, and the root of the tongue, is only moderately wide ; it 

 becomes wider with E, and especially with I (Purkinje), but it is smallest with U. 



When sounding U (fig. 366), the form of the cavity of the mouth is like that of a capacious 

 flask with a short, narrow neck. The whole resonance apparatus is then longest. The lips are 

 protruded as far as possible, are arranged in folds and closed, leaving only a small opening. 

 The larynx is depressed as far as possible, while the root of the tongue is approximated to 

 the posterior margin of the palatine arch. 



When sounding 0, the mouth, as in U, is like a wide-bellied flask with a short neck, but the 



