BOAS] HANDBOOK OF AMERICAN INDIAN LANGUAGES 15 



n. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LANGUAGE 



Definition of Language 



The discussions of the preceding chapter have shown that a con- 

 sideration of the human languages alone must not be understood to 

 yield a history of the blood-relationships of races and of their com- 

 ponent elements, but that all that we can hope to obtain is a clear 

 understanding of the relationship of the languages, no matter by 

 whom they may be spoken. 



Before discussing the extent to which we may reconstruct the 

 history of languages, it seems necessary to describe briefly the essential 

 traits of human speech. 



In our present discussion we do not deal with gesture-language 

 or musical means of communication, but confine ourselves to the 

 discussion of articulate speech; that is, to communication by means 

 of groups of sounds produced by the articulating organs — the larynx, 

 oral cavity, tongue, lips, and nose. 



Character of Phonetics 



Speech consists of groups of sounds produced by the articulating 

 organs, partly noises made by opening and closing certain places 

 in the larynx, pharynx, mouth, or nose, or by restricting certain 

 parts of the passage of the breath; partly resonant sounds pro- 

 duced by the vocal chords. 



Wiimher of Sounds Unlimited 



The number of sounds that may be produced in this manner is 

 unlimited. In our own language we select only a limited number 

 of all possible sounds; for instance, some sounds, like p, are pro- 

 duced by the closing and a sudden opening of the lips; others, like 

 t, by bringing the tip of the tongue into contact with the anterior 

 portion of the palate, by producing a closure at this point, and by 

 suddenly expelling the air. On the other hand, a sound might be 

 produced by placing the tip of the tongue between the lips, making 

 a closure in this manner, and b}^ expelling the air suddenly. This 

 sound would to our ear partake of the character of both our t and 

 our p, while it would correspond to neither of these. A comparison 

 of the sounds of the well-known European languages — like English, 

 French, and German; or even of the different dialects of the same 



