BOAS] HANDBOOK OF AMEEICAN INDIAN LANGUAGES 19 



mouth and nose. These are the vowels. When the nose is closed, 

 we have pure vowels; when the posterior part of the nose is more 

 or less open, more or less nasalized vowels. The character of the 

 vowel depends upon the form given to the oral cavity. The timbre 

 of the vowels changes according to the degree to which the larynx is 

 raised; the epiglottis lowered or raised; the tongue retracted or 

 brought forward and its back rounded or flattened; and the lips 

 rounded and brought forward, or an elongated opening of the mouth 

 produced by retracting the corners of the mouth. With open lips 

 and the tongue and pharynx at rest, but the soft palate (velum) 

 raised, we have the pure vowel a, similar to the a in father. From 

 this sound the vowels vary in two principal directions. The one 

 extreme is u (like oo in English fool) , with small round opening of 

 the protruding lips, tongue retracted, and round opening between 

 tongue and palate, and large opening between larynx and pharynx, 

 the larynx still being almost at rest. The transitional sounds pass 

 through a {aw in English law) and o (as in most), but the range 

 of intermediate positions is continuous. In another direction the 

 vowels pass from a through e (a in English mane) to i {ee in fleet). 

 The i is pronounced with extreme retraction of the corners of the 

 mouth and elongated opening of the lips, with very narrow flat open- 

 ing between tongLie and palate, and the posterior part of the tongue 

 brought forward, so that there is a wide opening in the back part of 

 the mouth, the larynx being raised at the same time. 



Variations of vowels may be produced by a different grouping of 

 the movements of the articulating organs. Thus, when the lips are 

 in i position, the tongue and pharynx and larynx in u position, we 

 have the sound il, which is connected with the a by a series passing 

 through 0. These sounds are similar to the German umlaut. 



Other combinations of positions of the tongue and of the lips 

 occur, although the ones here described seem to be the most fre- 

 quent vowel-sounds. All vowels may become very much weakened 

 in strength of articulation, and dwindle down to a slight intona- 

 tion of the vocal chords, although retaining the peculiar vowel 

 timbre, which depends upon the position of mouth, nose, and lips. 

 When this articulation becomes very weak, all the vowels tend 

 to become quite similar in character, or may be influenced in their 

 timbre by neighboring consonants, as will be described later. 



