10 VOCAL SOUNDS OF 



the hand. "Would they eat worms?" I asked. The negro rephed : "Surely not; 

 they are too young; they would not know what to call them.'''' A smgular com- 

 mentary, almost touching m its simplicity, on the passage in Genesis to which 

 allusion has been made. 



Observation shows us that every emotion quickens the respiration, or causes 

 an oppression of the chest, which seeks relief by violent inhaling. This is the 

 origin of our sighs, laughter, moaning, and those exclamations of Ah, Eh, Oh, 

 which are gradually cast into articulate sounds, and many of which become 

 regular words, classified according to systematic grammar, such as alas, helas, 

 pooh, bah, umph, pshaw, ototoi, ecco, ecce, halloo, huzzah, and of which we 

 have so remarkable an instance in Sophocles, who makes Philoctete exclaim — 



" Attatai, ototlotoi apappapai, papa, papa, papa, papal !" 



And in Dante's : 



"Pape Satan, pape Satan, alleppe !" 



Laura utters a loud sound of o, with a strong aspirate, inclining almost to the 

 sound /, which might be written somewhat in this manner, " Ho-o-ph-ph !" 

 when she is highly excited by wonder. We do the same when the laws of 

 propriety do not prevent us from giving vent to our feehng of amazement. And 

 the actor of the broad farce accompanies his assumption of stupid surprise with 

 the same exclamation, because, in his endeavor to caricature, he stands in need 

 of the imitation of strongly marked symphenomena. 



Frequently I have heard Laura expressing a feeling of satisfaction by a sub- 

 dued tone, somewhat between chuckling and a slight groaning.* 



Utterance, produced by increased activity of the respiring organs, and varied 

 by the phable vocal organism, and the great moveabdity of the, lips and tongue, 

 is so direct and natural an effect of the excited nervous substance, that sounds 

 of grief, pain, affection, disgust, contempt, despair, pity, fear, attention, admira- 

 tion, mockery, surprise, wrath, entreaty, delight, approval, caution, or submis- 

 sion, are as natural even to us, tutored and trained as we are from early infancy, 

 both by positive instruction and the ever active imitative principle, as are the 

 wholly spontaneous symphenomena of growing pale or wringing the hands. 

 Laura actually once, when reminded by one of her teachers that she ought not 

 to indulge in her uncouth sounds, which resemble those made by deaf-mutes, 

 answered, " I do not always try not to make them." The teacher urged the 

 reasons why it is desirable she should restrain them, and was answered, " But I 

 have very much voice." Laura went farther, and added, " God gave me much 

 voice;" thus strikingly pointing out a truth of elemental importance to the 

 philosopher. Yielding, however, to the arguments against this "voice," she 



* I would have said grunting, as more accurately expressing the sound, had I not felt reluctant to 

 use this word in connexion with that amiable and delicate being. 



