116 



§ 17. On comparing with eacli other the various pro- 

 nunciations of the different individuals as they are analpha- 

 beticaliy iiidicafed on the phonetical lists, it appears that in 

 the case of most of the sounds, there are individual dif- 

 ferences. Tlius on the /-list, the indications vary hetween the 

 two extremes ß^^ and ß^ (the points of contact of the point of 

 the tonguei. on the /r-list, between y^ and j-"* (the points of 

 contact of the back of the tongue); on the r-list, the indications 

 of the position and form of the lips vary between a^ and «\ 

 a\ and «32. Will it do, on the basis of these observations, to 

 determine the articulation of the sounds concerned, to establish 

 a general value for the sound-symbols (letters) illustrated in 

 the lists? 



The answer might be that the absolute establishment of a 

 symbol's sound-value always must depend upon an abstraction. 

 In the first place, the manner of articulation of every sound 

 depends very much upon the nature of the whole sound-group 

 in which it occurs. In the second place, there are always 

 personal differences to be taken into account, not only between 

 individuals of different districts, and not only between individuals 

 who live next door to each other, but also in llie same indi- 

 viduaKs pronunciation at different times*). 



What we essentially want here, however, is not so much 

 these small individual variations as just the main tendency 

 toward similar places of articulation which is common to all 

 individuals and which is constant in the same individual at all 



In this respect, my observations quite agree N\ith Hermann Paul's 

 view of the life and formation of speech-sounds (Prinzipien der Sprach- 

 geschichte, 1898) I 37: 



„Geringe SchwankuDgen in der Ausspraclir des gleichen Wortes an der gleichen .Satz- 

 stelle sind unausbleiblich. Denn überhaupt bei jeder Bewegung des Körpers, mag sie 

 auch noch so eingeübt, mag das Bewegungsgefühl auch noch so vollkommen entwickelt 

 sein, bleibt doch noch etwas Unsicherheit übrig" etc. f 40 : .,^enn schon das Bewe- 

 gungsgefühl des Einzelnen seine Bewegungen nicht völlig beherrschen kann and selbst 

 kleinen .Schwankungen ausgesetzt ist, so muss der freie Spielraum für die Bewegung, der 

 innerhalb einer Gruppe топ Individuen besteht, natürlich noch grösser sein, indem es dem 

 Bewegungsgefühle jedes Einzelnen doch niemals gelingen wird dem Lautbilde, das ihm 

 vorschwebt, vollständig Genüge zu leisten." 



