Scripture — New Machine for Tracing Speech Curves. 447 



Art. XLIY. — A New Machine for Tracing Speech Curves y* 

 by E. W. Scripture. 



A grant from the Eliza- 

 beth Thompson Science Fund 

 rendered it possible to con- 

 struct a machine to trace off 

 the speech curves on the cel- 

 luloid cylinders of the Lioret 

 phonograph, and to thus ex- 

 tend to the study of French 

 the methods of work already 

 applied to English and Ger- 

 man. f 



The celluloid cylinders are 

 the invention of E>r. H. Lioret 

 of Paris ; they are practically 

 indestructible. Those of Model 

 A are 55 mm in diameter and 

 43 mm in length. The speech 

 groove consists of depressions 

 just as in the ordinary wax 

 phonograph. They reproduce 

 the voice with great truthful- 

 ness. For tracing the speech 

 groove we remove the cylinder 

 from its brass frame and place 

 it on the rotator (fig. 1). This 

 is a steel barrel having a 

 tapered end for the cylinder. 

 It is rotated by a motor. The 

 speed of the motor is twice 

 reduced to y-j-g- by combina- 

 tions of a worm and a 160- 

 tooth spur gear, and finally to 

 •J by the pulleys, giving a 

 total reduction to 2~g-g-o~o- The 

 speed of the motor is so ad- 

 justed that the cylinder turns 

 once in 4r| hours. 



As the barrel turns, it is 

 made to move axially by a 

 thread turning in a brass nut. 

 An additional bearing takes 

 the strain of the pulleys and 

 relieves the nut. The cellu- 

 loid cylinder thus turns and 

 moves axially in such a way 



* Elizabeth Thompson Science Fund. 



f Scripture : Experimental Phonetics, Chapter iv. 



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