Scripture — J\ T eiv Machine for Tracing Speech Curves. 4i9 



for side motion. This is done by supporting the tracing lever 

 at the end of a brass arm which is pivoted in vertical bearings. 



The delicacy of adjustment of the bearings of both the trac- 

 ing lever and the brass arm must be very great. The methods 

 of testing and adjusting have to be acquired as an art, and a 

 description would be both tedious and useless. The delicacy 

 of the recording point is so great that if one linger is placed on 

 the metal base of the rotator and another on the very stout 

 upright support bolted rigidly to the base, the recording point 

 will indicate the yield of the two pieces of metal. 



For tracing paper it has been found best to use unglazed 

 box paper. A careful' test showed that with the Bay lis point 

 there was no diminution in the amplitude of the waves due to 

 friction on the paper. 



To avoid jarring, the whole apparatus is placed on a board 

 which is suspended from the ceiling by cords attached to 

 springs. 



A specimen of the tracing of a French vowel is shown in 

 natural size in fig. 3. 



Fig. 3. Vowel Curve. (Scale, 1 : 1.) 



By applying to M, Henri Lioret, 12 rue T.hibaud, Paris, a 

 record of any person will be made to order at the regular price 

 of 2 frs. 50. It would be quite feasible for any one in Paris 

 who is interested in French dialects to bring the proper per- 

 sons to the above address and have the cylinders made. They 

 could then be traced off by the machine and the results deliv- 

 ered to the person ready to study them. I have had a num- 

 ber of records made by one person, including Le Roi cV Yvetot, 

 Le Corbeau et le Renard, Anecdotes linguistiques, Lafon et 

 /' Amateur, Arnusettes phonetiques, Sur un Mort, and portions 

 of Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. 



This machine has now traced off a series of words containing 

 typical French sounds. As these results fully occupy the one 

 person for whom they were made, I am ready to trace off any 

 of the cylinders already on hand or any other cylinders for any 

 one who wishes to prepare the results for publication. As no 

 accurate curves of French speech have ever been made, these 

 results would have immediate value. 



Yale University, New Haven, Conn. 



