LIBRARY OF THE University of California. GIF^T OF" ^uj2/\,r^aJrA jy^^A,Jl.^ S^ R5 GQ G O k3 O 3U) O -t-5 p o (D c a o 3 -r-l !V1 c Pu X ^ S3 CD c 0) QQ CO (D CO cd C O O CO o CO I c •1-t CO Cd O ^ o o >» >» cd a m OS CD oo fid a > o cd ?3 x3 CO A 4 k> O /' THE BASIC LA^W OF VOCAL UTTERANCE PRELIMINARY REMARKS. T T is not without a fetTiiig of trepidation that ^ I venture to write for publication on a subject with which so many eminent scientists have battled. But I have a message to deliver, entrusted to me l)y the highest authority, that of nature itself, and I shall not shrink back from deliver- ing it on account of a deficiency of information on some of the sul)jects intimately connected there\inth. For the same reason, however, T cannot claim tliat all my observations are likely to be in strict (7^ VOCAL UTTERANCE. conformity with established scientific facts, or supposed facts. I state only that which I think is the case, judging by the most conscientious, careful, and long-continued personal obser- vations. Had I called scientists to my aid, I might, in some instances, have been more correct, but would have lost my originality, which I claim for all my observations throughout. These observations, on the other hand, I firmly believe will open up new avenues in various directions for scientific research. As far as the voice is concerned, they will mark an epoch in history. A new science will thereby be inaugurated, which will clear up the mystery which has surrounded it, and place its phenomena on a scientific basis. This publication, in the first instance, is a simple recital of my experience in attempting to master, and in finally succeeding in master- ing, the pronunciation of the English language. I have carefully noted, step by step, how I drew gradually nearer to, and finally arrived at, this result. I have shown the way I have gone. PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 9 in language free from technicalities, so that all may be al)le to follow and arrive at the same result. It sounds strange to relate, however, that on my way to apparently so simple an end, I should have encountered mines, tilled with the most precious material ever found, for the knowledge of voice-production in general. This material revealed to me the hidden mechanism of the voice, not only of man's voice, but of the voice in general. I can scarcely call it a discovery, for it was more in the nature of a revelation, that that should have come to me for which scientists of all civilized countries and of all ages have been searcliing in vain. I was twenty years of age when I first came to this country, — an age at which the organs of speech have taken such positive shape for the production of the sounds of one's native tongue that it is difficult, nay, as I have since learned, next to impossible to dislodge them, and to produce to perfectifin those of the tongue of another country. 10 VOCAL UTTERANCE. Being possessed of a fair book knowledge of the English language, I was also ambitious of learning to speak it precisely in the same man- ner that native born persons speak it. This idea took possession of me to such an extent that scarcely a day passed on which it was not uppermost in my mind. How many years, from that time forward, I labored, trying to divest myself of my German accent in speaking English, I cannot tell, but there were a great many. Again and again I thought I had succeeded ; and again and again always getting a better insight, I found I w^as still far from my cherished aim. This continued till within some seven or eiglit years ago, when it suddenly daw^ned on my all but despairing mind that that which I had attempted w^as impossible of accomplishment. I became convinced tliat there were physical obstacles in the way, which it was not in my power to overcome. With this knowledge once firmly settled, I abandoned my previous method of attempting to learn by imitation, which, by the bye, has PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 11 been everybody's method since time immemorial and, as far as I know, is everybody's metliod to this day, and commenced to learn by analyza- tion. I tried to resolve the English language, as far as its pronunciation was concerned, into its component parts, and by thus dissecting it ascertain liow it was put together. I cannot say that this thought was with me at first. But this is what it came to, after be- ginning with finding certain difficulties and overcoming them. Then overcoming more dif- ficulties till, in the end, all the obstacles that had been in my way were removed, and I could produce perfect English speech. To be able to overcome these difficulties it was, of course, nev'ossary to understand them. This was no easy task. It took years of thought and close obser- vation before I could say I had come to tlie bottom of them. I undei-stood, as already remarked, English quite well before I came to this cd results can be obtained in a practical manner. VOCAL UTTERANCE. The observations I have made, beyond all others, are in connection with the air we use for s^^eech ; and with the movements of the tongue, the j^romoter and regulator of speech. Hence tlie word language, from lingua, tongue. For years I have watched this delicate piece of meclianism, whicli is so constructed that it works without apparent effort, noise or fric- tion. The person in whose body it exists, and by whose will it is set in motion, is scarcely aware that there is any action at all, although it is making countless noiseless movements within him. It is ever ready to do the bidding of its master, the mind ; and its fatigue must be great, indeed, or its illness severe, before it will show any sign of disobedience. I looked into the workshop of the mouth to ascertain why, after its machinery had enabled me successfully to produce German speech, it so obstinately refused to lend its aid in doing the same for me in the production of English s})eech. The impediments I had encountered, and which I was trying to overcome, were now of the greatest aid to me; inasmuch as they enabled PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 15 me to feel my way along the lines in which this delicate yet most lively piece of mechanism, the tongue, was moving. I could not liave done this for my own language, nor could the native born of any country have done it for his. It was by makmg a comparative study of mine with a foreign tongue alone which enabled me to accomplish this. There being no difficulties to overcome, the machinery moves witli sucli perfection for one's own language that its movements, partly on ac- count uf tlieir rapidity, partly because they are involuntary, cannot be watched. They liave been working thus from our infancy, and, being liidden within the inner recess of our mouth, do not offer us an opportunity of observing tliem. My tongue, however, was overweighted. It halted, and made an effort, when it tried to pro- duce these, to it, strange and abnormal sounds. This gave me the opportunity of watching it, and finding out by what means it finally suc- ceeded in proe quite correct, should be added "Cana- dians, " " Australasians, " " East Indians, ' ' etc. , u VOCAL UTTERANCE. that I have substituted therefor the word ' ' An- gUcans," as representative of people who speak the Enghsh language. This word I shall make use of hereafter. I also want to saj that, regarding the pro- nunciation of the English language or pecu- liarities connected therewith, I have reference only to the manner in which it is spoken in this country. Unless the German language is specially mentioned, every remark has reference to the English language only. I also beg to say, that whatever merit, or demerit also, may belong to the contents of this publication, they are originally mine, having consulted no person, or work, in connection therewith. It was only after my system had assumed the shape in w^hich it apj)ears now, that I looked up some of the authorities; but I have not found that anyone has pursued the same course of studies that I have. If there are repetitions in this little book, I must be forgiven for them. They are not in- serted to swell its volume, but to make my PRELIMINARY REMARKS. 25 meaning more clear. Tliey are not repetitions, however, ,in a literal sense ; but, like the facets of a diamond, which show its value from idiffer- ent -points of view, or like the photograph of a beloved face which has l)een taken from various standpoints, each giving the same general features — they throw light on my subject from different sides, revealing, I hope, new features and new points of interest in every instance. Finally, I want to add to w^hat I have already said in the beginning, that this is not a scientific book in the strict sense of the word. I am a simple citizen, and not only give my experience and whatever knowledge I may possess, but also take the reader into my confidence in regard to my suppositions, my thoughts, and my feelings even in the most unscientific and unconventional manner. As I owe no debt to anyone, except to those who may take the trouble to read this book, I hope they will forgive me for the manner in which I urn dealing with my subject, and with them ; and I also hope that I shall not be held t<^ account too strictly f<>r any faults of fact or of judgment. BREATHING. T T lias always been believed, and, so far as I ■*- know, it is still generally believed, that the air, or ' ' breath, ' ' we use for onr speech is drawn from our lungs ; that the air we inhale into our lungs through our nose or mouth, during the act of expiration furnishes the motive power for our speech. I have ascertained that breathing through the nose, for the purpose of supplying our lungs with life-giving air, or occasionally through the mouth for the same purpose, is a distinctly different proceeding from the one by which our organs of speech ai-e furnished with air for the production of sound. Breathing for speech is carried on through our raouth while we are i7i the act of speaking. Even for nasal sounds we draw on the breath inhaled through the mouth, and do not interfere with that which is inhaled through the nose, all of which goes to supply our lungs. (20) BREATHING. 37 If tins were not the case, the vital function of supplying our lungs with fresh air would be constantly interfered with, through our speech. The same would cause a pause, be it ever so short, in expiration; consequently, a similar pause would arise between the previous and the next inspiration. Breathing, in consequence, during speech would be a very unreliable factor. There is no connection between tlie two, how- ever, each performing its function without any reference to the other, and without interfering with each other. It seems strange, yet it is no doubt true, that while we are in the act of speaking breathing through the nose is carried on as regularly as it is in our sleep. While the act of breathing for nur lungs is regular and measured, generally long drawn out, breathing for speech is irregu- lar, generally short, and is subject to the re- (luirements of all the whims and fancies of language. In breathing for siKjech we take in just enough air fur the productitni of any one given sound. If there is to be an emphasis, an additional vol- 38 VOCAL UTTERANCE. uiiie of air is absorbed to produce this emphasis. If a sound is to be spoken low, the vohinie of air will be correspondingly small. It appears to me that the air we use for speech never enters our lungs; but, being inhaled and exlialed, respectively, for the special purpose of producing sound only, it simply supplies the organs of speech Avith the necessary air to pro- duce sound, the same volume of air inhaled for speech being also exhaled for this purpose. In breathing for the lungs, in like manner, the same volume of air which is inhaled into the same is also exlialed from the same. In teach- ing correct breathing for speech or song, there- fore, care nmst be taken to do so for the breath we inhale through the mouth for the production of sound, and not for that which we inspire for the lungs. It is popularly believed that speech is carried on by a continuous ' ' stream ' ' of air coming from the lungs ; or that a large volume is inhaled into the lungs and kept tliere as a reservoir, from which to draw for speech or song. If it stream," and ])art of it were used for BREATHING. 29 speech, causing a disturl)ance in respiration, how could there be a ''constant" stream? The inspiration, as well as the expiration, would be a "perturbed" stream, at best. If it were a "reservoir" holding enough air to carry one througli a speech or a song, the lungs would soon l>e in a sorry plight for want of fresh air, {IS tliat which remains in the " reservoir " after the first few notes would be deprived of its oxygen, and the speaker or singer would drop down dead before he could finish his speech or song. If, on the other liand, one should stop every time the necessity arose for replenishing "it" with fresh air, there would be constant internip- tion in our utterances, and no continueur- ix>se only. The same as that which is exhaled from our lungs must have been previously in haled into our lungs, and for their benefit only. It does riot seem reasonable, furthermore, to suppose that the air. after having been deprived 30 VOCAL UTTERANCE. of its main component part, should be used in its vitiated form to produce sound. Kor does it seem reasonable that it should not be expelled from the body, after having thus been nsed in the shortest time, or in the most direct manner possible. How tlie two streams of air are kept separate, wliile using one and the same channel, is to be explained in this manner : that the air we use for speech, having a greater velocity than that which we inhale into our lungs, its rapidity of motion enables it to pass the other ''bodily," without interfering with it or being interfered with by it. Its motion must, of necessity, be rapid to enable it to produce sound. Even for the production of the weakest sounds, its ra- pidity is greater than that which with a sluggish motion is inhaled and exhaled respectively for the lungs. The air we use for speech is of that same meteoric kind that sparks are when we stir the fire in a grate. It bears the same rela- tion to the air we breathe for our lungs that these sparks do to the iira Their velocity and density are far greater, while their duration is BREATHING. 31 Imt for the inoinent. Even with these air- sparks, liowever, there is a difference as to these qnahties, — velocity, vohime, and duration, — the same being regulated by those which we desire the sounds we are about to produce to possess. The voice may be likened to a string-instru- ment. Others have, perhaps, more accurately, in some respects, likened it to a reed-instru- ment; but a string- instrument will better illus- trate my idea. The separate streams of air we ins])ire and expire respectively for the produc- tion of sounds are, in many respects, of the same order that strings are in a string-instrument. They differ in thickness and in length ; and the waves of air they set in motion differ in volume and rapidity. Some of them reach down as far as it is ])ossible for them to reacli, while some are of medium and others of short length. Hence we say, sounds come from the stomach, the breast, or the head ; each expression repre- senting a different length of string of air or of sound. But they are not positive, nor stationary. They come and they go ; they lengthen and they shorten ; they swell to mighty dimensions, or VOCAL UTTERANCE. thej disappear altogether; not suddenly, but slowly and bj degrees, as their ruler, the mind, may command. As the master of a musical instrument repre- sents his emotions by the sounds he draws from its strings, so will the singer or the speaker draw the music lingering in his soul out of these living strings. Through them others speak to our hearts, or in other moods overpower us with grief, or fill us w^itli anger. At times the '* strings" suddenly contract, at other times they expand almost ready to burst. Sometimes, they are filled with a soft, elastic fluid, and again they may be as dry as a cinder. They are suspended from our hearts and our souls, wliose throbbings, longings and thoughts they interpret to ourselves and to others. After giving an account of these air or sound strings or cords, the question still remains to be answered : How do they originate ? What gives these streams of air this power, this velo- city with which, by forcing their way through narrowed passages, they produce sound ? Wliat is the power which enables birds and insects to BREATHING. 33 produce sounds apparently far beyond their physical strength ? The answer is, that the sounds do not originate within ourselves, but beyond us. They have their origin in the air which surrounds all beings, — man, birds and insects. By creating a vacuum in the air-channels, through expiration, the exterior air is forcibly drawn into them. By our muids working on our will-power, the latter, by the aid of said vacuum, creates a draught, an. exterior stream of air which is set in motion tow^ard the oral cavity. This exterior draught possesses akeady in a man- ner the necessary qualifications for the produc- tion of the sound which the singer's or speaker's mind intended to create. In ordinary speech this is a proceeding which is altogether automatic ; but in speech produced artistically, such as oratory, or song, especially in the latter, the mind anticipates the result. It is inspiration, therefore, which gives the first impetus to sound, which is its creator, the cause ; expiration is but the efi;ect, the result. We must teach how to inspire correctly ; correct 34 VOCAL UTTERANCE. expiration will then follow as a matter of course. It is in the great realm of air outside of the body where this force is created, not in the lungs, nor by a stream emanatijig therefrom, nor an accumulation of air therein. There is, however, such a thing as air being ' ' held ' ' to give us the power of imparting additional force to sounds. My assertion in the beginning of this chapter, ' ' that the expired breath for speech equals the inspired breath for the same," will naturally provoke the question : How, then, is it that, after using our organs of speech for any length of time, we have to pause for breath, we are ' ' short of breath ? ' ' The explanation is, that the greater volume of sound being originated by the outgoing voice, it is more than likely that we fail to inhale quite a sufficiency of air to produce with proper effect all the outgoing sounds we desire. For this insufficiency we draw on the air which is ' ' held ' ' in the air-channels for this very purpose. When this air which is '^lield" becomes exhausted, or nearly so, we take in at BREATHING. 35 one gulp sufficient to supply the same again. This is the only ''reservoir," and it but needs to be replenished at long intervals. It is quite possible, however (and I greatly incline to believe this to be so), that a person who breathes correctly (which very few ^^ersons do) might go on speaking or singing forever without " taking breath ; ' ' the only bar to his doing so arising from a fatigue of the muscles whicli move las'* tongue. I have not in the preceding touched upon the action of the diaphragm, nor sliall I attempt to do so now, except in saying that it does for speech what our lungs do for respiration, for the preservation of life. It forms a very im- portant part of the machinery which expands and contracts for the admission and emission of air and sound resj^ectively. It acts in con junction with the motions of the upper and lower jaws and of the tongue. For inspiration the upper jaw rises, together with the soft-palate and the uvula, ])ut the tongue falls, and so does the diaphragm. This produces an extension of the upper cavity of the 36 VOCAL UTTERANCE. mouth, iij^ward and downward, and of tlie air- receptacles of the chest and stomach. For expiration the lower jaw falls, Avhile the tongue rises, increasing the size of the lower portion of the cavity of the mouth in both direc- tions. The diajDhragm rises, forcing out the au' by contracting the receptacles which con- tained it. All these actions are subject to great varia- tions in connection with the special sound which is to be emitted. They may be slow or rapid, as to time ; narrow or full, as to space ; or there may be a combination of these actions. For instance, slow, yet narrow ; quick, yet full ; or slowly extending, quickly contracting ; the action of the diaphragm being of a multifarious nature in bringing about these changes. All this is regulated, in the first instance, 1)y the sound we expect to create, and the maimer in which w^e inhale for such sound. The object of all these actions is to create various openings, or to contract others, through which air can be forced to create sound; all these parts being those of a wind-instrument, and all these actions BREATHING. 87 means to bring these parts into such relation to each other as to create the widest range of open- ings and sounds, respectively, by passing various streams of air through the same. Looking at the matter, herein before men- tioned, from a mere mechanical or physical standpoint, * ' that two streams of air may pass each other in the same cliannel without inter- fering with each other, provided that there is a material difference in their velocity," I have mentioned it without reserve, although I am inclined to think that it is a discovery of no mean importance. It has already been estab- lished that two streams of the electric fluid can pass each other over the same wire without intei-fering with each other; and so can two streams of air through the same oriiice, as illus- trated by the air we use for speech and by the air we inhale for the lungs. This may lead to the constniction of a new order of wind instru- ments, possessing different scales of sounds which can be played at the same time, or it may 1k' utilizcfl ill otluM- directions. HOW DO WE SPEAK ? '' I ^ HE manner in v^hich we hreaihe for speech is hy raising and lowering the tongue. For eacli sound we utter the tongue must be once raised and once lowered, at least. These movements follow each other in regular rotation, the tongue being raised, then lowered, then raised again, although they are sometimes of so slight a nature that they scarcely can be per- ceived. They never cease during the continua- tion of speech ; and with each one of them the air IS either admitted or emitted. These motions of the tongue are accompanied by corresponding motions of the lips, which, while we are speaking, seem to be in a constant quiver. The motions of the lips are apparently without regularity ; though the same as the tongue's they in reality change from the upper to the lower with never-failing regularity. The movement is now of the lower lip, then of the upper, and again of the lower, etc., though it (38) HOW DO WE SPEAK f 39 is not often of the same period of time. As the tongue is raised, there is a movement of the lower lip ; as it is lowered, there is one of the upper lip. These movements of the lips <;orrespond with the movements of the jaws, which again super- induce those of the tongue. They are some- times short, scarcely showing the teeth; some- times so as to show an entire row of teeth; either the upper or lower, in accordance with the requirements of the sound which is being uttered. J*ar English speech the tongue is lowered for inspiration j it is raised for expiration. While lowered, the air streams in over its surface; while raised, it streams out from ?/7?- derneath the same, sound following in the wake of each stream of air. For German speech the precise reverse action takes place : The tongue is lowered for expira- tion ; it is raised for insjnration. This fact, that the opposite action obtains fo^ German speech to that which obtains fur Eng- lish s]>eech, has given me the key to the entii'e 40 VOCAL UTTERANCE. situation. Had tliey been corresponding, I never would have made any discovery. It was due to the fact, that they are not corresponding, that it was so difficult, nay, impossible for me to produce correct English sounds. This remarkable fact, that English speech is carried on by a process of inspirations and ex- pirations the precise reverse of that which fur- nishes the vehicle for German speech, offers food for reflection in many directions. Such questions will arise as. Has this always been the manner in which these insular people have spoken ? If not, at what period in their history was this change brought about ? And what wrought it ? As all the nationalities comprising the British empire to-day breathe for speech in the same manner, it will be asked if it was the Celts, liomans, Anglo-Saxons, or Normans that caused it ? Some one of these peoples, or some one previous to these, must have exercised so powerful and far-reaching an influence as to compel future generations of various nationalities to change their current of speech ; and, in so doing, create one homogeneous language. HOW DO WE SPEAK? 41 What other 2)eople besides the English speak in this manner ? Which is the most natural and easiest way of breathing, the German or the English way ? Germans exhale their speech, Anglicans in- hale theirs. German speech comes direct from the throat, while English speech pursues an in- direct course. After being inhaled over the surface of the tongue, it is exhaled from under- neath the same. In so doing, its main sound, as it does for all languages, takes the same direction which the expired air takes. Every sound we hear being in reality com- posed of at least tw^o sounds, the first part of any one sound, if it is an Anglican who utters it, follows the air inspired for the same, and is hoard by reverberation outwardly. The second j)art, its main sound, is expired, and follows in the wake of the air which makes its exit from underneath the tongue. Witli German speech precisely the reverse action takes place. The air is inhaled beneath the slightly raised tongue; it is exhaled from the throat over tlic t<>nirue. 42 VOCAL UTTERANCE. All studies connected witli the voice, and all teaching in regard to the correct use of tlie same, have been at all times exclusively in con- nection with the expired breath. It is of greater importance, however, to know how to inspire correctly than to know how to expire correctly. Correct expiration must, of necessity, follow correct inspiration, while the reverse is by no means necessarily the case. ^ %^ THE DUAL NATURE OF THE VOICE. nr^HE voice has always been spoken of as a unit, a stream of sounds, and it is quite possible that no one has ever thought that it might not be a unit, a thing by itself, but a composite. Yet •such in reality it is. There are two voices, separate and distinct, which in speaking or singing blend into one and seemingly are one. I call them by different names, each name being characteristic of some especial quality ; and I shall use any of these expressions as occasion may seem to require. They are : The interior and the exterior. The upper and the lower. The first and the second (in succession), Tlie ingoing and the outgoing. The inhaled and the exhaled, The initial and the final, The rising and the falling, (43) 44 VOCAL UTTERANCE. The advancing and the retiring. The two voices are so distinctly different that they forever follow their own separate chan- nels. The one is forever flowing from within outwardly ; the other, from without inwardly ; the channel of the one being over and above the tongue, that of the other under and be- neath the same. This latter, w^hose sound for English speech goes out from under the tongue, and for German speech goes in underneath the same, has not before been noticed by anyone. "While speaking, the voice is ever moving in a circle ; the English rising voice coming out from beneath the tongue, and receding back over and above the same ; ' the German rising voice coming out from above the tongue, and receding back underneath the same. The two streams follow each other in such rapid suc- cession that they appear as a unit. The one is the complement of the other, and they fit into each other so closely as to appear as one. Every voice we hear, from murmuring to singing, from moaning to laughing, from the first cry of the new born to the last word spoken THE DUAL NATURE OF THE VOICE. 45 by the dying, follows this imnuitable law. But it is not man's law alone. It is the law of nature, from the singing of the bird to the roaring of the lion, from the humn:ing of the insect to the neighing of the liorse, and the barking of the dog. There is always the upper and the lower, the rising and the falling voice, following each other and blending into one. Does it not always seem strange that from one and the same instrument sounds should emerge so distinctly different in theh* character, and so far apart in the musical scale, yet so closely fol- lowing upon and blending into one another, each sound, at the same time, standing distinctly by itself ? All this is executed in so diminutive a space, and by artists who never had any in- struction in the use of their instrument! Besides the wonder of the production of the sounds, there is the wonder of their clearness and distinctness. How is it that the vibration of the previous sound does not mingle with that of the one following on the sounding-board of the oral cavity ? I can throw some light on this subject, and shall do so later on. 46 VOCAL UTTERANCE. The musical rhythm of tlie language, its rise and fall, and ever changing modulation, are ex- plained by the two voices. It appears to me that the manner in which birds sing, English j^eople speak, judging by the swelling of their throats, the movements of their tongue, and the perfect ease with which they produce their song. The English voice appears to be confined to the head, and does not seem to come from lower depths as the German voice does. Hence the purity of English sounds ; while German sounds, coming from lower depths, lack this purity to a remarkable degree, and are accompanied by noises, attributed by Germans, both as regards the consonant as well as the vowel sounds, to some imperfection in the construction of the oral cavity as an instrument to permit the air to pass through freely. These places, against which, they say, the air in its passage strikes, are supposed to be productive of sounds independent of their proper musical sounds, and are, therefore, properly termed noises. Foreigners speaking English carry these noises THE DUAL NATURE OF THE VOICE. 47 with tlieiu into their pronunciation of the Eng- lish language ; and it is this more than anything else which gives to their speech a ' ' foreign ' ' sound, more especially an '' offensive" foreign sound. The assumption, that the construction of the oral cavity is not perfect for the eniission of pure German sounds, however, is not correct. The obstacle they encounter is the German tongue, which does not move ' ' out of the way ' ' of the sounds, and hinders them in their free eniission, causing the noises spoken of. It is less active than the English tongue, which performs any number of gymnastic exercises to assist the sound in coming forth clear and unobstructed. The movements of the tongue for German speech, though apparently slower, produce sound faster than those made by the English tongue, as they are of a slighter nature, and can, there- fore, be carried out much cpiicker. Germans, consequently, s])eak faster than Anglicans do. THE NEW VOCAL CORD. A FTER many years groping in the dark, getting but the faint glimmer of a light here and there, the first real illumination came to me while I was at Chicago during the prog- ress of the World's Fair. It came to me as a revelation, imparting to me the knowledge of a second voice. After having, uj^on continued, careful inves- tigation, become convinced of the correctness of my observation of the existence of this second voice, and of its location as emanating from beneath the tongue, the question constantly arose : By what means is this second, or lower, voice j)roduced ? What did nature mean by giving to it such a circuitous route ? How can its sounds find their way through this conduit, originating, as they do, in the vocal cords of the larynx, and yet come to the surface clear and undefiled ? Here was a puzzle which, for want of a (48) THE NEW VOCAL CORD. 49 proper explanation, threatened to set at nouglit with others, at least, all that had with me be- come positive and undoubted facts. The solution to this mystery came to me while I was traveling. For the purpose of guarding against all possible personal contingencies, and a consequent loss of what had been intrusted to me, I sent an account of my discovery home in a letter, which is now before me. I prefer to give an account of this discovery in the precise words as then transmitted. This letter was dated at Louisville, Ky., October 13, 1893, and the following is an extract from the same : * ' I scarcely think that I overrate the im- portance of my discovery, in view of the fact that our speech is our most comprehen- sive gift; and that no discovery, heretofore made, of the nature of any of our faculties comes within the scope of our will to control as speech does. '' While still abed on the morning of Tuesday last, at the Southern Hotel, St. Louis, my thoughts, as they have so often done of late, reverted back to this theme. Wliile I was con- vinced that the sounds of the rising voice, in English speech, tend from below the tongue outward, 1 could not fathom the wisdom wliich ^ VOCAL UTTERANCE. made the outgoing voice pursue so tortuous a channel ; the air coming from the tliroat, thus forcing its way around the sides of the tongue and beneath it toward the teeth, while the tongue's tip is uplifted. Still less could I understand how clear, unmuffled' sounds can thus be produced, the vocal cords being hidden behind so many obstructions ; until it suddenly dawned on me that that very peculiar, lip-like formation in the low^er jaw. close to the front part of the root of the tongue, was another vocal cord — the vocal cord, to the outgoing voice, for English speech. "Watch it, and see how it trembles and quivers with life and emotion while you speak ; how it is eloquent witli feeling. Since I have discovered its use, it has become painful to me to look at it, so expressive is it of our soul-life. A synopsis of our entire being, almost, seems to be concentrated there. ' ' Mystery of mysteries, that that wlii^li has been exposed to view at all times, which has been with the notes of speech and song and sounding forever, never IS thus sounding now should have been understood, nor even been noticed, by anyone. For English speech it is tlie main instrument of sound, while for German speech the vocal cords hidden w^ithin tlie inner recesses of the throat are the ones giving life to their most important sounds. " In view of those developments, is it to be wondered at that German speech sliould appear THE NEW VOCAL CORD. 51 {IS coining full from the throat, while English speech appears to he coming from the head? The head of a German, while speaking, is full of action, as if assisting the sounds to come forward. The head of an Anglican is iirmly set on his shoul- ders, with the sound simply streaming out, and without any sign of assistance ; hence, gesticu- lation,^ vivacity of the muscles of the face, often assisted by the hands and arms even, of the speaker, in the former case, and stolidity, dig- nity, and reserve in the actions of the latter. " The existence of the lower voice reveals the fact that there is a circular movement of aii- for the production of speech. With Anglicans, the air streams into the mouth, over the tongue, and thence into the larynx with the falling voice, and streams out again from beneath the tongue with the rising voice. With Germans, the same proceeding takes place in a reverse order. ' ' These are tlie main contents of my Louisville letter. To these remarks I must add that, while I attributed to the lip-like formation in the lower jaw the entire production of the lower voice, I have since ascertained that it is but a part of the instmment ; its other part being the frenu- lum, the cord which connects the tongue witli the lower jaw, which is extended or contracted, VOCAL UTTERANCE. in conformity with the movements of the tongue, and the sounds to be emitted. It forms the exact centre of the mouth, and of the lip-like formation beneath the tongue, which it traverses and divides into two equal parts. The air coming from botli sides around the root of the tongue, strikes against the sides of the fraenulum, when extended; or against its ridge, when relaxed; and coming together in front of it produces sound. In conformity with the string being fully spanned, or it being in a greater or minor state of relaxation, the air, in striking it, will give forth various sounds. All changes to which the inner lip is sub- jected the outer lip is subjected to, likewise. It assumes the same shapes and positions. It is now raised, then depressed; it moves for- ward, then backward. At times it is full and round, replete with blood and life; at others, it is contracted, and shows a slirunken, and pointed or ragged outline. The former usually obtains during inspiration, the latter during ex- piration. Together witli tlie tongue, whose THE NEW VOCAL CORD. SS lower front or tip usually rests upon it, some- times concealing it altogether, tlien retiring, showing it in part, and retiring still further, showing it completely, and the space of the lower jaw w^liich it encloses, it presents to all appearances another month within our mouth. This impression is heightened when the tongue rests upon the inner lip, thereby presenting a similar appearance to the upper lip resting upon the lower. Owing to this striking similarity, and not knowing by what name it is known in the phys- iological or medical world, if, indeed, it has a name, I call it the ''replica," being almost a repetition, "by the hand of the same master," of the mouth itself. Not knowing, either, what the "inner lip," or "new" vocal cord, may be called, I have named it the ' * vocal lip. ' ' As the replica, then, is apt to adopt the cor- rect shape for the proper production of sounds, it will be well to watch our lips to see that they assume the same shape. Only when they do will a sound be emitted in its entire purity ; 54 VOCAL UTTERANCE. it being of prime necessity for .the outer rim of the orifice of the mouth to liave tlie correct shape, if it is to produce correct sounds. The tongue, wliile it is resting upon or with its tip moving along the rim of the vocal lip, acts in a somewhat similar manner to that in which our upper lip acts in relation to our lower lip. That is, it creates openings of various shapes and sizes. Through these openings the air is forced, producing various sounds. At other times, when the tip of the tongue rests, within the replica, pressing with its point hard down upon its bottom, upon being sud- denly raised it creates an explosion as for k, or, by a weaker pressure, as for g. Again, by rolling along its surface, it produces the sound of r, etc. , etc. The vocal lip moves backward for expired sounds, while the tongue's tip is raised; it moves forward for inspired sounds, while the tongue's tip rests upon it. It takes the opposite directi(m to that which the tip of the tongue takes, the latter moving backward for inspired and forward for expired sounds. THE NEW VOCAL CORD. 55 Tlicse are some of the outlines connected with the replica and the vocal lip. It is quite a study, and time must be had for its full de- velopment. What inference may be drawn from a study of the replica and the vocal lip as regards the sounds produced by the vocal cord of the larynx, I can only surmise. I presume, how- ever, that we shall now be able to arrive at a better estimate of its true nature. It appears to me as if the new school which is likely to arise from these investigations will have to base its technical teaching largely upon a study of the aspect of the replica and the vocal li}) in a general, and the changes to which they are subjected in a special, sense. It is not difficult for anyone to produce a pure sound when one makes a special effort to do so, but to produce pure sounds in connection with other sounds, and to do so habitually, must be the aim of the scholar and of the teacher. To accom])lish this, the shape assumed by the lips, and the manner in which the teeth ap- proach each other, must be closely watched. As 56 VOCAL UTTERANCE. tliey are but a copy of the shape of the replica and the vocal lij), anyone can become his own teacher. This will be easy in comparison with many of the systems now in vogue, explaining the pro- duction of sounds ; most of them being too elab- orate in their description, and too difficult of comprehension, for the ordinary scholar. In contemplating the lower jaw as an instru- ment to jDroduce sound, in comparison with the upper, or with the roof of the mouth, we can perceive why it is that the English tongue is capable of producing such a vastly greater variety of sounds than the German. It is a small but wonderfully constructed instrument, with its numerous knots, ligaments, elevations and depressions. Its ridges and indentures are subject to continuous changes, accommodating themselves to such shapes as are required of them to produce different sounds. The upper jaw with its plainly vaulted roof, on the other hand, does not j^ossess these quali- fications, and is only fitted for the reproduction of those elementary sounds which have their THE NEW VOCAL CORD. OT origin in the vocal cord of the larynx. Hence, while Oernian vowels have but one distinct sound, there are numerous variations for Eng- lish vowel sounds. If the roof of the mouth, however, is looked upon as the sounding-l)oard for all sounds, which in all likelihood it is, the sounds pro- duced by the "new" vocal cord, as well as those of the ''old," are deflected from the same. It will be more nearly correct, therefore, to assume that the '' new " vocal cord produces those parts of sounds which are so peculiarly characteristic of the English tongue, while the " old " produces those also known to other tongues ; the two blending into each other for all the sounds of the English tongue. Steamships, nowadays, often carry a double engine, both engines being used while the ship is speeding along. The main object for having two, however, is for the purpose of enabling the ship to continue on its voyage, in case one should be disabled ; each engine being the pro- peller of a separate nidder. Nature has made the same provision for our 58 VOCAL UTTERANCE. seeing, hearing, smelling, breathing, thinking apparatus, etc. We likewise have two arms, two hands, two legs, etc. ; always one in reserve, in case the other should be disabled. And so we have two voices for speaking. We do not use our two voices, however, just at one and the same time, but in succession. The upper, always first ; the lower, following close upon it ; as we must inspire before we can expire. Tliey follow so close one upon the other as to appear as one. This is for the Eng- lish voice, of course ; the order for the German voice being the reverse. Do we hear, see, smell, breathe, etc. , also in this fashion, one ear, eye, lung, etc., always first, and the other following closely upon it ? There is no difiiculty hearing the two voices. Any English vowel sound, slowly spoken, will clearly reveal them. The personal pronoun " I, " for instance, composed of the two sounds a and e — a as in " father " and ^ as in '^ is " — will bring them out very clearly. The first part of this sound, appears hollow, being spoken THE NEW VOCAL CORD, 69 by the falling voice, while its last part is ring- ing, being spoken by the rising voice. There is not only a difference in the sound, but also in the inflection between the first and the second part of this sound ; so much so, that they might appear to be spoken by two different persons in quick succession. The German sound "Ei" ("egg") shows precisely the reverse order. It is first loud and then soft. The same difference obtains with the rest of the vowels. It is very marked in the first letter of the alphabet, when standing by itself. Its first part is a as in ' ' have, ' ' its second more of an ^, as in " is. ' ' The a being spoken by the upper, has a subdued sound ; while the \])ir;itioii ? We would come ((;:5) 64 VOCAL UTTERANCE, far more frequently, near choking if both streams of air had to pass through the trachea. In a sudden coughing lit, or while sneezing, when we are in the act of eating, food is ex- pelled. Besides, what is it that causes one's breath to be "tainted," when the stomach is out of order ? If it came from the lungs, how could the stomach affect it ? It will be admitted that breathing for our lungs never stops, that it goes on forever in its regular method, while life lasts. Such sudden spasms as sneezing, gaping, coughing, laughing, — all would seriously interfere with the act of breathing for our lungs, if entirely carried on through the trachea. This is obviated by one part originating in the channel of the gullet ; and the other, in that of the windpipe the same as other regular sounds do. A sudden inspiration through the windpipe always pre- cedes these acts; while the act itself, by an equally sudden expiration, is carried on through the gullet. This relieves the windpipe to a great extent, and permits the act of breathing TRACHEA AND CESOPHAOUS. 65 to be prosecuted without serious interference by these outbursts. My. iiiial conviction, therefore, is, as already stated, that for English speecli we inliale through the trachea, and exhale through the oesophagus, from which the air passes directly beneath the tongue into the lower jaw. For German speech we inhale through the gullet, the air passing in underneath the tongue, and exhale through the windpipe. In this man- ner, for English speech, the vocal cords are passed first inwardly, and the vocal "lip,'' last, outwardly. While for German speecli the vocal lip is passed first, and tlie vocal cord last. This fully explains the phenomena of the voice, and the tendency of the sound in both instances. •'IKwIII^ THE CIRCULATION OF SOUND- CIRCLES. \'X T'E say, our tongue slips up and down, backward and forward. In saying so, we state that which seetns to be the case, and, in a measure, really is the case. As a matter of fact, it is stating" but a part of the tongue's movements. To fully state what the tongue does will be giving an account of one of the most interesting observations I have made. The tongue does not move in the oral cavity by slipping up or down, backward or forward ; but its movements are in the shape of circles, and it never moves in any other way. These circles are described by the tongue's tip. They are not complete circles, however, but segments of circles only. The tip of the tongue, in de- scribing then), goes as far as it is able to go, the remainiiig part of the circle for its completion being left to the imagination. All movements, in fact, connected with speech are circular in their nature. The air (66) THE CIRCULATION OF SOUND— CIRCLES. 67 for speech moves in circles, the sound .which it prtxhices lias the Siinie tendency; and so have the movements of the tongue, in causing the admission and emission of air, and iii connecting the two voices. The tongue, in an Englisli mouth, makes so many movements, and carries them out with such velocity, that the oral cavity, while we are speaking, seems to be completely tilled with the same. In view of this fact, it had long been a riddle to me to know how English sounds could find their way through this maze of movements of the tongue, and come to the surface with so nmch distinctness and clearness. The move- ments of the tongue in circles will explaiu it; these movements being made for the very pur- pose of assisting sounds to come out clearly. I3efore any sound is uttered, the air is drawn into the oral cavity by a previous expiration, causing a vacuum. The air, thereby attracted, is drawn into this vacuum by a swinging mo- tion, and strikes the tongue obliquely at its tip. We can distinctly feel this. There is a draught of air passing over the tip of the tongue with every 68 VOCAL UTTERANCE. inspired sound, wliicli has a cooling effect, in drying up its moisture. For every German in- spired sound we can feel the same effect, heneath the tongue. The air then follows along the sur- face of the tongue into the larynx. To aid the air in being thus absorbed, the tongue's tip points downward, while the upper jaw and teeth and the upper lij) are raised. Then follows the second movement for expiration, by the raising of the tongue with its tip pointing uj)w^ard. In so doing the air and the sound are expired from beneath it, while the lower jaw and teeth and the low^er lip are depressed. These two movements are repeated once more for the same sound, making four niovements for each sound, or six, more properly sj^eaking, as explained further on. It is not a simple lowering or raising of the tongue's tip, however. After inspiration, its tip is, in reality, raised to the roof of the mouth. It then conies down with a graceful movement inwardly, describing a circle, until its tip reaches the upper row of teeth. Here the sound is emitted through an opening formed between the tongue's lower side and the THE CIRCULATION OF SOUND— CIRCLES. G9 lower row of tcetli. It now moves up again to the roof of tlie mouth, from wlience it comes down, with another circular movement, out- wardly this time, until it reaches the lower row of teeth. Here inspiration takes place through an opening formed between the surface of the tongue and the upj>er row of teeth. After this, tliere is another expiration for the same sound The movement, which brings the tongue for- ward for expiration, is s}nonjmous with the slipping forward of the tongue; the second movement, which brings it down for inspira- tion, appears to us to be simply the slipping back of the tongue. For all sounds of the upper voice, consequently, the tongue slips back, while for all those of the lower it slips forward. The fact is, nature does not work like a black- smith, but by gentle movements, graceful curves, and the most artistic touches, it attains its re- sult*. Yet, withal, it moves so swiftly that we can scarcely follow its movements. Xor does nature deal in solids, but rather in cMinixmnds. Where we imagine tliere is one thing, there may be Inindreds. Thus we hear a 70 VOCAL UTTERANCE. sound, and say it is such and such a note, or such and such a letter. Yet there are many sounds to make up this one sound, and in the j^rocess of its production more subtle factors enter then we shAll ever gain a knowledge of. The tongue performs the work of converting the air into sound, ,l)y sending it in different directions in the oral cavity. It fans it, sweeps it togetlier, so as to mass it in one spot, or whips it into submission, in accordance with the sounds to be produced. In doing this, it makes inces- sant motions, apparently of an indescribable and wilful nature. In reality they are all circular in shape and move in the graceful manner here- tofore described. An English tongue hangs loosely in the mouth, as loosely almost as does a tongue sus- pended in a bell. It is ready at any moment to obey the command of its bellringer, the mind. A German tongue, on the other hand, rests on the floor of the mouth, and touches it or some portion of the oral cavity even during the forma- tion and enunciation of the vowel sounds. Tlie English tongue, in so doing, is completely THE CIRCULATION OF SOUND— CIRCLES. 71 withdrawn from any contact with the oral cavity. This touch of tlie tongue against the teetli, or otlicr ])arts of the mouth, is the cause of the noise always accompanying German vowel Sounds, of which the English voice is absolutely free. During the act of speaking, the tongue's tip, while swinging with a circular motion, now up, then down, always returns to the soft-palate. Tliere is a point of the soft-palate which must 1)0 touched by the tongue's tip every time a new sound is to 1)0 evoked, so as to stop the vibra- tion of the previous sound, on this, the sounding- board of the oral cavity. If this were not done, there would be an endless intermingling and confusion of sounds, and none would ever be heard to stand clearl}' and distinctly by them- selves. The centre, around which the circles revolve, is the opening to the throat. The tongue's principal aim, in swinging up and down, is for the purpose of giving to the air free egress and ingress from and into this opening. The swingings of the tongue, consequently, mean 72 VOCAL UTTERANCE. breathings; it swings np for expiration and down for inspiration, each breathing being ac- companied by a sound. In swinging down, by an outward movement, the tip of the tongue stops below the lower teeth to permit the air to enter above it. In swinging up, by an inner motion, it stops above the upper teeth to let the air out from beneath it. The circles, wliicli the tongue describes, as far as flieir circumference is concerned, are de- termined by the sound which is to be produced. It is larger or smaller in accordance with the force which it is necessary to employ to pro- duce such sound. This last remark does not have reference, however, to the stopping of the previous sound on the sounding-board of the oral cavity, but to a second tap of tlie tip of the tongue, given to this sounding-board, either the soft or the hard- palate, immediately following the first tap. This tap is applied to various parts of tlie palate for the enunciation of the different consonant sounds. Tlie greater the power the sound is to have, the higher up must be the touch, and the THE CIRCULATION OF SOUND— CIRCLES. 73 greater must be the force with which it is applied. And so will be the circle larger or smaller ; and it w^ll be executed with greater or less force and rapidity, in accordance with the sound which is to be evoked. This greater or less force is also shared in by the air, wdiich is l)eing inhaled for the same sound. The higher the touch, and the greater tlie circle, the larger will be the opening thereby created in the cavity of the mouth, and in the same relation thereto will be the cur- rent of air absorbed for such sound. In likening our apparatus to produce sound to a string-instrument, I have compared the air or nerve-channels, through which or along- side of which the air-sparks we inhale for sjioech travel, to the strings of this instrument. In touching a certain spot of the hard or soft- palate with the tip of our tongue, with the in- tention of producing a certain sound, especially a consonant sound, we open this cord, whot^o sound-nerve has its ending here for this sound. It is astonishing with what certainty the tip of the tongue touches these spots from which it 74 VOCAL UrrERANCE. expects to draw tliese sounds. If it should toucli tlie wrong spot hy ever so little, the cord will not respond, and the sound will not he heard, or we may hear a false sound, not the one we expected to hear. How the cords are " touched " for the vowel sounds, I cannot imagine, as there is no touch. They are simply the children of our imagina- tion hecome real, they are the product of our w^ll. We " will " a certain vowel to sound, and the vocal cord or lip opens up tlie nerve-string with which it is connected. The cords for the vowel sounds all centre and have their ending iii the vocalcord and lip, and their sound is pro- longed, in conformity with our will, or our muscular ability to breathe for it. DEFECTIVE SPEECH. ''T^IIE circles wliicli the tongue describes ^ are the proper gauge for speecli. For Englisli speech tliey are large, and English to be well spoken must, therefore, be slowly spoken ; much slower, at least, than German is. It is very difficult for a person to speak English fast and yet form his circles to perfec- tion, good speech being synonyinous with a perfect chain of circles. When a person speaks too fast for melodious utterance, we should say that his circles are too small; when his speech is shiggish, that they are too loose; when he stutters, that his circles are broken ; when his sj^ech is rough and unmannerly, that they are out of shape or in bad shape; when he speaks in a high tone of voice, that his circles are raised up too high, locally ; when in a low tone, that they incline too far down ; when he speaks distinctly, that they are complete ; when he speaks with expression, tliat they are vigor- ous; when he s|Hiak8 melodiously, that they are (75) 76 VOCAL UTTERANCE. of • tlie best material ; and when lie speaks with feeling, that they are elastic, that they widen and contract. /When I say that stnttering is synonymous with the circles being broken, I mean that there is a lack of continuity in speech. This is caused hj the two voices not following close upon each other, not chiming into each other. The upper voice utters a sound, but the lower is slow in resj)ond- ing. The tongue fails to complete its circle for it. Or the tip of the tongue may not hit the proper place in tlie roof of the mouth for such sound, and thus not describe the correct circle. The circles become deranged, in the first in- stance, through excitement in the nervous air- channels, superinduced by a latent though ever present fear of breaking down. If this fear could be completely allayed, there would not, in all probability, be any stuttering that could easily not be cured. As the circles represent breathings, by endeavoring to breathe correctly for speech this nervous excitement will be allayed, and the circles will become full and equable. DEFECTIVE SPEECH. rt Tliere should be no trouble in correcting such faults, provided the stutterer can be made to understand what he is required to do. He must begin by speaking slowly and deliberately, con- stantly watching his mode of breathing and his circles; and as soon as he breaks down, he must repeat the sound until he can do so with perfect ease. I was a stutterer, or, at least, a very defec- tive speaker of the English language. If I have succeeded, by certain rules strictly applied to my speech, in curing myself of these defects, is it not likely that the same rules applied to the defective speech of others will also cure them of their defects ? EXTENSION AND CONTRACTION OF THE ORAL CAVITY. I ^HE Englisli tongue liangs loosely in the inoutli. The air circulates freely around it. Nature has made its house, the oral cavity, a certain size, but the speaker increases it by now raising tlie roof, and then depressing the cellar. The roof is raised for inspiration, tlie cellar is depressed for expiration. When the tongue is properly balanced, between the air streaming in over it, and coming out from be- neath it, the sounds of speech or song will flow unrestrainedly from the mouth, where the two streams meet. During the act of inspiration nature provides for a free ingress of the air into the oral cavity l)y raising the upper lip, the soft-palate and tlie uvula. The body of the tongue rests in the lower jaw, and is confined within the bed formed by the lower teeth. The tongue's tip points downward, and its surface, within its confined position, is slightly convex. (78) THE ORAL CAVITY. 79 All this is clianged iiii mediately for expira- tion. The soft-palate and the uvula faH, assum- ing their natural position, so does the upper lip ; but the lower cavity now asserts its rights. The lower lip is drawn down, the chin is squared and extended downward and outward, and in so doing the bottom of the mouth is depressed. This increases the size of the lower cavity to a considerable extent. The tongue's tip which for inspiration had made a circular movement outwardly, from the roof down, and was then confined together with its body within the bed formed by the lower row of teeth, is now raised, by swinging upward, immediately to come down ag-ain, liowever, first, \)\ an inner motion, and then by an upper, until it reaches the upper row of teeth. During tliis latter motion the entire bodv of tiie tonsrue is lifted up, its sides are spread out, and over- lap both rows of teetli, wdiile its surface as- sumes a slightly raised sliape. It looks, to all appearances, like a mushroom with its thickset root and spreading roof. The latter is raised up 80 VOCAL UTTERANCE. bejond the opening to the throat, bringing the same completely beneath its shelter. The ligament which connects the body of the tongue at its root with the throat, and grows some distance down the throat, is lifted up to- gether with the body of the tongue. While in this position it is narrowed down to such an ex- tent as to leave the ojjening to the throat free and uncovered on both sides. Through these oj)enings the air finds its way out beneath the raised sides of the tongue. The entire lower portion of the mouth being depressed and extended, the air streams from underneath both sides of the raised tongue into the front part of this extended opening, after having first formed a unison at the fraenulum, and having produced sound by its aid and that^ of the vocal lip. All this extensive proceeding is gone through with for every sound that is uttered, nay, for every half of such sound. As for the otlier half, the upper j)ortion of the oral cavity under- goes similar changes ; the former being for the THE ORAL CAVITY. 81 expired portion of such sound, tlie latter for the inspired. It appears to me — and I am well convinced tliat tliis observation is correct, — that all breathing through the mouth, whether for speech or otherwise, is carried on in tlie same manner as just now described. For its verifica- tii)n it will ])ut be necessary to watch the tongue of a dog on a hot summer daj, while it is partly hanging out of his mouth. The heat has to some extent dried up the fluid in his mouth, and he is panting for breath. The air finds its way freely into his mouth over and above the tongue, hut his expiration labors under diflS- culties; and yon can readily observe his expired breath lifting up his tongue at regular intervals from underneath the same, while it ir. making its exit from his mouth. It is, however, quite possible that dogs in- spire from underneath the tongue, and expire from above it. In that case, his panting would arise from his difliculty in inspimtion. This, in fact, appears to be the most likely. His tongue, overlapping his teeth, would make the entrance 83 VOCAL UTTERANCE. of the air into his moutli a rather difficult pro- ceeding; lience his efforts in giving it admission. There being three inspirations and three ex- pirations for every vowel sound that is uttered, the two movements just described follow each other in an incredibly short space of time. Their rapidity, of course, de]3ends upon the rapidity of the speech w^hicli is being uttered. The rise and fall of the tongue is identical with the rise and fall of the voice. The tongue rises to make room beneath it, for the exit of the rising voice ; it falls to increase the room above it, for tlie entrance of the falling voice. It goes without saying that all this takes place for the German language in the reverse order. While circles, described by the tongue for English speech, are large — the rising voice having its birth in the lower cavity and, there- fore, requiring a great extension of room there- in — the circles for German speech are much smaller. Expiration taking place direct from the tliroat, there is no necessity for a greatly in- creased space. Nor is the tongue brought into requisition to the same extent as in English, as THE ORAL CAVITY. 88 a vehicle to assist in forming sound. Hence, for German speech the tongue is required to be making but comparatively few movements, whicli, apparently, scarcely remove it from its normal position. I say "apparently," for, while these movements are scarcely to be noticed, they are of the same ofd^r as those made by an English tongue, only greatly modi- fied in measure and rapidity of execution. German sounds, consequently, are not as clear and as positive as English sounds, though they are louder, especially tlie vowel sounds, in coming direct from the throat; the clearness of expired English sounds being partly due to the trumpet-shai>ed funnel through which they j)ass. All there is of harmony and melodious sound in sj>eech or song is produced by the gradual dissolution of the upper voice into the lower. The rising voice produces a positive sound, a mould out (►f one ])iece, as it were. The con- timious How of the voice, after the production of this sound, gradually melting into the falling voice, adds harmony to the same, as illustrated 84 VOCAL UTTERANCE. by tlie German voice. Tlie falling voice gradu- ally advancing into the rising voice, gives its melody to English sound. All tlirongli German speech and, of course, sono^, there is a rise and a fall ; alkthrou^h English speech and song there is a fall and rise of the voice. This is beautifully and signiiicantly expressed in German in the words : Das I Heben und | Sinken der | Stimme, which takes the opposite direction in English in saying : The voice | in its rise | and its fall. This is a very interesting subject, but I can- not at present elaborate upon \t I will only call attention to the fact, which is an outcome of this condition, that we find tlu^. long syllable, as a rule, at the end of each line of English poetry; while German poetry admits of both endings with equal felicity, the short as well as the long; the latter l)eing, in reality, not abruptly so, but tapering off in a subdued tone with tlie short again. THE MAN WITHOUT A LARYNX. A T the gathering of elocutionists recently had ill Philadelphia, a member of the medical faculty spoke of a man whose larynx it had become necessary to remove in order to save his life. It was a delicate and no doubt very skilful oj^eration successfully performed. Part of the operation consisted in attaching the man's windpipe to his throat, into which an opening had been made. This opening was closed arti- ficially, but in such a manner that he could freelv breathe throuojh the same. The entire apparatus by whose aid speech is produced having been destroyed, there w^as great surprise wdien, sometime after the operation, the man suddenly commenced to speak. His voice, however, was not what it had been ; it had lost its elasticity, its cadence. It was all of a mono- tone, with rather a hoarse, hollow sound, and made the impression of being pushed out rather than flowing out freely and of its own accord. Still it was cpiite natural, and he could even (85) «6 VOCAL UTTERANCE. sing, ill a way. It was also distinct, and quite audible at a moderate distance. When lie spoke, his tongue was almost con- tinually raised. This phenomenon was a great puzzle, there being no way in which to explain it, until our doctor noticed that some kind of a cartilage had been formed on one side in the throat, and the air, by retroaction, in some way caused this cartilage to vibrate. Nature liad thus kindly provided him, in a new place, with a "new vocal cord," and "this it was which gave the man his voice. ' ' As if an excrescence, any stick almost, could replace the vocal cords of the larynx, the won- derful, the incomparable! You might just as soon exj^ect a man's power of vision to be re- stored, in being replaced by an outgrow^th on his face, having an outward appearance some- what similar to his lost eye. It would not well l)e possible to find a strong- er vindication and a more perfect proof of the correctness of what I have ascertained, than this doctor's recital of this case. Tlie man's inspired voice, supposing him to THE MAN WITHOUT A LARYNX. 87 have been an American, was gone, and there was nothing left to him but liis expired voice. All there was that could liave enabled him to speak from his throat had been destroyed. Yet there was a voice, not the one which was dead, but another, a strange, new voice. Some miracle had to be wrought, to explain it, and so they discovered the cartilage, which came very opportune, just at this time ! We know better, however. The voice with which he spoke was the one hidden underneath his tongue. The latter he could not help hut con- tinually ' ' raise ' ' to let his voice out. All that part of his mouth which was above his tongue was inactive ; his inspired voice being lost, there was nothing for it to do. All there was of activity was in that beneath his tongue. His voice was sustained by the expired air, which came from his gullet, and which, in making its way out from beneath the tongue, made the man's replica and vocal lip, which were in a perfect state of preservation, resound with the sounds of speech and song. They 88 VOCAL UTTERANCE. spoke, yet with that monotone wliich character- izes the tones of the single voice. The cadence was wanting, the intonation, the rise and the fall of the voice, which can only be produced by a gradual sinking of the tones of the one voice into the other, or by a gradual rising of the sounds of the one voice out of the other. The man spoke with the sounds of the rising voice only, if he was an Anglican, which I suppose he was, having been deprived, by its destruction, of the voice which produces the falling sounds. THE SOUND REPRESENTED BY THE LETTER R. T HAVE heretofore spoken of sounds in gen- eral, nor do I propose in this treatise to enter fully into tlie details of the production of each individual sound. What I liave ascertained about consonant sounds I will illustrate by making a thorough analysis of the production of the sound r. In so doing, I shall have to repeat things already mentioned. It will serve, however, to give a better general idea of the nature of the produc- tion of the consonant sounds. For years I had been a martyr to this sound, the greatest foe known to the helpless foreigner wrestling with tlie English tongue. After all the rest of the sounds had surrendered, the r stood out by itself, holding the fort and hurling defiance at me. All I would say was readily understood ex- cept words containing this unconquerable sound. (89) 90 VOCAL UTTERANCE. This was the case more particularly with words in which the /• was preceded by o, ou, «, h, p or ii (as ^'), or in which it was succeeded by oo^ 0, ou^ etc., as '^orange," ''organ," "origin," •order," "store," "core," "lore," "rose," lonie. " brown," price, ' ' row, " " Home, " " room, " " rook, ' ' "crook," "crank," "crow," "court," "cry," "broil," "brass," ' ' proof, " " print, "scrape," "roar," "brewer," "brine," "breeze," "chord," "cur," "word," "world," " "brook," "Brooklyn," ' art. liurt, part," etc. They were niy sworn enemies, and I hated them most cordially. Whenever they occurred, I tried to get out of the scrape l)y substituting some other word, if I could possibly find one. To this sound's obstinacy, however, I am in- debted for my final victory over all tlie sounds. In finally yielding, not to my superior general- ship, but to my never ceasing pertinacity, I starved it into submission. In so doing, it left to me, as my booty, its secret, which it shared with the rest of the sounds, and which they had kept inviolate together ever since man first SOUND REPRESENTED BY LETTER R. 91 uttered an articulate sound — their secret of the dual voice. 1 had become surfeited ^vith hearing and seemg-at the great Chicago Fair, having been there for months. After my family had left, and beinir obliijed to remain there some time lontrer, I retired to the extreme other end of the city. There, in the solitude of Lincoln Park, I took uj) my study of vocal sounds once more, and, retiring completely withm myself, this secret came to me. Under my incessant endeavors to produce the English 7^ sound, my voice at last ''split" in two. I distinctly felt the separation. Each part became a living thing by itself; one part producing an /• which rolled over my tongue back into the larynx, while the other was send- ing an /• to the surface from icnderneath my tongue. It frightened me. I felt that something un- usual had happened. I repeated these sounds, and then stood before the fact, that I had be- come a participant with nature in one of its great secrets — that I was the first man to whom 92 VOCAL UTTERANCE. this secret liad been entrusted. The past seemed to be suddenly opened, and over its dark bhie waters there was one ray of Hght, which came straight to nie. This was tlie vision I had at the time. I felt awed, and more oppressed than elated, having become burdened with a great responsi- bility. Of all the tongues that have ever, spoken, and of all which are speaking to-day, no man ever knew how they were speaking. AYhat I found out about the letter r cannot be said in a few words. It represents two sounds, materially differing in the manner of their pro- duction. The one is the product of the inner, the other, of the outer voice, or the voice pro- duced by inspiration and by expiration respec- tively. These sounds follow each other in sucli quick succession that they a})pear as one. The first, produced by inspiration, requires that the tip of the tongue shall iirst touch the highest part of the roof of the mouth it can reach. With an outward movement, that is, with the tip of the tongue pointing toward th«j lips, it then comes down to the root of the SOUND REPRESENTED BY LETTER R. 93 lower teeth. After this, witli a vibratory move- ment, it rolls inwardly over the soft part of- the lower jaw until it reaches the enclosure of the replica in whose boundary it momentarily rests, while still continuing to vibrate. By this movement the tongue's back is grad- ually raised until it comes in contact with the soft-palate. A vacuum having been created by expiration previous to this movement, the air streams inwardly through the temporary open- ings created by said vibrations between the liack of the tongue and the soft-palate, and pro- duces the sound of the /• of the falling voice. This sound, though created by an inward flow of air, becomes audible by reverberation over the surface of the tongue outwardly. In car- rying out this movement, tfie tongue is con- tracted and drawn away from the teeth. 1 want to call esj^ecial attention to this, as the tongue with aU sounds of the expired voice pre- sents a similar appearance. To produce the r of the expired voice, the tongue's tip releases its hold on the replica, slips up to tlie roof of the mouth, which it touches a 94 VOCAL UTTERANCE. second time, and tlien coming down by an inner movement — tliat is, pointing toward the tliroat —it again rises upward until it reaches the same spot of the soft-palate which it had touched be- fore, and against which it vibrates. While making this movement, the tongue's body is raised and its surface flattened out, spreading its sides over the teeth of the lower jaw^ on both sides. The air, meanwhile, being expired from beneath the sides and the front of the tongue, while its tip is vibrating against the soft-j)alate, causes a thrilling sound to be heard issuing from beneath the tongue, which is the r of the rising voice. The lifting up of the body of the tongue, while its tip reaches forward and upward, takes place for all sounds of the expired voice. The tip of the tongue, consequently, touches the roof of the mouth three times in producing the r sound. All these laovements beina: re- peated once over again to complete this sound, this touch is really made six times. This is equal to three inspirations and three expirations for every r sound which is ever produced. SOUND REPRESENTED BY LETTER R. 95 The r sound as we hear it, or even when we do not hear it (as with some speakers it is merely an inspiration and an expiration of tlie air, being devoid of tlie thrill produced by tlie touch), is always produced by a combination, or, more strictly speaking, by a succession of tttese two movements. The r of the upper voice is pro- duced first, that of the lower immediately after- ward, the two running together and producing one continuous sound. When the /• sound is heard to roll continually, as it does with some speakers, the two move- ments here described are repeated a number of times in close succession. It is done by a suc- cession of inspirations and expirations carried out in this manner, ])()ssibly ecpialling sixty, every time they pronoum-e this sound. These two movements, the first for inspiration the latter for expiration, are in a similar manner carried out for all sounds, the entire scale there- of, as previously mentioned. This is the secret of the letter r of the English language^ which, after solving, gave me the key VOCAL UTTERANCE. to the entire situation, as all sonnds are produce J in a similar manner. * It seems scarcely possible that all these move- ments should be carried out during the short space of time in which this sound is pronounced." This is not all, however, for there are other movements of the tongue, connected with it, of which I shall speak at length when I come to the vowel sounds. Yet man's nature is so alert that the scholar, after going through these evolutions several times, will find that he can execute them quite rapidly, and that they will soon l)ecome auto- matic with him. I have ilhistrated the production of the 7' sound so minutely in order to sliow the (jeneral manner of the production of sounds. For the sounds of the upper, the iidialed voice, the tip of the tongue always rests momentarily near or at some point back of the lower teeth, to permit the air to flow freely inwardly over the tongue's surface. For those of the lower, or exhaled voice, the tongue's tip rests momentarily against the upper teeth, or at some point beyond them, SOUND REPRESENTED BY LETTER R. 97 to permit the air to flow freely out from be- neath the toDgue. I still \N'aiit to call attention to the shape of the movements herein mentioned. For the in- spired sound, the tongue's tip moves in a half circle, pointing outwardly; for the expired sounds, it moves in a half circle, pointing in- wardly. These two segments form one com- plete circle. CONSONANTS. /^"^ONSOKANTS i^roper are noises, produced by certain well-known, mechanical de- vices. We cannot take a noise and attach to it another noise, any more than we can take a bead and attach to it another bead. It takes a string, run through tlie beads, to bind them to- gether. The string which binds the consonants together in speech and makes them cohesive, and speech itself coherent, are the vowels. Where several consonants follow close one upon another, we must run in our string of vowels to bind them together. The nature of the vowels is as opposite to that of tlie consonants as soul is to body. They permeate the matter of the consonants and sur- round it ; they uplift it, and carry it along. Consonants have been divided into two clas- ses : (1) the nmtes, J, p^ d^ ^, c (as 1c) and g hard ; and (2) the semi- vowels comprising all the other consonant sounds. The above are all the nmtes there are, ac- CONSONANTS. 99 cording tu my idea; others, liuwever, have named more than those. The semi-vowels, /, m, w, /•, are also called liquids. 1 have made the observation that the mute sounds never follow each other in close succes- sion in one and the same syllable. They rarely, in fact, follow close upon one another in any word, even in such a way that one ends a syl- lable and the other begins a new one. They are inanimate, and can' only be carried along on the wings of a vowel, either in its pure shape or in the shape of a semi-vowel. The voiced consonants, or semi-vowels, are a combination of a noise and a musical sound; the latter consisting, in the vowel, of the syllal)le to which said consonant belongs. It precedes them, succeeds them, and even splits them in two, inserting itself between the two parts. While the nmtes are produced by mechanical means only, the organs of tlie voice being closed, the semi-vowels are voiced sounds. The voice is thrown into them and pervades them. 100 VOCAL UTTERANCE. We cannot pronounce any consonant, however, unless it is preceded by a vowel ; that is to say, the vowel need not precede it bodily. There may be as many as three consonants ahead of it, still it becomes necessary to sound the vowel first, in an undertone at least, before we can begin to pronounce the first consonant, the vowels being the tie connecting all speech. Without them the consonants could not be moved, they would be inert. Consonants and vowels are so intimately con- nected and interwoven that they cannot be treated separately when their construction is being considered. I shall, therefore, proceed now with the medianical construction only of the consonant sounds. I do not j^i'opose, how- ever, to do so in detail, but shall give a full account of the representative sounds only. K. ^is not greatly dissimilar in its construction to r. For the inspired sound the tip of the tongue takes a very firm hold on the bottom of the inner mouth, whereby its b^ck is raised close CONSONANTS. 101 up to the soft-palate. Just previous to tliat tliere is a complete expiration ; the throat is closed, and a vacuum is created in the air-chan- nels. The tip of the tongue, hy suddenly re- linquishing its hold on the replica, causes an oi)ening to be made between the raised back of the tongue and the soft-palate, through which the air is forced, producing the k sound of the inspired voice. For the expired sound, the throat is again closed, this time, however, to keep the inspired air in confinement. By the tip of the tongue relinquishing its hold on the replica, as just stated, and then taking a firm hold against the highest point of the soft- palate which it can reach, the confined air, upon the tongue's tip suddenly releavsing this hold, streams out from beneath the sides of the tongue into the replica. This sudden movement causes the explosion whose result is the forma- tion of the expired k sound. Upper and lower k follow each other in such quick succession that they appear as one sound. AVhat is most remarkable in this connection is VOCAL UTTERANCE. tlie fact, that, while the manner in which thej are produced varies considerably in its detail, the result should be so similar that the most at- tentive ear cannot detect any difference between them. The same remark may be applied to r, and all the i-est of the consonants. For k the touch of the tip of the tongue ap- pears to be even higher than for ?\ and the circles the tongue describes are, in consequence, larger. G (hard). G as in " good," is a modification of k. The tongue's tip does not press so hard against the bottom of the replica or the soft-palate either. Its pressure, therefore, when released, does not produce so strong an explosion, either for the inspired or the expired g sound. a. Q is the same sound as k, followed l)y u. X. ^is also the same as k, followed by s. CONSONANTS. 103 B. Jj touches the hard-palate, comes down to tne roots of the lower teeth ; the lips are pressed to- gether all along the line, which pressure, being released, results in an explosion. This is for the inspired sound. For the expired sound, the same proceeding takes place, with the only dif- ference that the tip of the tongue rests against the root of the upper teeth. The circles, which the tongue describes, are but moderately large. For p the same proceeding is gone through with as for h, only with increased vigor of movements. The latter are more rapid, the lips are pressed more firmly together, the tongue's tip reaches up higher, touching the soft-palate, and again lower down pressing against the bot- tom of the replica so as to create a larger space of confined air which, when released, causes a greater explosion through the suddenly parted lips than for b. The circles, of course, are also larger. 104 VOCAL UTTERANCE. M, the same as h and />, is a lip-sound. The tip of the tongue slightly touches first the upper edge of the lower teeth for the inspired, then the lower edge of the upper teeth for the ex- pired sound. With each touch of the teeth the lips, which have been rather firmly closed all along the line, are released, not suddenly as for h and p, but with a slower movement. The sound comes through the nose. The circles are about the same as for h. N. JV is produced in a similar manner to 77i. The difference is that the teeth are closed, where the lips were in the former case. The sound comes through the nose. The circles are larger than for m. D. D is produced by the tip of the tongue and the teeth ; the former touches the lower teeth first, then the upper. Tlie tongue's tip describes but a small circle. CONSONANTS. 105 T. y is produced by the tip of the tongue and the teeth, the same as d. The former touches the root of the hjwer teeth first, then that of the upper. The toucli is higher up and lower down than for d, and is far more distinct. It is of shorter duration than for d, being quicker and more decided. Th (sharp). Th sharp, as in ''tliorn," "three," etc., is produced by the tongue's tip passing through the almost closed teeth. While in this position it first touches the lower teeth, then the upper, oscillating between them. The air passing through this narrow aperture, first inwardly then outwardly, with a quick movement, pro- duces the well-known sound of sharp th. Alth.ough the tongue appears to be con- tinuously inserted between the teeth, during the production of this sound, it really disappears between these movements. During this dis- appearance it describes a circular movement in the oral cavity, by which the sound, which is 106 VOCAL UTTERANCE. inhaled, is connected with that wliich is exhaled. Tlie sound, which also appears to be continuous, is really interrupted, likewise, for a moment, during which this circular movement is being carried out. Th (soft). For th, as in ''the," "that," ''though," etc., the same movements are gone througli with as for sharp t/i, but the teeth are further apart, the tongue's tip does not pass so far in between them, and the circles are smaller. The lips are not so far apart, nor are the teeth shown as much as for sharp th. The movements of the lips can be closely watched for sharp th. The upper lip is with- drawn first, then the h^wer, next the upper, and finally tlie lower again. This is assuming that the sound is repeated twice, whicli, in fact, it is every time it is pronounced. The th sound comes next to tliat of /•, in the dif- ficulty of its execution by foreigners. The same being unknown to other European languages except the Spanish, it is a great stumbling-block CONSONANTS. 107 to the foreign tongue. Yet its execution is not any more difficult than that of almost any otlier consonant. The trouble is that its mode of pro- duction has heretofore never been accurately described. P. i^, for its inspired sound, is produced by the lower lip reaching up to the upper teeth. AVhile the tongue's tip touches the lower teeth, the air is drawn in above the tongue through a slight opening between the lower lip and the upper teeth. For its expired sound the tip of the tongue touches the upper teeth, the air being forced out between the raised lip and the lower side of the tongue. V. Fis produced in the same manner as/*. The difference consists in lip and teeth meeting less closely, and the tip of the tongue touching the teeth more lightly. The air is not set in such quick motion, and the sound is produced with less force. 108 VOCAL UTTERANCE. The circles for v are, of course, smaller tlian they are for/* S. S is produced by tlie teeth coming close to- gether, the tip of the tongue first touching the lower and then the upper teeth near their edge, the air being first inspired and then expired with a hissing sound. C. O is the same as s, only carried out with less force throughout, and the tongue's tip not touching the teeth near their edge but at their roots. z. Z is a still milder way of going through the same performance. All the movements are carried out in the softest manner possible, and the tongue's tip touching the gums of the teeth instead of their edge as for s, or their roots as for G. L. For I the tip of the tongue vibrates between CONSONANTS. 109 the upj)er and lower teeth, which come pretty close together. Each vibration means one in- spiration and one expiration. Eacli vibration, of course, also stands for one circle up and one down, which the tongue describes through the oral cavity, the circles being large. H. /Tis equal to a quick inspiration followed by a strong and long contiiuied expiration. There is an expiration, however, preceding the inspira- tion, so as to insure a full volume of air being inspired, which in turn again insures the strong expiration, which carries the sound. The cir- cles are large. Y. There is a great similarity between y and A, both behig produced by strong aspirations only, and without any touch, the same as the vowels. The difference is that for h all the avenues are kept wide open, while for y they are drawn close together, leaving but a narrow channel for the air to pass through. Again, for h there is an ex- 110 VOCAL UTTERANCE. piration, an inspiration and an expiration, while for y there is an inspiration, an expiration and an inspiration. The stress is on the expiration for A, and on the inspiration for y, making the former an expired and the latter an inspired sound. For the inspired y sound, the body of the tongue closely approaches the roof of the mouth, while for the expired sound it comes very near to the floor of the mouth, the air jjressing through these narrow openings, first inwardly, and then out- wardly. G (soft). G in ''George," "gipsy," etc., is composed of d and y, with the air-channels still more closely compressed, however, than for y alone. W. TF", double u, or, more strictly speaking, double 6>, is composed of these vowels, oo, com- bined with an open v, the vowel sound vibrating through this consonant making it an open sound very much like a vowel. This attempt at a description of the consonant CONSONANTS. Ill sounds is only correct in a general sense ; nor is it a full description, in any sense. There are many consonants, which are not represented by the sign of a letter, and whose existence can only be made clear to the eye, by showing them up in their combination with other sounds. These varieties I shall not attempt to describe. Incomplete, however, as this description of the construction of the consonant sounds may be, it probably comes nearer to the facts than any that has yet been attempted. Besides, the relationship existing between consonants and vowels is so close that it is diffi- cult to separate the one from the other. This relationship I shall endeavor to describe more minutely, when I shall reach the vowel sounds. Then there is the important question of the iitipettis given to the different consonants. There are those whose impetus is toward inspiration, those wliose impetus is toward expiration, and those which vary lietween the two. I have found that the impetus of consonants whose j)rincipal sound is i)roduced by a strong impact of the tip of the tongue with the replica, 112 VOCAL UTTERANCE. causing an explosion above the tongue, as liard g^ Tc^ qio^ a?, ^', y, hard c^ and r^ are mainly in- spired as the tongue first rises, and tlien falls for them. Those whose main sound is produced by impact of the tip of the tongue with the roof of the mouth, as/*, Z, n, jt>, ^, «, all of which re- quire more or less compression, and a propor- tionate explosion of air beneath the tongue, are mainly outgoing sounds, asthe tongue first falls and then rises for tliem. That is, their main sound is expired, Avhile in the former case it is inspired. The impact of the tip of the tongue with the lower gum means the rising of the back of the tongue, creating a narrow pas- sage between the latter and the soft-palate, through which the air streams inwardly, while an impact of the tip of the tongue with the roof of the mouth means a conjpression downward, creating a narrow passage between the lower side of the tongue and the lower gum, through which the air passes outwardly. There now remain the consonants 5, d^ m, ^', These are of a medium calibre. Their sound CONSONANTS. 113 is neither distinctly ingoing nor outgoing, ]jiit it varies according to tlieir position. As a rule, wlien they are initial sounds, it is ingoing, when they are final, it is outgoing. In this connection I have also made the fol- lowing observation : "We say : h, c, d, ecomes strained, and thus loses its power for uttering rhythmical sounds. This "proper time and ])lace" is at the end of a sentence. While Helinholtz has given to the world valid reasons for the necessity of musical sounds following one another in certain scales and in- tervals, to produce harmony in music, no one has, as yet, touched upon the reasons why vocal sounds should follow one another in a given order, to produce music in speech or song. There is a very important point in connection with consonant sounds which I omitted to men- tion before. The tip of the tongue, to which CONSONANTS. ' 117 is assigned as important a rule in the production of sound iis there is to tlie tip of the lingers for the sensation of feeling, assumes different shapes for the production of various sounds. As a rule, these shapes, for the production of English sounds, are far more positive than they are for German sounds. For the latter, it touches the oral cavity, or the lower gum, but lightly, and does not assume such decided shapes that they could be readily described. To pro- duce correct English speech, this state of indif- ference is changed into one of decided energy. To produce the k sound, it comes to a sharp point, something like the toes of a dancer, when resting her entire body on the same. After this shape has been assumed, it ^^ kicks" the Hoor of the mouth for inspiratioii and agjiin its roof for expiration, with a e, it is more relaxed, and trails along the roof of the mouth for expirntioii. aiul along its floor for in- spiration. For / the tongue's tip is less rigid still, and 118 VOCAL UTTERANCE. its shape is somewhat bent ; for the lower sound, it is bent upward ; for the upper, downward. For 771 it is bent down for both sounds, while its entire front takes a lirni hold in the ring of the palate for the expired sound, and again in that of the lower gum for the inspired sound. The same shape of the tip of the tongue pre- vails for n, t, jp. The less strain tliere is on a sound, the more relaxed will be the tip of the tongue. Tins is a point to which foreigners must pay attention, if they want to produce English sounds with that energy wliich is so characteristic of them. The main reason for the various shapes assumed by the tip of the tongue is to enable the front of the tongue to become firmly sealed against the wall of the oral cavity, and thus to create an air-tight compartment previous to an explosion of air for sounds which are to be loud and positive. For weaker sounds, this hold is more or less relaxed. SOUND AND NERVES. T^OES this impact, of which I have just ^^ spoken, not mean more, however, than simply a mechanical action to concentrate the air above or beneath the tongue's tip, which, upon being released, creates an explosion? Would that and the other mechanical actions of which I have spoken suffice in bringing about all the shadings of the consonant sounds? And who would seriously want to say that these sounds are, in reality, nothing but noises, that there is no soul in them ? Is it necessary to give examples? Every word spoken with an emphasis will show to the con- trary. For is there nothing in the th or n in *Hhunder," when used as an exclamation of surprise or impatience? or in the Z of " love," when addressing your bride, etc. ? While I concede to the vowels the first place in conveying the meaning of our soul, the con- sonants are by no means devoid of such mean- ing. (119) 120 VOCAL UTTERANCE. I have heretofore spoken of tlie '' air-chan- nels" into which, by mechanical means, the ''air-sparks," as I call them, are drawn — those swift, meteoric currents of air which produce sound — not only sounds, so called, as repre- sented by a note or a letter, but all the rami- fications of sounds connected with each of these sounds. Ea^i ramification represents one of these sparks, purposely inspired, or expired for the same. Their action is so swift, and, at the same time, so irregular, that it would be neces- sary to invent a new mode of counting time, should we be called upon to give an account of it. Just what the air-passages are, into which the air-sparks are drawn, or from which they emerge, I cannot say, nor how the air reaches them through the trachea or the oesophagus. I am of the opinion, however, that they are dif- fused throughout a large area of our body, the same almost as the nerves are. They stand in intimate relation to the latter. Thus only can we account for the emotional nature of our voice. SOUND AND NERVES. 181 They are 7ierves which become audible .^ when tlie air they contain is set in motion, or, more pro]>erly speaking, perhaps, when a stream of air is passed through the;n. This might be modified again by saying that there are nerves through whose action a particular air-channel is expanded or contracted. These nerves, while so acting, at the same time impart to the sound, thereby created, its spiritual, emotional char- acter. There are knots in which these sound-nerves centre, and it is not impossible that one of these may be located between the eyes, where it is supposed by many that the "voice comes from." There are other knots, but I am not yet pre- pared to speak of them with sufficient intel- ligence. The ' 'air-channels and nerves' ' are of so sub- tle a nature that their very existence has so far eluded the close scrutiny of investigators. It seems, though, as if the nerves which carry the intelligence, and those which enable us to hear, come to a focus at the tip of the tongue, from which, as messengers from the brain and the ear, 122 VOCAL UTTERANCE. they impart tlieir missives by imj^act to certain points of the palate, whispering to them what mg they must do. The instant the tip of the touches these points, the nerves carry out tliese commands. All this relates to the consonant sounds. But how about the vowels ? There being no impact, how is the intelligence imparted for them ? I cannot even venture to guess. That the nerves for them centre in the vocal cord and lip, I feel well assured ; and I can only assume, in default of any mechanical action, that there are agents at work even subtler than the nerves which act as mediators between them and the mind, as well as our power of hearing. While we draw the air into the air-channels mechanically, it is not tlience converted into sound without the interference of the sound- nerves, which give character to the sound, as, of course, no mere mechanical action would be able to do. It is a great mistake, therefore, when speak- ing of the voice, to say : "It is simply a musical instrument like a7iy other. " " Simple, ' ' in- SOUND AND NERVES. 128 deed ! Eveu niecliai)icHlly speaking, it is not one but a dozen instruments fused into one, and possessbig the main qualities of all these. When it comes to the higher qualities, however, those imparted to it by the soul, we stand, as ever, be- fore an inscrutable mystery. Our attempts at creating sounds by musical instruments, though these sounds may be pleasing to our ear (so is a painted landscape to our eye) as compared with the voice, are but of a crude nature, both as to the manner of their produc- tion and as to the product itself, even though from a mere artistic standpoint they may reach the highest point of excellence. I am not as yet prepared to enter the field in explanation of the vowel sounds, and their rela- tion to the construction of the consonant sounds, with sufficient intelligence to do so at the present moment. I am already in possession of a good deal of material, however, as a basis for such an exposition, and I shall endeavor to bring it into shape, as soon as I shall be able to do so. Meantime, I liave thought it best to publish what I liHve already written out, having waited 124 VOCAL UTTERANCE. a great many years before I tliuiiglit I liad suf- ficient light on tlie subject to venture out witli it. This, I trust, will be of some benefit, though there is still much to be said, which is of im- portance to the better understanding and devel- opment of the voice. In this connection I beg to mention with grateful acknowledgment that Mr. Edgar S. Werner, from the very beginning of my ac- quaintance with him, has listened to the recital of my investigations with the most appreciative kindness. It is also with his advice and consent, that I have postponed the publication of the rest of my investigations until they shall have attained a more perfect shape than they have at the time of this writing. ^^t ^^T TWE LAST PATE rr^ OF 25 CKNTS WIUU BE ^^^^^® THE DATE ^^JE. JHE % ^^^^ DAY AND TO * • __=====- OVERDUE. LD 21-lOOm- YC UOIbb