Suggestions to medical writers / by George M. Gould.

  • George M. Gould
Date:
1900
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Suggestions to medical writers / by George M. Gould. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    164/196 page 160
    Like aerial hummings our alphabetic letters come down to us as if from the ghosts of voices dead many thousands of years ago. The mutations of sounds during these cycles are the most subtle and indeterminate of studies of the phonologists. It is mathematically true that no two per¬ sons have ever uttered a sound or a word alike. Sound has three components : i. The pitch, or number of air¬ waves of which it is composed; 2. The energy (loudness, emphasis, accent), or the force and extent of the vibra¬ tions ; 3. The timbre (overtones, qualities), or shape of the waves. All these factors can never be alike in two per¬ sons. Twins or dromios can never disguise their voices to deceive even strangers. That language must be held the most perfect, artistic¬ ally, musically, philologicly, and as an instrument of the psychic life, which has the purest vowel-sounds, which uses them most, which secures the few modifications of these necessary by the free parts of the tongue, the teeth, and the lips. The ideal language must be highly voweled, leaving these pure tones unbestialized by throat or nose, and securing the slight and few modifications required by light touches of the sensitive, educatable, responsive, mo¬ bile tongue and lips. Despite the danger of overvaluing one’s own, it is true that of the modern languages of civil¬ ization, English undoubtedly comes far nearer this ideal than any. In language-formation, as in the psychic life of the racial or national speakers, the origins and rootings are far off and deep, so that change must be slow, and conserva¬ tism strong. Hundreds, and even thousands of years may be required to demonstrate decided changes and progress ; in the imperishable immateriality of language this progress is shown with a conciseness and vividness unequalled by any other product of the mind. And shown, I would say, in an easily comprehensible and exciting way which should stimulate philologists and educators to popularize the knowledge and bring it even to the common schools and the common people. There are innumerable phases and
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image