Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 002.djvu/202

 designed for us before, having miscarried at Sea, which we have not been able hitherto to get supply'd, because of the scarcity of the Copies of that Edition, as it was signified to us from Amsterdam.

It is divided into three parts: The First, in five Dialogues, treateth,

1. Of the motions and configurations of the Mouth of Man; and how a Man, born deaf, and consequently dumb, may come to understand, both them, and by them the mind of him that forms them; where 'tis observ'd, that a Man born deaf is not altogether destitute of all motion of his Tongue, and that he may be taught to understand others by the motions of the Mouth and Tongue, much after the manner as others are taught to read; but that this is much more easily practicable in those wide-mouth'd Languages, which do remarkably expose to the Eye the motions of the Tongue, Lips, Throat, &c. than in those that are narrow-mouth'd, and require but very slight motions of the Lips and the other Organs of Speech. To which is annexed, a method suitable to that Principle, of teaching deaf and dumb Men to speak; together with an Example of a Musician, who being altogether deaf, and weak-sighted withall, was by the Author brought so far in the space of three weeks, that he was able to answer to all that was spoken to him, provided it were done slowly, and with a well-open'd Mouth; who also afterwards by himself, as soon as he had by this very way learned to know the Letters, and to read, did, by confronting only the German and Hebrew Bibles, learn in a short time the Hebrew Tongue so well, that now he understands the whole Hebrew Bible.

2. Of the Proprieties of the Hebrew Tongue. How the Letters thereof are meet representations of the motions of the Mouth? How the Hebrew Alphabet may be described (as 'tis done here) by representing the Letters thereof in the mouths of so many pictured Mens heads? How this Alphabet is to be compared with other ways of Writing? To which is added, a disquisition concerning the true ancient manner of Writing, and the original of other ways, and how the true way may be found out, and how much the Names of the Letters conduce thereunto?

3. Of the Nature and Properties of the Tongue of Man. Where, first, is considered the Speech of young Children, how and in what order that is made; then, the requisiteness of the change of Tone to Speech; and how by the various openings of the Mouth and the Teeth, that change is caused. After which, the Author proceeds to the description of the Tongue, Wind-pipe, Larynx, Epiglottis; where he not only shews, how by a peculiar use of the Epiglottis one may come to speak inwardly, as do the Ventriloqui, by attracting the Breath, and without opening the Mouth; but annexeth also divers Rules concerning the Motions of the Tongue, observing especially the perpetual concord of the Mouth and Tongue in their motions, and the representation the Tongue's motion, requisite for every Letter, in the Image and Figure of such Letter. 4. Of