The Mouth, the Larynx (a cartilaginous box at the top of the windpipe), and the Nose--the compound organ of speech--constitute an instrument, capable, like the accordeon, for instance, of a certain number of distinct touches and consequent vocal effects, which produce the sounds heard in all existing Languages. The total of the possible sounds so produced or capable of production may be called the Crude or Unwinnowed Alphabet of Nature, or the Natural Alphabet of Human Language generically or universally considered. Thus, for instance, the sound represented in English and the Southern European Languages generally, by the letter _m_, is made by the contact of the two lips, while at the same time the sounding breath so interrupted is projected upon the _sounding board_ of the head _through the nose_, whence _resounding_, it is discharged outwardly, this process giving to the sound produced that peculiar effect called _nasal_ or _nose-sound_; and precisely this sound can be produced by the voice in no other way. This sound is, nevertheless, heard in nearly all Languages, although there are a few imperfect savage dialects which are destitute of it. The production of this sound, as above described, will be obvious to the reader if he will pronounce the word _my_, and will attend to the position of the lips when he begins to utter the word. Let him attempt to say _my_, without closing the lips, and the impossibility of doing so will be apparent. The production of the sound is therefore mechanical and local; and the number of sounds to be produced by the organ fixed and limited, therefore, by Nature herself. The very limited number of possible sounds may be guessed by the fact that of sounds produced by _completely closing the two lips_, there are only three, namely, _p_, _b_, _m_, in all the Languages of the earth (as in _p_-ie, _b_-y, _m_-y). It is the same with all the other vocal sounds. They are _necessarily_ produced at certain fixed localities or Seats of Sound, in the mouth, and by a certain fixed modulation or mechanical use of the Organs of Speech. At least they are produced in and are confined to certain circumscribed regions of the mouth, and so differ in the method of their production as to be appropriately distributed into certain Natural Classes: as Vowels and Consonants; Labials (Lip Sounds); Linguo-dentals (Tongue-Teeth Sounds); Gutturals (Back-Mouth or Throat Sounds), etc., etc.