Now the purpose for which animals have a voice, and what is meant by
'voice' and by 'sound' generally, has been stated partly in the
treatise on sensation, partly in that on the soul. But since lowness
of voice depends on the movement of the air being slow and its
highness on its being quick, there is a difficulty in knowing
whether it is that which moves or that which is moved that is the
cause of the slowness or quickness. For some say that what is much
is moved slowly, what is little quickly, and that the quantity of
the air is the cause of some animals having a deep and others a high
voice. Up to a certain point this is well said (for it seems to be
rightly said in a general way that the depth depends on a certain
amount of the air put in motion), but not altogether, for if this
were true it would not be easy to speak both soft and deep at once,
nor again both loud and high. Again, the depth seems to belong to
the nobler nature, and in songs the deep note is better than the
high-pitched ones, the better lying in superiority, and depth of
tone being a sort of superiority. But then depth and height in the
voice are different from loudness and softness, and some high-voiced
animals are loud-voiced, and in like manner some soft-voiced ones
are deep-voiced, and the same applies to the tones lying between these
extremes. And by what else can we define these (I mean loudness and
softness of voice) except by the large and small amount of the air
put in motion? If then height and depth are to be decided in
accordance with the distinction postulated, the result will be that
the same animals will be deep-and loud-voiced, and the same will be
high-and not loud-voiced; but this is false.
Pages:
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245