§2.8#2ἢ καὶ ἄμφω, τρόπον δʼ ἕτερον;
Or both, but in a different way?
ἔστι γὰρ ὁ ψόφος κίνησις τοῦ δυναμένου κινεῖσθαι τὸν τρόπον τοῦτον ὅνπερ τὰ ἀφαλλόμενα ἀπὸ τῶν λείων, ὅταν τις κρούσῃ.
For sound is the movement of that which is capable of being moved in this way, in the very way that things which rebound from smooth surfaces are moved when someone strikes them.
οὐ δὴ πᾶν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, ψοφεῖ τυπτόμενον καὶ τύπτον, οἶον ἐὰν πατάξῃ βελόνη βελόνην, ἀλλὰ δεῖ τὸ τυπτόμενον ὁμαλὸν εἶναι, ὥστε τὸν ἀέρα ἀθροῦν ἀφάλλεσθαι καὶ σείεσθαι.
To be sure, as has been said, not everything that is struck and strikes makes a sound, for instance if a needle should strike a needle, but that which is struck must be even, so that the air rebounds and vibrates in a mass.
αἱ δὲ διαφοραὶ τῶν ψοφούντων ἐν τῷ κατʼ ἐνέργειαν ψόφῳ δηλοῦνται· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄνευ φωτὸς οὐχ ὁρᾶται τὰ χρώματα, οὕτως οὐδʼ ἄνευ ψόφου τὸ ὀξὺ καὶ τὸ βαρύ.
And the differences of things making sound are made clear in actual sound; for just as without light colors are not seen, so without sound high and low pitch are not perceived.
ταῦτα δὲ λέγεται κατὰ μεταφορὰν ἀπὸ τῶν ἁπτῶν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὀξὺ κινεῖ τὴν αἴσθησιν ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ ἐπὶ πολύ, τὸ δὲ βαρὺ ἐν πολλῷ ἐπ᾿ ὀλίγον.
And these are spoken of by metaphor from tangible things; for the sharp (high) moves the sense to a great extent in a short time, while the heavy (low) moves it to a small extent in a long time.
οὐ δὴ ταχὺ τὸ ὀξύ, τὸ δὲ βαρὺ βραδύ, ἀλλὰ γίνεται τοῦ μὲν διὰ τὸ τάχος ἡ κίνησις τοιαύτη, τοῦ δὲ διὰ βραδυτῆτα.
Not indeed that the sharp is fast and the heavy slow, but the movement of the one becomes such because of speed, and of the other because of slowness.
καὶ ἔοικεν ἀνάλογον ἔχειν τῷ περὶ τὴν ἁφὴν ὀξεῖ καὶ ἀμβλεῖ· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὀξὺ οἷον κεντεῖ, τὸ δʼ ἀμβλὺ οἷον ὠθεῖ, διὰ τὸ κινεῖν τὸ μὲν ἐν ὀλίγῳ τὸ δὲ ἐν πολλῷ, ὥστε συμβαίνει τὸ μὲν ταχὺ τὸ δὲ βραδὺ εἶναι.
And it seems to have an analogy to the sharp and blunt in touch; for the sharp, as it were, pricks, while the blunt, as it were, pushes, because the one moves the sense in a short time and the other in a long time, so that it results in the one being fast and the other slow.
περὶ μὲν οὖν ψόφου ταύτῃ διωρίσθω.
Concerning sound, then, let it be defined in this way.
ἡ δὲ φωνὴ ψόφος τίς ἐστιν ἐμψύχου· τῶν γὰρ ἀψύχων οὐθὲν φωνεῖ, ἀλλὰ καθʼ ὁμοιότητα λέγεται φωνεῖν, οἷον αὐλὸς καὶ λύρα καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τῶν ἀψύχων ἀπότασιν ἔχει καὶ μέλος καὶ διάλεκτον.
Voice is a certain sound of an animate being; for none of the inanimate things has a voice, but they are said to have a voice by similarity, such as the aulos and the lyre and whatever other inanimate things have tension and melody and articulation.
ἔοικε γάρ, ὅτι καὶ ἡ φωνὴ ταῦτʼ ἔχει.
For it is because voice also seems to have these.
πολλὰ δὲ τῶν ζῴων οὐκ ἔχουσι φωνήν, οἶον τά τε ἄναιμα καὶ τῶν ἐναίμων ἰχθύες.
But many of the animals do not have a voice, such as bloodless animals, and among blooded animals, fish.
καὶ τοῦτʼ εὐλόγως, εἴπερ ἀέρος κίνησίς τίς ἐστιν ὁ ψόφος, ἀλλʼ οἱ λεγόμενοι φωνεῖν, οἷον 〈οἱ〉 ἐν τῷ Ἀχελῴῳ, ψοφοῦσι τοῖς βραγχίοις ἤ τινι ἑτέρῳ τοιούτῳ, φωνὴ δʼ ἐστὶ ζῴου ψόφος, καὶ οὐ τῷ τυχόντι μορίῳ.
And this is reasonable, if indeed sound is a certain movement of air, but those which are said to have a voice, such as those in the Achelous, make a sound with their gills or some other such part; but voice is the sound of an animal, and not with just any part.
ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ πᾶν ψοφεῖ τύπτοντός τινος καί τι καὶ ἔν τινι, τοῦτο δʼ ἐστὶν ἀήρ, εὐλόγως ἂν φωνοίη ταῦτα μόνα ὅσα δέχεται τὸν ἀέρα.
But since everything makes a sound when something strikes something and in something, and this is air, it is reasonable that those things alone should have a voice which receive the air.
ἤδη γὰρ τῷ ἀναπνεομένῳ καταχρῆται ἡ φύσις ἐπὶ δύο ἔργα—καθάπερ τῇ γλώττῃ ἐπί τε τὴν γεῦσιν καὶ τὴν διάλεκτον, ὧν ἡ μὲν γεῦσις ἀναγκαῖον (διὸ καὶ πλείοσιν ὑπάρχει), ἡ δʼ ἑρμηνεία ἕνεκα τοῦ εὖ, οὕτω καὶ τῷ πνεύματι πρός τε τὴν θερμότητα τὴν ἐντὸς ὡς ἀναγκαῖον 〈ὄν〉 (τὸ δʼ αἴτιον ἐν ἑτέροις εἰρήσεται) καὶ πρὸς τὴν φωνὴν ὅπως ὑπάρχῃ τὸ εὖ.
For nature already makes use of the breathed air for two functions—just as it uses the tongue both for taste and for articulation, of which taste is necessary (wherefore it belongs to more animals), while expression is for the sake of well-being, so also it uses the breath both for the internal heat as being necessary (the cause of which will be discussed in other writings) and for the voice so that well-being may exist.
ὄργανον δὲ τῇ ἀναπνοῇ ὁ φάρυγξ· οὗ δʼ ἕνεκα τὸ μόριόν ἐστι τοῦτο, πνεύμων· τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ μορίῳ πλέον ἔχει τὸ θερμὸν τὰ πεζὰ τῶν ἄλλων.
And the organ for breathing is the larynx; and the part for the sake of which this organ exists is the lung; for by this part land animals have more heat than the others.
δεῖται δὲ τῆς ἀναπνοῆς καὶ ὁ περὶ τὴν καρδίαν τόπος πρῶτος.
And the region around the heart also primarily requires breathing.
διὸ ἀναγκαῖον εἴσω ἀναπνεόμενον εἰσιέναι τὸν ἀέρα.
Therefore it is necessary for the breathed air to enter inside.
ὥστε ἡ πληγὴ τοῦ ἀναπνεομένου ἀέρος ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν τούτοις τοῖς μορίοις ψυχῆς πρὸς τὴν καλουμένην ἀρτηρίαν φωνή ἐστιν.
So the blow of the breathed air against what is called the windpipe, produced by the soul in these parts, is voice.
οὐ γὰρ πᾶς ζῴου ψόφος φωνή, καθάπερ εἴπομεν (ἔστι γὰρ καὶ τῇ γλώττῃ ψοφεῖν καὶ ὡς οἱ βήττοντες), ἀλλὰ δεῖ ἔμψοφόν τε εἶναι τὸ τύπτον καὶ μετὰ φαντασίας τινός (σημαντικὸς γὰρ δή τις ψόφος ἐστὶν ἡ φωνή)· καὶ οὐ τοῦ ἀναπνεομένου ἀέρος, ὥσπερ ἡ βήξ, ἀλλὰ τούτῳ τύπτει τὸν ἐν τῇ ἀρτηρίᾳ πρὸς αὐτήν.
For not every sound of an animal is voice, as we said (for it is possible to make a sound with the tongue also, and as those who cough do), but that which strikes must be animate and accompanied by some representation (for voice is indeed a certain significant sound); and it is not a sound of the breathed air itself, like a cough, but with this air one strikes the air in the windpipe against the windpipe itself.
σημεῖον δὲ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι φωνεῖν ἀναπνέοντα μηδʼ ἐκπνέοντα, ἀλλὰ κατέχοντα· κινεῖ γὰρ τούτῳ ὁ κατέχων.
And a sign of this is that one cannot speak while breathing in or breathing out, but only while holding one's breath; for he who holds his breath moves the air by means of this.
φανερὸν δὲ καὶ διότι οἱ ἰχθύες ἄφωνοι· οὐ γὰρ ἔχουσι φάρυγγα.
And it is also clear why fish are voiceless; for they do not have a larynx.
τοῦτο δὲ τὸ μόριον οὐκ ἔχουσιν ὅτι οὐ δέχονται τὸν ἀέρα οὐδʼ ἀναπνέουσιν.
And they do not have this part because they do not receive air or breathe.
διʼ ἣν μὲν οὖν αἰτίαν, ἕτερός ἐστι λόγος.
For what cause this is so, belongs to another discussion.