§11.14Διὰ τί οἱ παῖδες καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τῶν ζῴων τὰ νέα ὀξύτερον φθέγγονται τῶν τελείων, καὶ ταῦτα τῆς ὀξύτητος σφοδρότητος οὔσης;
Why do children and the young of other animals speak with a higher pitch than those that are full-grown, and that too, although high pitch is a property of strength?
ἢ ἡ φωνή ἐστιν ἀέρος κίνησις, καὶ ἡ θάττων ὀξυτέρα;
Is it because the voice is a movement of air, and a quicker movement is higher-pitched?
ῥᾷον δὲ καὶ θᾶττον ὁ ὀλίγος τοῦ πολλοῦ κινεῖται ἀήρ.
And a small amount of air is moved more easily and quickly than a large amount.
κινεῖται δὲ ἢ συγκρινόμενος ἢ διακρινόμενος ὑπὸ θερμοῦ.
And it is moved either by being condensed or by being rarefied by heat.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ μὲν εἰσπνοή ἐστι ψυχροῦ εἰσαγωγή, συγκρίνοιτ’ ἂν ἐν αὐτῇ ὁ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀήρ· ἡ δὲ ἐκπνοή, θερμοῦ κινήσαντος ἀέρα, γίνοιτ’ ἂν [ἡ] φωνή· ἐκπνέοντες γάρ, οὐκ εἰσπνέοντες φωνοῦμεν.
Since inspiration is the introduction of cold, the air within us would be condensed during it; but expiration, when heat has moved the air, would become the voice; for we speak when we expire, and not when we inspire.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ νέα θερμότερά ἐστι τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὑτοῖς πόρους στενωτέρους ἔχει, ἐλάττω ἂν ἀέρα ἔχοι ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.
And since the young are hotter than their elders and have narrower passages in themselves, they would have less air in themselves.
ὄντος δὲ τοῦ τε κινουμένου ἐλάττονος καὶ τοῦ κινοῦντος θερμοῦ πλείονος ἐν αὐτοῖς, θᾶττον ἂν δι’ ἄμφω ἡ κίνησις γένοιτο τοῦ ἀέρος· ἡ δὲ θάττων ὀξυφωνοτέρα ἂν εἴη διὰ τὰ προειρημένα.
Since what is moved is less and the moving heat is more in them, the movement of the air would become quicker for both reasons; and the quicker movement would be higher-pitched for the reasons already mentioned.
§11.15Διὰ τί οἱ κλαίοντες ὀξὺ φθέγγονται, οἱ δὲ γελῶντες βαρύ;
Why do those who weep speak with a high pitch, while those who laugh speak with a low pitch?
ἢ ὅτι οἱ μὲν κλαίοντες συντείνοντες καὶ συνάγοντες τὸ στόμα φωνοῦσιν;
Is it because those who weep speak by tensing and drawing together their mouth?
τῇ τε δὴ συντονίᾳ κινεῖται ταχὺ ὁ ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀὴρ, καὶ τῷ διὰ στενοῦ τοῦ στόματος φέρεσθαι θᾶττον φέρεται· δι’ ἄμφω οὖν ὀξεῖα γίνεται ἡ φωνή.
For indeed by this tension the air in them is moved quickly, and by being carried through a narrow mouth it is carried more quickly; for both reasons, therefore, the voice becomes high-pitched.
οἱ δὲ γελῶντες ἀνέντες τὸν τόνον γελῶσι καὶ κεχηνότες.
But those who laugh do so by relaxing their tension and with open mouths.
ἐκπέμποντες οὖν διὰ τοῦτ’ εὐρέως καὶ βραδέως τὸν ἀέρα εἰκότως βαρυφωνοῦσιν.
Therefore, because of this they emit the air broadly and slowly, and so they naturally speak with a low pitch.
§11.16Διὰ τί οἱ ἄγονοι, οἷον παῖδες, γυναῖκες, καὶ οἱ ἤδη γέροντες καὶ οἱ εὐνοῦχοι, ὀξὺ φθέγγονται, οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες βαρύ;
Why do those who are unable to procreate—such as children, women, those who are already old men, and eunuchs—speak with a high pitch, while adult men speak with a low pitch?
ἢ καθάπερ ἡ γραμμὴ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα λεπτὰ ἓν διάστημα ἔχει, τὰ δὲ παχέα πλείω, οὕτω καὶ ἡ λεπτὴ φωνὴ ἓν ἂν ἔχοι διάστημα.
Is it because, just as a line and other thin things have only one dimension, whereas thick things have more, so also a thin voice would have only one dimension?
ῥᾷον δὲ καὶ ποιῆσαι καὶ κινῆσαι ἐστὶν ἓν ἢ πλείω.
And it is easier to produce and to move one dimension than many.
ἐχόντων οὖν τῶν προειρημένων πνεῦμα ἀσθενές, κινεῖ αὐτῷ ἀέρα ὀλίγον.
Since, then, the aforementioned persons have a weak breath, they move only a little air with it.
ἐλάχιστος δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἓν διάστημα ἔχων, ὃς ἔσται λεπτὸς διὰ τὰ προειρημένα.
And the air that has only one dimension is the least, which will be thin for the reasons already mentioned.
καὶ ἡ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ φωνὴ γινομένη τοιαύτη· ἡ δὲ λεπτὴ φωνὴ ὀξεῖά ἐστιν.
And the voice produced from it becomes of such a kind; and a thin voice is high-pitched.
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄγονοι διὰ ταῦτα ὀξύφωνοί εἰσιν· οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες ἰσχύοντες τῷ πνεύματι πολὺν ἀέρα κινοῦσι, πολὺς δὲ ὢν βραδέως ἂν κινοῖτο καὶ βαρεῖαν φωνὴν ποιεῖ.
Therefore, those unable to procreate are high-pitched for these reasons; but adult men, being strong in their breath, move much air, and since it is much, it would move slowly and produces a low-pitched voice.
ἐποίει γὰρ ἥ τε λεπτὴ καὶ ἡ ταχεῖα κίνησις ὀξεῖαν φωνήν, ὧν οὐδέτερον ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς συμβαίνει γίνεσθαι.
For indeed both a thin movement and a quick movement produce a high-pitched voice, neither of which happens to occur in the case of a man.
§11.17Διὰ τί αἱ φωναὶ βαρύτεραι ἡμῖν εἰσὶ τοῦ χειμῶνος;
Why are our voices lower-pitched in winter?
ἢ ὅτι παχύτερος ὁ ἀήρ ἐστι τότε, καὶ ὁ ἐν ἡμῖν καὶ ὁ ἐκτός;
Is it because the air is thicker then, both the air within us and that outside?
παχυτέρου δὲ ὄντος βραδυτέρα ἡ κίνησις γίνεται, ὥστε ἡ φωνὴ βαρυτέρα.
And when it is thicker, the movement becomes slower, so that the voice is lower-pitched.
ἔτι ὑπνωτικώτεροί ἐσμεν τοῦ χειμῶνος ἢ τοῦ θέρους, καὶ καθεύδομεν πλείω χρόνον· ἐκ δὲ τῶν ὕπνων βαρύτεροί ἐσμεν.
Furthermore, we are sleepier in winter than in summer, and we sleep for a longer time; and after sleep we are lower-pitched.
ἐν ᾧ οὖν πλείονα χρόνον καθεύδομεν ἢ ἐγρηγόραμεν (οὗτος δέ ἐστιν ὁ χειμών), ἐν τούτῳ ἂν εἴημεν βαρυφωνότεροι ἢ ἐν ιὧ τοὐναντίον.
Therefore, in the season in which we sleep for a longer time than we are awake (and this is winter), in this season we would be lower-pitched than in that in which the contrary occurs.
τοῦ γὰρ μεταξὺ τῆς ἐγέρσεως ὄντος ὀλίγου χρόνου, ἡ ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ ἕξις γινομένη διαμένει πρὸς τὴν καθύπνωσιν.
For since the time between our wakings is short, the state produced during sleep persists until the next falling asleep.
§11.18Διὰ τί ἐκ τῶν πότων καὶ τῶν ἐμέτων καὶ ἐν τοῖς ψύχεσι βαρύτερον φθέγγονται;
Why after drinking and vomiting and in cold weather do people speak with a lower-pitched voice?
ἢ διὰ τὴν ἔμφραξιν τοῦ φάρυγγος τὴν γινομένην ὑπὸ τοῦ φλέγματος;
Is it due to the obstruction of the throat which is caused by phlegm?
ἐπικατασπᾷ γὰρ ῥευμάτιον εἰς αὐτόν· καὶ τοῖς μὲν ὁ ἔμετος ἢ ὁ πότος, τοῖς δὲ ἡ ὥρα καὶ τὸ συμπλήρωμα στενώτερον ποιεῖ τὸν φάρυγγα, ὥστε βραδυτέρα γίνεται ἡ φορὰ τοῦ πνεύματος.
For a catarrh flows down into it; and for some, vomiting or drinking, and for others, the season and the repletion make the throat narrower, so that the movement of the breath becomes slower.
ἡ δὲ βραδεῖα φορὰ καὶ βαρεῖαν ποιεῖ φωνήν.
And a slow movement produces a low-pitched voice.