§11.29Διὰ τί οἱ χασμώμενοι ἧττον ἀκούουσιν;
Why do those who yawn hear less well?
ἢ ὅτι τοῦ ἐξιόντος πνεύματος ἐν τῇ χάσμῃ πολὺ καὶ εἰς τὰ ὦτα χωρεῖ ἔσωθεν, ὥστε καὶ τῇ αἰσθήσει ἐπίδηλον εἶναι τὴν κίνησιν ἣν ποιεῖ περὶ τὴν ἀκοήν, μάλιστα δ’ ἐκ τῶν ὕπνων;
Is it because much of the breath going out during a yawn also moves into the ears from within, so that the movement which it produces around the hearing is even evident to perception, especially after sleep?
ὁ δὲ ψόφος ἀὴρ ἢ πάθος ἀέρος ἐστίν.
And sound is air or an affection of air.
ἀντιπαίοντος οὖν τοῦ ἔσωθεν εἰσέρχεται ὁ ἔξωθεν ψόφος, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς κινήσεως καὶ τοῦ ἔξωθεν ψόφου ἐκκρούεται ἡ κίνησις.
Therefore, when that which is within strikes against it, the sound from without enters, and by the movement and the sound from without the movement is knocked out.
§11.30Διὰ τί ἰσχνόφωνοι παῖδες ὄντες μᾶλλον ἢ ἄνδρες;
Why are they more stuttering when they are children than when they are men?
ἢ ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν χειρῶν καὶ τῶν ποδῶν ἀεὶ ἧττον κρατοῦσι παῖδες ὄντες, καὶ ὅσοι ἐλάττους οὐ δύνανται βαδίζειν, ὁμοίως καὶ τῆς γλώττης οἱ νεώτεροι οὐ δύνανται;
Is it because, just as they always have less control over their hands and feet when they are children, and those who are smaller cannot walk, in the same way the younger ones cannot control their tongue?
ἐὰν δὲ παντάπασι μικροὶ ὦσιν, οὐδὲ φθέγγεσθαι δύνανται ἀλλ’ ἢ ὥσπερ τὰ θηρία, διὰ τὸ μὴ κρατεῖν.
And if they are very small, they cannot even utter sounds except like wild beasts, because of their lack of control.
εἴη δ’ ἂν οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τοῦ ἰσχνοφώνου, ἀλλὰ καὶ τραυλοὶ καὶ ψελλοί.
This would apply not only to the stutterer, but also to the lisping and the faltering.
ἡ μὲν οὖν τραυλότης τῷ γράμματός τινος μὴ κρατεῖν, καὶ τοῦτο οὐ τὸ τυχόν, ἡ δὲ ψελλότης τῷ ἐξαίρειν τι, ἢ γράμμα ἢ συλλαβήν, ἡ δὲ ἰσχνοφωνία ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ δύνασθαι ταχὺ συνάψαι τὴν ἑτέραν συλλαβὴν πρὸς τὴν ἑτέραν.
Now, lisping consists in not controlling some letter, and that not just any letter; and faltering in omitting something, either a letter or a syllable; and stuttering in the inability to connect quickly one syllable to another.
ἅπαντα δὲ δι’ ἀδυναμίαν· τῇ γὰρ διανοίᾳ οὐχ ὑπηρετεῖ ἡ γλῶττα.
All of these are due to inability; for the tongue does not serve the thought.
ταὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ μεθύοντες πάσχουσι καὶ οἱ πρεσβῦται· ἧττον δὲ πάντα συμβαίνει.
And drunkards and old men experience this same thing, though all these things happen to them to a lesser degree.
§11.31Διὰ τί ἡ φωνὴ τρέμει καὶ τῶν ἀγωνιώντων καὶ τῶν δεδιότων;
Why does the voice tremble both of those who are anxious and of those who are afraid?
ἢ ὅτι σείεται ἡ καρδία τοῦ θερμοῦ ἐξιόντος;
Is it because the heart is shaken as the heat departs?
ἀμφοτεράκις δὲ πάσχουσι τοῦτο· καὶ γὰρ τοῖς ἀγωνιῶσι συμβαίνει καὶ τοῖς φοβουμένοις.
And they experience this in both cases; for it happens both to those who are anxious and to those who are afraid.
σειομένης δὲ οὐ γίνεται μία ἡ πληγή, ἀλλὰ πλείους, ὥσπερ ἡ τῶν παρανενευρισμένων χορδῶν.
And when it is shaken, the impact produced is not one, but multiple, like that of strings that are out of tune.
§11.32Διὰ τί οἱ μὲν ἀγωνιῶντες βαρὺ φθέγγονται, οἱ δὲ φοβούμενοι ὀξύ;
Why is it that those who are anxious speak with a low pitch, while those who are afraid speak with a high pitch?
ἢ ὅτι τοῖς μὲν φοβουμένοις καταψύχεται ὁ τόπος ὁ περὶ τὴν καρδίαν, κάτω ὁρμῶντος τοῦ θερμοῦ, ὥστε ὀλίγον ἀέρα κινοῦσιν; ἡ γὰρ ἰσχὺς ἐν τῷ θερμῷ·
Is it because in those who are afraid the region around the heart is cooled, since the heat rushes downward, so that they move little air?
τοῖς δὲ ἄνω φέρεται τὸ θερμόν, ὥσπερ τοῖς αἰσχυνομένοις· δι’ αἰσχύνην γὰρ καὶ ἀγωνιῶσιν.
For strength is in the heat; whereas in those who are anxious the heat is carried upward, just as in those who are ashamed; for they are anxious because of shame.
τοῖς δὲ αἰσχυνομένοις ἄνω φέρεται πρὸς τὸ πρόσωπον· σημεῖον δὲ ὅτι ἐξέρυθροι γίνονται μᾶλλον.
And in those who are ashamed, the heat is carried upward toward the face; and a sign of this is that they become redder.
συντήκει οὖν καὶ παχὺν ποιεῖ τὸν ἀέρα ᾧ φθέγγονται· ὁ δὲ τοιοῦτος βραδέως ὠθεῖται· τὸ δὲ βραδὺ ἐν φωνῇ βαρύ ἐστιν.
Therefore, it melts and makes thick the air with which they speak; and such air is pushed out slowly; and slowness in voice is low pitch.
§11.33Διὰ τί εὐηκοωτέρα ἡ νὺξ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐστίν;
Why is the night more favorable to hearing than the day?
πότερον, ὥσπερ Ἀναξαγόρας φησί, διὰ τὸ τῆς μὲν ἡμέρας σίζειν καὶ ψοφεῖν τὸν ἀέρα θερμαινόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἡλίου, τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς ἡσυχίαν ἔχειν ἅτε ἐκλελοιπότος τοῦ θερμοῦ, εἶναι δὲ μᾶλλον ἀκουστὸν μηθενὸς ὄντος ψόφου;
Is it, as Anaxagoras says, because during the day the air, warmed by the sun, hisses and makes a noise, whereas during the night it keeps quiet since the heat has departed, and things are more audible when there is no noise?
ἢ ὅτι διὰ τοῦ κενωτέρου μᾶλλον ἀκουστόν ἐστιν ἢ διὰ τοῦ πλήρους;
Or is it because things are more audible through what is emptier than through what is full?
ἔστι δὲ τῆς μὲν ἡμέρας ὁ ἀὴρ πυκνὸς ἅτε πεπληρωμένος ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς καὶ τῶν ἀκτίνων, τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς ἀραιότερος διὰ τὸ ἀπεληλυθέναι ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ πῦρ καὶ τὰς ἀκτῖνας, σώματα ὄντα.
And during the day the air is dense as if filled by light and rays, whereas during the night it is rarer because fire and rays, which are bodies, have departed from it.
ἢ ὅτι τῆς μὲν ἡμέρας τὰ σώματα πρὸς πολλὰ τὴν διάνοιαν ἕλκει· διὸ οὐκ εὐκρινές ἐστι πρὸς τὴν ἀκοήν.
Or is it because during the day visible bodies draw the mind to many things, wherefore it is not clear for hearing?
καὶ τῷ πράττειν ἡμᾶς πάντα μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἢ τῇ νυκτί, καὶ αὐτὰ περὶ τὰς πράξεις ἐστίν.
And because we do all things more in the day than in the night, the senses themselves are concerned with these activities.
χωρισθεῖσα δὲ αἴσθησις διανοίας καθάπερ ἀναίσθητον πόνον ἔχει, ὥσπερ εἴρηται τὸ
νοῦς ὁρᾷ καὶ νοῦς ἀκούει. νυκτὸς δὲ τῆς ὄψεως ἀργούσης καὶ τῆς διανοίας μᾶλλον ἠρεμούσης ὁ τῆς ἀκοῆς πόρος μᾶλλον ἀνεῳγμένος, καθάπερ τῆς ἡμέρας, δεκτικὸς μέν ἐστι τῶν ἤχων ὁμοίως, ἐξαγγελτικὸς δὲ μᾶλλον [ἢ] τῇ διανοίᾳ διὰ τὸ μήτε αὐτὴν ἐνεργεῖν, μήθ’ ὑπὸ τῆς ὄψεως παρενοχλεῖσθαι, καθάπερ καὶ τῆς ἡμέρας.
But perception separated from mind has, as it were, an unperceiving activity, just as it is said: 'Mind sees and mind hears.' And at night, when sight is idle and the mind is more at rest, the passage of hearing, being more open just as in the day, is equally receptive of sounds, but is more reportative to the mind because the mind itself is not active and is not disturbed by sight as it is in the day.