§11.34Διὰ τί οἱ ἄγονοι, οἷον παῖδες καὶ γυναῖκες καὶ οἱ ἤδη γέροντες καὶ οἱ εὐνοῦχοι, ὀξὺ φθέγγονται, οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες βαρύτερον;
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 men speak with a deeper pitch?
ἢ δι’ ἀσθένειαν τοῦ κινοῦντος μορίου τὸν ἀέρα;
Is it because of the weakness of the organ which moves the air?
ὀλίγον γὰρ τὸ ἀσθενὲς κινεῖ, ὁ δὲ ὀλίγος ταχὺ φέρεται, τὸ δὲ ταχὺ φερόμενον ὀξύ.
For that which is weak moves little air, and little air is carried quickly, and that which is carried quickly has a high pitch.
ἢ διότι ὁ πόρος ὁ πρῶτος, δι’ οὗ ἡ φωνὴ φέρεται, τοῖς μὲν ἀγόνοις μικρός, ὥστε ὀλίγον ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὸ ὠθοῦν τὸν ἀέρα, ὀλίγος δὲ ὢν ταχὺ φέρεται δι’ εὐρέος τοῦ ἄνω φάρυγγος·
Or is it because the first passage, through which the voice is carried, is narrow in those unable to procreate, so that the air pushed out from it is little, and being little, it is carried quickly through the wide upper pharynx?
ἀκμάζουσι δὲ καὶ ἀνδρουμένοις διίσταται οὗτος, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ὄρχεις, ὥστε καὶ πλείων ἐστὶν ὁ ὠθούμενος.
But in those who are in their prime and becoming men, this passage expands, just as in the direction of the testicles, so that the air pushed out is also more.
βραδύτερον οὖν διιὼν βαρὺς γίνεται.
Therefore, passing through more slowly, it becomes deeper.
§11.35Διὰ τί οἱ ἰσχνόφωνοι οὐ δύνανται διαλέγεσθαι μικρόν;
Why are stutterers unable to converse in a low voice?
ἢ ὅτι ἴσχονται τοῦ φωνεῖν, ἐμποδίζοντός τινος;
Is it because they are blocked from speaking, something hindering them?
οὐκ ἴσης δὲ ἰσχύος οὐδ’ ὁμοίας κινήσεως, μὴ ἐμποδίζοντός τε τὴν κίνησιν μηδενὸς καὶ ἐμποδίζοντος, βιάσασθαι δεῖ.
And when nothing hinders the movement and when something does, there is need of unequal strength and of dissimilar movement to force one's way through.
ἡ δὲ φωνὴ κίνησίς ἐστι· μεῖζον δὲ φθέγγονται μᾶλλον οἱ τῇ ἰσχύϊ χρώμενοι.
And voice is movement; and those who use strength speak louder.
ὥστ’ ἐπεὶ ἀνάγκη ἀποβιάζεσθαι τὸ κωλῦον, ἀνάγκη μεῖζον φθέγγεσθαι τοὺς ἰσχνοφώνους.
Therefore, since it is necessary to force away that which hinders, it is necessary for stutterers to speak louder.
§11.36Διὰ τί δὲ ἀγωνιῶντες μὲν μᾶλλον ἰσχνόφωνοι γίνονται, ἐν δὲ ταῖς μέθαις ἧττον;
And why do they become more stuttering when they are anxious, but less so during fits of drunkenness?
ἢ ὅτι ἀποπληξίας ὅμοιόν ἐστι τὸ πάθος μέρους τινὸς τῶν ἐντός, ὃ ἀδυνατοῦσι κινεῖν, ἐμποδίζοντος διὰ τὴν κατάψυξιν;
Is it because the affection of some internal part, which they are unable to move, is similar to paralysis, since it hinders owing to the cooling?
ὁ μὲν οὖν οἶνος φύσει θερμὸς ὢν λύει τὴν κατάψυξιν μᾶλλον, ἡ δὲ ἀγωνία ποιεῖ· φόβος γάρ τις ἡ ἀγωνία, ὁ δὲ φόβος κατάψυξις.
Now wine, being warm by nature, rather dissolves the cooling, whereas anxiety produces it; for anxiety is a kind of fear, and fear is cooling.
§11.37Διὰ τί ἔξωθεν εἰς τὰς οἰκίας εἴσω ἀκούεται μᾶλλον ἢ ἔσωθεν ἔξω;
Why is a sound from without heard better inside houses than one from within is heard outside?
ἢ ὅτι ἔσωθεν ὁ ψόφος διὰ τὸ ἀχανὲς ἰέναι διασπᾶται, ὥστε οὐχ ἱκανὸν ἕκαστον μέρος ἀκουσθῆναι, ἢ ἧττον;
Is it because the sound from within, going into the open expanse, is dispersed, so that each part of it is not sufficient to be heard, or is heard less?
ἔξωθεν δὲ ἔσω εἰς ἐλάττω τόπον καὶ ἀέρα ἑστῶτα ἡ φωνὴ βαδίζουσα ἀθρόα ἔρχεται, ὥστε μείζων οὖσα ἀκούεται μᾶλλον.
But from without to the inside, the voice, traveling into a smaller space and into still air, comes all together, so that being greater, it is heard better.
§11.38Διὰ τί οἱ ἰσχνόφωνοι μελαγχολικοί;
Why are stutterers melancholic?
ἢ ὅτι τὸ τῇ φαντασίᾳ ἀκολουθεῖν ταχέως τὸ μελαγχολικὸν εἶναί ἐστιν, οἱ δὲ ἰσχνόφωνοι τοιοῦτοι·
Is it because to follow the imagination quickly is characteristic of being melancholic, and stutterers are of this kind?
προτερεῖ γὰρ ἡ ὁρμὴ τοῦ λέγειν τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῖς, ὡς θᾶττον ἀκολουθούσης τῆς ψυχῆς τῷ φανέντι.
For in them the impulse to speak precedes the capacity, because the soul follows what appears to it more quickly.
καὶ οἱ τραυλοὶ δὲ ὡσαύτως· βραχύτερα γὰρ τὰ μόρια ταῦτα τοῖς τοιούτοις.
And lisping people are also the same; for these organs are shorter in such people.
σημεῖον δέ· οἰνωμένοι γὰρ τοιοῦτοι γίνονται, ὅτε μάλιστα τοῖς φαινομένοις ἀκολουθοῦσι, καὶ οὐ τῷ νῷ.
And a sign of this is that those who are drunk become like this, when they especially follow what appears, and not the intellect.
§11.39Διὰ τί τὰ πράσα συμφέρει πρὸς εὐφωνίαν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῖς πέρδιξιν;
Why is leek beneficial for a good voice, since it is also beneficial to partridges?
ἢ ὅτι καὶ τὰ σκόροδα ἑφθὰ λεαίνει, τὰ δὲ πράσα γλισχρότητα ἔχει τινά; ῥυπτικὸν δὲ τοῦ φάρυγγος.
Is it because boiled garlic also makes things smooth, but leeks have a certain stickiness, and are cleansing for the pharynx?
§11.40Διὰ τί τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ὀξύτερον φθέγγεται σφοδρότερα ὄντα, ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἀσθενῶν;
Why do other things utter a higher sound when they are stronger, but man when he is weak?
ἢ διότι ἐλάττω κινεῖ ἀέρα, οὗτος δὲ ταχὺ διέρχεται, τὸ δὲ ταχὺ ὀξὺν ποιεῖ τὸν ψόφον.
Is it because he moves less air, and this passes through quickly, and that which is quick makes the sound high?
§11.41Διὰ τί ἀκούουσι μᾶλλον κατέχοντες τὸ πνεῦμα ἢ ἐκπνέοντες;
Why do they hear better when holding their breath than when exhaling?
διὸ καὶ ἐν ταῖς θήραις παραγγέλλουσιν ἑαυτοῖς μὴ πνευστιᾶν.
For this reason, in hunts they also charge each other not to pant.
πότερον ὅτι τὸ αἰσθητικὸν ἄνω ἔρχεται αἰρομένων τῶν φλεβῶν;
Is it because the sensory organ goes upward as the veins are raised?
καθευδόντων γὰρ κάτω· διὸ καὶ μᾶλλόν τε ἐκπνέουσιν καθεύδοντες ἢ εἰσπνέουσι, καὶ ἀνήκοοί εἰσιν.
For in those who sleep it is downward; wherefore those who sleep also exhale more than they inhale, and are unable to hear.
ἢ καὶ τὸ αἷμα ἀνέρχεται ἐκπεπνευκότος, ὥστε κενοῦται τὰ κάτω;
Or does the blood also go upward when one has exhaled, so that the lower parts are emptied?
ἀκούουσι δὲ τῷ κενῷ.
And they hear by means of what is empty.
ἢ ὅτι ὁ φυσιασμὸς ψόφος τίς ἐστιν, οὗτος δὲ ἐν τῷ ἐκπνεῖν γινόμενος κωλύει ἀκούειν.
Or is it because panting is a kind of noise, and this, occurring during exhalation, hinders hearing?