SPEECH MADE VISIBLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18446, 6 January 1922, Page 6

SPEECH MADE VISIBLE

j A wonderful new invention, called the Lioretgraph, is to be taken to England from France by the London University_ College authorities for research work in' phonetics. The Lioretgraph (named after M. Lioret, the Paris inventor) is for making extremely accurate tracings upon permanent records of the actual vibrations of sound in articulated speech.. Mr D. Jones,, director of phonetics at the university, told a Daily Chronicle representative that the instrument is unique. It is worked by motor power. “When one utters a vowel sound,” said Mr Jones, “the room is full of vibrations, and each different sound gives vibrations of different shape. In the presence of the Lioretgraph a person saymjf ‘Ah’ would record upon paper on the instrument a little wobbly symmetrical line. The principle involved is similar to the ordinary phonograph, but, by means of extremely delicate mechanism, the effects of speech are enlarged an enormous number of times.” The shape of all words in the air can he discovered, and it is believed that it will be possible ultimately with this new invention, aided by mathematical formulee already in use, to read, analyse, and translate any foreign or unknown tongue of which these lines are the records. ,