If
asked where the word blare might be configured in the image above, as
opposed to murmur, we would point to the tall, dark, sustained, bat-like
blurs. Murmur would most likely
be the small, light, ant-like puffs.
Words have energies beyond their content and configurations. That’s why our dogs and cats know when to
relax and when to perk their ears when humans speak—they get your vibes.
In reading and writing—the
art of word play—let’s be awake to their energies, for that is what transfers
subliminally, and therefore most deeply, in the delivery of words. In this post,
we consider John Frederick Nims’s brilliant strategy for discerning these
energies through a system of
vowel frequencies. We ask the question, “In
a given span of time, how many sound waves does this vowel produce?"
For
example, in his “Frequency Scale of English Vowel Sounds,” as in the image
here, Nims assigns the long oo sound, as in boo, the fewest
number of sounds waves. On the upper end
of the scale, he assigns the long ee sound, as in bee, the
highest number of sounds waves. He groups all the English
vowels into Low-Frequency, Middle-Frequency, and High-Frequency.
It
makes sense. Place your hand on your
throat, so that your fingers cup your chin and your wrist rests at the top of
your breastbone—as in this image.
Say
oo. You will notice that the
sound vibrates into your wrist. Now say ee. The sound vibrates at the top of your
fingertips.
So what? Lots! Meaning
is created in the body. A human tends to
hold her or his sense of identity in the face—eyes, brain. That’s why we have Facebook and not Wristbook,
Navelbook, or Kneebook. The closer the vibration is to the brain, the more
energy and excitement! The more awake! It’s
an energizing of the brain to receive and process new or remembered information
of resources or danger.
In English, this plays out in a very
fascinating way. Hand to throat again.
Say ring. Say range. Say rung. You will notice that ring vibrates
by your fingertips, rang by your palm, rung by your wrist. Ring
is the present tense of the verb—vibrating nearest the face and brain. Rang is further away from the brain,
as the past is further away. Rung, the perfect tense—a holding tank, an
archive of memories, is stored (digested) at the bottom. Wow!
The sound ah, as in bar,
is a fulcrum, like that of a seesaw, right in the middle. It’s no mistake that ah, which is
created by the opening of the mouth and throat, is the universal breath on
which babies name their first nurturers: mama, dada. And it is
remarkable that although not all religions do so, a significant number name
their deities on the wings of this central vowel: God, Yahweh, Jehovah,
Mohammed, Buddha, Kami, Ganesa, Diana, Athena, et cetera. Of course!
A deity is an ah! An awe-inspiring entity. A core.
A center. A seed. Closest to the heart (heart has an ah
at the heart).
Literary authors are sensitive to—intuitive of—these
energy frequencies. To wonder whether they
are always consciously manipulating their words for vowel frequencies is to edge
into problems of the intentional fallacy (explored in the post Literary Séance:
The Intentional Fallacy). Whether
it’s a case of nominative determinism, where a person’s name is a
self-fulfilling prophecy POST, or not, a character’s name speaks for him
or her. Othello’s name is a pair
of low-frequency drones (notice the word drone is a low-frequency drone)
interrupted by a weak middle-frequency rise.
That is the story of Othello. Not
only is he a deeply anchored noble general, but also someone whose fate starts
low—as an African outsider—but one who is destroyed after a brief, albeit not
meteoric rise to fame. Iago’s name
starts at the highest frequency, and then steadily descends through a middle
frequency to land where Othello does—in the pits. In the play, Desdemona starts out middling—neither
most or least important—middle, middle, low.
And then the aha of truth and redemption, if posthumously recognized.
If the previous paragraph leaves you skeptical, then consider
this: Would Othello be Othello if his
name were Ebenezer? Or Desdemona
Desdemona if she were named Sissy?
See also the post on “Characters: (2) ‘By Any Other Name’.”
In another post, we will consider in
detail Dylan Thomas’s villanelle “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” as a
luminous example of sound frequencies at their most meaningful.
© Susanna Rich, 2020
Works Cited:
Images:
Sound
Frequency Chart: Nims, John Frederick, and David Mason. Western Wind. 5th ed. New
York: McGraw, 2000.
Texts:
Nims, John Frederick, and David Mason. Western Wind. 5th ed. New
York: McGraw, 2000.
Shakespeare, William.
Romeo and Juliet. (2.2.33-49a)
Because I Can Teach:
Playing Literature Like Music (1):
Intentional Fallacy: The Literary Seance: https://becauseicanteach.blogspot.com/2019/02/intentional-fallacies-literary-seance.html
“Characters: (2) ‘By Any Other Name’.”
Special Thanks:
Brett Kull. Catapult Studios.
Special Thanks:
Brett Kull. Catapult Studios.
Although it has been a long time since I've read Othello, I know each name suits the character. What's in a name? Well I have always believed Shakespeare chose names that not only suited his characters but has a sound that sits in a listener's ear. In Hebrew, it means "he has the sound of God." Imagine a strong name , reliable character and charm and with an African face. We can question that entire package but why? Othello's name has to sit and capture every low sound.
ReplyDeleteWhereas his wife, Desdemona is a bit unique. I used to think of the words destiny and moan in her name as a connection to the other characters. Her destiny was to be with Othello and the same for him. It was genuine love. The moan part I considered how the other male characters (Iago and Rodrigo longed for her in a silent moan). Unfortunately, her name is Greek and means misery and unlucky. Was her name chosen as a means to her end?
As far as sound frequencies and playing literature in music, I I think it's all interesting,because I think I hear music in somethings I read or write. The sound is carried by a Native American drum. I think their drum has significant sounds which they also used to tell stories. Music can be found in our daily lives. We are so focused on the task that we don't hear the sound or if we do, then the sound invokes annoyance. I say take time to stop and listen. There is a hidden meaning to it all.
Meagan AWP 5000
First of I never read Othello, but I have heard enough summary and character analysis to know who he is and the other characters in the story. I can say the letter in Othello and Desdemona fits the character personality. It wouldn’t be the same to change the name of think of them with other names, since I know so much about each character. Very interesting to see and read about sound frequency. A couple of weeks ago I did an exercise for other class and the exercise was to record myself saying any phrases or words. It was amazing to see the sound frequency in my screen as I said this phrase. Talking about low, middle, high frequencies. I kept seeing the frequencies looking crazy the lines going short, and tall (middle frequency) and taller would be the high frequency. This post made me have a flash back to the little exercise I did for that class. To come across reading that the frequency is due to the vowel of the words.
ReplyDeleteAWP 4000
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this post my brain kept hearing the songs of scary movies such as the shark song. The melody in the beginning is much slower, but as the shark is getting closer to the person the melody speeds up. I have known this was intentional as it raises the audience’s awareness and fears. I see this in the sounds within works as well as names. I also was thinking of the Characters (2): “By Any Other Name” blogpost as I read this because names can also correlate to the characters occupation. I have never thought of sound frequencies in names until our previous class. My name in itself has two “ah” sounds, one in the beginning and one in the end. When I first speak to people and tell them my name, the look on their face falls in “ah” or “awe” as they tell me how beautiful it is. I have had someone tell me it was “angelic” as well. I think this may have something to do with the “ah” sound as you mentioned with deities and how the “ah” sound is close to the heart. “Othello” is not the same as “Ebenezer” as “Othello” sounds a lot stronger because of the “o” sound versus the “eh” sound. Othello’s name has a deeper vibration than Ebenezer even though in the middle of Ebenezer’s name the “ee” sound has the highest level of sound waves.
-Janaya ENG3215*4
Wow, I guess I’ve never taken the time to pay attention to the different sound frequencies in my voice. When I speak to my cats (I have 2) I always use this upbeat higher frequency voice with them. They always know I;m speaking to them, whether or not they actually know what I’m saying, because I do not talk like that normally. I guess it gives them a sense of comfort, as they can “feel my vibe”. After completing the small experience, I was amazed. I wish you could have seen my face. That’s what is so amazing about poetry- it pays so much attention to every little detail. This form of detail in word frequencies is so interesting because you think that a character is just given a name. There are so many to pick from, so who cares what their name is, right? Wrong. Just as you said, Othello has a dark deep and low frequency sound to it, which represents his character. When I think about happy words, they tend to have that higher frequency sounds of ee. Relieved, cheerful, merry, etc. They seem to have this upbeat vibe to them. In terms of writing my poems, I will consider using these high and low frequency words in order to deliver my message in a much more detailed and descriptive manner. It poses a challenge for myself, but I am ready to take it on. I will BE very Happ-y! I hope that made you chuckle.
ReplyDeleteI’m still getting the hang on Shakespeare style of writing and how sound play into it. I do agree that the name Shakespeare give his character sound right for them. Othello acks like how a person called that would be expected to act. His name sound tragic and he act moody and morose and suffer a tragedy. I do find it funny when Shakespeare forgoes subtlety and give his comedy character name like Aqua cheek and belch. Sometime a simple silly name is all you need to instantly get the tone of the whole play and how they character will happily provide the comedy.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Patti
When it comes to words and their inherent energies, I have always had a feeling about these energies despite not looking at charts or the like. This sort of knowledge came to me and likely many others by simply saying the words as we spoke and feeling the vibration. Take the word molest, it is a word that is already made awful thanks to the definition. However, even without knowing the meaning of the word, one can get a feeling of its negative cognition via the way it sounds. Starting with the first part of the word, we have the word mole. Much like the animal that shares the name, the word mole has a connection to the act of digging and holes. Not only does it share the 'ole' section of the word hole but when saying the word mole you get a feeling of vibration in your throat like something is trying to dig into it. Meanwhile, with the 'st' part of molest sounds very sinister, especially with emphasis on the s. With said emphasis, it sounds like a snake making its hissing sound. With the snake's connection to evil following the sound of mole digging in your throat, the word inherently feels unconformable. Just from breaking the word up, you get the idea of someone evilly digging through the rules and defenses of another in spit of the discomfort they would feel. Although words meanings can change overtime, the sounds connected to the word of have a sort of meaning of their own that can help one understand on a deeper level.
ReplyDeleteMatthew Ponte
Wow, I guess I’ve never taken the time to pay attention to the different sound frequencies in my voice. When I speak to my cats (I have 2) I always use this upbeat higher frequency voice with them. They always know I;m speaking to them, whether or not they actually know what I’m saying, because I do not talk like that normally. I guess it gives them a sense of comfort, as they can “feel my vibe”. After completing the small experience, I was amazed. I wish you could have seen my face. That’s what is so amazing about poetry- it pays so much attention to every little detail. This form of detail in word frequencies is so interesting because you think that a character is just given a name. There are so many to pick from, so who cares what their name is, right? Wrong. Just as you said, Othello has a dark deep and low frequency sound to it, which represents his character. When I think about happy words, they tend to have that higher frequency sounds of ee. Relieved, cheerful, merry, etc. They seem to have this upbeat vibe to them. In terms of writing my poems, I will consider using these high and low frequency words in order to deliver my message in a much more detailed and descriptive manner. It poses a challenge for myself, but I am ready to take it on. I will BE very Happ-y! I hope that made you chuckle.
ReplyDeleteSound frequencies is one of the main things I try to manipulate the most in my work. You’ve told me on numerous occasions that my poems have a “musical” tone to them, and to be frank it makes me extremely happy inside each time you say it. Once upon a time, I used to love singing, but as I matured, my ability to hit certain notes dwindled, and singing just didn’t sound good coming out of my voice. But I’ve learned through this course and our Poetry 3500 course that there are a number of ways to appreciate the musical art. Now, rhyming is different, because in a lot of my work, I simply don’t like to rhyme because it feels really forced. But when i’m able to match low and high frequencies, and retain a relative consistency throughout the poem, it’s somewhat satisfying to my ears. A lot of times, I’m pairing frequencies and I don’t even know it! But back to the post. The characters' names were fitting of the characters personalities. Being that I read the story of Othello a few years ago, these poetry courses pointed out the significance of sound frequencies, and how tone can play a significant role.
ReplyDelete-Christian Paiz
AWP Spring 2020