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Chapter 10
Gases
Practice Problems C
10.2 (i)
10.3 (i)
10.4 (ii)
10.6 (iii)
10.8 0.824 g
10.9 2nd decomposition would produce four times the volume of the 1st.
10.10 P after reaction will be 1/3 higher than before the reaction.
10.11 (ii) will produce a greater volume of product when equal numbers of moles are combined. Both will
produce the same volume of product when equal numbers of grams are combined.
10.12 Pred = 1.25 atm, Pgreen = 2.00 atm, Pyellow = 2.25 atm; Ptotal = 5.50 atm.
10.14 (ii)
10.15 (i) and (iii) have the same χred; (ii) has the same Pred; and (iv) has the same Ptotal.
10.16 (iii)
10.17 Intermolecular attractions and nonzero volume of individual gas molecules. At high temperature,
intermolecular forces are insignificant compared to kinetic energies of gas molecules. At low pressure, the
relative distance between molecules makes their actual volume insignificant.
Visualizing Chemistry
10.2 Gases assume the volume and shape of their containers. They are compressible. They generally have low
densities and will mix in any proportions to give homogeneous solutions.
10.3 Pressure is the force per unit area. The SI units of force and pressure are the Newton and the pascal,
respectively. Other commonly used units of pressure are atmosphere, mmHg, torr, and bar.
10.4 A barometer consists of a long glass tube, closed at one end and filled with mercury. The tube is carefully
inverted in a container of mercury so that air enters the tube. When the tube is inverted, some of the
mercury in the tube will flow out into the container, creating an empty space at the top of the tube. The
weight of the mercury remaining in the tube is supported by atmospheric pressure pushing down on the
surface of the mercury in the container.
A manometer is a device used to measure pressures other than atmospheric pressure. The principle of
operation of a manometer is similar to that of a barometer. The closed-tube monomer is normally used to
measure pressures below atmospheric pressure, whereas the open-tube manometer is generally used to
measure pressures equal to or greater than atmospheric pressure. See Figure 10.6.
10.5 Mercury has a much higher density than water. The height of a column of fluid supported by a given
pressure is inversely proportional to the density of the fluid, so a more dense fluid requires a smaller height.
10.6 The height depends only on the height and the density of the fluid.
10.7 Because the height of liquid that is supported at the lower pressure on the top of the mountain is less, it
would be harder to drink through the straw.
10.9 A vapor is the gaseous state of a substance that is a liquid or solid at room temperature. Cl 2 is a gas. I2 is a
vapor, since it exists as a solid at room temperature.
10.10 The well must be pressurized. Increasing the pressure on the water or oil within the well will increase the
height supported.
10.12 The atmospheric pressure on the moon is much less than on earth. Since the internal pressure in the human
body is approximately equal to 1 atm (so that humans can live on earth with out feeling the air pushing on
their bodies), the much lower pressure on the moon would cause the body to expand and burst.
10.13 Strategy: We use the conversion factors provided in Table 10.2 in the text to convert a pressure in
mmHg to atm, bar, torr, and Pa.
133.322 Pa 1 atm
?atm = 375 mmHg 0.493 atm
1 mmHg 101,325 Pa
We could also have solved this by remembering that 760 mmHg = 1 atm.
1 atm
?atm = 375 mmHg 0.493 atm
760 mmHg
Converting to bar:
133.322 Pa 1 bar
?bar = 375 mmHg 0.500 bar
1 mmHg 1105 Pa
Converting to torr:
133.322 Pa 1 torr
?torr = 375 mmHg 375 torr
1 mmHg 133.322 Pa
Note that because 1 mmHg and 1 torr are both equal to 133.322 Pa, this could be simplified by
recognizing that 1 torr = 1 mmHg.
1 torr
375 mmHg 375 torr
1 mmHg
Converting to Pa:
1 atm 101,325 Pa
?Pa = 375 mmHg 5.00 × 104 Pa
760 mmHg 1 atm
101.325 kPa
?kPa = 0.764 atm 77.5 kPa
1 atm
10.15 Strategy: This problem is similar to Sample Problem 10.1. We can use the equation derived in the sample
problem to solve for the height of the column of methanol. The equation ispressure = height ×
pressure
height =
density gravitational constant
Recall that for units to cancel properly, pressure must be expressed in Pa (1 Pa = 1 kg/m·s2) and
density must be expressed in kg/m3. Converting the information given in the problem to the
appropriate units,
101,325 Pa
?Pa = 1 atm 101,325 Pa
1 atm
3
0.787 g 1 kg 100 cm
?kg/m3 = 787 kg/m
3
1 cm 3 1000 g 1 m
Remember that when a unit is raised to a power, any conversion factor used must be raised to
the same power. Substituting into the equation to solve for height gives
Think It’s easier to see how the units cancel if we express the pressure in pascals using base SI units.
About It:
10.16 Start by converting 1 atm to Pa and the density of ethylene glycol to kg/m 3.
101,325 Pa
?Pa = 1 atm 101,325 Pa
1 atm
3
1.12 g1 kg 100 cm
?kg/m3 = 1.12 × 103 kg/m3
1 cm 3 1000 g
1m
Rearrange the equation derived in Sample Problem 10.1 to solve for height of the column.
101,325 Pa 101,325 kg/m s 2
height 9.23 m
1.12 10 3 kg/m 3 9.80665 m/s 2
1.12 10 3 kg/m 3 9.80665 m/s 2
10.17 Strategy: This problem is very similar to Sample Problem 10.1. We can use the equation derived in the
sample problem to solve for the pressure exerted by the column of toluene. The equation is
Solution: Recall that for units to cancel properly, density must be expressed in kg/m3.
3
0.867 g 1 kg 100 cm
?kg/m3 = 867 kg/m
3
1 cm 3 1000 g 1 m
Remember that when a unit is raised to a power, any conversion factor used must be raised to
the same power. Substituting into the equation to solve for pressure gives
Think It’s easier to see how the units cancel if we express the pressure in pascals using base SI units.
About It:
3
0.785 g 1 kg 100 cm
? kg/m3 = 785 kg/m3
1 cm 3 1000 g 1 m
785 kg 9.80665 m 1 atm
pressure 264 m 3
2
2.03 10 6 kg/m s 2 2.03 10 6 Pa 20.1 atm
m s 101,325 Pa
10.19 Boyle’s law states that the volume of a sample of a gas at constant temperature is inversely proportional to
pressure.
1
V k1 1 1 PV
or PV 2 2 (at constant temperature)
P
Charles’s law states that the volume of a sample of gas at constant pressure is directly proportional to its
absolute temperature.
V1 V2
V k2T or (at constant pressure)
T1 T2
Avogadro’s law states that the volume of a sample of gas at constant temperature and pressure is directly
proportional to the number of moles.
V
V k3 n or k3 (at constant temperature and pressure)
n
10.20 As the balloon rises, the air pressure decreases. This causes the volume to increase according to Boyle’s
law.
10.21 Strategy: This is a Boyle’s law problem. Temperature and the amount of gas are both constant.
Therefore, we can use Equation 10.3 to solve for the final volume.
V1 = 25.6 mL V2 = ?
Think Make sure that Boyle’s law is obeyed. If the pressure decreases at constant temperature, the
About It: volume must increase.
P1V1 = P2V2
Initial Conditions Final Conditions
P1 = 5.3 atm P2 = ?
V1 = ? V2 = V1/4
Although neither V1 nor V2 is specified, we know from the statement of the problem that the ratio of V1 to
V2 is 4.
PV PV
P2 1 1 1 1 4P1
V2 V1
4
10.23 Strategy: The amount of gas and the temperature remain constant in this problem. We can use Equation
10.3 (Boyle’s Law) to solve for the unknown pressure.
V1 = 7.15 L V2 = 9.25 L
P1V1 = P2V2
PV
V2 1 1
P2
(1.2 atm)(3.8 L)
V2 0.69 L
(6.6 atm)
PV
P2 1 1
V2
(1.2 atm)(3.8 L)
P2 61 atm
(0.075 L)
10.25 Strategy: Pressure is held constant in this problem. Only volume and temperature change. This is a
Charles’s law problem. We use Equation 10.5 to solve for the unknown volume.
V1 V
2
T1 T2
V1 = 28.4 L V2 = ?
Think Make sure you express temperatures in kelvins and that Charles’s law is obeyed. At constant
About It: pressure, when temperature increases, volume should also increase.
10.26 Pressure and the amount of gas are constant in this problem. Only temperature and volume change. This is a
Charles’s law problem. Rearranging Equation 10.5 to solve for the unknown temperature,
T1V2
T2
V1
(361 K)(3.4 L)
T2 1.3 102 K
(9.6 L)
4NH3(g) + 5O2(g)
4NO(g) + 6H2O(g)
Recall that Avogadro’s Law states that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to the number of moles
of gas at constant temperature and pressure. The ammonia and nitric oxide coefficients in the balanced
equation are the same, so one volume of nitric oxide must be obtained from one volume of ammonia.
Could you have reached the same conclusion if you had noticed that nitric oxide is the only nitrogen-
containing product and that ammonia is the only nitrogen-containing reactant?
10.28 This is a gas stoichiometry problem that requires knowledge of Avogadro’s law to solve. Avogadro’s law
states that the volume of a gas is directly proportional to the number of moles of gas at constant temperature
and pressure.
The volume ratio, 1 vol. Cl2 : 3 vol. F2 : 2 vol. product, can be written as a mole ratio,
1 mol Cl2 : 3 mol F2 : 2 mol product.
Attempt to write a balanced chemical equation. The subscript of F in the product will be three times the Cl
subscript, because there are three times as many F atoms reacted as Cl atoms.
10.29 a. If the final temperature of the sample is above the boiling point, it would still be in the gas phase. The
b. If the final temperature of the sample is below its boiling point, it will condense to a liquid. The liquid
will have a vapor pressure, so some of the sample will remain in the gas phase. The diagram that best
represents this is choice (b).
10.30 1
(1) Recall that V . As the pressure is tripled, the volume will decrease to 1
3 of its original
P
volume, assuming constant n and T. The correct choice is (b).
(2) Recall that V T. As the temperature is doubled, the volume will also double, assuming constant n
and P. The correct choice is (a). The depth of color indicates the density of the gas. As the
volume increases at constant moles of gas, the density of the gas will decrease. This decrease in
gas density is indicated by the lighter shading.
(3) Recall that V n. Starting with n moles of gas, adding another n moles of gas (2n total) will
double the volume. The correct choice is (c). The density of the gas will remain the same as moles
are doubled and volume is doubled.
1
(4) Recall that V T and V . Halving the temperature would decrease the volume to 1 2 its
P
original volume. Because the number of moles of gas is constant, halving the volume will double
the density, thus increasing the intensity of color. The correct choice is (d).
10.31 An ideal gas is a hypothetical sample of gas whose pressure-volume-temperature behavior is predicted
accurately by the ideal gas equation. Although the behavior of real gases generally differs slightly from that
predicted by the ideal gas equation, in most of the cases we will encounter, the differences are usually small
enough for us to use the ideal gas equation to make reasonably good predictions about the behavior of gases.
10.32 0°C and 1 atm. At STP, 1 mole of gas has a volume of 22.41 L.
10.33 The molecules/atoms in a sample of gas are very far apart. The density of a gas is expressed in g/L, whereas
the densities of liquids and solids are expressed in g/mL.
10.35 Strategy: This problem gives the amount, volume, and temperature of CO gas. Is the gas undergoing a
change in any of its properties?
Solution: Because no changes in gas properties occur, we can use the ideal gas equation to calculate the
nRT
pressure. Rearranging Equation 10.9 of the text, we write: P
V
P1 P
2
T1 T2
P1 = 1.00 atm P2 = ?
10.38 Only n and R are constant in this problem. Temperature, volume, and pressure all change. Use the
combined gas law (Equation 10.8b).
PV PV
1 1
2 2
T1 T2
10.39 Strategy: In this problem, the moles of gas and the pressure on the gas are constant. Temperature and
volume both change. This is a Charles’s law problem and we use Equation 10.5 to solve it.
Note that the way the problem is stated, it is V1 that is unknown.
V1 V2
T1 T2
V1 = ? V2 = 0.67 L
Solution: Solving Equation 10.5 for the original volume of the gas gives
PV PV
1 1
2 2
T1 T2
Solving for the initial volume,
10.41 In the problem, temperature and pressure are given. If we can determine the moles of CO 2, we can calculate
the volume it occupies using the ideal gas equation.
1 mol CO2
? mol CO2 = 124.3 g CO2 2.8244 mol CO2
44.01 g CO2
Note that because there are four significant figures in the mass, we use more significant figures than we
usually do for R and for the temperature. We also carried an extra digit in the calculated number of moles to
avoid rounding error in the final result.
Alternatively, we could use the fact that 1 mole of an ideal gas occupies a volume of 22.41 L at STP. After
calculating the moles of CO2, we can use this fact as a conversion factor to convert to volume of CO 2.
22.41 L
? L CO2 2.8244 mol 63.29 L
1 mol
The slight difference in the results of our two calculations is due to rounding the volume occupied by 1 mole
of an ideal gas to 22.41 L.
10.42 PV PV
1 1
2 2
T1 T2
nRT
P
V
1 mol L atm
0.050 g 0.0821 (30 273)K
44.01 g mol K
P 6.1 103 atm
4.6 L
10.44 Solve for the number of moles of gas using the ideal gas equation.
PV (1.00 atm)(0.280 L)
n 0.0125 mol
RT L atm
0.0821 mol K (273 K)
10.45 Strategy: We can calculate the molar mass of a gas if we know its density, temperature, and pressure.
What temperature and pressure units should we use?
Solution: We need to use Equation 10.11 of the text to calculate the molar mass of the gas.
dRT
M
P
Before substituting into the above equation, we need to calculate the density and check that the
other known quantities (P and T) have the appropriate units.
7.10 g
d 1.31 g/L
5.40 L
1 atm
P 741 torr 0.975 atm
760 torr
g L atm
1.31 L 0.0821 mol K (317 K)
M 35.0 g/mol
0.975 atm
mass of compound
molar mass of compound
moles of compound
Mass of compound is given in the problem (7.10 g), so we need to solve for moles of compound
in order to calculate the molar mass.
PV
n
RT
(0.975 atm)(5.40 L)
n 0.202 mol
L atm
0.0821 mol K (317 K)
10.46 First calculate the moles of ozone (O3) using the ideal gas equation.
mass 4.65 g
density 2.21 g/L
volume 2.10 L
PM
d
RT
1 atm
P 733 mmHg 0.964 atm
760 mmHg
80.91 g
(0.964 atm)
1 mol mol K
d 2.98 g/L
319 K 0.0821 L atm
mass
density
volume
Assuming that we have 1 mole of HBr, the mass is 80.91 g. The volume of the gas can be calculated using
the ideal gas equation.
nRT
V
P
L atm
(1 mol) 0.0821
mol K
(319 K)
V 27.2 L
0.964 atm
mass 80.91 g
density 2.97 g/L
volume 27.2 L
10.50 METHOD 1:
The empirical formula can be calculated from mass percent data. The molar mass can be calculated using
the ideal gas equation. The molecular formula can then be determined.
1 mol C
64.9 g C 5.40 mol C
12.01 g C
1 mol H
13.5 g H 13.4 mol H
1.008 g H
1 mol O
21.6 g O 1.35 mol O
16.00 g O
This gives the formula C5.40H13.4O1.35. Dividing by 1.35 gives the empirical formula, C4H10O.
To calculate the molar mass, first calculate the number of moles of gas using the ideal gas equation.
1 atm
750 mmHg (1.00 L)
n
PV
760 mmHg
0.0306 mol
RT L atm
mol K
0.0821 (120 273)K
The empirical mass is 74.0 g/mol which is essentially the same as the molar mass. In this case, the
molecular formula is the same as the empirical formula, C4H10O.
METHOD 2:
First calculate the molar mass using the ideal gas equation.
1 atm
750 mmHg (1.00 L)
n
PV
760 mmHg
0.0306 mol
RT L atm
mol K
0.0821 (120 273)K
Next, multiply the mass % (converted to a decimal) of each element by the molar mass to convert to grams
of each element. Then, use the molar mass to convert to moles of each element.
1 mol C
nC (0.649) (75.2 g) 4.06 mol C
12.01 g C
1 mol H
nH (0.135) (75.2 g) 10.07 mol H
1.008 g H
1 mol O
nO (0.216) (75.2 g) 1.02 mol O
16.00 g O
Since we used the molar mass to calculate the moles of each element present in the compound, this method
directly gives the molecular formula. The formula is C4H10O.
10.51 This is an extension of an ideal gas law calculation involving molar mass. If you determine the molar mass
of the gas, you will be able to determine the molecular formula from the empirical formula.
dRT
M
P
Calculate the density, then substitute its value into the equation above.
0.100 g 1000 mL
d 4.52 g/L
22.1 mL 1L
g L atm
4.52 L 0.0821 mol K (293 K)
M 107 g/mol
1.02 atm
Remember, the molar mass will be a whole number multiple of the empirical mass. In this case, the
molar mass
1. Therefore, the molecular formula is the same as the empirical formula, SF4.
empirical mass
10.52 T2
In this problem, the statement “...its absolute temperature is decreased by one-half” means that 0.50 .
T1
P2 1
Similarly, the statement “...pressure is decreased to one-third of its original pressure” indicates .
P1 3
PV PV
1 1
2 2
T1 T2
P T
V2 = V1 1 2 6.0 L 3.0 0.50 9.0 L
P2 T1
10.53 Strategy: In this problem, the moles of gas are constant. Use the combined gas law (Equation 10.8b).
PV PV
1 1
2 2
T1 T2
P1 P
2
T1 T2
T1P2
T2
P1
T2 =
298 K 5.00 atm 1.86 103 K = 1590C
0.800 L
Think At a temperature of 1590C, the pressure in the vessel would be 5.00 atm. Any temperature
About It: higher than 1590C would result in a pressure above 5.00 atm and the vessel would burst.
10.54 In addition to a mole ratio, the coefficients from a balanced equation can represent the volume ratio in which
the gases in the equation react and are produced. Recall that Avogadro’s Law states that V n. See Figure
10.11 of the text. We can use this volume ratio to convert from liters of NO to liters of NO 2.
2 volumes NO2
9.0 L NO 9.0 L NO2
2 volumes NO
10.55 Strategy: From the moles of CH4 that reacts, we can calculate the moles of CO2 produced. From the
balanced equation, we see that 1 mol CH4 is stoichiometrically equivalent to 1 mol CO2. Once
moles of CO2 are determined, we can use the ideal gas equation to calculate the volume of CO 2.
1 mol CO2
? mol CO2 15.0 mol CH4 15.0 mol CO2
1 mol CH4
Now, we can substitute moles, temperature, and pressure into the ideal gas equation to solve for
volume of CO2.
nRT
V
P
L atm
(15.0 mol) 0.0821 (23 273) K
mol K
VCO2 3.70 102 L
0.985 atm
10.56 If we can calculate the moles of S, we can use the mole ratio from the balanced equation to calculate the
moles of SO2. Once we know the moles of SO2, we can determine the volume of SO 2 using the ideal gas
equation.
10.57 From the amount of glucose that reacts (5.97 g), we can calculate the theoretical yield of CO 2. We can then
compare the theoretical yield to the actual yield given in the problem (1.44 L) to determine the percent yield.
First, let’s determine the moles of CO2 that can be produced theoretically. Then, we can use the ideal gas
equation to determine the volume of CO2.
Now, substitute moles, pressure, and temperature into the ideal gas equation to calculate the volume of CO 2.
nRT
V
P
L atm
(0.0663 mol) 0.0821
mol K
(293 K)
VCO2 1.62 L
0.984 atm
This is the theoretical yield of CO2. The actual yield, which is given in the problem, is 1.44 L. We can now
calculate the percent yield.
actual yield
percent yield 100%
theoretical yield
1.44 L
percent yield 100% 88.9%
1.62 L
10.58 If you determine the molar mass of the gas, you will be able to determine the molecular formula from the
empirical formula. First, let’s calculate the molar mass of the compound.
1 atm
97.3 mmHg (0.378 L)
PV 760 mmHg
n 0.00168 mol
RT L atm
0.0821 mol K (77 273)K
To calculate the empirical formula, first we need to find the mass of F in 0.2631 g of CaF 2.
Since the compound only contains P and F, the mass of P in the 0.2324 g sample is:
1 mol P
? mol P 0.1044 g P 0.003371 mol P
30.97 g P
1 mol F
? mol F 0.1280 g F 0.006737 mol F
19.00 g F
Thus, we arrive at the formula P0.003371F0.006737. Dividing by the smallest number of moles (0.003371 mole)
gives the empirical formula PF2.
To determine the molecular formula, divide the molar mass by the empirical mass.
10.59 Strategy: We can calculate the moles of M consumed, and the moles of H2 gas produced. By comparing
the number of moles of M consumed to the number of moles H 2 produced, we can determine the
mole ratio in the balanced equation.
Solution: First let’s calculate the moles of the metal (M) consumed.
1 mol M
mol M 0.225 g M 8.33 103 mol M
27.0 g M
Solve the ideal gas equation algebraically for nH 2 . Then, calculate the moles of H2 by
substituting the known quantities into the equation.
1 atm
P 741 mmHg 0.975 atm
760 mmHg
PVH2
nH2
RT
(0.975 atm)(0.303 L)
nH2 1.24 102 mol H 2
L atm
0.0821 mol K (290 K)
We can now write the balanced equation since we know the mole ratio between H 2 and M.
M(s) + HCl(aq)
1.5H2(g) + MxCly(aq)
We have 3 atoms of H on the products side of the reaction, so a 3 must be placed in front of
HCl. The ratio of M to Cl on the reactants side is now 1 : 3. Therefore the formula of the metal
chloride must be MCl3.
3
Watson, Behaviorism, pp. 169–70.
4
Dr. Watson apparently entertains hopes of
teaching babies to sneeze when they see the
pepper box, but he has not yet done so. See
Behaviorism, p. 90.
5
Called by Köhler “the objective,” because the
word “banana” is too humble for a learned work.
The pictures disclose the fact that “the objective”
was a mere banana.
The subject of language is one which has not been studied with
sufficient care in traditional philosophy. It was taken for granted that
words exist to express “thoughts,” and generally also that “thoughts”
have “objects” which are what the words “mean”. It was thought that,
by means of language, we could deal directly with what it “means”,
and that we need not analyse with any care either of the two
supposed properties of words, namely that of “expressing” thoughts
and that of “meaning” things. Often when philosophers intended to
be considering the objects meant by words they were in fact
considering only the words, and when they were considering words
they made the mistake of supposing, more or less unconsciously,
that a word is a single entity, not, as it really is, a set of more or less
similar events. The failure to consider language explicitly has been a
cause of much that was bad in traditional philosophy. I think myself
that “meaning” can only be understood if we treat language as a
bodily habit, which is learnt just as we learn football or bicycling. The
only satisfactory way to treat language, to my mind, is to treat it in
this way, as Dr. Watson does. Indeed, I should regard the theory of
language as one of the strongest points in favour of behaviourism.
Man has various advantages over the beasts, for example, fire,
clothing, agriculture, and tools—not the possession of domestic
animals, for ants have them. But more important than any of these is
language. It is not known how or when language arose, nor why
chimpanzees do not speak. I doubt if it is even known whether
writing or speech is the older form of language. The pictures made in
caves by the Cro-Magnon men may have been intended to convey a
meaning, and may have been a form of writing. It is known that
writing developed out of pictures, for that happened in historical
times; but it is not known to what extent pictures had been used in
pre-historic times as a means of giving information or commands. As
for spoken language, it differs from the cries of animals in being not
merely an expression of emotion. Animals have cries of fear, cries
expressing pleasure in the discovery of food, and so on, and by
means of these cries they influence each other’s actions. But they do
not appear to have any means of expressing anything except
emotions, and then only emotions which they are actually feeling.
There is no evidence that they possess anything analogous to
narrative. We may say, therefore, without exaggeration, that
language is a human prerogative, and probably the chief habit in
which we are superior to the “dumb” animals.
There are three matters to be considered in beginning the study
of language. First: what words are, regarded as physical
occurrences; secondly, what are the circumstances that lead us to
use a given word; thirdly, what are the effects of our hearing or
seeing a given word. But as regards the second and third of these
questions, we shall find ourselves led on from words to sentences
and thus confronted with fresh problems perhaps demanding rather
the methods of Gestaltpsychologie.
Ordinary words are of four kinds: spoken, heard, written, and
read. It is of course largely a matter of convention that we do not use
words of other kinds. There is the deaf-and-dumb language; a
Frenchman’s shrug of the shoulders is a word; in fact, any kind of
externally perceptible bodily movement may become a word, if social
usage so ordains. But the convention which has given the
supremacy to speaking is one which has a good ground, since there
is no other way of producing a number of perceptibly different bodily
movements so quickly or with so little muscular effort. Public
speaking would be very tedious if statesmen had to use the deaf-
and-dumb language, and very exhausting if all words involved as
much muscular effort as a shrug of the shoulders. I shall ignore all
forms of language except speaking, hearing, writing, and reading,
since the others are relatively unimportant and raise no special
psychological problems.
A spoken word consists of a series of movements in the larynx
and the mouth, combined with breath. Two closely similar series of
such movements may be instances of the same words, though they
may also not be, since two words with different meanings may sound
alike; but two such series which are not closely similar cannot be
instances of the same word. (I am confining myself to one language.)
Thus a single spoken word, say “dog,” is a certain set of closely
similar series of bodily movements, the set having as many
members as there are occasions when the word “dog” is
pronounced. The degree of similarity required in order that the
occurrence should be an instance of the word “dog” cannot be
specified exactly. Some people say “dawg”, and this must certainly
be admitted. A German might say “tok”, and then we should begin to
be doubtful. In marginal cases, we cannot be sure whether a word
has been pronounced or not. A spoken word is a form of bodily
behaviour without sharp boundaries, like jumping or hopping or
running. Is a man running or walking? In a walking-race the umpire
may have great difficulty in deciding. Similarly there may be cases
where it cannot be decided whether a man has said “dog” or “dock”.
A spoken word is thus at once general and somewhat vague.
We usually take for granted the relation between a word spoken
and a word heard. “Can you hear what I say?” we ask, and the
person addressed says “yes”. This is of course a delusion, a part of
the naive realism of our unreflective outlook on the world. We never
hear what is said; we hear something having a complicated causal
connection with what is said. There is first the purely physical
process of sound-waves from the mouth of the speaker to the ear of
the hearer, then a complicated process in the ear and nerves, and
then an event in the brain, which is related to our hearing of the
sound in a manner to be investigated later, but is at any rate
simultaneous with our hearing of the sound. This gives the physical
causal connection between the word spoken and the word heard.
There is, however, also another connection of a more psychological
sort. When a man utters a word, he also hears it himself, and so that
the word spoken and the word heard become intimately associated
for anyone who knows how to speak. And a man who knows how to
speak can also utter any word he hears in his own language, so that
the association works equally well both ways. It is because of the
intimacy of this association that the plain man identifies the word
spoken with the word heard, although in fact the two are separated
by a wide gulf.
In order that speech may serve its purpose, it is not necessary,
as it is not possible, that heard and spoken words should be
identical, but it is necessary that when a man utters different words
the heard words should be different, and when he utters the same
word on two occasions the heard word should be approximately the
same on the two occasions. The first of these depends upon the
sensitiveness of the ear and its distance from the speaker; we
cannot distinguish between two rather similar words if we are too far
off from the man who utters them. The second condition depends
upon uniformity in the physical conditions, and is realised in all
ordinary circumstances. But if the speaker were surrounded by
instruments which were resonant to certain notes but not to certain
others, some tones of voice might carry and others might be lost. In
that case, if he uttered the same word with two different intonations,
the hearer might be quite unable to recognise the sameness. Thus
the efficacy of speech depends upon a number of physical
conditions. These, however, we will take for granted, in order to
come as soon as possible to the more psychological parts of our
topic.
Written words differ from spoken words in being material
structures. A spoken word is a process in the physical world, having
an essential time-order; a written word is a series of pieces of matter,
having an essential space-order. As to what we mean by “matter”,
that is a question with which we shall have to deal at length at a later
stage. For the present it is enough to observe that the material
structures which constitute written words, unlike the processes that
constitute spoken words, are capable of enduring for a long time—
sometimes for thousands of years. Moreover, they are not confined
to one neighbourhood, but can be made to travel about the world.
These are the two great advantages of writing over speech. This, at
least, has been the case until recently. But with the coming of radio
writing it has begun to lose its pre-eminence: one man can now
speak to multitudes spread over a whole country. Even in the matter
of permanence, speech may become the equal of writing. Perhaps,
instead of legal documents, we shall have gramophone records, with
voice signatures by the parties to the contract. Perhaps, as in Wells’s
When the Sleeper Awakes, books will no longer be printed but
merely arranged for the gramophone. In that case the need for
writing may almost cease to exist. However, let us return from these
speculations to the world of the present day.
The word read, as opposed to the written or printed word, is just
as evanescent as the word spoken or heard. Whenever a written
word, exposed to light, is in a suitable spatial relation to a normal
eye, it produces a certain complicated effect upon the eye; the part
of this process which occurs outside the eye is investigated by the
science of light, whereas the part that occurs in the eye belongs to
physiological optics. There is then a further process, first in the optic
nerve and afterwards in the brain; the process in the brain is
simultaneous with vision. What further relation it has to vision is a
question as to which there has been much philosophical controversy;
we shall return to it at a later stage. The essence of the matter, as
regards the causal efficacy of writing, is that the act of writing
produces quasi-permanent material structures which, throughout the
whole of their duration, produce closely similar results upon all
suitably placed normal eyes; and as in the case of speaking,
different written words lead to different read words, and the same
word written twice leads to the same read word—again with obvious
limitations.
So much for the physical side of language, which is often unduly
neglected. I come now to the psychological side, which is what really
concerns us in this chapter.
The two questions we have to answer, apart from the problems
raised by sentences as opposed to words, are: First, what sort of
behaviour is stimulated by hearing a word? And secondly, what sort
of occasion stimulates us to the behaviour that consists in
pronouncing a word? I put the questions in this order because
children learn to react to the words of others before they learn to use
words themselves. It might be objected that, in the history of the
race, the first spoken word must have preceded the first heard word,
at least by a fraction of a second. But this is not very relevant, nor is
it certainly true. A noise may have meaning to the hearer, but not to
the utterer; in that case it is a heard word but not a spoken word. (I
shall explain what I mean by “meaning” shortly.) Friday’s footprint
had “meaning” for Robinson Crusoe but not for Friday. However that
may be, we shall do better to avoid the very hypothetical parts of
anthropology that would be involved, and take up the learning of
language as it can be observed in the human infant of the present
day. And in the human infant as we know him, definite reactions to
the words of others come much earlier than the power of uttering
words himself.
A child learns to understand words exactly as he learns any
other process of bodily association. If you always say “bottle” when
you give a child his bottle, he presently reacts to the word “bottle”,
within limits, as he formerly reacted to the bottle. This is merely an
example of the law of association which we considered in the
preceding chapter. When the association has been established,
parents say that the child “understands” the word “bottle”, or knows
what the word “means”. Of course the word does not have all the
effects that the actual bottle has. It does not exert gravitation, it does
not nourish, it cannot bump on to the child’s head. The effects which
are shared by the word and the thing are those which depend upon
the law of association or “conditional reflexes” or “learned reactions”.
These may be called “associative” effects or “mnemic” effects—the
6
latter name being derived from Semon’s book Mneme, in which he
traces all phenomena analogous to memory to a law which is, in
effect, not very different from the law of association or “conditioned
reflexes”.
6
London: George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.