Melville, Alexander's father, interests in speech pathologies were given a push when he fel in love with Eliza Grace Symonds, a deaf woman. Alexander, known as Aleck, was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He had been named after his grandfather, Alexander Graham. As a young boy Aleck learned to read and write a young age. It is said he insisted upon writing a family freind before he had any understanding of the alphabet. As he got older, he inherited the family "trademark," a flexible and expressive speaking voice.
With Aleck's mother being deaf, it was hard to comunicate with her but Aleck's vocal ability enabled him and his mother to comunicate. He would Talk in low tones very close to her forehead. She was able to "hear"because of the sound waves he was making. This discovery helped Aleck in two ways first by creating a bond between him and his mother and secondly by giving him insight to the sound waves.
II. The language barrier.
Aleck had become interested in the writtings of a German physicist by the name of Hermann Von Helmholtz. He had stated that vowel sounds could be produced by a combination of electrical tuning forks and resonators. Even though this was in German and Aleck was unable to read this he was determined to any way. Somehow his little understandings of the German language got mixed up so he interpreted that vowel sounds could be transmitted over a wire. He later said "It gave me confidence. If I had been able to read German, I might never have begun my experiment in electrcity."III. A time of sickness.
Tuberculosis had clammed the lives of both his brothers in four months. Bell had also caught the disease when at age 23 he moved to Canada with his parents.
IV. Path to the telephone.
June 2, 1875 gave proof that Bell wasn't dreaming about something that can transport voices. Watson, Bell's assistant, was trying to get something loose when it came apart it produced a twang.
