Oral speech is the articulation of that vague, terrifying ambience by which the ears of archaic man ensphere his being. It is by the visible spacing of pitches that he structures and controls the personal and interpersonal spaces of his world.
“Space, Time and Poetry” in Explorations 4, (1955), p 57, (2016) reprinted as McLuhan Unbound #13, (2005), p 9
Year: 1955
Chapter:
Speech
Compiled by William Kuhns
© 2026, The Estate of Marshall McLuhan
© 2026, The Estate of Marshall McLuhan