5112. About angelic speech
It is to be noted that when spiritual angels speak, their words, which are the mental images in their understanding, have an affinity with the vowels "e" and "i" and when they say "a" there is still something of an "e" that is, "ae" in it; and when they say "u" then there is something of "i" or "y" It is also to be noted that I was granted to know from this that when their speech falls into human speech, it falls into such words as have these vowels in them. But the words of heavenly angels have an affinity with "a", "o", "u", on account of which their speech falls into such words as have these vowels in them. For this reason when a person speaks with these angels, [the person's speech] is turned from words in which there are "e" and "i" to words in which there are "a", "o", "u". 1
Footnotes:
1. Presumably as pronounced in Swedish.
5112. CONCERNING ANGELIC SPEECH.
It is to be observed, that, when spiritual angels speak, their words, which are intellectual ideas, have an affinity with the vowels e and i; and, when they name a there is still something of e or a therein; and, when they name u, then there is something of i or y. Hence it was given me to know, that, when their speech falls into human speech, it falls into such words as contain those vowels. But the words of the celestial angels have an affinity with a, o and u: for which reason [their speech] falls into such words as contain those vowels. When, therefore, man speaks with the latter, he is, then, diverted from words which contain e and i, to words in which a, o and u occur.
5112. Continuatio p. 288 [5148] De loquela angelica Observandum est, quod angeli spirituales cum loquuntur, quod voces illorum, quae sunt ideae intellectuales, affinitatem habeant cum vocalibus (e) (i) cum nominant a usque aliquid (e) inibi est seu (ae) cum (u) tunc aliquid (i) vel (y), quod inde scire datum, quod loquela illorum cum cadit in loquelam humanam, in tales voces, in quibus sunt illi vocales, cadat: at angelorum coelestium voces affinitatem habeant cum a, o, u, quare cadit [loquela] in tales voces, in quibus illi vocales sunt; quapropter, quando homo cum his loquitur, tunc flectatur a vocibus in quibus e i voces in quibus a, o, u.