The thermal coupling between the neutral hydrogen and protons in the inner corona is explored by extending the study of Allenet al. [1998> to include anisotropic proton temperature to determine what the neutral hydrogen Ly &agr; spectral line measurements reveal about the proton temperature, temperature anisotropy, and outflow velocity in the fast solar wind. The anisotropic proton temperature is produced by ion cyclotron resonant interaction of protons with high-frequency waves, produced by a nonlinear cascade at the Kolmogorov dissipation rate from dominant lower-frequency Alfv¿n waves. As a result of the coupling between the respective parallel and perpendicular components of the neutral hydrogen and proton temperatures, a greater temperature anisotropy in the neutral hydrogen develops as compared to the case when the proton temperature is isotropic. The neutral hydrogen and proton effective temperatures (Teff), incorporating both random and wave motions of the particles, and outflow velocities, are comparable below ~3Rs. Neutral hydrogen anisotropy ratios, TH(eff)/T∥, ~4 below 3Rs are readily attained, in agreement with observations. Below ~3Rs, these reflect the proton anisotropy ratio. For plasma conditions typical of the fast solar wind, these results imply that the measured Ly &agr; spectral line profiles, from which the neutral hydrogen temperature, anisotropy ratio, and outflow velocity are inferred, are equivalent to measurements of protons below ~3Rs. Beyond this distance the width of the measured Ly &agr; spectral lines provides a lower limit to the proton effective temperature and temperature anisotropy in the inner corona. ¿ 2000 American Geophysical Union