simplicity of all the vocal utterances and of the
defectiveness of the articulatory apparatus, the child is able (often
long before the seventh month) to respond to address, questions,
chiding, either with inarticulate sounds or with vowels or by means of
simple syllables, like _pa_, _ta_, _ma_, _na_, _da_, _mae_, _moe_, _goe_,
_roe_ [_a_ as in _father_; ae as in _fate_; oe like _i_ in _bird_.] Since
these responses are entirely, or almost entirely, lacking in
microcephali and in children born deaf, they are not purely reflexive,
like sneezing, e. g.; therefore there must be in the case of these a
cerebral operation also, simple indeed, but indubitably intellectual,
interposed between sound-perception and vocal utterance, especially as
the infant behaves differently according to what he hears, and he
discriminates very well the stern command from the caress, forbidding
from allowing, in the voice of the person speaking to him. Yet it is
much more the _timbre_, the accent, the pitch, the intensity of the
voice and the sounds, the variation of which excites attention, than it
is the spoken word. In the first half-year the child hears the vowels
much better than he does the consonants, and will imperfectly
understand or divine the sense of a few sounds only--e. g., when his
name is uttered in a threatening tone he will hear merely the accented
vowel, for at the first performance taught him, purposely postponed to a
very late period (in his thirteenth month), it made no difference to my
child whether we asked without changing a feature, "Wie gross?" (how
tall?) or "ooss?" or "oo?" In all three cases he answered with the same
movement of the hand.

Now, although all infants in normal condition, before they can repeat
anything after others or can understand any word whatever, _express_
their feelings by various sounds, even by syllables, and _distinguish_
vowels and many consonants in the words spoken to them, yet this does
not raise them above the intelligent animal. The response to friendly
address and loud chiding by appropriate sounds is scarcely to be
distinguished as to its psychical value from the joyous barking and
whining of the poodle.

The pointer-dog's understanding of the few spoken utterances that are
impressed upon him in his training is also quite as certain at least
as the babe's understanding of the jargon of the nurse. The correctly
executed movements or arrests of movement following the
sound-impressions