FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44  
45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   >>   >|  
f Quintilian, "_Manus non modo loquentem adjuvant, sed ipsae pene loqui videntur_," while Cresollius calls the hand "the minister of reason and wisdom ... without it there is no eloquence." _INVOLUNTARY RESPONSE TO GESTURES._ Further evidence of the unconscious survival of gesture language is afforded by the ready and involuntary response made in signs to signs when a man with the speech and habits of civilization is brought into close contact with Indians or deaf-mutes. Without having ever before seen or made one of their signs, he will soon not only catch the meaning of theirs, but produce his own, which they will likewise comprehend, the power seemingly remaining latent in him until called forth by necessity. _NATURAL PANTOMIME._ In the earliest part of man's history the subjects of his discourse must have been almost wholly sensuous, and therefore readily expressed in pantomime. Not only was pantomime sufficient for all the actual needs of his existence, but it is not easy to imagine how he could have used language such as is now known to us. If the best English dictionary and grammar had been miraculously furnished to him, together with the art of reading with proper pronunciation, the gift would have been valueless, because the ideas expressed by the words had not yet been formed. That the early concepts were of a direct and material character is shown by what has been ascertained of the roots of language, and there does not appear to be much difficulty in expressing by other than vocal instrumentality all that could have been expressed by those roots. Even now, with our vastly increased belongings of external life, avocations, and habits, nearly all that is absolutely necessary for our physical needs can be expressed in pantomime. Far beyond the mere signs for eating, drinking, sleeping, and the like, any one will understand a skillful representation in signs of a tailor, shoemaker, blacksmith, weaver, sailor, farmer, or doctor. So of washing, dressing, shaving, walking, driving, writing, reading, churning, milking, boiling, roasting or frying, making bread or preparing coffee, shooting, fishing, rowing, sailing, sawing, planing, boring, and, in short, an endless list. Max Mueller properly calls touch, scent, and taste the palaioteric, and sight and hearing the neoteric senses, the latter of which often require to be verified by the former. Touch is the lowest in specialization and developm
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44  
45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
expressed
 

language

 

pantomime

 

reading

 

habits

 

absolutely

 
belongings
 

external

 

avocations

 

physical


ascertained

 

eating

 

drinking

 

increased

 
difficulty
 

direct

 

concepts

 

sleeping

 

expressing

 

character


material
 

formed

 

instrumentality

 
vastly
 
weaver
 

Mueller

 

properly

 

endless

 

sawing

 

sailing


planing

 

boring

 

palaioteric

 

verified

 

lowest

 

developm

 

specialization

 
require
 

hearing

 

neoteric


senses

 

rowing

 
fishing
 
sailor
 

valueless

 

farmer

 
doctor
 

washing

 
blacksmith
 

shoemaker