REASON AND PRIMITIVE MAN. 289 



the two thus acting and re-acting on one another, until 

 the language of tone and gesture became gradually 

 raised to the level of imperfect pantomime, as in children 

 before they begin to use words. At this stage, however, 

 or even before it, I think very probably vowel-sounds 

 must have been employed in tone-language, if not also 

 a few of the consonants. And I think this not only on 

 account of the analogy furnished by an infant already 

 alluded to, but also because in the case of a ' singing ' 

 animal, intelligent enough to be constantly using its 

 voice for semiotic purposes, and therefore employing a 

 variety of more or less conventional tones, including 

 clicks, it seems almost necessary that some of the vowel 

 sounds — and possibly also some of the consonants — 

 should have been brought into use. But, be this as it 

 may, eventually the action and re-action of receptual 

 intelligence and conventional sign-making must have 

 ended in so far developing the former as to have 

 admitted of the breaking up (or articulation) of vocal 

 sounds, as the only direction in which any further 

 improvement of vocal sign-making was possible. I 

 think it not improbable that this important stage in the 

 development of speech was greatly assisted by the 

 already existing habit of articulating musical notes, 

 supposing our progenitors to have resembled the gibbons 

 or the chimpanzees in this respect. But long after this 

 first rude beginning of articulate speech, the language of 

 tone and gesture would have continued as much the 

 most important machinery of communication : the half- 

 human creature now before our imagination would 

 probably have struck us as a wonderful adept at making 



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