223 MENTAL EVOLUTION IN MAN 



although, as far as I am aware, no one has ever tried to teach 

 an animal to do this, we know that trained dogs will display 

 an even better understanding of words by means of appro- 

 priate gestures.* 



The other point which has to be noticed in connection 

 with these early stages of indicative sign-making in the young 

 child is that, sooner or later, they begin to overlap the earliest 

 stage of articulate sign-making, or verbal denotation. In 

 other words, denotative sign-making never begins to occur 

 until indicative sign-making has advanced considerably ; and 

 when denotative sign-making does begin, it advances parallel 

 with indicative : that is to say, both kinds of sign-making 

 then proceed to develop simultaneously. But when the 

 vocabulary of denotation has been sufficiently enriched to 

 enable the child to dispense with the less efficient material 

 furnished by indication, indicative signs gradually become 

 starved out by denotative, and words replace gestures. 



So far, then, as the earliest or indicative phase of language 

 is concerned, no difference even of degree can be alleged 

 between the infant and the animal. Neither can any such 

 difference be alleged with respect to the earliest exhibitions 

 of the next phases of language, namely, the denotative and 

 receptually connotative. For we have seen that the only 

 animals which happen to be capable of imitating articulate 

 sounds will use these sounds with a truly denotative signifi- 

 cance. Moreover, as we have also seen, within moderate limits 

 they will even extend such denotative significance to other 

 objects seen to belong to the same class or kind — thus raising 

 the originally denotative sign to an incipiently connotative 

 value. And although these receptually connotative powers of a 

 parrot are soon surpassed by those of a young child, we have 



* For the case of the ape in this connection see above, p. 126. I took my 

 daughter when she was seven years of age to witness the understanding of the ape 

 *' Sally." On coming away, I remarked to her that the animal seemed to be "quite 

 as sensible as Jack " — i.e. her infant brother of eighteen months. She considered 

 for a while", and then replied, "Well, I think she is sensibler." And I believe 

 the child was right 



