SPEECH LEARNED BY IMITATION. 187 



cries, by which he expresses his most simple instinctive 

 wants and passions. 



Emily. Foi this reason, the cry is termed the nat- 

 ural voice, 1 suppose, being a gift of nature, and com- 

 mon to the new born babe, as well as to the adult in 

 years. 



j} r% J5. In contr, [distinction to this, is what is called 

 the acquired voice, including speech and singing. "Cries 

 generally include the most intense sounds that the voice 

 is capable of forming, and are characterised by a pecu- 

 liar tone which easily distinguishes them from all other 

 sounds. They establish important relations between 

 man and his fellow creatures. A cry of joy imparts 

 pleasure, a cry of grief excites pity, and the cry excited 

 by fear carries terror to a distance." In whatever situa- 

 tion man is found, he is capable of uttering cries. The 

 new born infant, the decrepit old man, the deaf person 

 and the idiot, are all capable of uttering cries ; and we 

 must therefore consider this function as essentially de- 

 pending on organization. The social wants and pas- 

 sions not being inseparably connected with organization, 

 have no peculiar cries. 



Man endowed with reason and the sense of hearing, 

 in a state of society, soon perceives that his fellow crea- 

 tures utter other sounds than mere cries, and by imita- 

 tion he is enabled to make similar sounds. This is call- 

 ed acquired voice, and inasmuch as it is the result of 

 hearing, and of an intellectual effort, the deaf child, as 

 he never hears, cannot imitate the sounds of others ; nor 

 can the ideot, for lie is incapable of establishing any re- 

 lations between the sounds he hears, and those he is able 

 to produce. 



Emily. Have the deaf and dumb the organ of hear- 

 ing only defective ? I presumed their vocal organs were 

 also defective. 



Dr. B. No their vocal organs are perfectly sound, 

 but remain forever in complete -inactivity, because they 

 are never stimulated by the wish of uttering sounds. 



