VOL. v.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 405 



of teaching him to understand a language, and to know the signification of 

 those words, whether spoken or written, whereby he may both express his own 

 sense, and understand the thoughts of others, without which the former were 

 useless. 



But to this disadvantage of teaching a first language, that of deafness must 

 needs augment the difficulty : since it is manifestly evident from experience, 

 that the most advantageous way of teaching a child his first language, is that 

 of perpetual discourse, not only what is particularly addressed to himself, as well 

 in pleasing diversions or delightful sports, and therefore insinuates itself with- 

 out any irksome or tedious labour, as what is directly intended for his more se- 

 rious information; but that also which passes between others, where, without 

 pains or study, he takes notice of what actions in the speaker accompany such 

 words, and what effects they produce in those to whom they are directed, which 

 by degrees insinuates the understanding of those words. 



And, as that deafness makes it the more difficult to teach him a language ; so 

 on the other hand, that want of language makes it more hard to teach him 

 how to speak or pronounce the sounds. For there being no other way to di- 

 rect his speech, than by teaching him how the tongue, the lips, the palate, 

 and other organs of speech, are to be applied and moved in the forming of such 

 sounds as are required, to the end that he may by art pronounce those sounds, 

 which others do by custom, it may be thought hard enough to express in writ- 

 ing, even to one who understands it very well, those nice curiosities and deli- 

 cacies of motion, which must be observ^ed, though we need it not, by him, who 

 without help of his ear to guide his tongue, shall form that variety of sounds 

 we use in speaking; many of which curiosities are so nice and delicate, and the 

 difference in forming those sounds so very subtle, that most of ourselves, who 

 pronounce them every day, are not able without a very serious consideration to 

 give an account by what art or motion ourselves form them, much less to teach 

 another how it is to be done. And if, by writing to one who understands a 

 language, it be thus difficult to give instruction, how, without the help of 

 hearing, he may utter those sounds, it must needs increase the difficulty, when 

 there is no other language to express it in, but that of dumb signs. 



As to the first part, though I did not doubt but that the ear as much guides 

 the tongue in speaking, as the eye does the hand in writing, or playing on the 

 lute; and therefore those who by accident wholly lose their hearing, lose also 

 their speech, and consequently become dumb as well as deaf; yet since we see 

 that it is possible for a lady to attain so great a dexterity as in the dark to play 

 on a lute, though to that variety of nimble motions, the eye's direction, as well 

 as the judgment of the ear, might seem necessary to guide the hand, I did not 



VOL. I. 3 N 



