GESTURE LANGUAGE 115 



is with the arm extended forward, the hand hanging down, 

 and the back towards the person approaching or the thing 

 refused. In addition to these negative signs there is one 

 which may be regarded as affirmative. It is made simply 

 by extending one arm towards the person or thing desired. 

 It sometimes serves the purpose of beckoning. In this 

 act there is no motion of the hand. These signs appear 

 to be innate, and are very similar in character to those 

 used by men to signify the same idea. 



It must not be inferred from this small list of words and 

 signs that there is nothing left to learn. So far only the 

 first step, as it were, has been taken in the study of the 

 speech of apes. As we grow more familiar with their 

 sounds, the difficulty of understanding them becomes cor- 

 respondingly less. I have not been disappointed in what 

 I hoped to learn from these animals. The total number 

 of words that I have been able to distinguish up to this 

 time is about one hundred. Of these I have interpreted 

 about thirty. Of late I have given no attention to the 

 small monkeys. I shall resume the study of them at some 

 future day, as it forms an essential part of the task which 

 I have assumed. The fact that animals are able to inter- 

 pret human speech is of itself proof that they possess 

 the speech instinct. But a careful study of their habits 

 reveals the further proof that they possess and exercise 

 the faculty of speech. In addition to these facts they 

 sometimes acquire new speech sounds. This is progress. 

 If an ape can take one step in the development of speech, 

 why may he not take two ? One instance which is cited 

 in the chapter treating of Moses, my ape companion, I 



