The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-01
SiMiAN LEXICON.
The Compiler Thinks that lie Has Secured
the Monkey Vocabulary.

] Inc MONKEY ofabuidrA.
Dr.R.L. Garner Of Roanoke. Va, is con
WINGED Of the fact that monkeys have ar
.iculaie speech like that Of human beings
ami differing from the latter only in develop
menl. lie has been experimenting Of lail
with the eraphophone. securing "a record o
! sqIeaks and chickering's by one monkey, an,
subsequently grinding them ont through
trumpet for the benefit OF another monkey
in order 90 observe what remarks wer,
elected from the second monkey i'm response
In this way Doe ha, hoped 20 gradually max,
up a lexicon of the monkey language, whici
would probably not be very yOluminOus, in
a5much as the simian vocabulary does moi
appear tO contain more than about forty
words. The Doctor thinks that he has Sc
cured five of them.
The othorday Dr. Garner suffered % severe
pang IN consequence OF misunderstood
ing incidental 10 correspondence which
DE bias been conducting with The smithson-
ian Institution apropOs of flism0nkey bust.
ness. lie sent letter 90 Dr. Baker Of the
Smithsonian in the usual business form IN
the shape a "a graphOphOne cylinder. begin
ming: "R1anOke, Va. Nv Dear sir. &c.
Dr. Baker put the cylinder upon his own
graphOphone, knowing by the superscIip-
ton on the envelope hat if was from Dr.
Garner, and turned on the clc,trOm0t0r at
tached with much interest. and anticipating
some communication OF importance regard
ing monkey talk.
Unfortunately be put ON the cyclinder
wrong end foremost. the result being that
Df. Fafhel s letter came out backward. DIR.
Baker up tO this time had been skeptic
REGARDING tine theory Of the gentleman from
Roanoke. bat upon hearing this rendering
posed % WAS monkey record and became
at once convinced that there was more in
the idea than be had originally supposed.
Tie even went so far as 10 say that there
was am unmstakable semblance Of articu-
late speech in the record, although he was
unable % understand the remarks.
Dr. Garner was in town three DAYS ago
and enlightened Dr.. Blkeron the subject.
after the latter expert in zoology and his
assistants had ground oh the supposed
monkey talk in tha manner described some
scores of times. lie explained that there
Was something jan the idea after all. as UNI
intcnto1at adopted by his friend. mas
much as Doh the case there was am illu-tra
ton TO Doe found ofeloluiion backward from
the language ol man 60 monkeys.
Dr. 1uher said To star reporter the
other day tuat iu his opinion monkey talk
WAS quite highly developed .peeeh. COM
-ldornc the fact that the monkey has no
such facilities for the development of Ian
suage as are enjoyed by human beings.
As heeXpres-cd 10. the speech of monkeys
is almost wholly Yo,O. so. for that mat
ter. 1.-THE human infants But it must DE re-
memharcd That the child has the supcriorad
vantage OF education Tor its vocal organs
from the cradle. not o. mention an hcredI-
tary experience Of the Use OF those or,un,
throlgH ever so m any generations. When
YOU near am ignorant person speak of "iu-
slnct' ln animals. you ought u know that
he means hereditary and Transmitted cN-
perlence en- practice. IL seem. wonderful
under the circumstances. that the more iu-
telli-ent monkeys should have so many as
forty words. approximately speaking. 40
their command
ln trying o. lind out what monkey
SAYS, ace riding 90 DIR. Garner. there /,
difficulty. lp begin with. from the yer, r,cf
thdt ihe c'nsuuaut elements Oi ITS language
are absent. W hat if has 90 say iseXpr s.Dl
ON squraks ANA other sounds not t0 ho COM
pretended oi-haud. Undoubtedly. there
.s monkey word furiood; bat is not io
Doe expressed ln type otherwise than Dos
phrdsin- D. in ibis wise: "G-D-t-f sharp-e.''
That Dives notion 0t the word To- any Der
son who knows music; 10 can hardly Dee
conveyed Otherwise.
-tahN tua' nNAlu 10 Il monkey ana 10 VIII /
always respond iu some fashion. because IL |
knows that food of some sort Is meant. The |
other four word, which DR.. Garner b1. |
thus far secured for Boil, monkey lexicon aro /
pain "satisiaction," fear" and "mpn- |
ac ~ II is simply question. he thinks. of /
goin- from this point and discovering tlcI
other words OF the vocabulary of our ar. /
boreal cousins.
Ii seems, as no states the fact. that I'M the
monosy vocabulary of MONKEYS there /
are mo- negatives. Furthermore. emphasis
Is made I'm no other fashion IA u by the re-
petition OF one utterance. Also single
llierance slightly varied means mant
nlngS, accen,uatiOn Transforming noun.
INTO verbs, and SD on. one object Of The iu-
.esugallon Of this subject is 10 discover
whether monkey talk represents the Incl
iiency OF human language as 10 exist,
o-day or not. One thing Or. Garner think
cry certain namely, thar the language OF
monkeys at present is as well deyeloued as
S the animal ITSELF compared with CIVILIZED
nan.
lexicon OF monkey words Cnce obtained
Dr.. Garner believes that 10 Will Dee practical
lie 10 establish intelligent commun cation
vita monkeys, aud asto the possibilities 10
e secured in This way OF humaniZing the
apes IN particular, only the Wild
Il spcculaiiOGs can be indulged.- Wash
lgt0n star.