The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-12-08
FEsTAL ORIGIN OF SPEECH.
The sounds of Singi X, Chanting and Re-
joicing Preceded Language.

The sounds of Singi x, Chanting and Re-
Joicing Preceded Language.
Aborigines are found uttering meas
ured sounds with no meaning at all for
hours; sometimes the sounds possess the
meaning of a single word, or again the
meaning of a phrase. But in every case
the sounds appear capable of firing the
imagination with the deepest meanings
Can this phenomenon be interpreted?
Can 1t be made out why feeling and
imagination gather around musical
sounds and measured movements the
more freely, the lower is the stage of
human development? This paper is
written in the belief and with the in
tention of showing that it can.
1t is well known that the conditions
of feeling and activity out OF which we
find music growing everywhere partalse
of festal character. In their most ex-
citing and animated forms these condi-
tions belong to tribal glorifcation over
the achievements of heroic ancestors
or mythical gods; but apart from this,
birth, puberty, marriage, death, the
success of hunting or marauding expe-
dition, in short every event of life and
nature which awakens the reflection
that distinguishes man from brutes, Is
dwelt on through the means of festal ex-
citem mt, and is thereby connected with
the measured sounds and movements
OF aboriginal music. Now what good
were measured sounds amid the wild
excitement of the festal players? They
could bring no distinct message to the
mind and certainly they could bring no
alcoholic fumes to the brain, although
the behavior of the festal players under
their influen ce often bears the stamp
OF intoxicatio n. What was there in
measured sounds which could so we'll
appeal to the savage nature that they
are found to be deeply engraved in the
habits of festal utterance and move
ment of every known tribe.
Surprising that articulate speech were
still only possibility of the future.
the readiest means for making absorb
ing sounds would be the vocal organs
What scope OF variety and contrast
lay in these! There were the various
changes of stress consequent upon the
most trifl;ng jerk of body or abnormal
muscles; the changes of pitch and
timbre consequent upon the modifica-
ton of position in the vocal organs;
and lastly, but m ost important of all,
the varie ties and contrasts of articula-
ton VIII ich lay in the power of fauces,
tongue, pa late, teeth and lips. The fix
ing of the vocal utterances would de-
pend most on those who devoted them
selves most completely to the festal i'm
pulses Their impulses to realize the
mighty actions Of the great men of
their horde with all the detail po' sible.
and to preserve the regularly recurring
movements and uttcrances in their
habitual order would be followed with
most zeal by specially clever actors
The ecstatic results of the reverie of
absorption would be felt most by these,
and lead them to make the greatest
efforts TO furnish the sounds to sustain
it These would most keenly feel the
disturbance caused when group of
syllables which had been associated
repeatedly with one action was pro-
duced with another. The actors would
try to keep particular groups of sylla-
bles in regular connection with particu-
lar actions. Articulate sounds would
hence come to represent particular
ideas, and their utterance would serve
to recall them j. Donovan, in London
Mind