The Wichita daily eagle., 1893-02-01
lIIlIfl E'a'1Ir
HAVE ANIMALS A LANGUAGe7
Not Understood. But Science IneIInes to
Believe That It Exists.

Believe That 1t Exists.
It used 70 be told in the fairy stale
that ths hero could hear the grass
grow and speak with the animals. In
reality IL is not likely that we shall
ever develop the sense of hearing
sufficiently to hear the grass grow, but
it is quite likely that we shall be able
TO converse with the beasts of the
feldS But do the beasts have
ianguage2 He would be bold, indeed,
who would deny it point blank. We
observe all around US too many indica-
tions of conscious communication be-
tween them to have right to say mo"
absolutely. To be sure some animals
are silent, totally, it seems. But may
they not convey their thoughts" in
some wav, for instance, as the deaf
mutes do? Or may they not use z
secret language, one like that of lovers,
employing gestures and loeksf When
we speak of language in this connec-
tion it must be understood that we do
not mean srtAculate speech. We take
the word in its broadest sense as an
expression for the means of mental
communication existing between one
creature and another. A sound or
gesture made by an animal under any
mental or emotional impression, and
calling cut a similar one in another ami
NAL. is an element of language When
the rabbit (Lepus cuniculus) quickly
beats the ground its fellow rsb-
bits know that there is danger
somewhere and they take &C
ton accordingly. That is rabbit
language When the hunter initiates
the rabbit and thus conveys the same
ideas, he Is speaking" the rabbit lam
guage for the time being. Many ami
mails use signs, which of course are un-
derstood through the eyes The ants
converse by touching antenne and feet
many insects rub the elytra This is
animal language in its simplest form
It expresses but few ideas But there
are animals which are capable OF mod
ulatiBg their voices" Even the COM
mon rabbits, which seem to be mute,
are constantly making sounds, which
little observation will soon discover to
be ever changing in volume, modula-
ton, etc Much Of this method of COM
muBicabion changes when the animal is
brought into civilization from the wild
state The wild dog, for instance,
barks very little when in freedom
How the household dog barks and is
able to express himself is well known.
1t has been observed that if the tanned
dog is taken back TO the wild state he
loses his voice. These sounding
voices" are produced in the animal
throat in a way similar to human Ian
gp2ge. but are not voices" proper, nor
Languages" proper, and yet they are
fu-i Of psychological expression and re-
veal the animals psychic states. If we
tickle a chimpanzee in the armpit the
touch produces grin Oh the face sim
liar TO that Of a msa under like circum-
stances; he also emits laughter-like
sounds The same is the case with the
The gorilla knits the
lsow when angry, just like men. We
often observe in apes complete change
in the facial muscles when something
is going to happen, be it agreeable or
bic IL is also with the child !
In the apes there is evidently the same |
between the facial muscles /
and vocal muscles as IN man.
If animals are able to express every
dea they have Why not slloE them d
language? To be sure, a very undevel-
)ped language, yet relatively no further
from civilization than that Of Pesheran,
which in European ears sounds like
animal screams and yells Bechstein
1as noted that the chafinch expresses
4 Joyous emotion by a single sharp
Fink" and anger by "Fink-Fiuls-
Finkl" sorrow and sympathy by "Trif
-Trif" HouZeau has found that the
sommoR hen has at least ten distinct
sounds well understood bY the chick
EMS Rengger observed that the long
tailed cebus of South America expressed !
3stonishment by sound between whis- |
Ting and screeching, impatience by re-
oeating "hul hu!7 and that he had a /
peculiar scream for pain or fear Dar- |
win thought he observed ten distinct |
ounds in the same ape, all of which /
allied forth corresponding states of /
mind In other apes Brehm saws the I
same. However, why quote the learned? /
We have all, in everyday life, observed .
something similar. DIR. Gamers ex- |
periments in the Simian language are |
, so known One must however, guard .
rainst the belief that monkeys possess !
an articulated language. About some /
it can hardly be said that they .
possess an articulate language. The /
Bushmen speak in a sort of articulated /
voici-g" and must add gestures to /
make themselves understood. On the |
,ther hand, the raven, the thrush, the !
nocking- bird. the starting. etc. express |
themselves IN well-articulated sounds. |
The parrots articulate in a surprising |
manner though they do not understand /
he - suing of their own words. This |
hows that other living beings beside /
nan possess the necessary organs for /
circulated sounds. The apes of DIR. |
farmer seem to possess articulation, ac- |
'ording to bis reports, but their voca b. |
Harry is extremely limited As regards |
his point however. it can be said that, |
ven among civilized peoples, very !
mibed voca bularies are found. A !
'rench peasant, whose sphere of |
hought IS not very wide, gets along
with 900 words, while a philosopher
VII use twenty times as many. The
Did Testament only uses 5,642 words:
'hskspere $4,000, and Voltaire 20, 600.
n view Of this, why should an ape not
,e satisfied with twenty? Garuer's ex-
'erimentS must needs be verified by
many anatomical and physiological ex-
limitations, for Broca mas, IS it seems,
'roved absolutely that articulated lam
-uage depends upon certain convolu-
ions Of the brain, particularly on the