Omaha daily bee., 1919-12-14
By MARGERY REX.

Jones jane, SuD-deO OF nVe moons
or 50. Now, the two gossiping
mothers probably don't know it, but
their busy offspring have code of
conversation all their own that only
other babies understand.
In fact. the language of>babyhood
numbers eight distinct sounds that
mean eight important things, not to
mention all the wigwags that can be
flashed when words or sounds fail.
For example, young Mr.. Brown
may beat upon his mothers tired
temples and emit a self-satished
grunt. This may be broadly inter
preted as meaning. My mothers
better than yours" This is the
sound of pleasure or satisfaction
Whereupon it is certainty that
Miss Jane will let out the note of
discomfort which may be, roughly
speaking, We'll, don't let us detain
you, then"
Strange Seattle Case.
Science presents the theory Of
speech that is fundamental and
based on primary needs, which is ex-
emplihed by the prattle OF childhood
before actual language is taught
From Seattle comes the story OF
two children, reared none too gent
ly by hermit father, William Ross,
who seems not to have cared
whether his 10-year-old boys ever
learned to talk or not. Public att
thorities informed of the situation
took the children in charge and they
report, after tests, that, although
the youngsters are possessed of all
the normal mental faculties of other
children, they are unable to speak
any word of any civilized tongue.
Yet the two are able to communi
cate with each other by means of
queer sounds and signals.
h DR.. Richard Garner, eminent scien-
list and explorer, who has made
study of language and means Of
communication used by civilized hui
man beings, savage tribes and ami
mails. has some theories to offer re-
garding the case of the two children
of Seattle and of the growth of lam
guage.
Use Eight Sounds.
81 cannot understand how any two
children in large family could be
so totally lacking in speech as the
two sons Of William Koss of Seat
tie, whose case has been reported
recently" said DR.. Garner.
1.-THE family is supposed to have
consisted of six children. And six
could have developed better means
of communication than these partic-
ular two seem to have at present
Speech is a development that be-
comes conventionalized as neces-
sary. |
mo speech in existence exceeds
the bonds of mental speculation.
The activities of the mind are the
limits of speech.
Speech is. materialized thought
thought made tangible.
Speech develops in this fashion.
The baby before he is taught lam
euage can express himself by
sounds-eight different sounds, to be
exact-which adults do not always
interpret correctly, but which any
other baby understands. \
Nationality No Bar.
put Chinese baby beside an
American or French baby or child
OF any, other race, and each will TN
derstand the sounds mace by the
other.
There is a sound for comfort, for
discomfort, for pain and hunger.
my friend, DR.. Winfield Scott
Hall, of Northwestern, took up my
work with the speech of animals
and developed this theory that chill
drerr> are born with certain funda-
mental essential sounds.
"He saws that the sounds are ex-
pressions of different concepts OF
consciousness.
guage, and children grow out OF the
method gradually as they become &C
cus.omed to conventional language.
Growing older, child reduplieates
q sound. -. |,
"The baby first pronounces a sim
gle syllable, 'muh,' or ma
"A few months later he redupli-
Gates it and says 'muhmuh' or
mama
Speech Develops Slowly. 1,
"He may happen to be looking at
his mother when he says mama, /
and his utterance is hailed with de-
light. Then he learns the associa-
ton Of ideas; thatsthis sound is to
be placed along with his mother.
And by the many joining Of sounds E
to faces, places and things speech is I
developed slowly.
,"The child would have as surely c
said mama if the mother were not
there, though, and the sound does {
not originally apply to the parent.
children in African jungles make
the very same sounds, but are not !
necessarily taught to use the same
sound in connection with the same
"The making of first sounds is alb
solutely ntuitive on the baby's part
Speech is a convention and must I
be taught in a constructive way. j
Animals Have Speech. 4
animals have speech made up of I
sounds, but are unable to carry on !
long conversations which they do y
not need, for their requirements and ?
are of the most ele- Il
type. d
"In regard to the isolated chill +
iren of Seattle again, / merely want
TO say that | measure people only D
with my own yardstick, y
81, too, have been a hermit. For D
seven years | lived in the bush in
Africa, where | was the only white
person. But in such situation one
Toes not lose the desire to speak. as o
s claimed for the hermit father Ii