Evening star., 1939-09-02
Sign Language System
Is Devised for Use
OF Children
Universal Method
Urged at Meeting
Of Scientists
By THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star Stan Correspondent.

MaiD.-A universal sign Ian
guage, to be taught all children as
q form of play and based on the
system of gestures which he be-
lieves was mans first method of
communication. was proposed to the
British Association for the Advance
ment of Science, meeting here to-
day. by Sir Richard Paget, noted
expert on the origins of language.
He has worked out such system
atized sign language, he said
Originally he had intended it only
for the use of the deaf especially
deaf children. The present sign
language for their use. he said, is
highly artificial, is not learned
naturally, is full of arbitrary SYM
bols, and is not based on anything
instructive with human beings.
He would bring into use word
less world language somewhat SIM
liar, although even less artificial, to
the sign language of the American
Indians before they came into con-
tact with white men. Different
tribes spoke totally different tongues,
English and Chinese. Yet the ac-
companying system of signs not
only transcribed tribal lines but
was understood by every Indian
from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Natural System Of Pantomime.
Man did not come into the world
talking animal" Sir Richard
stressed. For countless generations
he believes. human beings communi-
Gated with each other by means of
natural system of pantomime,
which probably would have been
understood anywhere. These nat
ural movements of the hands and
fingers he explained probably were
accompanied by meaningless sym
pathetic vocal gabble." with sounds
initiated from nature, but which
were far from being systematized
as words.
There were no symbols in this
language, he said. It was intensely
realistic. Primitive man meant ex-
actly what he gestured and nothing
else, his world, of course, being con-
fined to his immediate neighbor-
hood
This ancient human being. Sir
Richard stressed. had no abstract
ideas which are necessary as foun-
dation for all but the most ele-
mentary sort of culture Civil
zation began" he said when man
became an artist and thus learned
the trick of symbolizing things,
qualities, actions. etc. one at a time
Prior to that he did not use speech.
It has been suggested that primi-
tive men drew before they talked.
Mans earliest drawings. represent
ing the animals he wanted, or the
events he wished to bring about,
were his first form Of prayer, True
speech and thought arose as man
developed systematic gestural signs
expressing objects actions and
qualities
Depend on Gestures.
Some of the most primitive of
living men are still at about this
stage, he pointed out. This is espe-
Cially true of the Arunta tribe of
black men in Central Australia.
Although they use words to some
extent, the meaning of these de-
pends largely on the gestures which
accompany them, and they have
hardly developed such an abstract
Idea as that of numbers. Explorers
report, Sir Richard said, that the
thinking of these people still is
largely in terms of events.
1t is probable. he believes. that
the average child coming into the
world Is in much this same cultural
stage. The language of the infant
is gesture accompanied by wordless
gabble. Surrounded by persons
using highly developed language,
however, the child soon learns to
understand words and express itself
in them, It is different, he said.
with the deaf mute child immersed
In an everlasting silence.
Thinks in Terms of Events.
Experiments show, he said that
the deaf mute child naturally thinks
in terms of events in much the same
way as does the Central Australian.
Ltlb W IllfflS6ll lie WOuIQ u6FelOp
gesture language which would be
comprehensive to the parents and
probably to most other persons. Due
to false system Of education which
has grown up. he said, the child is
discouraged from using this natural
language He is drilled in an arbi-
trary and unsystematic sign Ian
guage which is difficult for anybody
and which normal persons cannot
understand without special training
The gesture language which he is
developing out of the primitive hui
man movements, he declared, would
naturally be understood by nearly
every one. are such as children nor
mally use in play, and would be
easy to systematic. They would be
taught. so far as teaching would be
necessary, entirely in the form of
games
Besides providing an auxiliary
universal language, he declared, the
system would enable the mind of a
child born deaf to develop normally
so that he eventually might be
taught to speak by much the same
process of development by which
human beings first became talking
animals