HOW SPEECH BEGAN

Hokitika Guardian, 7 March 1929, Page 8

HOW SPEECH BEGAN

——- EARLIEST ATTEAIPTS. Sir Richard Paget described in a lecture at the Royal Institution of Great. Britain last month how insects and animals convey their emotions to one another, and how human speech first came into being. He said that the emotional state was very commonly expressed by sound, as. for example, in the love songs of the crickets and birds, and the howls, purrings, grunts, and growls, the joyful barks and whinnies with which we were all familiar in the animal world. Sir Richard, dealing with the origin of human speech, said: “Primitive man’s rudimentary ideas and intentions were expressed by simple pantomime, mostly by his hands, but with the co-operation of his body. But ah this time man was also developing his arts and crafts. His hands became more and more occupied, and he found it increasingly difficult to talk .with his hands full.’ “Quote unconsciously he began to use his tongue and lips instead ot his bands, l'n Europe the more southern races, leading easier lives with more hand-leisure, have retained many o'! their hand gestures. The northern races, living under more rigorous conditions, have had their hands'too full. The northerners therefore were led to gesticulate almost entirely with tlieii tongues and lips.”