登陆注册
4906100000285

第285章

In the notes added to the second edition he remarks on Max Muller's denial of thought without words, "what a strange definition must here be given to the word thought!" (Op. cit. page 135, footnote 63.) He naturally finds the origin of language in "the imitation and modification of various natural sounds, the voices of other animals, and man's own instinctive cries aided by signs and gestures (op. cit. page 132.)...As the voice was used more and more, the vocal organs would have been strengthened and perfected through the principle of the inherited effects of use; and this would have reacted on the power of speech." (Op. cit. page 133.) On man's own instinctive cries, he has more to say in "The Expression of the Emotions". (Page 93 (Popular Edition, 1904) and elsewhere.) These remarks have been utilised by Prof. Jespersen of Copenhagen in propounding an ingenious theory of his own to the effect that speech develops out of singing. ("Progress in Language", page 361, London, 1894.)For many years and in many books Max Muller argued against Darwin's views on evolution on the one ground that thought is impossible without speech;consequently as speech is confined to the human race, there is a gulf which cannot be bridged between man and all other creatures. (Some interesting comments on the theory will be found in a lecture on "Thought and Language"in Samuel Butler's "Essays on Life, Art and Science", London, 1908.) On the title-page of his "Science of Thought" he put the two sentences "No Reason without Language: No Language without Reason." It may be readily admitted that the second dictum is true, that no language properly so-called can exist without reason. Various birds can learn to repeat words or sentences used by their masters or mistresses. In most cases probably the birds do not attach their proper meaning to the words they have learnt;they repeat them in season and out of season, sometimes apparently for their own amusement, generally in the expectation, raised by past experience, of being rewarded for their proficiency. But even here it is difficult to prove a universal negative, and most possessors of such pets would repudiate indignantly the statement that the bird did not understand what was said to it, and would also contend that in many cases the words which it used were employed in their ordinary meaning. The first dictum seems to be inconsistent with fact. The case of deaf mutes, such as Laura Bridgeman, who became well educated, or the still more extraordinary case of Helen Keller, deaf, dumb, and blind, who in spite of these disadvantages has learnt not only to reason but to reason better than the average of persons possessed of all their senses, goes to show that language and reason are not necessarily always in combination. Reason is but the conscious adaptation of means to ends, and so defined is a faculty which cannot be denied to many of the lower animals. In these days when so many books on Animal Intelligence are issued from the press, it seems unnecessary to labour the point. Yet none of these animals, except by parrot-imitation, makes use of speech, because man alone possesses in a sufficient degree of development the centres of nervous energy which are required for the working of articulation in speech. On this subject much investigation was carried on during the last years of Darwin's life and much more in the period since his death. As early as 1861 Broca, following up observations made by earlier French writers, located the centre of articulate speech in the third left frontal convolution of the brain. In 1876 he more definitely fixed the organ of speech in "the posterior two-fifths of the third frontal convolution" (Macnamara, "Human Speech", page 197, London, 1908.), both sides and not merely the left being concerned in speech production. Owing however to the greater use by most human beings of the right side of the body, the left side of the brain, which is the motor centre for the right side of the body, is more highly developed than its right side, which moves the left side of the body. The investigations of Professors Ferrier, Sherrington and Grunbaum have still more precisely defined the relations between brain areas and certain groups of muscles.

同类推荐
  • 太上升玄消灾护命妙经注

    太上升玄消灾护命妙经注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 商子

    商子

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 议处安南事宜

    议处安南事宜

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 翻译名义集

    翻译名义集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 金刚般若经依天亲菩萨论赞略释秦本义记

    金刚般若经依天亲菩萨论赞略释秦本义记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 拐个男主跟我走

    拐个男主跟我走

    甘棠(甘行露):“嘿嘿嘿,帅哥跟不跟本女神走啊?保你吃香的喝辣的!”搓了搓手,看着面前的男人。薄言一脸冷漠,不为所动的别开脸表示自己拒绝!甘棠立刻大吼,“慕扶苏!上钢管!”于是乎,甘棠手上突然变出一根钢管,她对着薄言的脑袋快狠准的下手!等薄言晕了过去之后,一边拖着他走一边说,“敬酒不吃吃罚酒,非要老子把你敲晕才知道错!”(1v1,360°无死角甜宠,听说男人听了沉默女人听了落泪!!
  • 重生之末日大熊猫

    重生之末日大熊猫

    每周五更两章,他因而因为患癌症,本因此死去,但却重生为一只熊猫,且看屌丝男,如何在末世时代,住豪宅,有美女。
  • 模拟江湖

    模拟江湖

    身怀叶孤城和西门吹雪的绝世剑法,在武侠世界里做一个浪子吧。——剑如明月皎皎,剑如新月入心。
  • 诸天通行

    诸天通行

    【新书《诸天福报》已经发布,求收藏!!!】夏天,深夜,酷爱看诸天流小说的张伟,感叹了一句:“要是我也能有一个能穿梭诸天的金手指就好了!”然后,他收到了一条短信:“您的快件已送到你家门口,请注意及时查收!”
  • 鸡助系统要你何用

    鸡助系统要你何用

    某年某日,有名帅气帝境大佬半空落下跌入湖中。无意激活一系统,如同鸡助的氪金系统。一帝一系统,纨绔行走灵元域开始成就天道之路“圣境以下没有我一个眼神搞不定的,如果有就吃我一拳。”
  • 琼心醉

    琼心醉

    仗剑一笑醉红尘,这纷繁尘世,只你一人心足矣。帝姬琼函,娇艳如花,妩媚不可方物。身为皇后独女,深得皇上宠爱。公主未必是草包美人,驸马切莫自以为是,缘份才是王道。
  • 那些妙趣横生的故事(每天读一点英文)

    那些妙趣横生的故事(每天读一点英文)

    《每天读一点英文·那些妙趣横生的故事》是一套与美国人同步阅读的中英双语丛书。特点有三:内文篇目收录了最精彩、最新鲜的笑话;“实战提升”部分,包括单词和词组、知道不知道,让你捧腹大笑的同时,丰富知识面; 附赠地道美语朗读MP3光盘。 本书幽默逗趣,文字浅显易懂,让你笑着学英文!
  • 道门诡事之盗脸

    道门诡事之盗脸

    身边接二连三地发生一桩桩离奇诡异的事件,到处都是死人,是变态杀人狂?还是只是巧合?正当留白经历着一次又一次的恐惧的时候一个人的出现颠覆了他现在的生活?寻找,探险!一次次,等待他们的是一个又一个的谜团还是让人无法接受的相……
  • 黑千金与白少爷

    黑千金与白少爷

    帝德:我们的女儿真漂亮,你看看她的那双大眼睛,着实像极了你。欧阳苏:那是,我们的的女儿不漂亮,以后还怎么嫁人。帝德:你丫。女孩儿的父母年少超级宠爱他们的女儿,至此希望他们的女人嫁给白,不用走他们的老路,直到遇到了他…
  • 穿到女尊肿么办

    穿到女尊肿么办

    这是一个每每作妖儿都被男友无情镇压的不得志二货妹子穿到女尊的故事!女尊文,1v1,非男生子,非诚勿扰,不喜勿入!