Next I think it probable that the advance of receptual intelligence
which would have been occasioned by this advance in sign-making would in
turn have led to a development of the latter--the two thus acting and
reacting on each other until the language of tone and gesture became
gradually raised to the level of imperfect pantomime, as in children before
they begin to use words. At this stage, however, or even before it, I think
very probably vowel sounds must have been employed in tone language, if not
also a few consonants. Eventually the action and reaction of receptual
intelligence and conventional sign-making must have ended in so far
developing the former as to have admitted of the breaking up (or
articulation) of vocal sounds, as the only direction in which any
improvement in vocal sign-making was possible." Romanes continues his
sketch by referring to the probability that this important stage in the
development of speech was greatly assisted by the already existing habit of
articulating musical notes, supposing our progenitors to have resembled the
gibbons or the chimpanzees in this respect. Darwin in his great work on the
"Expression of the Emotions" points to the fact that the gibbon, the most
erect and active of the anthropoid apes, is able to sing an octave in
half-tones, and it is interesting to note that Dubois considers his
Pithecanthropus Erectus is on the same stem as the gibbon.
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