But it has
lately been shown that some animals much lower in the scale than monkeys,
namely, rodents, are able to produce correct musical tones. Therefore the
argument loses force that the progenitors of man probably uttered musical
sounds before they had acquired the power of articulate speech, and that
consequently, when the voice is used under any strong emotion, it tends to
assume through the principle of association a musical character. The work
of anthropologists and linguists, especially the former, supports the
progressive-evolution theory, which, briefly stated, is--that articulate
language is the result of an elaboration in the long procession of ages in
which there occurred three stages--the cry, vocalisation, and articulation.
The cry is the primordial, pure animal language; it is a simple vocal
aspiration without articulation; it is either a reflex expressing needs and
emotions, or at a higher stage intentional (to call, warn, menace, etc.).
Vocalisation (emission of vowels) is a natural production of the vocal
instrument, and does not in itself contain the essential elements of
speech. Many animals are capable of vocalisation, and in the child the
utterance of vowel sounds is the next stage after the cry.
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