Part 1 (1/2)
Sign Language A Other Peoples And
by Garrick Mallery
INTRODUCTORY
During the past two years the present writer has devoted the intervals between official duties to collecting and collating e As the few publications on the general subject, possessing ue in expression, original investigation has been necessary
The high develop the tribes of North America, and its continued extensive use by many of them, naturally directed the first researches to that continent, with the result that a large body of facts procured froathered and classified A correspondence has also been established with many persons in other parts of the world whose character and situation rendered it probable that they would contribute valuable inforreat as could have been expected, considering that most of the persons addressed were at distant points sometimes not easily accessible by mail As the collection of facts is still successfully proceeding, not only with reference to foreign peoples and to deaf- sohly exa to be co, therefore, with the request to prepare the present paper, it is necessary to explain to correspondents and collaborators whom it may reach, that this is not the coy for which their assistance has been solicited With this explanation some of those who have already forwarded contributions will not be surprised at their omission, and others will not desist froed, under the impression that its results will not be received in tient appeal for aid before addressed to officers of the Army and Navy of this and other nations, to ists generally, is noith equal urgency repeated It is, indeed, hoped that the continued presentation of the subject to persons either having opportunity for observation or the power to favor with suggestionssome additional interest in it, secure new collaboration from localities still unrepresented
It will be readily understood by other readers that, as the lined to this paper permit the insertion of but a small part of the material already collected and of the notes of study eneral scope of the work undertaken, and not its accomplishment Such extracts froarded as most illustrative, and they are preceded by a discussion perhaps sufficient to be suggestive, though by no ned to be for popular, rather than for scientific use In short, the direction to subraph has been complied with
DIVISIONS OF GESTURE SPEECH
These are corporeal motion and facial expression An atteeneral divisions separately, and its success would be practically convenient if it were always understood that their connection is so intiether severed A play of feature, whether instinctive or voluntary, accentuates and qualifies allinstinctive facial expression is generally accompanied by action of the body or some of its members But, so far as a distinction can be made, expressions of the features are the result of eestures, of intellectual action
The foreneral and the small number of the latter that are distinctively eical causes which do not affect with the sae nu intellectual operations require and admit of more variety and conventionality Thus the features and the body arief, surprise, and shame, but all objective conceptions are varied and variously portrayed Even such simple indications as those for ”no” and ”yes” appear in several differing esture speech necessarily include and suppose facial expression when emotions are in question, they refer more particularly to corporeal motions and attitudes For this reason much of the valuable contribution of DARWIN in his _Expression of the En language His analysis of eestures into those explained on the principles of serviceable associated habits, of antithesis, and of the constitution of the nervous system, should, nevertheless, always be remembered
Even if it does not strictly eestures which form the subject of this paper, and which often have an iestures were doubtless instinctive and generally e pictorial, estures even, as, according to DARWIN's cogent reasoning, they preceded articulate speech
While the distinction above made between the realm of facial play and that of motions of the body, especially those of the arms and hands, is sufficiently correct for use in discussion, it must be admitted that the features do express intellect as well as e of Charles Lamb that ”jokes came in with the candles” is in point, but thedetailed inforiven by the late President TH Gallaudet, the distinguished instructor of deaf-ible, requires to be quoted at length:
”One day, our distinguished and lamented historical painter, Col John Tru the hours of instruction, and, onto the tact which the pupil referred to had of reading my face, he expressed a wish to see it tried I requested hilish, or American history of a scenic character, which wouldpicture on canvas, and said I would endeavor to communicate it to the lad 'Tell him,' said he, 'that Brutus (Lucius Junius) conde his authority and violating his orders'
”I folded my arms in front of me, and kept the any signs or gestures, or of spelling any words on ers, and proceeded, as best I could, by the expression of my countenance, and a few motions of my head and attitudes of the body, to convey the picture in ht to be stated that he was already acquainted with the fact, being fa events in Roan, he knew not from what portion of history, sacred or profane, ancient or e, enuity on the other had to bring it within the division of Roman history, and, still more nated by Colonel Tru on the process, I made no use whatever of any arbitrary, conventional look, motion, or attitude, before settled between us, by which to let him understand what I wished to cole one, if, indeed, it ought to be considered such
”The usual sign, at that ti an aquiline nose by placing the forefinger, crooked, in front of the nose As I was prevented fro considerable coive my nose as much of the aquiline forh for my purpose
”The outlines of the process were the following:
”A stretching and stretching gaze eastward, with an undulatingacross and beyond the Atlantic Ocean, to denote that the event happened, not on the western, but eastern continent This was ress, as it took the subject out of the range of A of the eyes upward and backward, with frequently-repeated reat way back in past time, to denote that the event was one of ancient date
”The aquiline shape of the nose, already referred to, indicating that a Roman was the person concerned It was, of course, an old Ro, as well as I could, by h in authority, and co others, as if he expected to be obeyed
”Looking and acting as if I were giving out a specific order topunishment on those who should resist my authority, even the punishress of events, which I denoted by sleeping as it were during the night and awakening in the nify that several days had elapsed
”Looking with deep interest and surprise, as if at a single person brought and standing beforethat he had violated the order which I had given, and that I knew it Then looking in the sauilty Two offending persons were thus denoted