Beginnings and Ends
finest word in the world if uttered by an idiot has no meaning and therefore no being; it conveys nothing from one idiot to another. It may be pronounced perfectly, clearly written or plainly printed, yet it can not exist as a word apart from mind. If the absolute exists, it may be found in the subjectivity of words.
One of the early stages of speech passed through man’s desire to communicate with his fellows. It hardly had satisfied this purpose when it aspired, as it were, to a higher: that of aiding thought. In a parallel manner, writing arose above the level of the communicating of ideas to the function of better thinking. And here it is interesting to note that as writing (and printing) becomes more general the gestural element of language becomes more restricted.
Early in the history of language, signs and sounds co-operated to increase the effectiveness of both. The organs of speech aided by others, especially those of sight and hear-
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