ABSTRACT
One main feature of language only comes to light when we compare it with animal cries. Like human beings, many of the higher animals utter audible sounds, and by this means are capable of communicating with their fellows and, in some measure, of doing so intentionally. ‘Many animals emit various sounds to various ends. Cats miaow in very different fashion according as they appeal or complain, show anger or desire. Accordingly, though Darwin was right in recognizing the psychological continuity underlying the use of animal cries and some of the uses of language, he was wrong in seeing a continuity between animal sounds and the phonetic elements of language. As the request for action is typically related to the environment, it is typically not to be found in literature — not in history or philosophy, for example, but in speech and to a lesser degree in drama that mirrors speech.
