' The Psychology of Words '
Cyril Burt
Man is the only animal that uses words. But most of the animals that have ears as well as mouths express their feelings by noises as well as by movements. Language is simply a refined development of these emotional cries. We ourselves use words far more frequently to express our emotions, or to excite emotion in others, than to state facts or formulate a theory. Words, therefore, are emotional noises which have become conventionalised into signs or symbols. Used as names, they can stand for things or thoughts as well as for wishes and feelings. Hence in civilised man language is not merely a mode of communicating with others, but a means of thinking out things for oneself. This is the gist of the talk to be given by that popular broadcaster and well-known psychologist, Professor Cyril Burt , of University College, London.