Ɛpsilon

To Edward Burnett Tylor   25 June 1870

Down, | Beckenham | Kent. S.E. [6 Queen Anne Street, London]

June 25 1870

My dear Sir

I want to beg the favour of a little information, which no one can give me if you cannot do so. In your Early Hist. 1865 p. 41. you shew that the Cistercian monks used certain signs for friend & a wise man, & that they use an almost exactly opposite sign for enemy & fool, that is for objects of an opposite nature.1 You also shew from Burton that certain savages wave their arms in an opposite manner in affirmation & negation; but this case appears a little doubtful for my object, as I suspect that both the nod of affirmation & the lateral shake of negation have had a natural origin.2

Now what I want to know is whether with the deaf & dumb, when from any cause some sign is used for a certain object, quality &c, whether opposi⁠⟨⁠te⁠⟩⁠ signs are used (apparently merely from being opposite) for objects, qualities &c of an opposite nature3

Would you have the kindness to consider this point & permit me to quote the result of your consideration; whether you know of any or many such cases, or after deliberation do not know of any—

Pray excuse me for troubling you & believe me | yours very faithfully— | Ch. Darwin

LS(A)

1
CD refers to Tylor 1865. There is an annotated copy in the Darwin Library–CUL (see Marginalia 1: 810–11). Two fingers placed at the right side of the nose signified friend; two fingers at the left side of the nose, enemy; the little finger touched to the tip of the nose signified fool; the forefinger in the same position, wise man. CD mentioned the Cistercians’ sign language and cited Tylor in Expression, p. 61 and n. 2.
2
Tylor discussed Native American signs of affirmation and negation in Tylor 1865, p. 38, citing Richard Francis Burton’s The city of the saints (see Burton 1861, p. 127) for his information. CD discussed signs of affirmation and negation in Expression, pp. 273–7.
3
No reply from Tylor has been found, but see the letter from W. R. Scott to E. B. Tylor, 28 June 1870. CD discussed deaf-and-dumb sign language and the use of opposition in Expression, pp. 61–2, citing W. R. Scott 1870: he commented on how few unequivocal instances could be found.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

3.2 any or many] interl in CD’s hand

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7244,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7244