THE ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE AND SOUND
Communication by using language evolved slowly, and three
primary sounds emerged fairly universally. The sound “ee”
was used for to express this sense of threat, fear or
emotional stress. The more relaxed “aah” sound was (and
still is) an expression of comfort and satisfaction. The “oo”
the sound expressed pain or discomfort of some kind. These
letters became the primary vowels. Consonants slowly
emerged from the primordial grunts of human
communication.
One of the oldest languages to have survived up to today
with its traditions intact is Hebrew. The three letters of the
Hebrew alphabet forming the foundation of the Kabalistic
tree, known as the “mother” letters (Y,H,V,), are associated
with physical parts of the body, in descending order, the
head, the heart, and the abdomen. These different vowel
sounds were used in ancient times to resonate specifically to
different parts of the body, and also to manage the
emotional tone of the prayers using the resonances of the
letters and words themselves. These resonant
contemplations were enhanced by the use of chanted
melodies. Many references to phrases such as “opening your
heart” in the Bible are derived directly from such sonic and
harmonic contemplations linking bodily form to harmonic
tones. The resonances produced in communal prayer
therefore create not only external resonances with the
cosmos, but also a communal resonance among those
participating, as well as internalized resonances focusing the
harmonic vibrations to key areas of the body such as the
heart. In this way the physical body, or parts of the physical
body might be linked, connected with or tuned into the
cosmos, or parts of the cosmos. In the Hebrew prayers (as
well as in other ancient religious traditions) therefore, one
would expect to find frequent use of the “ah” sound. It
should also be noted that the Bible tells us that God
“breathed” life into Adam and the sound of exhaling air is
“aahh”. Therefore this sound resonates directly to God
himself. When the “aahh” sound is added to the 3 mother
letters described above in the form of an H, the very name
of God (in Hebrew) is produced (YHVH), emphasising that
crucial importance of sounds and harmonics in Judaism. In
the same way, the name of God in Islam, Allah, begins and
ends with the very self-same sound.
THE ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE AND SOUND cont.
Of all the grunts and basic sounds used by primitive
humans, it was the vowels that provided and gave meaning
to the consonants. Letters such “n”, “m”, “k”, are basic
sounds but it is the vowels that link these sounds together to
give harmonic resonance to words. It is therefore the vowels
that form the basis of language, linking of the consonants to
form words, giving the words the meaning and even feeling.
It is the harmonics generated by the vowels, uttered with
the physical body, that may resonate into the spiritual
realms. Therefore tuning the vowel sounds particularly is
believed resonate with the different centers of the physical
and the spiritual bodies.
Most ancient cultures and primitive peoples regarded sound
as a creative, generative force associated with the creation
of the Universe, and capable of being harnessed to produce
impossible physical and spiritual feats.
Many primitive cultures were aware of the inherent physical
qualities of sound. It was considered to be a God-given
language.