Essay on the Origin of Languages, Melody and Musical Imitation/Jean Jacques Rousseau. New Delhi, Global Vision, 2006, viii, 139 p., ISBN 81-8220-137-3.

    Contents: Preface. Introduction. 1. The various means of communicating our thoughts. 2. That the first invention of speech is due not to the needs but to the passions. 3. That the first language must have been figurative. 4. Of the distinctive characteristics of the first language and of the changes it must have undergone. 5. Of writing. 6. Whether it is likely that homer knew how to write. 7. Of modern prosody. 8. General and local differences in the origin of languages. 9. The formation of southern languages. 10. The formation of the languages of the north. 11. Reflections on these differences. 12. The origin of music. 13. Of melody. 14. Of harmony. 15. That our liveliest sensations often act by way of moral impressions. 16. False analogy between colors and sounds. 17. A musicians' error that is harmful to their art. 18. That the musical system of the Greeks has no relation whatsoever to ours. 19. How music degenerated. 20. The relation of languages to governments. 21. Idea of the method in the composition of a book. Index.

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