Ok, to start, i am tone deaf. (really, truly)
second, i am hampered in written communication, because my dyslexia often robs me of the ability to read 'tone' clearly (a glaring example? i don't think P.G. Woodhouse is funny when read)

but i agree, humans communicate in music, (and even a person like myself, who has trouble with music,) they are, (or can be) emotional stirred (in a reasonable consistant way) by musical performences. (even i get the message. a bit crudely perhaps, the fine detail that others hear, i miss)

as for language, (spoken language) i often comprehend far beyond my 'ability'(vocabulary) in the tone used in spoken language --and i get (the message) far beyond understanding in words.

i don't speak (never did) Yidish, but when i was younger (and lived in a community where yidish was commonly spoken) i also attended (ok, only once) a play performed in yidish, and 'got it' i understood enough of the language to be able to follow the play (ok, so it was a comedy, and a pretty simple plot)

today, spanish is nuch more common in my life, and i understand spanish frequently.. (two building workers will be speaking to each other in spanish, and i will understand the conversation (and this is often dull maintenece stuff, not gossip, but "how'd the job go, with the lights? any problems?" sort of stuff- i am amazed at how much spanish i 'understand'

and i think a percentage of that understanding has to do with the 'music' of the language.

some years ago, on NOVA(more than 15!) there was a program on sound value's. a group of people (college kids mostly, but others too) were asked to, with buzzer/noise maker similar to a door bell, --a single toned door bell--to make noises that sounded happy, sad, angry, fearful, -a whole range of emotions.

they did--and in a fairly consistant way. by making light taps, or pressing down heavy, or fluttering noises, there was a somewhat (about 75% or so) of an agreement, that certain noises --that was really all the buzzer could make was noise, not music-- evoked emotionaly responses.

i don't have the language or the musical training (or the innate skill) to understand music the way musick does. nor have i ever read anything (or seen anything) about a 'language' of music that is somewhat universal.

or is it cultural, do we learn the happy, sad, angry noises that our culture has agreed on?--with different noises having different meanings in other musical heritages?

but there are enough here, who are not only language mavins, but musical as well, and a discussion here might (might? who am i kidding!) be often beyond my comprehension, i suspect i would read it, in fits and starts, and my handicaps of language would not totally rob me of the ability to acheive a better understanding of both music and language.

my other obsession