Bells, the loudspeakers of the human voice
Bells are instruments which allow a combination of sounds, musical phrases and the transmission of simple messages at a volume and distance which the human voice cannot reach but the human ear can hear easily. They can also convey sensations and feelings of joy, danger, duty and sorrow which are easy to understand for most people. They are the loudspeakers of the human voice.
Like glyphs, which use easily understood ideograms and do not need a specific language as a base and can be structured without a grammar, the sound of metals uses sound symbols which appeal to the senses and can be understood by people who speak different languages with no need of grammar.
Given their capacity for communication, as they function with peals that are similar to phonemes and can reach levels that can be heard at a greater distance than the human voice, bells must have developed in a way that is somehow parallel to that of early writing: a system of sound language which reaches a long way in space while writing is a system of communication which reaches a long way in time.
As musical instruments, they can play melodies which are recognised by certain human groups who identify with or are excluded by them, thus creating identities.