Chapter 1: The Origins of Language
Source: The Study of Language(book)
Divine Source
Many religions have received language as a gift from Higher Being- God. Meaning every religion has their own origin of language and their own theory to prove it
+ Bible context: After God created the first human, Adam, God gave Adam the voice which we conceived as language. Adam afterward named every animal the name that we have come to know as it is today.
+ Qur'an (Islam): The language given to the Islam were believed to be directly given by their god-Allah.
+ Hindu beliefs: originated from Sarasvati, the goddess of knowledge, arts, and wisdom. She is the wife of lord Brahma.
- Throughout the time, several experiments were conducted to understand the start of language. Mostly utilized the untouched minds of children to get a grasp of some information.
Pharaoh Psammetichus (Egypt): two newborn babies raised under a mute shepherd with goats. They utter the Phrygian word bekos.
Emperor Akbar the Great (Mogul): like Psammetichus. This time, the children spoke Hebrew.
King James the Fourth (Scotland): the babies were arranged to grow in the absence of language. Therefore, they produced no speech afterwards.
=> All the children raised in these experiments did NOT communicate regarding their original language.
-Scientists have also pointed out that as the child grows up without having any kind of contact with the human language, they grew up to become mute.
Natural Sound Source:
- If the human auditory system was functioning before birth, humans depended on sounds already present in the environment for communication. Later, they associated specific meanings with these sounds, developing language by imitating those natural sounds.
"Bow-wow" theory: Humans imitate natural sounds and use them to refer to those sounds, a linguistic phenomenon known as onomatopoeia. However, onomatopoeia cannot replicate sounds/words that carry an abstract concept that do not exist in natural environment.
"Pooh-pooh" theory: Sounds that people make often represent strong emotions. However, they are likely accidental due to sudden air intake and/or outtake.
Social Interaction Source:
"Yo-He-Ho" theory: People believe that the sounds developed during physical activities involving individuals or groups are the origin of language. Coordinated hums, grunts, and groans from activities like hunting, protecting, and lifting trees functioned as a way for the community to operate safely.
=>Shows the human language has progression in a social context. However, not fully capable of communication, does not explain how the sounds were originated and only useable as social calls.
Physical Adaptation Source:
-Humans ancestral evolutions have had a major transition to upright posture and bipedal-locomotion. Thus, allowing the breathing to have long articulations. Certain features such as some consonant-like sounds were found in the reconstructed vocal tract.
Teeth and Lips: Different from primates, human teeth adapt to an even out and upright form for more suitable in grinding and chewing food. These features easily create the sounds /f/ and /v/. The lips have more flexible and intricate muscles interlacing, making the sounds /p/, /b/ and /m/.
Mouth and Tongue: Noticeably reduced compared to other primates’ mouth, allowing to open and close swiftly. Along with an extended vocal tract of an L-shape which stands out from other mammals. Accompanied with a shorter, thicker, and more muscular tongue capable of shaping a wide range variety of sounds.
Larynx and Pharynx: The larynx moved to a lower position and fixed in an upright posture, creating a longer cavity ; known as a pharynx, a resonator boosting range of sounds for the larynx.
Tool-Making Source:
Tool making:
- Two million years ago, humans had gained the ability to create stone tools by manipulating and altering objects. It was not sufficient for humans to simply hold one rock to produce a tool, instead, they needed to bring two rocks together to establish proper contact and craft one. This process of toolmaking serves as evidence of the active functioning of the human brain.
Human brain:
-Large and lateralized, the left hemisphere is responsible for the functions of complex vocalization and object manipulation. It may have developed the naming ability first for producing consistent noise, then bring another specific noise to build a complex message.
Genetic Source:
- Innateness hypothesis: When a child was born deaf due to mutation, they acquire the skills of sign-language and later becomes fluent in it. Humans have a special capacity for language, but it varies differently.
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