Primary Accounts on the Origin of Language.pdf
0 likes320 views
The document explores various theories regarding the origin of language, including divine, mythological, historical, scientific, physical adaptation, and genetic sources. It discusses notable experimental attempts to uncover language's roots and presents multiple hypotheses, such as the bow-wow, ding-dong, la-la, pooh-pooh, and yo-he-ho theories, which attempt to explain how humans might have developed linguistic abilities. Ultimately, it concludes that while much speculation exists, the exact origins of language remain uncertain.
![References
§ Abdurrahman, I. B. (2019, April). The Origins of Language. ResearchGate.
https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20696.14080
§ Lawas, A. Z. (2021, November 14). Accounts On The Origin of Language: Language,
Culture and Society.
§ Osok, C. (2024, March 2). Accounts on the Origin of Language and Theories. [PowerPoint
slides]. SlideShare.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/accountsontheoriginoflanguage-240915010813-f2704e77/85/Primary-Accounts-on-the-Origin-of-Language-pdf-32-320.jpg)
Primary Accounts on the Origin of Language.pdf
- 2. This lesson refers to various theories and speculations about how language began. Some of the oldest and most common theories suggest that language originated from imitating natural sounds or expressing emotions. Teacher’s note: We don't know where language came from. It's believed that people spoke before they wrote, but there's no physical proof of how early humans talked. This lack of proof has led to many guesses about how human speech started.
- 3. The first question we ask is: “What was the first language?” or “How did language begin – where and when? These are repeated questions asked by scholars. Bernard Campbell mentioned in “Humankind Emergin” (Allyn & Bacon, 2005), “We simply do not know, and never will, how or when language began.”
- 4. Divine Source of Language § In biblical tradition, God created Adam and whatsoever Adam called every living creature that was the name thereof.
- 5. Divine Source of Language § In Hindu, language came from Saravati, wife of Brama, creator of universe. § Few experiments had been conducted to discover the origin of language. The basic idea of the theory is that: “ If infants were allowed to grow up without hearing any language, then they would spontaneously begin using the original God given language”.
- 6. Divine Source of Language § The Greek historian Herodotus mentioned Psamtik as an example. During his travel to Egypt, Herodotus heard that Psammetichus ("Psamṯik") sought to discover the origin of language by conducting an experiment with two children. Allegedly he gave two newborn babies to a shepherd, with the instructions that no one should speak to them, but that the shepherd should feed and care for them while listening to determine their first words.
- 7. Divine Source of Language § The hypothesis was that the first word would be uttered in the root language of all people. When one of the children cried "βηκοs" (bèkos), the shepherd concluded that the word was Phrygian because that was the sound of the Phrygian word for "bread.” Thus, they concluded that the Phrygians were an older people than the Egyptians, and that Phrygian was the original language of men. The Phrygian language /ˈfrɪdʒiən/ was the Indo-European language of the Phrygians, spoken in Asia Minor during Classical Antiquity (2nd millennium BC to 5th century AD).
- 8. Divine Source of Language § King James the Fourth of Scotland carried out the same experiment and discovered the children spoke Hebrew. Teacher’s note: The Divine Source of Language could not be confirmed.
- 9. Biblical Origin § The Bible doesn’t describe an original development of language. Rather, language is shown to be a trait of God himself. § God allowed man flexibility and creativity in developing his vocabulary. § Not only why all mankind (and only mankind) has language, but also why mankind universally shares the smaller unique aspects of language. § Language is exclusively human and it is hardwired into our brains and vocals anatomy; because God deliberately designed it as such.
- 10. Mythological Origin § Myths regarding the origins of language and languages are generally subsumed or footnoted into larger creations myths, although there are differences.
- 11. Three Mythological Origin of Language The Tower of Babel (story from the Bible) Tower of Babel, in biblical literature, structure built in the land of Shinar (Babylonia) some time after the deluge. The story of its construction, given in Genesis 11:1–9, appears to be an attempt to explain the existence of diverse human languages. According to Genesis, the Babylonians wanted to make a name for themselves by building a mighty city and a tower “with its top in the heavens.” God disrupted the work by so confusing the language of the workers that they could no longer understand one another. The city was never completed, and the people were dispersed over the face of the earth.
- 12. Three Mythological Origin of Language The Hindu World Tree According to one Hindu myth, there was once a very tall tree that grew out from the very center of the earth. It was called the “World Tree” or “Knowledge Tree”, and grew so tall that it almost reached the heavens. The tree decided that it would keep growing so that its head would be in heaven and its branches on the earth, so it could make all humankind gather under it and prevent them from ever separating. The god Brahma discovered the tree’s intentions and as punishment for it being so proud, he cut off all of the tree’s branches and scattered them all over the earth. Where each branch fell a Wata tree began to grow, and with it a new language and culture for humankind.
- 13. Three Mythological Origin of Language The Death of Wurruri The tale is about an old woman named Wurruri who lived in the east and walked with a large stick in her hand. She used to scatter the fires around which the people used to sleep. When Wurruri died, people were very much happy. They sent messengers in all directions to tell people the news of her death. Men, women and children were very glad and they expressed their joy when they came. Firstly, the Raminjerar attacked the corpse and ate her flesh. In a moment they started to speak comprehensibly. Then the tribes from the east ate the contents of the intestines. Instantaneously they began to speak intelligibly. The language they spoke was somewhat different. Lastly, the northern tribes arrived and consumed devoured the intestines and all that stayed behind. At once they spoke an altogether diverse language which was totally different from the language of the Raminjerar.
- 14. Historical Origin § The language dates back to roughly 150,000 years ago. However, all the linguistic evidence dates back to around 6000 years ago, when writing began. § For centuries, humans have wandered about the origins of language, and get nobody is any the wiser due to a lack of agreement on the topics as well as evidence.
- 15. Scientific Origin § Linguistics is the science of language, and linguist are scientists who apply the scientific method to questions about the nature and the function of language. § Linguists conduct formal studies of speech sounds, grammatical structures, and meaning across the world over 600 languages. § "Polyglot" is the term used for a person who knows multiple languages.
- 16. The Physical Adaptation Source § This Theory depends on the physical features human posses. Especially those that are distinct from other creatures. Our ancestors made a very significant transition to upright posture, with bipedal, and a revised role for the front limbs. § The theory comes from the idea that there is a link between physical gesture and orally produced sounds. First of all a set of physical gestures was developed as a means of communication. § Then a set of oral gestures specially involving the mouth developed in which the movements of the tongue, lips and so on where recognized according to patterns of movement similar to physical gestures.
- 17. The Physical Adaptation § The focus is on the biological basis of the formation. In the evolutionary development there are certain physical features, best thought of a practical adaptations that appear to be relevant for speech. § Human teeth, lips, mouth, tongue, larynx, pharynx and brain have been created in such a way to coordinate in producing speech sounds. Their places, connections and coordinative functions make humankind different from all the living creatures.
- 18. The Physical Adaptation § Teeth=upright, not slanting outwards. Lips= have much intricate muscles. Mouth=small. Tongue=can be used in variety of shapes. Humans can close off the airway through the nose to create air pressure inside the mouth. Larynx=(voice box) different position- upright posture. § Human body parts have more than one function: Teeth, lips: chewing and sucking producing speech sounds. Human hands: making tools and manual gestures. Brain at work! Human brain is lateralized, which means it has specialized functions in in each of the two hemispheres. Complex vocalization (Speaking) and object manipulation (making or using tools) are very close to each other in the left hemisphere in the brain. There may be an evolutionary connection between the language using and tool using.
- 19. The Genetic Source § The innateness hypothesis is a linguistic theory of language acquisition which holds that at least some knowledge about language exists in humans at birth. This hypothesis supports linguistic nativism and was first proposed by Noam Chomsky. § Facts about the complexity of human language systems, the universality of language acquisition, the facility that children demonstrate in acquiring these systems, and the comparative performance of adults in attempting the same task are all commonly invoked in support. Teacher’s note: A human might have (Language gene) that makes him speak!
- 20. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Bow-Wow Theory The bow-wow theory proposes that language evolved from animal sounds. This theory was first proposed by German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder in the late 18th century. According to this theory, humans mimicked animal sounds to communicate with each other. For example, a person may have imitated a dog's bark to let another person know that a dog was nearby. Over time, these animal sounds evolved into more complex language structures.
- 21. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Bow-Wow Theory One advantage of this theory is its simplicity; it is easy to understand and visualize how humans could have evolved from animal sounds. However, this theory does not take into account the complexity and structure that exists in modern languages; it fails to explain how such complexity could have arisen from simple animal sounds.
- 22. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Bow-Wow Theory According to this theory, language began when our ancestors started imitating the natural sounds around them. For example, cuckoo, splash, bang, and boom
- 23. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Ding Dong Theory The Ding-Dong Theory was proposed by Dutch linguist Jan Baudouin de Courtenay in 1913. This theory suggests that early human languages developed from onomatopoeia - words that imitate or suggest natural sounds - and were used to describe events or objects. For example, words like “boom” or “meow” might have been used by early humans when they heard trees falling or cats meowing. This theory has since been largely rejected due to its lack of scientific evidence and its reliance on speculation rather than data-driven analysis.
- 24. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Ding Dong Theory The theory favored by Plato and Pythagoras, maintains that speech arose in response to the essential qualities of objects in the environment.
- 25. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The La-La Theory This theory is suggested by Otto Jespersen the Danish Linguist. This theory suggests that language originated from the rhythmic and melodic patterns of music and singing. Early humans may have used musical sounds and patterns to communicate before developing more structured forms of language.
- 26. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Pooh-Pooh Theory The pooh-pooh theory proposes that language evolved from involuntary vocalizations such as cries, sighs, and groans. This theory was first proposed by British linguist Henry Sweet in the 19th century. According to this theory, early humans used these vocalizations to express their emotions or intentions before they developed sophisticated languages with words and syntax structures. Over time, these vocalizations evolved into more complex structures that eventually became modern languages.
- 27. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Pooh-Pooh Theory This theory has some advantages over the bow-wow theory; for instance, it takes into account the complexity of modern languages and explains how such complexity could have arisen from simple vocalizations over time. However, it does not provide any evidence for its claims; it relies solely on speculation about what might have happened in prehistory instead of providing concrete evidence for its assertions about the origins of language.
- 28. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Pooh-Pooh Theory The pooh-pooh theory proposes that language evolved from involuntary vocalizations such as cries, sighs, and groans. This theory was first proposed by British linguist Henry Sweet in the 19th century.
- 29. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Yo-He-Ho Theory (social interaction source) The Yo-He-Ho Theory was first proposed by British anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Tylor in 1871. According to this theory, early human languages developed from exclamations used during manual labor tasks such as rowing boats or hauling logs. These exclamations would eventually evolve into more complex grammatical structures as humans began using them for other activities such as storytelling. This Yo He Ho theory has been largely accepted by modern linguists due to its focus on practical applications rather than speculative origins.
- 30. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Yo-He-Ho Theory (social interaction source) While it is impossible to know exactly when or how the first human language emerged, one thing is certain - language has been a powerful tool for connecting people for centuries! Through migration patterns and trade routes civilizations have grown together despite their differences in speech or writing styles; this process has helped create an incredible variety of unique linguistic traditions still being used today by millions of people around the world! Whether you're speaking a local dialect or learning a foreign tongue for business purposes - understanding how language has evolved can help us better appreciate our diverse cultural heritage!
- 31. FIVE THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE The Yo-He-Ho Theory (social interaction source) It was first proposed by British anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Tylor in 1871. According to this theory, early human languages developed from exclamations used during manual labor tasks such as rowing boats or hauling logs. Teacher’s note: The importance of Yo-he-ho theory is that it places the development of human language in some social context. Early people lived in groups. Groups offered better protection from attack. Groups are social organization. In a group, communication is required. So human sounds were produced.
- 32. References § Abdurrahman, I. B. (2019, April). The Origins of Language. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20696.14080 § Lawas, A. Z. (2021, November 14). Accounts On The Origin of Language: Language, Culture and Society. § Osok, C. (2024, March 2). Accounts on the Origin of Language and Theories. [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare.