THEORIES ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE
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THEORIES ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE |
First of all, one will go to the etymology of language and then, describe the definitions of language. According to Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th edition, Oxford University Press, 2015, the word ‘language’ comes from Middle English: from Old French langue, based on Latin lingua ‘tongue’. So, language is a symbolic, rule-driven system of conventional signs employed for purposes of communication, self-expression, representation, thinking and manipulation of concepts, definition of the world and reality, storage and transmission of knowledge, establishing and maintaining of social relations, creating and participating in group identities, incorporating new members into an existing group, marking boundaries with or excluding other individuals or groups, and the creative and recreative transformation of the world. In addition, language is a system of symbols, with several levels of the organization, at least phonetics (the sounds), syntax (the grammar), and semantics (the meanings).
However, A Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, Fourth edition, by Jack C. RICHARDS and RICHARD SCHMIDT, in which the term ‘language’ is defined as:
“The system of human communication which consists of the structured arrangement of sounds (or their written representation) into larger units, e.g. morphemes, words, sentences, utterances. In common usage, it can also refer to non-human systems of communication such as the “language” of bees, the “language” of dolphins.”
And according to DAVID CRYSTAL who defines ‘language’ in his ‘A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 6th Edition.’
“A French term introduced by Ferdinand de Saussure to refer to the human biological faculty of speech. It is distinguished in his approach from langue, the language system of a speech community.”
And NOAM CHOMSKY (1957) defines the term ‘language’ as:
“Language is a set of finite number sentences, each finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements”
Then, the term ‘language’ is also defined by The Origins and Development of the English Language, 6th Edition, by JOHN ALGEO:
“A language is a system of conventional vocal signs by means of which human beings communicate. This definition has several important terms, each of which is examined in some detail in the following sections. Those terms are system, signs, vocal, conventional, human, and communicate.”
So, there are many theories about the origins of language. Many of these have traditional amusing names, and one will create a couple more where needed. Questions on its origin, nature and relation with animal communication disturbed mankind for a long time. As BERNARD CAMPBELL states flatly in Humankind Emerging (Allyn & Bacon, 2005), "We simply do not know, and never will, how or when language began." It is hard to imagine a cultural phenomenon that is more important than the origin of language.
However, the Divine origin is that human language is a gift from God. In the biblical tradition, as described in the book of Genesis, God created ADAM and “whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Alternatively, following a Hindu tradition, language came from Sarasvati, wife of Brahma, creator of the universe. In most religions, there appears to be a divine source who provides humans with language.
Although, some believe that language is a divine gift given to humans by God, others argue that language is simply the product of many years of natural selection and Physical Adaptation sources (invented by MAX MÃœLLER and GEORGE ROMANES a century ago). First, there are four Invention or imitation theory (an idea or explanation of something that is based on a few known facts but that has not yet been proved to be true or correct) that hold that language began through some sort of human mimicry (the action or skill of being able to copy the voice, movements, etc.) of naturally occurring sounds or movements such as the “ding-dong” theory, the “pooh-pooh” theory, the “bow-wow” theory, and the “ta-ta” theory.
Another Physical Adaptation origin, (Note: this theory associated with the quotation of MACNEILAGE at the beginning of this assignment) in which, physical features humans possess, especially those that are distinct from other creatures, may have been able to support speech production. In the study of evolutionary development, there are certain physical features, best thought of as partial adaptations, which appear to be relevant for speech such teeth and lips, mouth and tongue etc. Human teeth are upright, not slanting outwards like those of apes, and they are roughly even in height. Such characteristics are not very useful for ripping or tearing food and seem better adapted for grinding and chewing. They are also very helpful in making sounds such as for v. Human lips have more intricate muscle interlacing than is found in other primates and their resulting flexibility certainly helps in making sounds like p or b. The human mouth is relatively small compared to other primates, can be opened and closed rapidly, and contains a smaller, thicker and more muscular tongue which can be used to shape a wide variety of sounds inside the oral cavity. Now, one can discuss the various theories of the origins of Language with their details:
Various Theories of the Origins of Language
i. The Ding-Dong theory or Invention/imitation theory or Nativistic theory or The natural sound
Some people, including the famous linguist MAX MULLER, have pointed out that it is a theory that harmony with the natural environment created the need for language, and sound and meaning are innately connected through nature. While it is true that there are some examples of "sound symbolism" (for example, words in English associated with light and quick), studies have not been able to prove an innate connection between a sound and the meaning of a word.
The problem with this theory is that onomatopoeia (imitation of sound) is a very limited part of the vocabulary of any language; imitative sounds differ from language to language: as Russian: ba-bakh=bang, bukh= thud. Even if onomatopoeia provides the first dozen or so words, then where did names for the thousands of naturally noiseless concepts such as rock, sun, sky or love come from?
ii. The Pooh-Pooh theory or Invention/imitation theory or Interjectional theory or The natural sound
The "pooh-pooh" theory holds that speech comes from the automatic vocal responses to pain ("Ouch!"), fear, surprise ("Oh!"), or other emotions("Yabba dabba do!"): a laugh, a shriek, a gasp eventually leading to the expression of more developed ideas and emotions. But plenty of animals make these kinds of sounds too, and they didn't end up with language. In this case, the first word would have been an involuntary ha-ha-ha, wa-wa-wa. These begin to be used to name the actions which caused these sounds.
The problem with this theory is that no language contains very many interjections, and, DAVID CRYSTAL points out, "the clicks, intakes of breath, and other noises which are used in this way bear little relationship to the vowels and consonants found in phonology." So, exclamations, like most words are symbols, showing at least a partially arbitrary relationship between sound and meaning.
iii. The Bow-Wow theory or Invention/imitation theory or Echoic theory or The natural sound
According to this theory (The most famous and therefore the most ridiculed hypothesis (synonymous word for theory), language began when anyone ancestors started imitating the natural sounds around them. The first speech was onomatopoeic or echoism -marked by echoic words such as moo, meow, splash, cuckoo, and bang.
The problem with this theory is that relatively few words are onomatopoeic, and these words vary from one language to another. For example, a dog's bark is heard as au au in Brazil, ham ham in Albania, and wang, wang in China. In addition, many onomatopoeic words are of recent origin, and not all are derived from natural sounds. Thus, the human interpretation of animal sounds is dependent upon the individual language, and it seems unlikely than entire vocabularies derive from them.
iv. The Ta-Ta or Chew-Chew theory or Invention/imitation theory or Oral Gesture or The natural sound or The tool-making
SIR RICHARD PAGET, influenced by CHARLES DARWIN, believes that words arose from a desire to imitate gestures via the use of the tongue and mouth. For example, saying ta-ta is like waving goodbye with one’s tongue or English crossing the finger for good luck.
The problem with this theory is that many gestures could not be reproduced solely by the mouth and tongue. CHARLES DARWIN hypothesizes that speech may have developed as a sort of mouth pantomime: the organs of speech are used to imitate the gestures of the hand.
v. The Yo-He-Ho theory or Labor theory or The social interaction
The idea that speech starts with the rhythmic chants and grunts people use to coordinate their physical actions when they work together. The linguist A. S. DIAMOND suggests that this theory is based on the grunts and groans people make when doing heavy physical labour. There is a pretty big difference between this kind of thing and what one does most of the time with language. Plato also believes that language develops out of sheer practical necessity. And Modern English has the saying: “Necessity is the mother of invention”. Speech and right-hand coordination are both controlled in the left hemisphere of the brain.
The problem with this theory is that though this notion may account for some of the rhythmic features of the language, it does not go very far in explaining where words come from. As PETER FARB says in Word Play: What Happens When People Talk (Vintage, 1993), "All these speculations have serious flaws, and none can withstand the close scrutiny of present knowledge about the structure of language and about the evolution of our species."
vi. The La-La theory (emotional aspects of speech expression)
The Danish linguist OTTO JESPERSEN suggests that language may have developed from sounds associated with love, play, and (especially) song. This one is lovely and no more or less likely than any of the others. A counterpoint is that the theory does not explain words that are less emotional.
The problem with this theory is that as DAVID CRYSTAL notes in How Language Works (Penguin, 2005), this theory still fails to account for "the gap between the emotional and the rational aspects of speech expression."
vii. The Sing-Song or Woo-Woo theory or JESPERSEN's Theory
DANISH linguist JESPERSON suggests that language comes out of play, laughter, cooing, courtship, emotional mutterings (complaints that one’s express privately rather than openly) and the like. He even suggests that, contrary to other theories, perhaps some of one’s first words were actually long and musical, rather than the short grunts many assume one starts with.
viii. The Hey You! or Wah-Wah theory or Contact Theory
A linguist by the name of REVESZ suggests that one has always needed interpersonal contact, and that language began as sounds to signal both identities (where I am!) and belonging (I’m with you!). One may also cry out in fear, anger, or hurt (help me!). This is more commonly called the contact theory.
ix. The mama theory
Language began with the easiest syllables attached to the most significant objects. For example, when a child speaks first time in his family or society, he pronounces a word mama, although he does not know about its meaning.
Conclusion
Every theory has its own contribution towards understanding language. As Ding-Dong theory is soundly based, Bow-Wow is based on imitation, Pooh-Pooh is based on emotions, Yo-He-Ho expresses rhythmical chants like this other theories, it plays an important role.
But one can see that practically all the known functions of language are in evidence right from the creation. One can, therefore, say with confidence that God created language and that language is a perfect gift, powerful but therefore dangerous in a sinful world. Yet the wonder of the gift remains, and one is continually amazed as one ponders the remarkable way in which such an apparently unrelated set of events as one has in one’s bodies becomes a vehicle for complex and, if one allows the Holy Spirit to teach anyone, uplifting thoughts.
References
« The Study of Language, Third and Fifth Edition by GEORGE YULE.
« The Origin of Language: From the desk of Western Washington University PROF. EDWARD VAJDA.
« Early Theories about the Origin of Language by ARIKA OKRENT
« The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language. by VIKING, 2007
« Theories of Language Origin by DAVID SPRUNGER
« Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, Fourth Edition, by Jackl C. RICHARDS and RICHARD SCHMIDT.
« A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics 6th Edition.’ By DAVID CRYSTAL.
« Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary 9th Edition, published by Oxford University Press, 2015.
« Various Education Websites for Online Search like Wikipedia.com
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