The origin of language (glottogony) is a topic that has attracted considerable speculation throughout human history. The use of language is one of the most conspicuous and diagnostic traits that distinguish Homo sapiens from other species. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus Unlike writing, spoken language leaves no trace. Hence linguists have to resort to indirect methods in trying to decipher the origins of language.

Linguists agree that there are no existing primitive languages, and all modern human populations speak languages of comparable complexity. While existing languages differ in the size of and subjects covered in their lexicons, all possess the grammar and syntax needed, and can invent, translate, or borrow the vocabulary necessary to express the full range of their speakers' concepts. In Linguistics, the lexicon (from Greek Λεξικόν of a language is its Vocabulary, including its words and expressions Grammar is the field of Linguistics that covers the Rules governing the use of any given natural language. In Linguistics, syntax (from Ancient Greek grc συν- syn-, "together" and grc τάξις táxis, "arrangement" is the A neologism (from Greek neo = "new" + logos = "word" is a word that although devised relatively recently in a specific time period has been In Linguistics, a calque (kælk or loan translation is a Word or Phrase borrowed from another Language by Literal, word-for-word ^[1][2] All humans possess similar linguistic abilities, and no child is born with a biological predisposition favoring any one language or type of language. ^[3]

Human language had emerged by the transition to behavioral modernity some 50,000 years ago at the latest (Upper Paleolithic). Behavioral modernity is a term used in Anthropology, Archeology and Sociology to refer to a list of traits that distinguish present day humans and their The Upper Paleolithic (or Upper Palaeolithic) is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe Africa A common assumption is that behavioral modernity and the emergence of language coincide and are dependent on one another, while others would push back the origin of language to some 200,000 years ago, the time of the appearance of archaic Homo sapiens (Middle Paleolithic), or even into the Lower Paleolithic, to some 500,000 years ago. The term Archaic Homo sapiens refers generally to the earliest members of the species Homo sapiens. The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. This question significantly depends on the view taken of the communicative skills of Homo neanderthalensis. The Neanderthal (neɪˈændərtɑːl also with /niː-/ and /-θɔːl/ or Neandertal, is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from In either case, a lengthy stage of pre-language, intermediate between Great ape language and fully developed human language, needs to be assumed. Research into non-human great ape language has involved teaching Gorillas Chimpanzees and Orangutans to communicate with human beings and with each other

Speech versus language

It is necessary to make a minor distinction between speech and language. Speech involves producing sounds from the voicebox. Talking birds, such as some parrots, are able to imitate human speech with varying ability. Talking birds are Birds that can imitate Human speech Talking birds have varying degrees of intelligence and communication capabilities some like the Parrots are birds of the roughly 350 Species in 85 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes, found in most warm and tropical regions However this ability to mimic human sounds is very different from the acquisition of syntax. On the other hand, the deaf generally do not use speech but are able to communicate effectively using sign language, which is considered a fully-developed, complex, modern language. A sign language (also signed language) is a Language which instead of acoustically conveyed Sound patterns uses visually transmitted sign patterns What this implies is that the evolution of modern human language required both the development of the anatomical apparatus and also neurological changes in the brain.

Animal communication

Main article: Animal language

Though all animals use some form of communication, researchers generally do not classify their communication as language. Animal language is the modeling of human language in non human animal systems However, the communication systems of a few animal species do share some attributes in common with modern human language. Dolphins, for example, are able to communicate like humans by calling each other by name. Cetacean intelligence denotes the cognitive capabilities of the Cetacean order of mammals and especially the various species of Dolphin. ^[4][5]

Primate language

Main article: Great ape language

Not much is known about great ape communication in the wild, but in captivity they have been taught rudimentary sign language and to use lexigrams (keyboards with symbols). Research into non-human great ape language has involved teaching Gorillas Chimpanzees and Orangutans to communicate with human beings and with each other Some apes such as Kanzi have reportedly been able to learn several hundred words. Kanzi (born October 28, 1980) is a male Bonobo who has been featured in several studies on Great ape language. However, they do lack grammar or syntax. Furthermore the anatomical structure of their larynx does not enable apes to make many of the sounds that humans do.

In the wild, the communication of vervet monkeys has been the most studied. ^[5] They are known to make up to ten different vocalizations. Many of these are used to warn other members of the troupe about approaching predators, and include a "leopard call", a "snake call", and an "eagle call". Each alarm triggers a different defensive strategy. Scientists were able to elicit predictable responses from the monkeys using loudspeakers and prerecorded sounds. Other vocalizations may be used for identification. If an infant monkey calls, its mother turns toward it, but other vervet mothers turn instead toward that infant's mother to see what she will do. ^[6]

Archaic hominids

See also: Neanderthal#Language

There is considerable speculation about the language capabilities of ancient hominids. The Neanderthal (neɪˈændərtɑːl also with /niː-/ and /-θɔːl/ or Neandertal, is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from Some scholars believe the advent of hominid bipedalism around 3. 5 million years ago would have brought changes to the human skull, allowing for a more L-shaped vocal tract. The vocal tract is that cavity in animals and humans where sound that is produced at the sound source ( Larynx in mammals syrinx in birds is filtered The shape of the tract and a larynx positioned relatively low in the neck are necessary prerequisites for many of the sounds humans make, particularly vowels. The larynx (plural larynges) colloquially known as the voicebox, is an organ in the Neck of Mammals involved in protection of the Other scholars believe that, based on the position of the larynx, not even the Neanderthals had the anatomy necessary to produce the full range of sounds modern humans make. ^[3][7] Still another view considers the lowering of the larynx irrelevant to the development of speech. ^[8] The recent discovery of a Neanderthal hyoid bone suggests that Neanderthals may have been anatomically capable of producing sounds similar to modern humans, and studies indicate that by 400,000 years ago the hypoglossal canal of living hominids had reached the size of that in modern humans. The hyoid bone ( lingual bone) (Latin os hyoideum) is a Bone in the Neck, and is the only bone in the human skeleton not articulated to any The hypoglossal canal is a bony canal in the Occipital bone of the Skull. The hypoglossal canal transmits nerve signals to the brain and its size is said to reflect speech abilities. The hypoglossal canal is a bony canal in the Occipital bone of the Skull. Hominids who lived earlier than 300,000 years ago had hypoglossal canals more akin to those of chimpanzees than of humans. ^[9][10][11]

However, although Neanderthals may have been anatomically able to speak, many scholars doubt that they possessed a fully modern language. They largely base their doubts on the fossil record of archaic humans and their stone tool kit. For 2 million years following the emergence of Homo habilis, the stone tool technology of hominids changed very little. Richard G. Klein, who has worked extensively on ancient stone tools, describes the crude stone tool kit of archaic humans as impossible to break down into categories based on their function, and reports that Neanderthals seem to have had little concern for the final form of their tools. Richard G Klein (born April 11, 1941) is a Professor of Anthropological Sciences at Stanford University. Klein argues that the Neanderthal brain may have not reached the level of complexity required for modern speech, even if the physical apparatus for speech production was well-developed. ^[12][13] The issue of the Neanderthal's level of cultural and technological sophistication remains a controversial one.

Anatomical features such as the L-shaped vocal tract have been continuously evolving as opposed to appearing suddenly. ^[14] Even though archaic humans used crude stone technology, it was still more advanced than that of chimpanzees or gorillas. Hence it is most likely that archaic humans possessed some form of communication intermediate between that of modern humans and that of other primates. ^[15]

An absolute proto-language, as defined by linguist Derek Bickerton, is a primitive form of communication lacking:

• a fully-developed syntax
• tense, aspect, auxiliary verbs, etc. Derek Bickerton (born March 25, 1926) is a linguist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii, Manoa In Linguistics, syntax (from Ancient Greek grc συν- syn-, "together" and grc τάξις táxis, "arrangement" is the
• a closed (i. e. non-lexical) vocabulary

That is, a stage in the evolution of language somewhere between Great ape language and fully developed modern human language. Research into non-human great ape language has involved teaching Gorillas Chimpanzees and Orangutans to communicate with human beings and with each other

The term Hmmmmm has been proposed for the pre-linguistic system of communication used by archaic Homo (beginning with Homo ergaster and reaching the highest sophistification with Homo neanderthalensis. Homo is the Genus that includes modern humans and their close relatives Homo ergaster ("working man" is an extinct Hominid Species (or subspecies according to some authorities which lived throughout eastern The Neanderthal (neɪˈændərtɑːl also with /niː-/ and /-θɔːl/ or Neandertal, is an extinct member of the Homo genus that is known from Hmmmmm is an acronym for holistic (non-compositional), manipulative (utterances are commands or suggestions, not descriptive statements), multi-modal (acoustic as well as gestural and mimetic), musical and memetic. In the History of music, prehistoric music (previously called primitive music) is all Music produced in preliterate cultures ( Prehistory ^[16]

Homo sapiens

See also: Behavioral modernity

Anatomically modern humans first appear in the fossil record 195,000 years ago in Ethiopia. Behavioral modernity is a term used in Anthropology, Archeology and Sociology to refer to a list of traits that distinguish present day humans and their The Omo remains are a collection of hominid bones discovered by Richard Leakey and others at the Omo Kibish site near the Omo River in the But while modern anatomically, these humans continued to behave just like the hominids who existed before. They used the same crude stone tools and hunted inefficiently. ^[17] However, beginning about 100,000 years ago, there is evidence of more sophisticated behaviour, and by 50,000 years ago fully modern behaviour is thought to have developed in various parts of Africa. Behavioral modernity is a term used in Anthropology, Archeology and Sociology to refer to a list of traits that distinguish present day humans and their ^[18][11] After this point, stone tools show regular patterns that are reproduced or duplicated with more precision, and tools made of bone and antler appear for the first time. Antlers are the usually large and complex horn -like appendages of most Deer species mostly worn by males only for some species such as Caribou by both The artifacts are also now easily sortable into many different categories based on their function, such as projectile points, engraving tools, knife blades, and drilling and piercing tools. ^[12] Teaching offspring how to manufacture such detailed tools may have required complex language.

The greatest step in language evolution would have been the progression from primitive, pidgin-like communication to a creole-like language with all the grammar and syntax of modern languages. A pidgin is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common in situations such as Trade A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable Language that originates seemingly as a nativized Pidgin. ^[5] Many scholars believe that this step could only have been accomplished with some biological change to the brain, such as a mutation. It has been suggested that a gene such as FOXP2 may have undergone a mutation allowing humans to communicate. FOXP2 (" forkhead box P2" is a Gene that is implicated in the development of language skills, including grammatical competence Evidence suggests that this change took place somewhere in Africa around 50,000 years ago, which rapidly brought about significant changes that are apparent in the fossil record. ^[5] There is still some debate as to whether language developed gradually over thousands of years or whether it appeared suddenly.

According to the Out of Africa hypothesis, around 50,000 years ago^[19] a group of humans left Africa and proceeded to colonize the rest of the world, including Australia and the Americas, which had never been populated by archaic hominids. In Paleoanthropology, the recent African origin of modern humans is one of two hypotheses of the origin of anatomically modern humans Homo sapiens sapiens Some scientists^[17] believe that Homo sapiens did not leave Africa before that, because they had not yet attained modern cognition and language, and consequently lacked the skills or the numbers required to migrate.

Monogenesis

Main article: Proto-World language

Linguistic monogenesis (the "Mother Tongue Theory") is the hypothesis that there was one single protolanguage (the "Proto-World language") from which all other languages spoken by humans descend. The term Proto-World language refers to the hypothetical Most recent common ancestor of all the world's Languages &ndash an ancient Proto-language A proto-language is a Language which was the common ancestor of related languages that form a Language family. The term Proto-World language refers to the hypothetical Most recent common ancestor of all the world's Languages &ndash an ancient Proto-language All human populations from the Australian aboriginals to the Fuegians living at the Southern tip of Argentina possess language. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. Fuegians are the indigenous inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America. This includes populations, such as the Tasmanian aboriginals or the Andamanese, who may have been isolated from the old world continents by as long as 40,000 years. The Andamanese is a collective term to describe the peoples who are the aboriginal inhabitants of the Andaman Islands, located in the Bay of Bengal Thus, the multiregional hypothesis would entail that modern language evolved independently on all the continents, a proposition considered implausible by proponents of monogenesis. In paleoanthropology, the multiregional hypothesis is one of two accounts of the origin of anatomically modern humans Homo sapiens. ^[20][21]

All humans alive today are descended from Mitochondrial Eve, a woman estimated to have lived in Africa some 150,000 years ago. Mitochondrial Eve ( mt-mrca) is the name given by researchers to the woman who is defined as the Matrilineal most recent common ancestor (MRCA for all currently This raises the possibility that the Proto-World language could date to approximately that period. The term Proto-World language refers to the hypothetical Most recent common ancestor of all the world's Languages &ndash an ancient Proto-language ^[22] There are also claims of a population bottleneck, notably the Toba catastrophe theory which postulates human population at one point some 70,000 years ago was as low as 15,000 or even 2,000 individuals. A population bottleneck (or genetic bottleneck) is an Evolutionary event in which a significant percentage of a population or species is killed or otherwise prevented According to the Toba catastrophe theory, 70000 to 75000 years ago a supervolcanic event at Lake Toba, on Sumatra, reduced the world's human population ^[23] If it indeed transpired, such a bottleneck would be an excellent candidate for the date of Proto-World, which also illustrates the fact that Proto-World would not necessarily date to the first emergence of language.

Some proponents of a Proto-World hypothesis, such as Merritt Ruhlen, have attempted to reconstruct the Proto-World language. Merritt Ruhlen (pronounced /ˈmɛɹɪt ˈɹuːlən/ born in 1944, is an American linguist known for his work on the classification of languages and what this reveals Historical linguistics (also called diachronic linguistics) is the study of language change However, most mainstream linguists reject these attempts and the methods they use (such as mass lexical comparison) for a number of reasons. Mass lexical comparison or mass comparison is a highly controversial method developed by the well-known linguist Joseph Greenberg to find genetic relationships among ^[24][25]

Scenarios for language evolution

Further information: Evolutionary linguistics

Gestural theory

The gestural theory states that human language developed from gestures that were used for simple communication. Evolutionary linguistics is the Scientific study of the origins and development of language. A gesture is a form of Non-verbal communication made with a part of the body used instead of or in combination with verbal communication.

Two types of evidence support this theory.

1. Gestural language and vocal language depend on similar neural systems. The regions on the cortex that are responsible for mouth and hand movements border each other. The cerebral cortex is a structure within the Brain that plays a key role in Memory, Attention, perceptual Awareness, Thought,
2. Nonhuman primates can use gestures or symbols for at least primitive communication, and some of their gestures resemble those of humans, such as the "begging posture", with the hands stretched out, which humans share with chimpanzees. A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye

Research found strong support for the idea that verbal language and sign language depend on similar neural structures. Patients who used sign language, and who suffered from a left-hemisphere lesion, showed the same disorders with their sign language as vocal patients did with their spoken language. A cerebral hemisphere ( hemispherium cerebrale) is defined as one of the two regions of the Brain that are delineated by the body's median plane. A lesion is any abnormal tissue found on or in an organism usually damaged by disease or trauma ^[26] Other researchers found that the same left-hemisphere brain regions were active during sign language as during the use of vocal or written language. ^[27]

The important question for gestural theories is why there was a shift to vocalization. There are three likely explanations:

1. Our ancestors started to use more and more tools, meaning that their hands were occupied and could not be used for gesturing.
2. Gesturing requires that the communicating individuals can see each other. There are many situations in which individuals need to communicate even without visual contact, for instance when a predator is closing in on somebody who is up in a tree picking fruit.
3. The need to co-operate effectively with others in order to survive. A command issued by a tribal leader to 'find' 'stones' to 'repel' attacking 'wolves' would create teamwork and a much more powerful, co-ordinated response.

Humans still use hand and facial gestures when they speak, especially when people meet who have no language in common. ^[28] Deaf people also use languages composed entirely of signs.

Pidgins and creoles

Main articles: Creole language and pidgin

A pidgin is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups who do not share a common language, in situations such as trade, whose vocabulary is generally derived from languages of the various groups. A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable Language that originates seemingly as a nativized Pidgin. A pidgin is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common in situations such as Trade The manner in which pidgins develop is of interest in understanding the origin of human language.

Pidgins are significantly simplified languages with only rudimentary grammar and a restricted vocabulary. In their early stage pidgins mainly consist of nouns, verbs and adjectives with few or no articles, prepositions, conjunctions or auxiliary verbs. In Grammar, a preposition is a Part of speech that introduces a prepositional phrase. Conjunctions is a biannual American literary journal publishing innovative fiction poetry criticism drama art and interviews by both emerging and established In Linguistics, an auxiliary (also called helping verb, helper verb, auxiliary verb, or verbal auxiliary) is a Verb functioning The grammar consists of words with no fixed word order and the words have no inflectional endings.

If contact is maintained between the groups speaking the pidgin for long periods of time, the pidgins may become more complex over many generations. If the children of one generation adopt the pidgin as their native language it develops into a creole language, which becomes fixed and acquires a more complex grammar, with fixed phonology, syntax, morphology, and syntactic embedding. A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable Language that originates seemingly as a nativized Pidgin. The syntax and morphology of such languages may often have local innovations not obviously derived from any of the parent languages.

Studies of creole languages around the world have suggested that they display remarkable similarities in grammar and are developed uniformly from pidgins in a single generation. These similarities are apparent even when creoles do not share any common language origins. In addition creoles share similarities despite being developed in isolation from each other. Syntactic similarities of creoles include Subject Verb Object word order. In Linguistic typology, subject-verb-object ( SVO) is a sentence structure where the subject comes first the Verb second and the object Even when creoles are derived from languages with a different word order they often develop the SVO word order. Creoles tend to have similar usage patterns for definite and indefinite articles, and similar movement rules for phrase structures even when the parent languages do not. ^[5]

Universal grammar

Main article: Universal grammar

Since children are largely responsible for creolization of a pidgin, scholars such as Derek Bickerton and Noam Chomsky concluded that humans are born with a Universal grammar hardwired into their brains. Universal grammar is a theory of Linguistics postulating principles of Grammar shared by all languages thought to be innate to humans ( linguistic nativism Derek Bickerton (born March 25, 1926) is a linguist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawaii, Manoa Avram Noam Chomsky (noʊm ˈtʃɑmski born December 7 1928 is an American linguist, Philosopher, cognitive scientist, Political Universal grammar is a theory of Linguistics postulating principles of Grammar shared by all languages thought to be innate to humans ( linguistic nativism This universal grammar consists of a wide range of grammatical models that include all the grammatical systems of worlds' languages. The default settings of this universal grammar are represented by the similarities apparent in creole languages. These default settings are overridden during the process of language acquisition by children to match the local language. When children learn a language they first learn the creole-like features more easily than the features that conflict with creole grammar. ^[5]

Another issue that is often cited as support for the Universal grammar theory is the recent development of Nicaraguan Sign Language. Nicaraguan Sign Language (ISN Spanish Idioma de Señas de Nicaragua, Portuguese Idioma de Signos Nicaragüense) is a signed language Beginning in 1979, the recently installed Nicaraguan government initiated the country's first widespread effort to educate deaf children. Prior to this there was no deaf community in the country. Deaf Culture is social group of people who consider Deafness to be a difference in human experience rather than a Disability. A center for special education established a program initially attended by 50 young deaf children. By 1983 the center had 400 students. The center did not have access to teaching facilities of any of the sign languages that are used around the world; consequently, the children were not taught any sign language. The language program instead emphasized spoken Spanish and lipreading, and the use of signs by teachers limited to fingerspelling (using simple signs to sign the alphabet). The program achieved little success, with most students failing to grasp the concept of Spanish words.

The first children who arrived at the center came with only a few crude gestural signs developed within their own families. However, when the children were placed together for the first time they began to build on one another's signs. As more younger children joined the language became more complex. The children's teachers, who were having limited success at communicating with their students, watched in awe as the kids began communicating amongst themselves.

Later the Nicaraguan government would solicit help from Judy Kegl, an American sign-language expert at Northeastern University. Judy Shepard-Kegl received her PHD in Linguistics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1985 has worked and written extensively within her field and Northeastern University, abbreviated NU or NEU, is a private University in Boston Massachusetts. As Kegl and other researchers began to analyze the language, they noticed that the young children had taken the pidgin-like form of the older children to a higher level of complexity, with verb agreement and other conventions of grammar. ^[29]

History

The search for the origin of language has a long history, rooted in mythology. The word mythology (from the Greek grc μυθολογία mythología, meaning "a story-telling a legendary lore"

History of research

Main article: Evolutionary linguistics

Late 18th to early 19th century European scholarship assumed that the languages of the world reflected various stages in the development from primitive to advanced speech, culminating in the Indo European family seen as the most advanced. Evolutionary linguistics is the Scientific study of the origins and development of language. Modern linguistics does not begin until the late 18th century, and the romantic or animist theses of Johann Gottfried Herder and Johann Christoph Adelung remained influential well into the 19th century. Johann Gottfried von Herder ( August 25, 1744 December 18, 1803) was a German philosopher, Poet, and Literary Johann Christoph Adelung ( 8 August 1732 – 10 September 1806) was a German Grammarian and Philologist. The question of language origins proved inaccessible to methodical approaches, and in 1866 the Linguistic Society of Paris famously banned discussion of the origin of language, deeming it to be an unanswerable problem. Year 1866 ( MDCCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Société Linguistique de Paris (established 1864) is the editing body of the BSL ( Bulletin de la Société Linguistique) journal on A systematic approach to Historical linguistics became only possible with the Neogrammarian approach of Karl Brugmann and others from the 1890s, but scholarly interest in the question has only been gradually re-kindled from the 1950s (and then controversially) with ideas such as Universal grammar, mass lexical comparison and glottochronology. Historical linguistics (also called diachronic linguistics) is the study of language change The Neogrammarians (also Young Grammarians, German Junggrammatiker) were a German school of linguists, originally at the University of Leipzig Karl Brugmann (1849-1919 was a German linguist He is a towering figure in Indo-European linguistics. Universal grammar is a theory of Linguistics postulating principles of Grammar shared by all languages thought to be innate to humans ( linguistic nativism Mass lexical comparison or mass comparison is a highly controversial method developed by the well-known linguist Joseph Greenberg to find genetic relationships among Glottochronology refers to methods in Historical linguistics used to estimate the time at which languages diverged based on the assumption that the basic (core vocabulary of "Origin of language" as a a subject of its own emerges out of studies of neurolinguistics, psycholinguistics and human evolution in general. Neurolinguistics is the science concerned with the human brain mechanisms underlying the comprehension production and abstract knowledge of Language, be it spoken Psycholinguistics or psychology of language is the study of the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable Humans to acquire use Human evolution, or anthropogenesis, is the part of biological Evolution concerning the emergence of Homo sapiens as a distinct Species The Linguistic Bibliography introduces "origin of language" as a separate heading in 1988, as a sub-topic of psycholinguistics, with dedicated research institutes of evolutionary linguistics emerging in the 1990s. The Linguistic Bibliography ( Bibliographie Linguistique) is an annual publication first appearing 1947, providing a comprehensive Bibliography Evolutionary linguistics is the Scientific study of the origins and development of language.

Historical experiments

History contains a number of anecdotes about people who attempted to discover the origin of language by experiment. For other uses see Anecdota. For a comparison of anecdote with other kinds of stories see Myth legend fairy tale and fable. The first such tale was told by Herodotus, who relates that Pharaoh "Psamtik" (probably Psammetichus I) caused two children to be raised by deaf-mutes; he would see what language they ended up speaking. Herodotus of Halicarnassus ( Greek: Hēródotos Halikarnāsseús) was a Greek Historian who lived in the 5th century BC ( 484 BC&ndash Pharaoh is the title given in modern parlance to the ancient Egyptian kings of all periods When the children were brought before him, one of them said something that sounded to the pharaoh like bekos, the Phrygian word for bread. The Phrygian language was the Indo-European language of the Phrygians a people from Thrace who later migrated to Asia Minor. From this, Psamtik concluded that Phrygian was the first language. King James V of Scotland is said to have tried a similar experiment; his children were supposed to have ended up speaking Hebrew. James V (10 April 1512 &ndash 14 December 1542 was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death Both the medieval monarch Frederick II and Akbar, a 16th century Mughal emperor of India, are said to have tried a similar experiment; the children involved in these experiments did not speak. Frederick II ( December 26, 1194 &ndash December 13, 1250) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was a Pretender to the title Akbar redirects here For other uses see Akbar (disambiguation Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar ( Jalāl ud-Dīn Muhammad Akbar ^[30][31]

In religion and mythology

Main article: Mythical origins of language

See also: Divine language and Adamic language

According to Genesis, the observed variety of human languages originated at the Tower of Babel with the confusion of tongues. There have been many explanations of the origin of language prior For the fictional language used in the 1997 film The Fifth Element see Divine Language (The Fifth Element. See also Divine language The Adamic language is according to Abrahamic traditions, the mythical language spoken by Adam and Eve in the Garden The Tower of Babel (מגדל בבל Migdal Bavel برج بابل Burj Babil) is a structure featured in chapter 11 of the Book of Genesis, an enormous The confusion of tongues ( confusio linguarum) is the initial fragmentation of human languages described in the Book of Genesis 111–9 as a result of the construction (Image from Gustave Doré's Illustrated Bible).

Religions and ethnic mythologies often provide explanations for the origin and development of language. Most mythologies do not credit humans with the invention of language, but know of a language of the gods (or, language of God), predating human language. For the fictional language used in the 1997 film The Fifth Element see Divine Language (The Fifth Element. Mystical languages used to communicate with animals or spirits, such as the language of the birds, are also common, and were of particular interest during the Renaissance. In Mythology, Medieval literature and Occultism, the language of the birds is postulated as a mystical perfect or Divine language, or a The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere

One of the best known examples in the West is the Tower of Babel passage from Genesis in the Bible or Torah. The Tower of Babel (מגדל בבל Migdal Bavel برج بابل Burj Babil) is a structure featured in chapter 11 of the Book of Genesis, an enormous Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to The passage, common to all Abrahamic faiths, tells of God punishing man for the tower's construction by means of the confusion of tongues (Genesis 11:1-9). God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus The confusion of tongues ( confusio linguarum) is the initial fragmentation of human languages described in the Book of Genesis 111–9 as a result of the construction Local variations of this passage are found to have followed Christian missionaries on their journeys across the world, although the extent to how much of the tradition existed prior to the arrival of the missionaries is still discussed. A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes.

A group of people on the island of Hao in Polynesia tell a very similar story to the Tower of Babel, speaking of a God who, "in anger chased the builders away, broke down the building, and changed their language, so that they spoke diverse tongues". This article is about Hao, in French Polynesia. "Hao" is also the word for a Chinese style name. Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over

See also

• Animal communication
• Introspection
• Language acquisition
• Sound change

Footnotes

References

• Cangelosi, A. , Greco, A. & Harnad, S. Professor Stevan Harnad (Hernád István Hesslein István is a cognitive scientist who was born in Budapest, Hungary. (2002) Symbol Grounding and the Symbolic Theft Hypothesis. In: Cangelosi, A. & Parisi, D. (Eds. ) Simulating the Evolution of Language. London, Springer.
• Crystal, David (1997). The Cambridge encyclopedia of language. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-55967-7.  
• Deacon, Terrence William (1997). The symbolic species: the co-evolution of language and the brain. New York: W. W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-03838-6.  
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