Origins of language

Question 1

General hypothesis

Answer 1

Type of spoken proto-language must have developed

between 200,000 and 50,000 years ago (no physical evidence)

Question 2

Development of written language

Answer 2

approx. 5000- 4000 years ago (Sumerians)

Question 3

Theory: The divine source

Answer 3

Theory that God/the gods gave mankind language (e.g. the Egyptians believed Thoth
gave language; for Hindus the wife of Brahma, Sarasvati)

Question 4

Theory: Natural sounds as a source

Answer 4

Theory based on the concept of natural iconic sounds (Jespersen’s “bow-wow” theory, Jespersen’s / Rousseau’s “pooh-pooh” theory)

Question 5

Theory: The social interaction source

Answer 5

A social theory that humans involved in physical labor often work in teams, so
early hunter-gatherer societies had to coordinate themselves… grunts, groans, curses
when lifting and carrying trees or other objects or hunting together (“yo-he-ho” /”hau-ruck” theory)

Question 6

Theory: The physical adaptation source

Answer 6

Theory that looks at the physical features that humans developed which may have supported speech production (teeth, lips; mouth, tongue; larynx, pharynx)

Question 7

Theory: The tool-making source

Answer 7

Theory which looks at the cognitive features
that humans developed, which may have
supported speech production (supports the idea that people may have started signing/using sign language first)

Question 8

Theory: The genetic source

Answer 8

Theory which says that at one point in time a species-specific, genetic mutation must have happened
(Innateness hypothesis /Linguistic nativism: Language Acquisition Device in children; Universal Grammar)
(Chomsky, Pinker)
(Language gene/language genes (FOXP2))