The Origins of Language

Question 1

Name the 6 main theories of the sources of the origins of language.

Answer 1

1. The Divine Source
2. The Natural Sound Source
3. The Social Interaction Source
4. The Physical Adaptation Source
5. The Tool-Making Source
6. The Genetic Source

Question 2

What is the hypothesis of the divine source of language?

Answer 2

If humans grew up without being allowed to hear any language, then they will adopt the original God-given language

Question 3

Name 2 experiments in history that tried to prove the divine source of language.

Answer 3

1. Egyptian pharaoh - two babies with two goats and a silent shepard
2. King James IV of Scotland - children began speaking Hebrew

Question 4

Name 2 recent cases that refute against the divine source of language.

Answer 4

1. Oxana the Ukrainian Dog Girl (1991, age 8)
2. Genie the Wild Child of Los Angeles (1970, age 13)

Question 5

What does Jespersen’s “bow-wow” theory suggest that primitive terms words originate from?

Answer 5

They may have came from imitations of natural sounds from the environment

Question 6

What is onomatopeia?

Answer 6

Words that imitate the sounds they describe

Question 7

What does Jespersen’s “pooh-pooh” theory suggest about speech?

Answer 7

Speech originated from instinctive sounds made from emotional circumstances like cries of pain, anger, and joy

Question 8

What is a challenge that arises with the “pooh-pooh” theory?

Answer 8

Cries of pain are typically produced with sharp inhales, while speech is exhaled

Question 9

What theory suggests that the sounds of individuals engaged in physical effort could be the source of language?

Answer 9

The Yo-He-Ho theory

Question 10

What 3 parts of the mouth do people have to produce speech?

Answer 10

Teeth, lips, and tongue

Question 11

Unlike other primates, what can humans do to create air pressure in their mouths and making more diverse sound production?

Answer 11

They can close their airway through the nose

Question 12

What physical feature is also known as the voicebox and affects vocalization?

Answer 12

Larynx

Question 13

What is the left hemisphere of the brain specialized for?

Answer 13

Motor movements involved in complex vocalization and object manipulation

Question 14

What major position change did our ancestors make thousands of years ago that changed how we breathe?

Answer 14

Upright posture and bipedal locomotion

Question 15

How are human teeth different from ape’s teeth?

Answer 15

They are upright rather than slanting outward

Question 16

What are the 2 most widely attested vocalizations made by infants during their first year regardless of mother tongue?

Answer 16

“B” and “m”

Question 17

What is the purpose of the pharynx?

Answer 17

Acts as a resonator for increased range and clarity of the sounds produced by the larynx

Question 18

The human brain is large relative to the human body size, but it is laterized, meaning what?

Answer 18

It has specialized functions in each of the two hemispheres

Question 19

What is the innateness hypothesis?

Answer 19

The idea that humans are genetically equipped to acquire language