Midterm Module 6

THE ORIGINS
OF
THE ORIGINS OF
Chewing ,licking and sucking are extremely widespread

mammalian activities, which , in terms of causal
observation , have obvious similarities with speech.
-MacNeilage(1998)
THE ORIGINS OF
TRUE OR FALSE
Humans and animals produce
sounds which is located in an
ancient part of the brain.
THE ORIGINS OF
TRUE
THE ORIGINS OF
• Ability to produce sounds is

located in an ancient part of the
brain which we share with all
vertebrates (fish, frogs, birds,
mammals)
THE ORIGINS OF
• Spoken language probably developed

between 100 000 and 50 000 years ago
while writing only dates back to about
5 000 years ago
 no direct evidence about the
development of speech
THE ORIGINS OF
• A lot of speculation about the

origins of language, but little
known about the topic
little physical evidence on
language our ancestors used
THE ORIGINS OF
TRUE OR FALSE
Languages originated from a
single source and are thus
monogenetic theories of
language origin
THE ORIGINS OF
FALSE
THE ORIGINS OF
Where do you think

language
comes from?
THE ORIGINS OF
THE ORIGINS OF
THE ORIGINS OF
The Divine Source

THE ORIGINS OF
• In most religions, a divine source gives

language to the humans
• Nearly all divine theories believe that
languages originated from a single
source and are thus monogenetic
theories of language origin
THE ORIGINS OF
• Over the ages, people carried

out experiments to rediscover
this original, God-given
language
THE ORIGINS OF
TRUE OR FALSE
If human infants grow up in
isolation, they will automatically
begin to use the original God-
given language.
THE ORIGINS OF
FALSE
THE ORIGINS OF
-Egyptian Pharaoh-Psammetichus
-experiment-two new born babies -2,500 years ago
Phrygian word
“bekos”-bread
BEKOS
Be
bed
THE ORIGINS OF
Psammetichus (Egyptian pharaoh) let two newborn

babies grow up in the company of only goats and a
mute shepherd 2 500 years ago
– they are reported to have started saying the
Phrygian (Turkey) word ‘bekos’ (bread) = original
language?
– however, it is more likely that the children imitated
the sounds they heard the goats make
THE ORIGINS OF
King James of Scotland carried out similar

experiment around 1 500
– the children are reported to have started
speaking
Hebrew = original language?

THE ORIGINS OF
BUT: Children discovered

living in isolation do not
confirm these findings but
grow up with no language at
all
THE ORIGINS OF
• Criticism: Divine source is

impossible to prove/disprove
and the ‘first language’ is
impossible to reconstruct!!
THE ORIGINS OF
• Plato argues that a legislator gave

the correct, natural names to all
things
• In many religions, only “special”
languages may be used in prayers
and rituals
THE ORIGINS OF
Imitations of natural sound

which early men and
women heard around them
THE ORIGINS OF
Natural Sound
Source
THE ORIGINS OF
The Natural Sound Source

-primitive words Coo-coo-cuckoo
could have been
imitations of Splash
natural sound Bang
which early men Boom
and women Rattle
heard around Buzz
them Hiss
-Bow-wow
theory
THE ORIGINS OF
-The imitations of sounds were then used to

refer to the things associated with the relevant
sound (onomatopoeia still exist in our
language today: splash, rattle, boom, ...!)
• For example, when a bird flew by making the
sound ‘coo-coo’, it would be called ‘cuckoo’.
• Criticism?
THE ORIGINS OF
Criticism: how would soundless things

and abstract concepts have been referred
to??
Criticism: Language is more than only a

set of names
THE ORIGINS OF
Original sounds may have started as

natural cries of emotion such as pain,
anger and joy (pooh-pooh theory)
• Criticism?
THE ORIGINS OF
Original sounds may have

started as natural cries of
emotion such as pain, anger
and joy
THE ORIGINS OF
pooh-pooh
theory
THE ORIGINS OF
Criticism: these are produced with sudden

intakes of breath, which is not the case for
ordinary speech!! emotional reactions
contain sounds not otherwise used in speech
production
THE ORIGINS OF
The Social Interaction Source

THE ORIGINS OF
1. yo-he-ho
Language arose out of the
rhythmical grunts of people
working together, involved in
physical effort that has to be
coordinated
THE ORIGINS OF
yo-he-ho
THE ORIGINS OF
1. yo-he-ho
• Language arose out of the
rhythmical grunts of people working
together, involved in physical effort
that has to be coordinated (yo-he-ho
THE ORIGINS OF
• Early humans may have developed a set of grunts,

groans and curses used when lifting and carrying
trees/mammoths
• Makes sense as early humans must have lived in
groups, which require some form of organization and
hence communication to maintain
 development of language placed in a social context
THE ORIGINS OF
Criticism: apes and other

primates also live in groups
and use grunts etc without
having developed the capacity
for speech!!
THE ORIGINS OF
Language originated from

song as an expressive
rather than a
communicative need
THE ORIGINS OF
la-la
THE ORIGINS OF
2. la-la
• Language originated from song as an
expressive rather than a communicative
need
THE ORIGINS OF
THE ORIGINS OF
The physical adaptation source

Early ancestors
THE ORIGINS OF
Homo erectus (from Africa to

Europe & Asia) – originated 1.8
million years ago – extinct 0.5
million years ago
– hunter-gatherer – tool-making
– able to control fire
– brain size increased
– not capable of producing sounds of
complexity comparable to modern
speech
THE ORIGINS OF
Homo Neanderthalensis
– Brain size increased
– average 1412 c.c. (homo sapiens;
1487 c.c.)
– consonant-like sound
distinctions
– 35 000 years ago
– features emerge that resemble
homo sapiens
THE ORIGINS OF
• Answer question by looking at physical features

that distinguish humans from other creatures
• Transition to upright posture & bipedal
locomotion => front limbs free
• Differences between skull of gorilla and
Neanderthal => Neanderthal may have been able to
produce some consonant-like sounds
THE ORIGINS OF
• Fossilised skeletal structures that begin to

resemble modern humans => partial adaptations
that appear relevant for speech => features are more
streamlined compared to other primates
• Features themselves may not have triggered

speech but give good indication that the creatures
possessing them were capable of speech
THE ORIGINS OF
THE ORIGINS OF
Physical features that distinguish humans from other

creatures may have supported speech production
• Evolutionary development resulted in partial
adaptations making speech possible for early humans:
– Teeth
– Lips
– Mouth
– Tongue
– Larynx
– Pharynx
THE ORIGINS OF
TEETH
• Upright position, not slanting outwards like those of apes
• Roughly even in height
• Good for grinding and chewing
• Very helpful in making sounds such as ‘f ’ or ‘v’
THE ORIGINS OF
LIPS
• More intricate muscle
interlacing
• More flexible
• Capable of a wider range of
shapes
• Suitable for making sounds
such as ‘p’ or ‘b’
THE ORIGINS OF
THE ORIGINS OF
MOUTH AND TONGUE

• Relatively small mouth compared to
other primates: can be opened and
closed more rapidly
• Smaller, thicker and more muscular
tongue that can be used to shape a
wide variety of sounds
• Airway through the nose can be
closed off to create more air pressure
in the mouth
THE ORIGINS OF
LARYNX AND PHARYNX

• Larynx is “voice box” in
your throat containing the
vocal folds or vocal chords
• Due to upright position,
head moved directly above
the spinal column and
larynx dropped to a lower
position
THE ORIGINS OF
• As a result, the pharynx

(cavity above the vocal
folds, acts as resonator)
became longer
increased range and
clarity of sounds
THE ORIGINS OF
• Disadvantage: due to lower

position of pharynx, humans
may choke more easily on
food
ability to speak must have
outweighed this
disadvantage for humans
THE ORIGINS OF
THE ORIGINS OF
THE ORIGINS OF
Criticism: Certain birds and

parrots are able to also produce a
wide variety of sounds
THE ORIGINS OF
The Tool Making Source

THE ORIGINS OF
1. hands
• Humans started making tools and manipulating objects
using both hands
• Manual gestures may have been a precursor of language: oral

gesture theory
• Bringing words together like bringing two rocks together to

make a tool
THE ORIGINS OF
2.brain
• The functions for object manipulation and for speaking are very
close to each other in the left hemisphere of the brain
(lateralization)
 there may have been an evolutionary connection between the
use of tools and the use of language in early humans
• This theory allows for structural organization inherent to all
language (even sign languages), not only articulation of sounds to
denote objects
THE ORIGINS OF
The Genetic Source

THE ORIGINS OF
• Young babies go through developments: small brain, larynx

higher in throat => changes take place => Almost automatic set
of development
• Even children who are born deaf become fluent speakers of a

sign language claim that human offspring are born with a special
capacity for language (innateness theory)
• Capacity for language genetically hard-wired into newborn

humans?
THE ORIGINS OF
• This applies to all language in general, not one

specific language
• Crucial mutation in human genetics, special
“language gene” that only humans possess
• This would mean that language did not result
from a gradual change but happened rather quickly
as a crucial genetic mutation (unlike physical
adaptation, for example)
THE ORIGINS OF
• No certainty when this genetic change

might have taken place and how it may
relate to physical adaptation
• If we have a special gene for language, can
other creatures also learn language?
THE ORIGINS OF

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THE ORIGINS

Chewing ,licking and sucking are extremely widespread

• Ability to produce sounds is

• Spoken language probably developed

• A lot of speculation about the

Where do you think

The Divine Source

• In most religions, a divine source gives

• Over the ages, people carried

Psammetichus (Egyptian pharaoh) let two newborn

King James of Scotland carried out similar

Hebrew = original language?

BUT: Children discovered

• Criticism: Divine source is

• Plato argues that a legislator gave

Imitations of natural sound

The Natural Sound Source

-The imitations of sounds were then used to

Criticism: how would soundless things

Criticism: Language is more than only a

Original sounds may have started as

Original sounds may have

Criticism: these are produced with sudden

The Social Interaction Source

• Early humans may have developed a set of grunts,

Criticism: apes and other

Language originated from

The physical adaptation source

Homo erectus (from Africa to

• Answer question by looking at physical features

• Fossilised skeletal structures that begin to

• Features themselves may not have triggered

Physical features that distinguish humans from other

MOUTH AND TONGUE

LARYNX AND PHARYNX

• As a result, the pharynx

• Disadvantage: due to lower

Criticism: Certain birds and

The Tool Making Source

• Manual gestures may have been a precursor of language: oral

• Bringing words together like bringing two rocks together to

The Genetic Source

• Young babies go through developments: small brain, larynx

• Even children who are born deaf become fluent speakers of a

• Capacity for language genetically hard-wired into newborn

• This applies to all language in general, not one

• No certainty when this genetic change

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