Linguistic Assignment#1.

(Ing,380). Date due: Thursday, March30,2023.

Name :Isabell Montenegro
Purpose: Exploring some theories of the origin of language.
1.In chapter#1. Read the pages 27 to 29. ( In the beginning : The origin of
language. )
2. After reading, summarize the ideas of the theories of the origin of
language in a maximum of two pages.

You’re right. Theories of divine origin, language as a human invention,

and evolutionary development have all been put forward to explain the
origin of language. Linguistic history suggests that spoken languages of
the kind that exist today have been around for tens of thousands of years
at the very least. However, the earliest deciphered written records are
barely six thousand years old. Despite the difficulty of finding scientific
evidence, speculations on language origin have provided valuable
insights into the nature and development of language.
According to Judeo-Christian beliefs, the one deity gave Adam the power
to name all things. Similar beliefs are found throughout the world.
According to the Egyptians, the creator of speech was the god Thoth.
Babylonians believed that the language giver was the god Nabu, and the
Hindus attributed our unique language ability to a female god: Brahma
was the creator of the universe, but his wife Sarasvati gave language to
us. Plato held that at some ancient time, a “legislator” gave the correct,
natural name to everything, and that words echoed the essence of their
meanings.
Belief in the divine origin of language is intertwined with the supernatural
properties that have been associated with the spoken word. In many
religions only special languages may be used in prayers and rituals, such
as Latin in the Catholic Church for many centuries. The Hindu priests of
the fifth century b.c.e. believed that the original pronunciation of Vedic
Sanskrit was sacred and must be preserved.
Although myths, customs, and superstitions do not tell us very much
about language origin, they do tell us about the importance ascribed to
language. There is no way to prove or disprove the divine origin of
language, just as one cannot argue scientifically for or against the
existence of God.

There are many theories about the origin of language. One of the most
common is the monogenetic theory of language origin, which states that
all languages originated from a single source. However, there is also a
proposition that language arose in several places or at several times in
the course of history. Which of these is true is still debated by linguists.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, the idea that the earliest form of
language was imitative, or echoic, was proposed up to the twentieth
century. A parallel view states that language at first consisted of
emotional ejaculations of pain, fear, surprise, pleasure, anger, and so on.
French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau proposed that the earliest
manifestations of language were “cries of nature.” Other hypotheses
suggested that language arose out of the rhythmical grunts of men and
women working together or more charmingly that language originated
from song as an expressive rather than a communicative need.
Language most likely evolved with the human species, possibly in stages,
possibly in one giant leap. Research by linguists, evolutionary biologists,
and neurologists support this view and the view that from the outset the
human animal was genetically equipped to learn language.

3. Do not forget to tell us which theory do you agree with. Why?

I can relate to The divine origin theory has historically been used to justify
the absolute power of monarchs and other political leaders. The theory
holds that the power of kings and rulers comes from God.
The theory of divine origin is one of the oldest theories on the origin of
the state. The deciders of this theory believed that the state does not arise
from the people, but is the work of God on earth.
Also according to this theory, God has chosen certain people to rule and
these people have the divine right to do so.