Origins of languahe

• Linguistics- the study of language
• Generative linguistics: – we have a language faculty in our brain which allows us to acquire the grammatical system of any language (spoken / sign) within ca. 3 years of age
• spoken languages appeared long before written language
• The divine source: theory that language is a gift from a God
• The natural sound source: The basic idea is that primitive words could have been imitations of the natural sounds which early men and women heard around them.
• The natural theory: bow-wow-wow theory
• onomatopeia: is the use or creation of a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes
• The social interaction source: “yo-he-ho” theory.
• The social interaction source : we have to speak because we are social beings
• The physical adaptation source: Closely connected with evolution
• —The key articulatory organs: teeth, mouth, larynx, pharynx, tongue, lips
• The tool-making source: people started using tools
• The genetic source: the development of babies