EL 2

• We simply do not know, and never will, how or when language began
• Theories and hypotheses about the origin of language


  • Bow-bow theory
  • Pooh-pooh theory
  • Ding-dong theory
  • Yo-he-ho theory
  • La-la theory
• Bow-bow theory


  Humans imitate the sounds of the animal's call
• Pooh-pooh theory


  People make instinctive sounds
• Ding-dong theory


  People react to the world and make sound symbolism
• Yo-he-ho theory


  Humans create rhythmical grunts which later developed into chants to address physical environmental needs
• La-la theory


  The romantic side of human life is the sole factor responsible for the creation of language
• Genetic Mutation of Chomsky


  Language was created from a genetic mutation from one of our ancestors who developed the ability to speak and understand language and passed it on to offspring
• Vocal Grooming of Dubar


  As communities grew larger, people needed to find a more efficient form of grooming, so they used vocals similar to gossip to keep their peers with them
• "Putting the baby down" hypothesis

  As humans evolved and lost their fur, mothers who used to carry their babies on their backs needed to leave them on the ground, so they used calls, facial expressions, body language and tactile communication to ensure the babies were not abandoned
• Whitney's theory on the source of human speech


  It is anchored on the sound of human cries, as humans express their feelings and are being understood by others, the use of language began
• Semiotics was founded by a Swiss linguist, Ferdinand de Saussure, who refer to it as "the life of signs within society"
• Semiotics


  The study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation, exploring how meaning is created and communicated through various signs, including words, images, gestures, and objects
• Semiotician


  A person who studies or practices semiotics and deals with symbols in image, pattern, and motion to convey meaning
• John Locke's view on semiotics


  Language began with signs, that are signs and dyadic, meaning a signature is tied to a specific meaning
• Charles Sanders Peirce's concept of semiotics


  Triadic: sign, meaning, and interpreter
• Semiotics Takeaways


  • Semiotics can help us communicate things through visuals, unspoken and spoken
  • Some signs are accepted and understood globally like traffic signs, emojis, and brand logos
  • Semiotics in written and spoken form include puns, metaphors, intertextualities, and even cultural commonalities
• Theories on the interconnectedness between culture and language


  • Language and culture are inseparable
  • Language and culture are independent
  • Culture and language are partly interconnected
• Ways language and culture are related (Kramsch)


  • Ways of doing things and perceptions can be manifested through the use and arrangement of words
  • People postulate meaning in their daily activities and experiences through language, and thus, language personifies cultural reality
  • The context of communication where language is used embodies cultural reality and speakers distinguish themselves using their language as their identity
• Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions, and desire by means of voluntarily produced symbols
• Language is a part of culture and a part of epidermal behavior
• Main functions of language (Kramsch)


  • Language is the primary vehicle of communication
  • Language reflects both the personality of the individual and the culture of history, and it helps in shaping both personality and culture
  • Language makes possible the growth and transmission of culture, the continuity of societies and the effective functioning and control of social groups
• Whorf's theory on the significance of language


  Our ways of looking at the world depend on the type of language that we use, as different languages can have different ways of describing the same thing
• Culture is not inborn but rather learned as it is a social product
• Elements of culture


  • Overall patterns of behavior
  • Literature and language
  • Arts
  • Prototypes
  • Other products of human work and thought
• Vygotsky's theory


  Social interactions between and among people are a key element in acquiring knowledge, and language and culture are intently interconnected
• Piaget's theory


  Children create meaning from the verbal and nonverbal cues received from their environment and these meanings change as children learn more because of maturity, but he did not emphasize the role of culture in learning
• Chomsky's theory


  Language Acquisition Device (LAD) is a built-in box in the brain responsible for creating and learning the language, and language structures can change, develop, and evolve given cultural interactions