Psycholinguistics

The origins of language

The social interaction source

Another name for this proposal is "Yo-he-ho". The idea is that the sounds of a person involved in physical effort could be the source of our language, especially when that physical effort involved several people and the interaction had to be coordinated. So, a group of early humans might develop a set of hums, grunts, groans, and curses that were used when they were lifting and carrying large bits of trees or lifeless hairy mammoths. 

The appeal of this proposal is that it places the development of human language in a social context. Early people must have lived in groups, if only because larger groups offered better protection from attack. Groups are necessarily social organizations and, to maintain those organizations, some form of communication is required, even if it is just grunts and curses. 

So, human sounds, however they were produced, must have had some principled use within the life and social interaction of early human groups. This is an important idea that may relate to the uses of humanly produced sounds.

Video for a better understanding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3urt9rwCQ1o

The Physical Adaptation Source Theory

The Physical Adaptation Source Theory is one of the many theories that attempt to explain the origin of language. This theory suggests that the physical features that humans possess, especially those that are distinct from other creatures, enable speech production. Our ancestors made a very significant transition to upright posture, with bipedal, and a revised role for the front limbs.

This theory proposes that one function, the production of speech sounds, must have been superimposed on already existing anatomical features, such as teeth and lips, which were previously used for other purposes, such as chewing and sucking.

In addition, a very significant transition was made to the upright posture, with standing, and a revised role for the forelimbs, followed by the development of a set of oral gestures involving especially the mouth in which the movements of the tongue, lips, etc . were recognized according to movement patterns similar to physical gestures. Articulations such as the human teeth, lips, mouth, tongue, larynx, pharynx, and brain have been created in such a way that they coordinate in the production of speech sounds. Their location, connections, and coordinating functions differentiate humans from all living things.

The adaptation in the vocal tracts of early humans could have been similar to the skull change in gorillas. The most important evolution was the four-footed animal becoming two-footed. However, speculations have been developed about the origins of human speech, and there are many theories about how language began.

 

Video for a better understanding:  Physical Adaptation Source | Origin of Language Lecture 4

https://youtu.be/vnN1iCSWImQ

The genetic source 

The genetic source focuses on the origin of language as something that is already "programmed" in human beings. When a child is born, some of the most notable physical changes that appear over time are that they begin to develop an upright posture, walk, and later begin to talk (these changes are due to the development of the brain and the lowering of the larynx). Language seems to appear naturally, since it can even develop in deaf children. 

For this reason, it has been believed that this language capacity in humans is due to a mutation in human genetics since no other species seems to be able to have that same development. Also, with the help of the studies that have been carried out, it is speculated that the mutation It was a fairly rapid process because no fossil evidence was found or what was the source of human sounds, so what we are really looking for is the language gene.

Videos related to the topic: The Genetic Source | Origin of Language | Lecture 5 - YouTube

                           

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 fact that all modern languages have some words with pronunciations that seem to echo naturally occurring sounds could be used to support this theory.

In addition, it has been suggested that the original sounds of language may have come from natural cries of emotion such as pain, anger and joy. Basically, the expressive noises people make in emotional reactions contain sounds that are not otherwise used in speech production and consequently would seem to be rather unlikely candidates as source sounds for language.

Versions of the Natural Sound Source Theory of Language Origin

 

Theory	Origin of language	Hypothesis	Examples
Bow-Wow	Animal sounds	The bow-wow theory supports that language emerged through “onomatopoeia” or the imitation of the sounds in the natural world.	When an object flew by, making a CAW-CAW sound, the early human tried to imitate the sound and used it to refer to the thing associated with the sound.
Pooh-Pooh	Emotions	Human language originated from emotional exclamations of pain, pleasure, surprise, etc.	Such sounds as “wa wa wa” or “ha ha ha,” commonly used to denoted crying or pain and happiness or laughter, respectively, would then develop into a more unique and case-specific series of sounds in association with other emotions and interactions (Vadja).
Yo-Heave-Ho	Coordination while working together	Proposes that language developed and evolved in a social context.	These are sounds of a person involved in physical effort when that effort had to be coordinated (to pull a rope, lift a log, push a big stone...)
Ding-Dong	Environmental sounds	Imitation of sounds created by the environmental elements to create words associated with specific meanings.	Examples include words such as “boom,” “crash,” and “oink.”

 

Video for a better understanding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFcF8vQ3jqY

The tool-making source 

From the perspective of physical adaptation, the ability to produce speech sounds was superimposed on existing anatomical features, such as teeth and lips, which were originally used for chewing and sucking. Similarly, the development of human hands, with a preference for the right hand, and the manufacture of tools suggest an evolutionary connection between object manipulation and speech. Lateralization of the brain, with specialized functions in each hemisphere, could have contributed to the coordination between complex vocalization and tool manipulation, pointing to a possible evolutionary connection in the development of the speaking brain. Other speculative theories about the origins of speech often focus on the isolated production of noises to indicate objects in the environment.

 

All languages, including sign language, require the organization and combination of sounds or signs into specific arrangements. We seem to have developed a part of our brain specialized in creating these arrangements.

 

Videos related to the topic:ToolMaking Source of Language | Origin of Language | Lecture 6

The divine source

The origin of language, or how humans started “talking” to each other “using words,” has been a topic of research forever. Divine Source Theory is perhaps the most ancient theory of it all. As you might have already guessed from its name, Divine Source Theory takes us deeper into our religious and mythological roots

The Divine source theory of language origin suggests that language was created by divine being(s) and thus has a divine origin. According to this theory, language was not created by humans themselves or was a result of human evolution, but rather was a gift from a higher power.

In most religions, there appears to be a divine source who provides humans with language. In an attempt to rediscover this original divine language, a few experiments have been carried out, with rather conflicting results. The basic hypothesis seems to have been that, if human infants were allowed to grow up without hearing any language around them, then they would spontaneously begin using the original God-given language.

Videos related to the topic:  https://youtu.be/-zMat6Q0xXk?si=Fq8M_dClC5kcc88z

References

• Bashov, S. (2017). George Yule The Study of Language. yes https://www.academia.edu/47072608/George_Yule_The_Study_Of_Language  
• Smart Study with Z. (2023, 17 junio). The Genetic Source | Origin of Language | Lecture 5 [Vídeo]. YouTube /www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKwIl6vIExE
• Studocu (sf). Informacion - Lecture -  ¿Cómo comenzó el lenguaje? Some researchers claim that everything in it - Studocu.  https://www.studocu.com/ec/document/universidad-central-del-ecuador/ingles/informacion-lecture/31654537
• Shirvalkar, J. (2023, 24 mayo). Natural Sound Source Theory of Language Origin: Bow-Wow, Pooh-Pooh, Yo-Heave-Ho… A Good Library. https://agoodlibrary.com/natural-sound-source-theory-of-language-origin-bow-wow-pooh-pooh-yo-heave-ho/#:~:text=The%20natural%20sound%20source%20theory%20of%20language%20origin%20proposes%20that,%2C%20and%20la%2Dla%20theory.
•  Study with Z. (2023, 19 junio). Tool Making Source | Origin of Language | Lecture 6 [Vídeo]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqJYc3bUETE 
• Shirlvalkar , J. (2023) What is the divine theory of language origin. The good library. https://agoodlibrary.com/what-is-the-divine-source-theory-of-language-origin/#:~:text=The%20Divine%20source%20theory%20of%20language%20origin%20suggests%20that%20language,gift%20from%20a%20higher%20power