Chapter One : Origins Of Languages

- First Lecture NOTES.

10/16/2017- Set By Hussain K. Neama

This chapter tries to give speculations about where language come from?
There are six speculations and theories which have supporting evidence
and criticizing evidence for each of them :

-THESE ARE:
1- The Divine Source

2- The Natural Source

3- The Social Interaction Source

4- The Physical Adaptation Source

5-The Tool Making Source

6-The Genetic Source

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1- The Divine Source :

a- The main argument is that language is a God-gift.

b- If we try to argue for (SUPPORT)this theory we will depend on what
is mentioned in the religious books.
1- the Hindu god Abrahams wife gifted human the language.
- 2- in the bible, God created Adam and gifted his language.
3- in Muslims traditions, it is mentioned in the Holy Quran, that Allah
taught Adam all names; language.
c- If we are arguing against this theory, it is said that not all the children
who Had been undergone the experiment did not pick their languages human
interference thus, if it is God gift, then it must be one language as mentioned
in events of Babel.
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2- The Natural Sound Source.
a- The main argument is that primitive words could have been imitations
of the natural sounds which early heard by humans around them, such as
(Bow-Wow) (Pooh-Pooh) (Caw-Caw).
b- To support this theory(Argue For), each language has the phenomenon
called
(Onomatopoeia 1) which means the pronunciation of a word indicates its meaning.

c-To argue against this source, it can be agreed that it is hard to see how
most of the soundless things and abstract concepts. language can be a set of
names only.
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Chapter One : Origins Of Languages
- First Lecture NOTES.
10/16/2017- Set By Hussain K. Neama

3- The Social Interaction Source

a- The main argument that is when a group of people make physical

efforts, they would develop set of hums, grunts and grooms, such as
lifting and carrying pieces of tress or dead animals.
b- To argu for this speculation, we might say that primitive humans lived
in social groups. So, they were in need to develop a form of
communication.
c- To argue against this theory, it is known that Apes lived in social
groups and developed a form of communication, but they do not have
language as OURS --> ( HUMAN).
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4- The Physical Adaptation Source

a- The main argument is that after the great modification of our

Ancestors after the transition into bipedal ( two feet) and the
enlargement of brain, teeth, mouth, larynx and pharynx were ready to
produce language .so this is the source where languge come from.
b- To argue for this source, it can be said that the development of such
features throws ought 60,000 years might be the source of languge.
this change is scientifically proved, but what is not proved is the
evolution of languge.
c- To argue against this speculation, we can say that we need at least
35 thousand years to reconstruct languge .further, human begins are
highs developed no as Darwin said that they mean apes once
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Chapter One : Origins Of Languages
- First Lecture NOTES.
10/16/2017- Set By Hussain K. Neama

5-The Tool Making Source

a- The main argument is lateralization of the brain can show the

tool-making and speech producing are in some
hemisphere development of tool-making shows the same
development of sounds signals.
b- Supporting ( argue for ) this speculation, one might argue for a
complex way of tool making that human develops and compare
such way to the complex languge.
c- To criticize(argue against) this source it can be said that it is
difficult to organize and combine all the tools and so structures of
language .

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6-The Genetic Source

A-The main argument is that language is genetically in-Bullitt. Thus,

it seems that language emerged from the quick change of the
innateness hypothesis.

b-The the argument for (support) this source is that human baby is
born wired and programmed with basics language.

c-To argue against this speculation it can be said that according to

this hypothesis, then might be other creatures which can develop
languages.

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Chapter One : Origins Of Languages
- First Lecture NOTES.
10/16/2017- Set By Hussain K. Neama

Chapter 1
Questions Answers )PAGE 8)

ONLY ANSWRS !!!

1. Interjections contain sounds that are not otherwise used in ordinary speech

production. They are usually produced with sudden intakes of breath, which

is the opposite of ordinary talk, produced on exhaled breath.

2. Primitive words could have been imitations of the natural sounds that early

humans heard around them and all modern languages have words that are

onomatopoeic in some way (like bow-wow).

3. First, his conclusion was based on very little evidence and, second, it seems

more reasonable to assume that the children in his study were producing a

goat-like sound from their immediate environment rather than a Phrygian

sound from a distant language.

4. The pharynx is above the larynx (or the voice box or the vocal folds). When

the larynx moved lower, the pharynx became longer and acted as a resonator,

resulting in increased range and clarity of sounds produced via the larynx.

5. If these deaf children do not develop speech first, then their language

ability would not seem to depend on those physical adaptations of the teeth,

larynx, etc., that are involved in speaking. If all children (including those

born deaf) can acquire language at about the same time, they must be born

with a special capacity to do so. The conclusion is that it must be innate and

hence genetically determined.

6. The physical adaptation source.

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