The short answer\u00a0is\u00a0no one knows! There is no conclusive theory that explains how language developed and there almost certainly never\u00a0will\u00a0be. Language evolution will remain a mystery forever. However, this hasn\u2019t stopped countless theories being put forward over the years.\u00a0Pretty much\u00a0all of\u00a0these theories have been challenged, discounted and often flat out ridiculed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Continue reading to find out more about 5 of the oldest and most common theories about the origin of language.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The Bow-Wow Theory<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If this theory is to be believed, language began when our ancestors began imitating the\u00a0natural\u00a0sounds around them. It is proposed that the first speech was onomatopoeic, such as \u2018moo\u2019, \u2018meow\u2019, \u2018splash\u2019, and \u2018bang\u2019.\u00a0However:\u00a0this theory is\u00a0challenged\u00a0as\u00a0relatively\u00a0few words\u00a0are onomatopoeic, and these words vary from one language to another.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Also, many of the words\u00a0in\u00a0our\u00a0language\u00a0that\u00a0actually\u00a0are\u00a0onomatopoeic are of recent\u00a0origin and\u00a0are not all derived from natural sounds!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Ding-Dong Theory<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This theory, which can count Plato and Pythagoras among its champions, is very vague and somewhat confusing. According to the theory, speech arose in response to the essential qualities of objects in the environment. The original sounds people made were supposedly were created in harmony with the world around them.\u00a0However:<\/strong>\u00a0Apart from some rare instances of sound symbolism, there is no evidence in language of an innate connection between sound and meaning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The La-La Theory<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Danish\u00a0linguist Otto\u00a0Jesperen\u00a0suggested that language may have developed a human need to express love, play, poetry and song.\u00a0The idea was that emotion inspires music, which he believed could have been the predecessor to language.\u00a0However:<\/strong>\u00a0This theory doesn\u2019t account for the gap between the emotional want to express language and the actual development of language.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The Pooh-Pooh Theory<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This theory maintains that speech began with interjections, such as spontaneous cries of pain, surprise and other emotions, things such as \u2018oh!\u2019 or \u2018ouch!\u2019.\u00a0However<\/strong>: No language contains many interjections, so it is unclear how\u00a0an entire\u00a0language\u00a0could\u00a0have been created from what\u00a0are\u00a0effectively intakes of breath which bear little relationship to the vowels and consonants found in\u00a0actual language.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The\u00a0<\/strong>Yo<\/strong>-He-Ho Theory<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n According\u00a0to\u00a0this theory, language evolved from the grunts, groans and snorts evoked by\u00a0intense\u00a0physical labour.\u00a0However<\/strong>: Although this might account for some of the rhythmic features of the language, it doesn\u2019t go very far to explain where words\u00a0actually come\u00a0from.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Make the most of language with International Translations<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n