The Evolution Of Human Language

It is apparent that in our world, humans are the only species to have developed language to such a great length. However it is still unknown why, and of what cause, we created and learn language the way we do that language amongst humans is universal despite the 7,000 different languages spoken.

Evidence of this ability in chimpanzees was the poignant reaction of Washoe to the news of her baby’s death and Kanzi’s execution of instructions from trainers. However, there is limited evidence of sentence comprehension and productivity as evidence suggests chimps learn to perform appropriate actions not grammatical rules which is an element of language unique to humans. Sentence production so not justify any sophisticated claims about linguistic ability of apes. Pearce (2008) provides explanations as to why animals may nor develop language. for example, humans have a unique language acquisition device to develop language and word grammar.

Why is this question ambiguous and why is it interesting to note that this question is ambiguous?

Language is the most distinctive feature we have as humans. Linguistic anthropologist look at the relationship of specific languages to their cultures”(Parks, 2014). Language isn't just words but also hand gestures, symbols and body language. Hand gestures are usually called “American sign language”. Body language can often let us know if someone is upset, happy, uncertain, afraid and angry. There are about 6000 or more spoken languages in the world right now. Linguistic anthropologist study things by using field methods. They use material observation the most as they are interested in written records. Written records show us the breakthrough in the evolution of language. They focus on “locating, recovery, preservation, dating and analysis of material remains”(Parks, 2014). They locate items that can lead us to understanding how language evolved over time. According to findings, homo sapiens were amongst the first of our species to speak a language. It was said to appear between 30,000 and 100,000 years ago. “Here is where I throw in natural selection and the theory of evolution. Natural selection is the notion that the specific physical traits of a population make that population more likely to survive it's environment.” Language needed to evolve because humans needed to be able to communicate with one another.

As nonhuman primates seem to be able to communicate meaningful messages, the question arises whether our ancestors developed language from a similar state.

Your discussing in regarding with human and non-human primates if it should be considered true language or not was very appropriate. “If a dog barks aggressively at another dog will result to the receiving dog to either bark back or run-away” is a good example of reflexivity in the properties of language. Which is also defined as a performance of a reflex or simply without conscious thought. The difference with human language and the ability to reflect happens when the person happen to talk or reflect on language itself. When dogs bark at each other, they are probably not talking about barking per say. This is why many people might find this subject easily debatable when comparing both human and animal language. Do you think animals speak human

Goodall’s conceptualization of the chimpanzee mind can be used as a referential model for human ancestors because her connections between the human and chimpanzee mind show incredible similarities. If our thought processes and emotional capacity are as similar as our genetics, then there is compelling evidence stating that we are even more alike than only a possible genetic drift. This possibility supports the ancestral connection between humans and other primates. This includes other primates. For example, Koko the gorilla, as well as other members of the Gorilla Foundation, learned ASL and, much like Goodall’s chimpanzees, could form incredible complex thoughts, even creating their own words for objects that they did not know the name of (for example, Koko called a “ring” a “finger bracelet” when she never learned the sign for “ring”).

“What makes us human?”, is an unanswered question asked by many. Is it because of our ability to have empathy for others? Or is it because of our cognitive ability which allows us to look into the future? One of the main arguments made that separates humans from animals is our communication style; our language. Is language inherently unique to human? To answer such a question, we first operationally define language as; “a system of communication based upon words and the combination of words into sentences” (University of Oslo). The purpose of language is for us to be able to convey an infinite amount of ideas to one another. Sign language in general also falls under this definition as it has a complex system of rules and syntax that allow the signed figures to function as words. Animal communication on the other hand, is operationally defined as, “the transmission of a signal from one animal to another such that the sender benefits, on average, from the response of the recipient” (Pearce 1987). With this in mind, current research has shown that the answer is that language is inherently unique to humans.

The origin of speech in Homo sapiens is controversial topic since the problem is related to humans' unprecedented use of the tongue, lips and vocal organs as instruments of communication. As we know, the other animals vocalize, but do not use the tongue to modulate sounds. The most interesting scenario about this evidence, with regards to human language evolution, is the lip-smacking. According to scientists, lip-smacking has been observed as the first step towards the evolution of speech, although it is a phenomenon common in every primate. The evolution of distinctively human speech capacities has become a distinct and in many ways separate area of scientific research. Many studies have been done throughout the history regarding the origins of human language. The article about the Gelada monkeys of

Humans received information by communicating with each other. Before they spoke to each other with words, they communicated with gestures and “body language” in addition to simple sounds. Language probably started with individual words. Linking words into sentences probably came next. Humans were believed to use music-like phrases similar to the way parents talk to babies before language was

Then as the early humans progressed, they developed a series of grunts and gestures to communicate with each other. And over time formal languages evolved. But the languages that evolved are not present back at the point of the Source. The Source is the base, the beginning, the creative starting point of all existence. Languages and communication only came into existence further down the road.

Why is this question ambiguous and why is it interesting to note that this question is ambiguous?

The claim, humans are the only animal that can acquire language has been the subject of much debate as scientists have investigated language use by non-human species. Researchers have taught apes, monkeys, parrots and wild children with various systems of human-like communication. Thus, one might ask, what is human language? According to Ulla Hedeager, A universally accepted definition of language or the criteria for its use does not exist. This is one of the reasons for the disagreement among scientists about whether non-human species can use a language. In nature, researchers find numerous types of communication systems, several of which appear to be unique to their possessors, and one of them is the language of the human species. Basically, the purpose of communication is the preservation, growth, and development of the species (Smith and Miller 1968:265). The ability to exchange information is shared by all communication systems, and a number of non-human systems share some features of human language. The fundamental difference between human and non-human communication is that animals are believed to react instinctively, in a stereotyped and predictable way. Generally, human behavior is under the voluntary control,

There has been a long debate about whether a critical period for language acquisition truly exists in humans. It may be true that children have an easier time obtaining fluency when it comes to acquiring a new language, but this does not mean that it is impossible for adults to also acquire a new language with the same level of control even in late adulthood(Snow). So can it really be said that there is a critical period through which children have an easier time to learn a language? And if so, is there a limit to how many languages that a child can learn before this critical period is over?

Think of things that morph over time. What comes to mind? People may think about a music artist’s change from YouTube videos recorded on iPhones to sold-out concerts. Or, they may think about the changes an athlete makes from childhood to becoming a professional athlete. However, did you think about how much a language changes over a couple of years? Every year words are added to and taken from the dictionary. Words are formed and forgotten. Language changes because of a person’s vocabulary and location, but what happens to a language, like the English language, that is spread across the whole world?