The Origin of Language in Human Evolution Essay

Language can be defined as a means of communication through spoken sounds, written symbols, or hand and body gestures. Subject to this simple definition language is neither human nor animal exclusive, meaning that all living creatures use some form of language to communicate. Humans have created the most advanced system of language. Human language has advanced to include listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and visual representation. These components are known as the six language arts and while they are individual components they are as well interdependent. What you learn about one affects what and how you learn about the others.

When looking through animal history, we humans have praised ourselves for our exceptional ability to communicate in an advanced manner. Whether we are listening or speaking, humans have crafted language into a powerful tool that is boundless and flexible against other arts. Moreover, through the perspective of building civilizations, communication has been the foundation of community. As Language is our most advanced form of communication; to what degree of value do we hold it in our society? Throughout the seminars, groups of people explored the history and significance of how we perceive language and the hidden advantages or disadvantages it provides.

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.

Although there is no direct evidence and a species language or their language capabilities do not fossilize, coupled with more modern techniques being used today and archeological evidence, it is possible now to study this topic with more success than in previous years. There is a record that supports the suggestion of Homo neandertal speech capabilities. Previous to the recovery of an intact middle paleolithic hyoid bone, the reconstructed vocal tract and the FOXP2 gene, the lack of evidence on the speech capabilities of Homo neandertals led most scholars to regard the topic as unsuitable for serious study

Having a voice, whether it’s a human or an animal, have a significance behind where it comes from, where we get it from and what message it receives to another. In this case, to have a voice consist of what it’s used for and how it comes back to you in different reflections using sea and land animals and humans. To have a “voice” in the planet we live, it involves with imitation, body language, melancholy song with vocalization and similarities of the human species with the species of diverse animals and vice versa.

“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.

Before there was language, there were sounds such as, thunder, wind and animal sounds. As the brain evolved, humans developed the capacity for basic screams and shrieks. They used drums to frighten their enemies. And as further explained by the author, the human brain developed three cognitive abilities which led to the development of language over

The article Is Language the Key to Human Intelligence? , Written by David Premack a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, explains how humans have displayed their intelligence through language, unlike animals whose language, (any) hasn’t evolved at all. Premack uses examples such as grammar and syntax of the human language and explains the uniqueness and evolution of language over time. He claims humans have humans have six symbols system: “two that evolved- the genetic code and spoken language- and four that we invented: written language, Arabic numerals, music notation, and lab notation (a system for coding choreography)”. One word that he puts emphasis time over time is Recursion (“makes it possible for the words

Language is a cognitive function that most of us take for granted. It starts from early on, some say at conception, and it develops in complexity as we get older. It is an essential part of communication and without it its development would be greatly hindered. This natural process requires complex structures and reasoning, the bringing together of sounds and words to develop concrete ideas and thoughts. In this paper we will discuss the components of language and how it relates to cognitive processes.

The central purpose of this essay is to critically discuss the importance of understanding human evolution and the history of psychology for the modern psychologist. For the human evolution, the essay will be addressing on how we and other species descended from our ancestors and how the different environment has helped to us to become more adaptable. Regarding the history of psychology, the essay will be discussing on how psychology branched off from the philosophy approach to become its own science. The essay will then go on discussing how the understanding of both human evolution and history of psychology would be used by modern psychologist.

The ability of humans to speak and understand language is made possible by one of the most complex and vital organs in the human body, the

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 great deal of heated debate for the last few decades about where modern Homo sapiens originated. From the battle grounds, two main theories emerged. One theory, labeled “Out-of-Africa” or “population replacement” explains that all modern Homo sapiens evolved from a common Homo erectus ancestor in Africa 100,000 years ago. The species began to spread and replace all other archaic human-like populations around 35,000 to 89,000 years ago. The rivaling opinion, entitled the “regional continuity” theory or “multiregional evolution” model refutes this theory and states modern humans evolved from various species of Homo erectus who interbred with others that lived in

Animal might not be able to speak a real language, but they can use certain way to communicate with each other. Language communication can be divided into two forms, which is verbal and nonverbal. Most of animals use body languages to communicate. There are many ways to communicate in nonverbal communications, some animals use signs, signals, or sounds to communicate. For example, Bees dance when they find the nectar, horses rub noses as a sign of affection, and chimpanzees greet each other by touching hands. Humans and animals use three basic forms of signs in communication: sound, odor and body movement. All systems of communication contain units of form that have specifics meaning as signs. Depending on different species animals have distinct forms nonverbal language, such as foxes have twenty forms of vocalization. The greatest similarity between human and animal communication is the use of sound. Humans express emotion through the use of words and tone in the same way as animals communicate emotion through sound. Although most human communication through odor is

Although, there is no agreed definition of language among linguists, but we can say that language is the most sophisticated way of communication between any two human beings and far more complex than any other system of communication. The ability of acquiring and using languages is one of the properties that differs us as human beings from other species.