Theories on the Origin of Language

Written By: Rehat Sra

Edited By: Arjun Ramachandran

Dogs communicate with one another through barks and growls, and bees send messages through physical movement, animals can pass on important morsels of information to each other. Those morsels are negligible to the way that humans have been able to tell stories from years past and learn from one another. We have the ability to ask, where did language come from? A question that has plagued linguists for centuries. In fact, the unanswerable nature of the question led it to be banned by the Société de Linguistique de Paris in 1866 due to the lack of concrete evidence. There is no fossil evidence of the development of language, nor is there a similar process occurring in animals which we can observe. Thus, making it nearly impossible to determine the origin of verbal language. Writing developed 5,500 years ago, but verbal communication is estimated to have been born over 100,000 years ago. However, in the past 40 years more research has been done to answer this question, including developments in genome mapping and studies of animal behavior. Although it is unlikely we will determine a concrete origin of language, many theories have been posited over the years.

Another well-known theory is the Ta-Ta, or gestural theory. According to Dr. C. George Boeree, this theory hypothesizes that language originated as a vocal imitation of gestures and movements. There are certain words, like ta-ta, which mimic gestures, in this case, waving goodbye. This suggests that gestures came before language as a mode of communication. Philosophers such as Plato favored this theory of language, however, Sir Richard Paget popularized the theory with his study on Human Speech in 1930. He found that through studying the gestures of articulation of polynesian and indonesian words, that about 80% did show a gestural relation to their meaning. Despite the evidence he collected, the ta-ta theory still oversimplifies evolution and doesn’t explain how emotional and rational aspects of speech expression could have formed from imitating a limited number of gestures. 

The Pooh Pooh theory is the idea that speech formed from involuntary vocalizations, like the word “ouch”. This was proposed by a British linguist, Henry Sweet, in the early 20th century through his publication of History of Language. This theory does account for the psychology of language and how interjections became used to express emotions. Early words could have been used to express distress or potential dangers to others, providing a large evolutionary advantage. Moreover, the Pooh Pooh theory explains our instinctive responses in language today. However, no language contains many interjections and they are not related to vowels or consonants in phonology. Despite the evolutionary advantage this theory has on the other two, it is still difficult to draw a connection from words like “oh!” to our complex system of communication.

Similarly, the Yo-he-ho theory suggests that language evolved from grunts produced during physical labor. Proposed by British Sir Edward Burned Tylor in 1871, ten years after the pooh pooh theory was first theorized. This theory focuses on practical explanations of language, how it is a tool for coordinating collective activities and creating a productive community. This theory would explain the rhythmic and prosodic (intonation and stress) elements. Nonetheless, this theory doesn’t account for how words originated through sounds or the complex syntax of language today. 

The hunt for the origin of language has been a long and tumultuous one, yielding countless theories. The answer could be a combination of all of them, or none, we’ll never know for sure. Despite not knowing the exact emergence of language, we can be sure that it has served as a powerful and indispensable tool to human life, shaping our societies, cultures, and identities as we grow and evolve. 

Sources 

Boeree, C. George. “The Origins of Language.” webspace.ship.edu, https://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/langorigins.html. Accessed 25 December 2024.

Hauser, Marc D., et al. “The mystery of language evolution.” Frontiers in psychology, 2014. “The Origins of Language.” webspace.ship.edu, 

https://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/langorigins.html. Accessed 16 December 2024. 

Osoblivaia, Tatiana. “How Did Languages Emerge? Theories of Their Creation.”   PoliLingua.com, 22 February 2023, 

https://www.polilingua.com/blog/post/theories-of-languages-origin.htm. Accessed 16 December 2024. 

Paget, Richard. Human Speech: Some ObserVATIONS, EXPERIMENTS, and CONCLUSIONS AS to the NATURE,. Routledge, 2014. Accessed 25 December 2024.

Sweet, Henry. The History of Language. Kessinger Publishing, 2007.

Vasundhra. “Theories of Origin of Language.” Anthroholic, 5 October 2024, https://anthroholic.com/theories-of-origin-of-language?srsltid=AfmBOooIqQJQCV8p951 mIFfxSP9J3bxNLWeXjahQNEqcYGcNYxFiIYPR.