COMD 2050- Chapter 1 (The Origins of Language)

fluent language models and communicative opportunities

Barring any disability, babies will almost inevitably learn language, given ___ and ___.

at least 50,000 years; some experts say 100,000

How old is language?

genetic source

Humans have an innate capacity for language.

bring another specific noise (good) into combination with the first; beer good

Humans produced a specific and consistent noise (beer) for a specific object. The crucial additional step was to ___ to build a complex message. (___)

the development of the speaking brain

It may be that there was an evolutionary connection b/w the language-using and tool-using abilities of humans and that both were involved in ___.

controls the muscles of the arms and hands

The area of the motor cortex that ___ is next to the articulatory muscles of the face, jaw, and tongue.

left

Motor movements in charge of speaking and object manipulation are typically controlled by the ___ hemisphere.

teeth, lips, mouth, tongue, larynx, and pharynx

Name some physical features which appear to be relevant for speech.

1) divine 2) natural sound (bow-wow theory and pooh-pooh theory) 3) social interaction 4) physical adaptation 5) tool-making 6) genetic

Name the 6 sources of human language.

without language input

There is an ancient hypothesis that human infants reared ___ would naturally speak the original God-given language.

pharynx

Other primates have almost no ___.

pooh-pooh theory

Speech developed from instinctive sounds people make in emotional circumstances ("Ah!" "Ooh!" "Ouch!").

true

T/F The human auditory system is already functioning before birth.

true

T/F There is no "spontaneous language."

true

T/F We don't know exactly how and when human language began.

larynx; pharynx

The ___ is dropped to a lower position in humans because of upright posture, creating the ___.

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").

What is the basic idea behind the "bow-wow" theory of language origin?

more possible to choke on food

What is the disadvantage of a larynx that is in a lower position than monkeys?

Manual gestures developed, which may have been a precursor of language.

What kinds of changes must have taken place in our hands?

the almost automatic set of developments of the descent of the larynx, development of the brain and upright posture, and walking and talking

What led some scholars to look for something more powerful than small physical adaptations of the species over time as the source of language?

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.

Where is the pharynx and how did it become an important part of human sound production?

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

Why are interjections such as "Ooh!" or "Yuck!" considered to be unlikely sources of human speech sounds?

It moved the head more directly above the spinal column.

Why did we assume an upright posture?

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

Why do you think that young, deaf children who became fluent in sign language would be cited in support of the innateness hypothesis?

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.

Why is it it difficult to agree with Psammetichus that Phyrgian must have been the original human language?

because of social aspects of humans in groups

Why is social interaction source an appealing proposal?

physical adaptation source

With which of the 6 "sources" would you associate this quotation? "Chewing, licking, and sucking are extremely widespread mammalian activities, which, in terms of casual observation, have obvious similarities with speech."

bow-wow theory

Words developed from the imitation of sounds in the environment.

b and m

__ and ___ are the most widely attested in the vocalizations made by human infants during their first year, no matter which language their parents are using.

Teeth

___ are even in height, upright, and not slanted outward like apes; very helpful in making sounds such as f or v.

Lips

___ are more flexible and have more muscles than primates; helpful in making sounds such as p, b, and m

The tongue

___ is muscular, allowing a variety of precise movements.

The mouth

___ is small and pressure can be built up by closing off passage to nasal cavity.

Deaf babies

___ may become fluent in sign language, provided visual language (sign language) models and interaction.

larynx

contains the vocal folds/cords; often referred to as the "voice box"; in lower position than monkeys, so humans have a longer cavity

divine source

language given by a higher power

social interaction source (yo-he-ho theory)

the idea that the sounds of a person involved in physical effort could be the source of our language, especially when that physical effort involved several people and the interaction had to be coordinated (hums, grunts, groans, and curses)

onomatopoeia

words that sound similar to the noises they describe (bang, splash, boom)

innateness hypothesis

"language gene"

social interaction source

"yo-he-ho" theory; group of people having to coordinate a joint effort during physical task

language

Apes also produce groans and grunts but have never developed the capacity for ____.

tool-using

A connection has been proposed between language, ___, and right-handedness in the majority of humans.

social interaction source

According to ___, early humans may have developed a set of grunts, groans, and curses used when lifting, carrying, etc.

the pooh-pooh theory

According to ___, we must think about our breath as we begin to speak (articulate) and when we finish speaking; deep breath in, expressive language (noises and sounds) come out.

sounds or signs

All languages, including sign language, require the organizing and combining of ___ or ___ in specific arrangements.

sounds heard in nature

All modern languages have some words with pronunciations that seem to echo ___.

divine source

All other cases of children who have been discovered living in isolation, without coming into contact with human speech, tend not to confirm the ____ experiments.

sound and vocal patterning

All vertebrates have the ability to produce ___.

language contact in early years

Children reared without ____ tend to never develop fluent language.

2 children were isolated with goats and a mute shepherd for 2 years. The children were reported to have spontaneously uttered the word "bekos" meaning "bread" (not Egyptian).

Describe Herodotus' account of Egyptian pharoah Psammetichus' experiment nearly 2,500 years ago.

newborns today

Early forms of articulation such as "Ooh!" and "Ah!" are seen as far back as the days of the caveman, but also in ___.

development of manual gestures, which may have been a precursor of language

Is there an evolutionary connection between language and tool-making?

Hebrew

In 1500 A.D. King James carried out a similar experiment to Psammetichus; children were reported to speak ___.

Hindu

In ___ tradition, language came from the wife of Brahma, creator of the universe.

Charles Darwin

In ___'s vision of the origins of language, early humans had already developed musical ability prior to language and were using it to "charm each other."

tool-making

In ___, one could grasp 1 rock to make 1 sound, or grasp 2 rocks to create other sounds (the contact between the two rocks changes).

language

In ____, humans may have developed a naming ability for specific objects, but the next step would be to bring another specific noise into combination with the first.

rediscover the divine language

In order to ____, few experiments have been carried out and left researchers with conflicting results.

biblical

In the ___ tradition, God created Adam and "whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof."

bow-wow theory

In this scenario, when different objects flew by, making a caw-caw or coo-coo sound, the early human tried to imitate the sounds and then used them to refer to those objects even when they weren't present.

Yes, there is evidence that humans developed preferential right-handedness.

Is it possible that freedom to use the hands, after assuming an upright bipedal posture, resulted in certain skills that lead to the development of language?

physical adaptation source

Physical features particularly adapted for speech in humans.

natural sound source (bow-wow theory)

Primitive words derive from imitations of the natural sounds that early men and women heard around them.

the natural sounds

Primitive words may have been imitations of ___ heard by the men and women in the village.

manual gestures

Some believe that ___ may have been a precursor of language.

identify sounds in the environment

The functioning of the human auditory system before birth develops into the ability to ___, allowing humans to make a connection b/w a sound and the thing producing that sound.

lateralized

The human brain is ___; there is a left side and a right side.

bow-wow theory

This source suggests that language is only a set of words used as 'names' for things.

making tools

Two million years ago humans began ___, which requires manipulation and combination of objects, similar to manipulation and combination of sounds.

wider range of shapes and a more rapid and powerful delivery of sounds produced through these different shapes

What are some advantages of a more intricate muscle interlacing in the lips and mouth of humans?

It is hard to see how most of the soundless things (low branch) as well as abstract concepts (truth) could have been referred to in a language that simply echoed natural sounds. It also assumes that a language is only a set of words used as "names" for things.

What are some skepticisms about the bow-wow theory?

bow-wow and pooh-pooh

What are the 2 theories under natural sound source?

It places the development of human language in a social context. Early people must have lived in groups because larger groups offer more protection, and communication is required when living in groups. (grunts and curses)

What is the appeal of the social interaction source (yo-he-ho theory)?

pooh-pooh theory

probably not the "source" of language production, but certainly played a role in adding structure to language