Origin of the Human Language

Even though the precise date of language development is uncertain, evidence from fossils and genetic
studies suggests that communities of anatomically modern Homo sapiens, or humans who may have
appeared similar to you and me, resided in eastern or maybe southern Africa between 150,000 and
200,000 years ago. Since all human populations speak a language, the age of language, or at least the
ability to speak a language, is likely between 150,000 and 200,000 years old. This view is supported by
engravings on red ochre that indicate abstract and symbolic conduct in these early modern humans.
Several archaeologists believe that a late genetic change in our ancestry gave credence to language at this
later point in time since the archaeological record shows that art and other cultural artifacts began to
develop at modern human locations around 40,000 years ago. However, because the majority of the proof
comes from European archaeological sites, it is difficult to understand how well the newly evolved ability
to speak a language spread to the remainder of humanity, which had already spread from Africa to other
areas of the world by about 70,000 years ago. According to ancient DNA, the sequences of our protein-
coding genes are nearly 99% similar to those of our sister species, the Neanderthals (Homo
neanderthalensis). With their big minds, the Neanderthals were able to survive throughout much of
Eurasia beginning about 350,000 years ago. If the Neanderthals communicated, that would predate the
development of language to between 550,000 and 750,000 years ago, the approximate age of our
common ancestor with them. Nevertheless, even as recent as around 40,000 years ago in Europe, the
Neanderthals exhibit minimal indication of the cultural achievements of Homo sapiens of the time, in
addition to almost no trace of the abstract thinking art or sculpture, for example—that we frequently
connect with language. Homo sapiens acquired a wealth of artistic creations, musical instruments, and
specialized equipment like sewing needles around 40,000 years ago. Neanderthals would have simply
covered themselves in skins, not even having sewed clothing. Additionally, the Neanderthals perished as
a species while we thrived, despite evidence that up to 5% of the human DNA may have been generated
from human-Neanderthal matings. A transcription factor gene called FOXP2 that is derived from modern
humans and Neanderthals and varies from the chimpanzee version by two amino acid substitutions. The
fine-motor coordination of the face muscles necessary for speech production is influenced by FOXP2.
Interestingly, when this evolved version is injected into mice, their squeaks change. Despite both having
primary sequences with Neanderthals, modern humans have acquired modifications to the regulation of
their FOXP2 genes that appear to have caused their FOXP2 to be conveyed differently from that of the
Neanderthals. Darwin noted that “The formation of different languages and of distinct species, and the
proofs that both have been developed through a gradual process, are curiously the same”. He also stated
that “The survival and preservation of certain favoured words in the struggle for existence is natural
selection.” Darwin was accurate in both respects. Languages mainly evolve through a cycle of inheritance
with change from previous parent languages, as biological species do, according to linguists, who have
understood this since at least the late 18th century—roughly 100 years earlier Darwin. In Homer's Iliad,
which dates to roughly 750 BCE, there are discrepancies between the old Greek language and current
Greek lexicon. Some words have only undergone pronunciation changes, whereas others have been
substituted with brand-new, unrelated words.

Reference:

Pagel, M. (2017, July 24). Q&A: What is human language, when did it evolve and why should we care? -
BMC Biology. BioMed Central. Retrieved January 29, 2023, from
https://bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12915-017-0405-3
 Characteristics of the Human Language

Language is Arbitrary: In the extent that it has no intrinsic connection between a language's words and
its meanings or concepts that are expressed by them, language is arbitrary. A female adult human being
should not be addressed as a woman in English, aurat in Urdu, Zen in Persian, or féministe in French. The
choice of a word to denote a specific thought or object is entirely random, yet once a word has been
chosen for a specific referent, it tends to stick with that meaning. It should be mentioned that there would
only have been one language in the world if language had not developed arbitrarily.

Language is Social: Humans employ a set of common communicative signs called language to
communicate with one another in social settings. In this view, language is a social group's property and
consists of a necessary set of rules that must be followed. It is a social institution that enables its members
to relate to one another, engage in interaction, and work together. Language is a tool for building
relationships between people and for sustaining and developing culture in society.

Language is Symbolic: Language is made up of different sound symbols and counterparts in graphology
that are used to represent certain things, events, or meanings. These symbols are picked at random,
accepted by convention, and used. Language's words are not merely signs or numbers but rather symbols
of meaning. A language's ability to be understood depends on how these symbols are understood.

Language is Systematic: Despite being symbolic, language's symbols are placed in a specific way. Every
language has its own organizational structure. Each language is an interconnected system. There are
various sub-systems within each phonological and grammatical system found in all languages. For instance,
there are morphological and syntactic systems inside the grammatical system, and within these two
subsystems, there are systems for plural, mood, aspect, tense, and other things.

Language is Vocal: The majority of vocal sounds used in language are produced by the human body's
physiological articulatory system. It initially simply seemed to be vocal noises. Writing was an intellectual
attempt to express voice sounds that developed much later. Writing is merely a pictorial representation
of language sounds. Thus, speech is considered to be the fundamental language.

Language is Non-Instinctive and Conventional: No language was invented by a group of individuals using
a formula they all agreed upon in a single day. Language is the result of convention and evolution. This
custom is passed down from one generation to the next. Languages undergo the same growth, expansion,
and change as all other human institutions. So every language is a custom inside a group. Because humans
acquire it, it is not instinctive. Nobody learns a language through genetics; instead, they do it because they
have the aptitude.

Language is Productive and Creative: Language is both creative and productive. Language can be created
by combining its structural components. Speaking in ways that neither he nor his listeners may have done
or heard before you, the listener, but that are easily understood on both sides. The demands of society
influence how language evolves.

Reference:

SEC 2 BASIC. (n.d.). Retrieved January 29, 2023, from