Origin of language

"Evolution of language" redirects here. For development of languages over time, see Evolution of languages.
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The origin of language, its relationship with human evolution, and its consequences have been subjects of study for centuries. Scholars wishing to study the origins of language must draw inferences from evidence such as the fossil record, archaeological evidence, contemporary language diversity, studies of language acquisition, and comparisons between human language and systems of animal communication (particularly other primates).[1] Many argue for the close relation between the origins of language and the origins of modern human behavior, but there is little agreement about the facts and implications of this connection.

The shortage of direct, empirical evidence, has caused many scholars to regard the entire topic as unsuitable for serious study; in 1866, the Linguistic Society of Paris banned any existing or future debates on the subject, a prohibition which remained influential across much of the Western world until the late twentieth century.[2][3] Various hypotheses have been developed on the emergence of language.[4] While Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection had provoked a surge of speculation on the origin of language over a century and a half ago, the speculations had not resulted in a scientific consensus by 1996.[5] However, academic interest returned to the topic in the early 1990s. Linguists, archaeologists, psychologists, and anthropologists have renewed the investigation into the origin of language with modern methods.[6]

  1. ^ Shah, Sonia (20 September 2023). "The Animals Are Talking. What Does It Mean?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  2. ^ Hauser, M. D.; Yang, C.; Berwick, R. C.; Tattersall, I.; Ryan, M. J.; Watumull, J.; Chomsky, N.; Lewontin, R. C. (2014). "The mystery of language evolution". Frontiers in Psychology. 5: 401. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00401. PMC 4019876. PMID 24847300.
  3. ^ Stam, J. H. 1976. Inquiries into the origins of language. New York: Harper and Row, p. 255.
  4. ^ Tallerman, Maggie; Gibson, Kathleen Rita (2012). The Oxford handbook of language evolution. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-199-54111-9.
  5. ^ Müller, F. M. 1996 [1861]. The theoretical stage, and the origin of language. Lecture 9 from Lectures on the Science of Language. Reprinted in R. Harris (ed.), The Origin of Language. Bristol: Thoemmes Press, pp. 7–41.
  6. ^ Christiansen, Morten H; Kirby, Simon (2003). "Language evolution: the hardest problem in science?". In Morten H. Christiansen; Simon Kirby (eds.). Language evolution. Oxford University Press. pp. 77–93. ISBN 978-0-199-24484-3.