THURSDAY'S THOUGHTS
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Have you ever realized you're thinking in words? In your brain--without actually speaking those words aloud? In turn, have you ever thought to yourself, how did language evolve?
Where and when, in history, did language actually become congnitive? Speech, such as forming sounds into words? How did the Neanderthals express their thoughts verbally? Where and when did the association of apple actually become the fruit as we know today --let alone the "forbidden fruit" being associated with the word apple; and there is no reference to apple in Genesis. It's simply 'translated in one "language" from another "language" as the fruit from the tree of knowledge'? Is green, the color, actually green as we know it--the shade of grass blades?
I have. Many times.
Humans have a brain functioning at high speed, tho we are reportedly only using a small percentage. And I'm sure that we humans of today's generation learned speech from our parents and they did and their parents...and so on. But going back to days of say---cavemen? How did the man of the house let his woman know he's hungry and wants her to cook? Was it a verbal grunt or two? Was it all hand signals?
I'm contented to visualize our vocal abilities have evolved along with our brains and brain size. Our physical apparatus with language and speaking has also evolved into a highly mechanized tool.
Was it a different movement of humans' vocal chords? Why now in our time do we choke more than past generations? Is our larnyx continuing to evolve?
When we visit foreign lands that the people of the visited land speak a strange language, what do we normally do to communicate? Is it from our instinct and our evolution to use sign language and point along with words?
Did we use signs, and motion of our hands and then find that our hands could make use of tools? And with those tools came a necessity to communicate verbally to allow us to continue working with our hands while 'talking'?
So facinating and yet at the time unanswerable. The study of evolution and language has always intrigued me. So many different languages and translations....all through the evolution of conversing/communicating in those different languages!!!
Should there be more of a universal language? If human evolution is correct, and man 'began' in what is now known as Africa, why then are there so many different species of humans? So many languages. In China, for example, the many hundreds of Chinese dialects differ so much even Chinese from the far eastern shores cannot understand the Chinese to the west?
Where and how did language evolve you wonder?
Unknown * PJ * Melli * TJ * Wystful1 * * Carmen * Barb *
8 Comments:
WOW~I'm first. Interesting thoughts but I believe you'll find the answers in Genesis. God created man and created him with the ability to speak. That's the only thing that makes any sense. How would a language evolve?
I know you may not agree with my thinking, but I hope we can agree to disagree ~ and still be friends.
I'm thinking in a whole different scenario...not speech...language and how it evolved. For instance -Rose of Sharon in the Bible isn't a rose per se these days...it's considered offspring or hybrid of the hibiscus family, not rose. In the book of John, there is "take, eat...this is my body"...but yet, in literal terms it's "bread" the "bread of life"(verse 35) ---but today bread is something else in our language....things like that--how language evolved to what it is and means today)
And if you check the new oxford dictionary, there are hundreds of new words and meanings added all the time! For instance: mouse potato --a new version of 'couch potato' meaning one who sits by the computer all day
Great post W1, I enjoy reading your Thursday Thoughts.
You know what?
Sometimes I catch myself thinking LOL when I see something funny, I must be on the internet too much.
P J, you never cease to make me smile! You're too much!!!
Oh boy! Amanda and I have pounded this one out on NUMEROUS occassions! We are both fascinated by our language - and how different words came about! AND about how some of them are just FUN to roll off your tongue! But mainly we like to wonder how did (?) become known as (?) ... like who gave lobster the name "lobster" -- and how did they CHOOSE that word for it? Did they look at those big claws and go "WOW - he could really LOB something a good ways... we'll call him LOBster!"??? Well... anyway... you get the idea! Language is FUN! And so is playing with words! And it's a LOT to think about! But now, I really have to go CLEAN. And who decided that I would be "cleaning" ... and how do I know that I'm really not "blinking"??? Hmmmm...
YES!!!! Yes, Melli...you got the drift!!! I actually think clean centuries ago actually meant -- play?!!!
I am a Christian and I believe that God created us and taught us to communicate...then if I read my Bible correctly the languages were confused to one another to keep people from trying to be like God.
Interesting Post!!
:-D
Well, for some reason the comments are more of religion, and I wasn't trying to convey anything about religion, nor the evolution of man in context of religion vs. evolution...I was just openly thinking how language evolved...
For instance, what and who or even when did a rose become known as rose? Some languages make use of just verbal clicks!!
I really wasn't asking for religious opinions nor biblical references. Sorry for the confusion. Just thinking what made green be green.
As Melli put it...what makes lobster that---how did lobster become a word?
I really liked this post. It brings up way too many questions for my brain to handle. I often wonder how different languages came about, as well as many other things that your commentors brought up. :)
Good stuff W1!!!
I wonder too. Because on occasion, i will think something in French (usually "What time is it?") Which is weird, because I sucked at French and I'm not French. Hmmmmm.
Wow I haven't posted to a blog in months and months, but this one is too good to leave alone. :) I've thought about this very thing often. How did each word come to be made up to represent what it does? Not only why did someone decide to call an oyster an oyster - but taking it a bit further - - WHY did someone decide that was something to be eaten? LOL Have you ever considered how amazing it is that a baby is born with no language at all and learns to speak it fluently within a few short years? How long do you think it would take an adult to learn a new language? Much longer I assume. And along that line - before a baby does have it's first language, what does it think in? As we think in words, what does a baby think in? I'd love to know.
As for that caveman wanting his dinner, this is pretty much how I figure it would have worked: he comes into the cave and is hungry. He goes to the fire to look for food. No food. Ms. Caveman probably got the back of his hand along some part of her body which sent her flying a few to several feet. It wouldn't take her long to realize that she'd better have food at the fire when Mr. comes in the cave door. JMO but I have a feeling not far from how it would have been.
I do expect that if mankind does not kill it's self off first, that eventually there will be a universal language for all. Again JMO.
Nice visiting with you this morning. And btw, that lemon dessert looks yummy. :)
(not sure I remember how to choose my identity, so signing "Barb" here incase I end up anonymous LOL)
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