On the Contemporary Theories of the Development of Human Language
On the Contemporary Theories of the Development of Human Language

Summary/Abstract: Language does not leave a fossil we can put under a microscope; there is no living witness to its origin, early functions and its stages of evolution. Thus, the study of language origin and development is based mostly on speculations or guesses we need to take in order to see the big picture and to try to solve some of the greatest mysteries of human history – a jigsaw puzzle made out of millions of pieces scattered around the world. So as to fully explore and grasp the notion of language, it appears fundamental to start from dissecting and putting under a microscope all components, properties, processes and manifestations of language, a selection of which has been offered throughout this paper. There are very few certainties in this field; however, it has been established that certain properties and aspects of language had to coincide for it to originate, viz. the descent of the larynx, the growth and reshaping of the brain and skull, changes of speech apparatus and finally the emergence of syntax. First though, a collective shift in thinking must have occurred, generating the mental readiness for language capacity and the need to expand the existing communication system. Once the requirement was established, human anatomy must have eventually followed. Consequently, the process of externalization was activated, engineered by the consistent and coherent socio-cultural transmission, which redesigned human interaction, communication and social organisation. Scientific evidence, presented in this paper, suggests that language could not have emerged as a result of a sudden shift, on the contrary, it must have been a result of complex processes, mental and biological on one level and social and psychological on the other

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