how did language start?

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by relleumsirhc, Jul 24, 2002.

  1. relleumsirhc Banned Banned

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    how did we develop language if we couldnt talk in the first place? what, were the first humans born with it "stored" in thier brains somewhere?

    comments please
     
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  3. Fen Registered Senior Member

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    Well that's my vote for stupidest question of the month.
     
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  5. Congrats Bartok Fiend Registered Senior Member

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    Well, we're all born with vocal chords, and we try to make the most of them. It's a gradual developmenat- children can only learn speech from those who know it, right?
     
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  7. Aussie Registered Member

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    this is my vote for the stupidist answer of the month.

    people ask questions not to be ridiculed. its not that difficult

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  8. Lykan Golden Sparkler Registered Senior Member

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    I have a feeling that our ancestors first began talking when someone farted and someone else said, "Awww man!

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    Now why'd you have to go and do that when i'm sitting right next to you??" And thus language was born.
     
  9. Xev Registered Senior Member

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    10,943
    Fen, you're inane drivel about your girlfriend (boo hoo, she's leaving you, grow up!) and love being God (what the hell?) and men becoming women, or women becoming extinct or whatever the hell that was makes you my vote for "stupidest poster currently on sciforums".

    Actually, you've got to be one of our stupidest posters ever. Don't insult your betters.

    Now, as for the question:

    It is my understanding that we started off with grunts and barks and whatnot. As we evolved, these became more and more complex, and now we have language.

    Here's some very technical stuff:

    http://www.percepp.demon.co.uk/indexb.htm
     
  10. MRC_Hans Skeptic Registered Senior Member

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    Our nearest primate relatives, Chimpanzees and Bonos have a simple language. With training they can learn around 50-200 words, mostly in sign language because they dont have the capacity for modulating complex sounds.

    Right, Lykan, language must have evolved because there was a need for it. According to present theory, the primates that ended up as us were living in the forests of eastern Africa some 6 million years ago, and they were probably living more or less like chimps are to-day. But at that time, the Great Rift Valley was being formed, and as it broadened, a new habitat was created, namely more savanna-like areas.

    Apparantly some of those primates started exploiting this habitat, hunting systematically for food (chimpanzees are known to hunt occasionally). But for a slow primate with small teeth and no claws to hunt effectively on the savanna, cooperation and weapons are needed. This is believed to have provided a strong selectional pressure towards increased intelligence and, probably, language.

    I think that once intelligence had developed to a certain level, it became self-reinforcing; it gave the adaptive pre-hominids the ability to expand further into new habitats, and this in turn favored more intelligence, etc. -- until we reached our present, vastly advanced level, where we can use incredibly complex technology for idle chatting and bickering, heheheh.

    Hans
     
  11. foxiedoogie Banned Banned

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    yo asses kids learn how to speach becasue they have teachers like their parents but how could someone learn howw to speach if they didnt have teacher ???
     
  12. Lesion42 Deranged Hermit Registered Senior Member

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    I don't know, but you don't know how to spell.
     
  13. foxiedoogie Banned Banned

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    hahaha lesion42 is now a teacher yes!!!!!
     
  14. Lesion42 Deranged Hermit Registered Senior Member

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    sure. why not?
     
  15. Adam §Þ@ç€ MØnk€¥ Registered Senior Member

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    I invented language!

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  16. Lesion42 Deranged Hermit Registered Senior Member

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    I invented pronunciation!

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  17. relleumsirhc Banned Banned

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    ooooo haha thanks Xev
     
  18. Don H Registered Senior Member

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    John Lilly wouldn't think this is a silly question.

    The short answer is ; WIth the first question.
    The long answer goes back ~100,000 years
     
  19. sjmarsha Registered Senior Member

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    grunt grunt grunt grunt.....

    translated to ....

    RUN! Theres a MAMOUTH COMING!!!!

    and it just advanced from there....
     
  20. Sublime Trigger Brains for Beginners. Registered Senior Member

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    Don H, your avatar rules.
    Thinking about where speech came from is like tracing the lines of complex thought. I Cannot believe we 'taught' ouselves either, we came with the equipment and just slowly got used to it. Maybe we're still getting used to it.

    Wow....thats deep Sublime baby....what did you have for breakfast?
     
  21. ratbat Hippie of Darkness Registered Senior Member

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    NO XEV, I wanna be the stupidest poster, on sciforums. Whatever will I do with my life, if Fen takes my spot on this planet.

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  22. Don H Registered Senior Member

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    People in the language field believe that children actually discovered and advanced language.
     
  23. allant Version 1.0 Registered Senior Member

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    Yup language started out with Crying, Grunts, Screams and got added to. And still is. Would your great great whatever have understood the word internet ? Dub Dub Dub ? RTFM ? ROTFLMAO ?
     

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