Cristian Paderes Synthesis Paper

LL 203

SYNTHESIS PAPER

Understanding the kind of languages that we have today necessitates the review of language
evolution. The way it developed and evolved can be explained by tracing history. It is said the
religions and mythologies contain stories of language origin. There are numerous accounts
pertaining to the origin of language in the world of religion and mythology. The myths related to
the origin of language have many resemblances and analogous themes. Floods and catastrophes
are the parallel themes for the spreading of languages. There are two corresponding themes for
the language dispersal. Firstly, it is said that due to flood the people on the Earth dispersed all
over the world. As a result, many languages came into being. Secondly, the God punished human
beings for their erroneous and immoral deeds which consequently gave birth to different
languages. Usually the myths related to the origin of language are part and parcel of the creation
myths. Some stories claim the existence of human language right from the beginning of human
civilization. But some tales maintain that human language developed after the creation of the
world in later stage and the God gifted it to human beings or gave it as a curse, ( Shilpagauri
Prasad Ganpule, 2018)

On the other hand, Development of Language in the species is another lens which can be
employed in better understanding how language came to be. It states that the development of
language is related with the evolutionary development. Chomsky proposed that the brain
ultimately reached a particular level of complexity that it mechanically had some properties able
to form spoken words. This theory was later on supported by Stephen Jay Gould who said that
language evolved in a step by step fashion. However, he contradicted this narrative later on and
eventually subscribed to the idea that the brain grew in size which made it capable of some
abilities which were not previously part of original properties. Some other linguists concurred
with the Darwinian’s Natural Development theory. Considering how complex language is, it is
more likely that it was developed over time. Linking language’s development with man’s brain
capacity creates more questions than answers. This theory has to be backed up with more
scientific evidences in order to prove that man’s brain is indeed capable of such an ability.

The relationship of speech, language and communication ultimately points to verbal

communication as one form of communication. It is known that communication can also come in
a non-verbal form such as written communication and body language. Specifically, speech
pertains to the vocalization of specific sounds or better know as phonemes. However, speech is
not just isolated to phonemes, speech also includes intonation, rate of speaking and quality of
voice. Language, on the other hand, is used as a code to convey concepts. Regardless of what
language it is, languages all converge in a sense that they bear meaning or symbol. Finally,
communication refers to the exchange of information, ideas, needs and desires between
participants. This involves the encoding, transmitting and decoding of an intended message. Both
speech and language form part of this process, but other aspects of communication that may
enhance or change the linguistic code also play an important role. These are paralinguistic cues
(e.g. intonation, emphasis, rate and pause), non-linguistic cues (e.g. gestures, body posture, facial
expressions, physical distance and eye contact) and metalinguistic cues (Kerry Bellgrove, 2020).

Furthermore, there are theories which can be accounted in understanding how language develops
in a child. One framework called the “Imitation Theory” explains that children learn through
imitating the words or sentences that they hear from the people around them. It also posits that
language acquisition happens through word or sentence memorization. Although “Imitation
Theory” may elucidate how language is acquired, its veracity is still questioned until today.
Another theory which can be a source of useful information in regards with language acquisition
is Behaviorism. Behaviorism is somewhat affiliated with “Imitation Theory” as the former is
reinforced by the latter. It is important to note that Behaviorism gave birth to (S-R) theory. In
addition, Innatism, Nativism, and UG theory are all central theories when trying to understand
how language gets cultivated in a person. On Chomsky's view, the language faculty contains
innate knowledge of various linguistic rules, constraints and principles; this innate knowledge
constitutes the ‘initial state’ of the language faculty. In interaction with one's experiences of
language during childhood — that is, with one's exposure to what Chomsky calls the ‘primary
linguistic data’ or ‘pld’. Also, Universal grammar, then, consists of a set of unconscious
constraints that let us decide whether a sentence is correctly formed. This mental grammar is not
necessarily the same for all languages. But according to Chomskyian theorists, the process by
which, in any given language, certain sentences are perceived as correct while others are not, is
universal and independent of meaning. Thus, we immediately perceive that the sentence “Robert
book reads the” is not correct English, even though we have a pretty good idea of what it means.
Conversely, we recognize that a sentence such as “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.” is
grammatically correct English, even though it is nonsense (Tool Module: Chomsky’s Universal
Grammar, nd).
Reference:

https://standrewscollege.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Myths-of-the-Origin-of-Language-in-
World-Mythologies.pdf

https://kulabud.com/2020/01/20/the-relationship-between-speech-language-and-communication/

https://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/capsules/outil_rouge06.html