LINGUA ADAMICAI

There are about five thousand languages in the world. And they are
distinct in their sounds and grammar. Some languages are close to one
another while some are quite distant or dissimilar. Close languages are
grouped together to form language family. Bangle, Hindi, Urdu and
some major European languages including English, French, German,
Spanish and Italian belong to the Indo- European Family of language.
Other language families are Sino-Tibetan, Niger-Congo, Afro-Asiatic,
Austronesian, Dravidian, Altaic, Japonic, Austro-Asiatic and Tai-Kadai.
A language family is formed based on phonological, lexical and
structural similarities tracing back historical linkages. The process of
forming language family indicates and vindicates the common origin
of all languages, although it cannot be said with certainty where and
when the first human language evolved and how it branched into
separate entities. Here we will consider different arguments put
forward in support of the common origin of language with spirit of
voyage in quest of Lingua Adamica.

The anthropological linguists claim that all the human languages have
come from a common ancestor and, with mythical sense, he might be
called Adam. So, the human languages are all Adamic languages. We
speak the language which Adam used to communicate with Eve. And
it is for this reason we must find striking similarities at the very core of
all languages although they may appear to be immensely diverse. For
example, all languages use an array of basic sounds or ‘phonemes’; all
languages are structure-dependent; and all languages have nouns and
verbs to refer to object and actions. Historically speaking, the primal
linguistic pattern is ‘Lingua Adamica’ to which all human languages,
extant and extinct, owe their life.

Anthropologically, the original father of human races, Adam, might be

Homo sapiens that supposedly originated about one lakh years ago
somewhere in Africa. One may even go further in evolutionary line
and argue that Adam was Homo erectus or Homo habilis. The
descendants of Adam spread all over the world carrying the Adamic
tongue, making way for diversity. Therefore, in geographical
consideration it is almost sure that the Lingua Adamica, the first brand
of human language, was African.

Palaeontological evidence for the above claim is scarce but it is well

perceived. Available fossils make it clear that the Homo sapiens
developed the physical features necessary to utter sounds characteristic
of humans. They had vocal organs – jaw, teeth, lips, palate, nasal,
cavity, pharynx and larynx --- like we have now; and they had mature
brain – cerebral cortex, in particular – to perform linguistic functions.
In brain, particular locations like Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area and
motor area are closely associated with language processing. Broca’s
area is thought to be responsible for language production, Wernicke’s
area for language comprehension and motor area for the movement
of vocal organs essential for pronouncing words in language.
Some neurologists point to the role of lateralization of brain in
language activities. They argue that the left hemisphere of brain
specializes, through the course of psychological development, in the
functions of language that individuals need for interaction as social
beings.

Some postulate the existence of Language Acquisition Device (LAD) as

a language learning facilitator for humans. The function of LAD is to
receive and process data for a child who is in the business of learning
the first language or the mother tongue. Thanks to this device, a child
can easily learn a language and use it perfectly in a particular language
setting. The matter is however still a hypothesis and yet to be
established as a theory, in strict scientific sense. The proponents of this
hypothesis can not sufficiently prove the physical existence of LAD,
precisely locating it in the brain. We need not go into the debate.
Suffice here to say that whatever language related physical
characteristics humans share universally, it is essentially Adamic, to the
core. Without Adamic psychological and neurological features, we are
only speechless animals like Chimpanzee or other primates.

The biological scientists provide evidence for the common ancestry

of human race as well as the common origin of languages. From the
information of our genetic code, they argue that certain genetic
characteristics which are responsible for language are common in
human species. Human carry the genes in their body and send then
down to progeny. The genetic matter never lost. Hence every human
baby is born, some claim, with innate propensity to learn language.
He can learn any language, in fact, of any human community. Born in
Bengali family, a child will naturally and spontaneously learn Bangla.
If born in English family, he will learn English and so on. It is only
possible for genetic boost up. Again, language malfunction may also
be triggered by genetic problem.

Noted linguists Joseph Greenberg and Noam Chomsky attempted to

discover the universal features of human languages and enriched our
knowledge with their research. From a large number of linguistic data,
Greenberg discovered what are now known as absolute and
implicational universals, which are mainly concerned with categories
of grammar. He applied statistical measures to extract his research
findings. Chomsky on the other hand conducted his research on
formal and substantive universals, with a rigorous analysis of structures
encountered in different languages. He took a computational
approach and laid the foundations of modern syntax and semantics.
The project of Greenberg and Chomsky make it sufficiently clear that
the human language share some core characteristics, indicative of
genetic affinity.

Theologists have long been claiming the existence of a common

language on the basis of scriptural proof, albeit not evidentially
scientific. According to them, God created humans and gave them a
language to communicate with one another. As they dispersed, their
language took different shapes. In the story of Babel tower, we get an
interesting story, accounting for the diversity of languages. The story is
like this, the people of Babel once gathered together and started to
construct a tower to reach the heaven directly. Looking down, God
realizes the danger and decided to make them fail in their mission. He
changed the language of each individual so that they were not able to
understand the words and thoughts of one another. So, out of
mistrust, they went away to different directions and the tower of
Babel remained incomplete. How can we talk in the same Lingua
Adamica when God has planned otherwise? Diversity was in His mind
that we witness today!