THE IDEAS OF CHARLES

DARWIN
F O R T H E S C I E N T I F I C S T U D Y O F L A N G U A G E I N 1 9 S A N C T U A R I E S
 THEORY OF
EVOLUTION
• The theory of evolution by Darwin claimed that species survived through a mechanism called
"natural selection," where those who adapted or evolved successfully to meet the evolving
requirements of their natural environment prospered and reproduced, while those species that did
not evolve and reproduce died.

• Darwin found similarities between species all over the globe through his observations and studies
of birds , plants and fossils, along with differences based on particular locations, leading him to
conclude that the species we know today have gradually evolved from common ancestors.

• Darwin started thinking about the origin of language in the late 1830s.

• Darwin observed the similarities between animal sounds and various natural cries and gestures
that humans make when expressing strong emotions such as fear, surprise, or joy. 

• He noted the physical connections between words and sounds, exhibited in words like “roar”,
“crack”, and “scrape” that seemed imitative of the things signified.

• Darwin eventually published his views on language in Descent of Man (1871), as part of a

chapter on the comparative mental powers of humans and the lower animals.

• Biography.com Editors. (2014, April 2). Charles Darwin Biography. Biography.

https://www.biography.com/scientist/charles-darwin
• The origin of language. (2015, June 9). Darwin Correspondence Project.
https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/commentary/human-nature/origin-language