I think very highly of linguistics and anthropology — few studies are quite as meaningful, beautiful, and thought-provoking. The origin of language — written and spoken — is the most significant marker of our evolution into something entwined, connected, resolutely bound by the wonder of our creation — the human race. So I spent an afternoon writing down my theories about the development of language — all of which, I warn you, are very strange. And like all theories, it begins with a question and never really ends at all: is language a product of memorization, adaptation, or necessity?
Early languages were likely little more than simple noises; the more the language evolved, the more complex those sounds, and the ideas they stood for, became. But who creates language? Who creates the mechanics, the vocabulary, and the applications?
How are dialects formed? Are certain sounds predestined because of the location? Both Hebrew and Arabic have a similar sound that cannot be found, in major languages, outside of the region. How does Australia maintain a slight tendency for a British accent despite a separation of thousands of miles and hundreds of years?
Concerning adaptation and adoption
One of my early thoughts was that language might be a progressive adaptation. What if there is something beyond language, like telepathy? What if language is merely the first step towards something that doesn’t need to be translated to be understood — something that is intrinsic? And if the evolution continues, would there ever be an ultimate language that combines all words, expressions, and ideals?
Concerning “language forms” and the brain
Rather recently, a boy in England came down with meningitis, which in turn created a brain abscess. After emergency surgery, his parents discovered that he had somehow lost his Yorkshire accent and was instead speaking the “Queen’s English” — high-brow and Victorian. Which begs the following question: are accents, therefore, slight misconfigurations of speech patterns within the brain? Did he lose his accent because, when his brain was healing, he reverted back to an original form of the language that his brain was programmed to speak?
Which leads me to my initial theory on “language forms”: is there a point where the language itself stops evolving and instead, the accents and dialects that branch away from it are the ones that evolve and change? That the brain cannot control language, but can instead control accents and dialects? And if so, is Victorian English the original British language form? Call me eccentric, but such a thing does come to mind sometimes.
There really is no better way to spend your time after school than having deep discussions about the little things in life.
Read 2 comments (Leave a comment?)
brendan said:
I had a similar essay thing I wrote one time when I was really bored. It’s probably in some composition notebook somewhere all by itself.
Posted on October 12, 2007 5:47 PM; Permalink
Ranjani said:
Except essays are organized, and this is a concentration of rambling :)
I was almost considering rewriting it, but I don’t have the answers necessary to fill in the blanks.
Posted on October 12, 2007 6:23 PM; Permalink