This presentation discusses general linguistics as well as origin of language.

1. General Linguistics
&
Origin of Language

2. Presented to:
Dr. Shahid Nawaz.
• Presented by:
– Youshaib Alam
M.Phil. English Linguistics
1st semester
The Islamia University of
Bahawalpur.

4. “A communication of thoughts and
feelings through the system of
arbitrary signals such as voice sound,
gestures and written symbols”.

5. Language is system.

6. Language is arbitrary.

7. Language is vocal.

8. WHAT IS LINGUISTICS?
Linguistics is a scientific and systematic study of
language. It scientifically study the rules, system
and principles of human language.

9. Purposes of Linguistics:
• It studies the nature of language. It tries to establish a
theory of language and describe language in the light
of theory.
• It examines the forms of language in general.

10. Branches of Linguistics:
• Micro-linguistics • Macro-linguistics

11. Micro-linguistics

12. Phonetics

13. Phonology

15. Syntax

16. Semantics

17. Pragmatics

18. Macro-linguistics:
• Applied linguistics
• Socio-linguistics
• Psycho-linguistics
• Neuro-linguistics
• Computational linguistics
• Corpus linguistics
• Stylistics

20. Divine Source:
• We can find different references of
language origination in different
religions.

21. Quranic Source:
• The most merciful. Taught the Quran.
Created man. Taught in eloquence.
Surah Rahman Verse 1-4.

22. Biblical Source

23. In the book of Genesis God created Adam and
whatsoever Adam called every living creature
that was the name there of.

24. Hindu Source
• In Hinduism we come to know that language
came from Sarisvati, wife of Brahma, creator
of the universe.

25. Basis Assumption of Divine source Theory:
• If human infants were allowed to grow
up without hearing any language
around them then they would
spontaneously begin using the original
God given language.

26. Story of Egyptian Pharaoh
• The Greek writer Herodotus reported the story of an
Egyptian Pharaoh named Psammetchus who tried the
experiment with two new born babies more than 2500
years ago. After two years of isolation except for the
company of goats and a mute shepherd the children
were reported to have spontaneously uttered not an
Egyptian word. But something that was identifies as a
Phrygian words “Bekos” meaning bread. The Pharaoh
concluded That Phrygian, an older spoken in the part of
what is modern Turkey must be the original language.
That seems very unlikely. The children may have not
picked up this word from any human source but as
several commentators have pointed that they must have
heard what the goats were saying.

28. King James’ Experiment:
King James the 4th of Scotland carried out a similar
experiment around the year fifteen hundred and
the children were reported to have spontaneously
started speaking Hebrew. It confirms the king
believe that Hebrew had indeed been the language
of the Garden Eden.

29. The Natural Evolution Hypotheses:

30. • Human evolved a Language acquisition
device. The simple vocalization and gestures
inherited from our primitive ancestors gave
way to creative system of language. Perhaps
in a single generation or two due to a genetic
mutation that produced advantageous
results.

31. • One theory suggests this perhaps gave
human beings an advantage over the human
being of the beginning whose vocalization
were limited by a less developed vocal tract.
Studies of primitive human’s skulls indicate
that they were only able to produce fricative
sounds like /f/ and /v/.

32. Invention Hypotheses:
• In 1861, historical linguist Max Muller
published a list of speculative theories
concerning the origin of spoken
language.

33. Ding-Dong Hypotheses:
• humans named objects, actions and
phenomena after a recognizable sound
associated with it. The first human words
were a type of icon, a sign whose form is an
exact image of its meaning.

34. Bow-wow Hypotheses:
• Human vocabulary developed from animal
noises.

35. Pooh-pooh Hypotheses:
Human first words were derived from
spontaneous expressions of dislike,
hunger, pain or pleasure.

36. Ta-ta Hypotheses

37. Charles Darwin theorized that speech may have
developed as a sort of mouth pantomime. It
means that organ of speech are used to imitate
the gesture of hand. The first words were lips
icon of hand gesture.

38. Necessity Hypotheses:
• Warning Hypotheses:-
– language evolved from the warning
signals used by animals. Perhaps
language started with the warning
sound to other. That signified help or
run to alert other member to the
approach of a lumbering hairy
mammoth or hungry saber tooth tiger.

39. Necessity Hypotheses:
• Yo-he-ho Hypotheses:-
– Language developed on the cooperation
of human beings with each other. The
earliest language was chanting to
stimulate collective effort like moving a
great stone to block off a cave entrance
from roving carnivores or repeating the
war phrase over and over to inflame the
fighting spirit. Poetry and songs came to
us in this way and we still have some yo-
he-ho ones.