1. Ding-Dong, Pooh-Pooh, Bow-Wow and Ta-Ta: An Overview of Different Theories on Language Origins
Some believe that language is a divine gift given to humans by God, while others argue that language is
simply the product of many years of natural selection. Either way, at some point in evolution, humans
developed the ability to speak. But how did it all start? How did humans first discover their ability to
speak and begin to formulate the first language? Conceived by linguists, a number of “invention
hypotheses” explain the possible ways in which language first originated in humans. The following are
explanations of a few examples of hypotheses:
From the desk of Western Washington University professor Edward Vadja: “Linguistics 201: The Origin
of Language”:
Four Imitation Hypotheses:
1. DING-DONG: The “ding-dong” hypothesis bases the origins of language on onomatopoeia. This idea
states that language began when humans started naming objects after a relevant sound that was
already involved in their everyday life. Examples include words such as “boom,” “crash,” and “oink.”
These represent the sounds of certain objects, but it is unclear how to provide onomatopoeia for silent
objects such as a rock. It also does not consider abstract ideas like love or justice, as there are no sounds
for these words. Also, this hypothesis does not supply words for grammar or abstract items in the
English language, so it is not hard to imagine that these types of words are unusual and rare in most
languages. Onomatopoeia is such a small part of linguistics and varies greatly from language to
language. Because of these limitations it is considered a limited hypothesis.
2. POOH-POOH: The basis for the “pooh-pooh” hypothesis holds true to the involuntary nature of
human speech. Through emotional response, language and speech would have developed in tandem
with human interaction and primitive emotional reactions. Such sounds as “wawawa” or “ha haha,”
commonly used to denoted crying or pain and happiness or laughter, respectively, would then develop
into a more unique and case-specific series of sounds in association with other emotions and
interactions (Vadja).
The problem with this hypothesis, however, is that exclamations, such as the emotional responses that
one might associate with these “pooh-pooh” phrases, are in fact dependent on language instead of a
basis through which language can be created. For instance, the essence of emotional response for pain
is “ouch” in English, “oi” in Russian and “eee” in Cherokee (Vadja). If there was a generalized emotional
response that all people made independently of each other, then perhaps there would be some
legitimacy to the argument. But those noises that we all do make based on the stimuli of sneezes or
hiccups cannot demonstrate a common linguistic nature between peoples.
3. BOW-WOW: The “bow wow” hypothesis is the most popular but perhaps the most far-fetched
hypothesis of them all. Basically, it is the idea that human language and vocabulary originated as a form
of imitation. It is said that language came from the imitation of animal sounds.

2. The problem that arises in this hypothesis is that a lot of words that describe animal sounds in different
languages are similiar. For instance, in English a pig makes the sound “oink-oink.” In Russian the sound is
translated as “hyru-hyru” and in Chinese the sound is translated as “oh-ee-oh-ee.” As one can see, these
words represent the sound of a single animal in different languages. The sound and pronunciation of
these words are not similar. The overall idea is that one’s language determines how one interprets a
sound, and since we have may languages, one cannot prove that human vocabulary comes from them.
4. TA-TA: As commonly seen in primates, hand gestures and body movement are important aspects of
interaction and cooperation within societies. Originally hypothesized by Charles Darwin, though not
necessarily supported by him, the “ta-ta” hypothesis states that language and the development of
sound was generated to support the hand gestures and movements of the individual. So as to better
demonstrate the meaning behind the gestures, these sounds progressed into more and more distinct
words or combinations of sounds inevitably leading to speech patterns.
Although plausible like many of the other hypothesis, the cultural roots of varying hand gestures
suggests that this is most likely not the reason behind language. Where in some places nodding means
“yes,” in others nodding means the opposite. Such distinct cultural differences implies that this is not a
sound hypothesis.
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From the desk of Princeton linguistics professor Maggie Browning: “What is generative grammar?”
First theorized by Noam Chomsky, generative grammar is a field of linguistics that involves the
functioning of rules and laws of grammar. The four sub-fields that comprise generative grammar
include: phonology (the study of how languages sound), morphology (the study of how words are
formed and what they mean),syntax (the study of the structure of sentences), and semantics (the study
of linguistic meaning). This theory holds that a “language faculty” has run throughout humankind, and
that every human is born with the ability to learn or create a language, which therefore points to
similarities in all human language forms.
This theory allows linguists to separate the inherited aspects of grammar from the ones influenced by
culture, surroundings or other outside factors. By observing all of the commonalities within the various
languages across the world, anthropologists gain a unique insight into the interplay of language and the
way cultures evolve.