• Question: How did languages develop into what they now are???

    Asked by Eoin to Anthea on 12 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Anthea Lacchia

      Anthea Lacchia answered on 12 Nov 2014:

      Hi Eoin,
      Hmm well if you mean how did language evolve in the first place, then a very highly regarded theory is that it evolved, much like evolutionary adaptations evolve in the natural world. If you imagine a human in danger and looking for help, or wanting to interact with other humans, it is easy to see that language would have helped him or her survive.

      If you mean how did they develop into all the different languages we know today, linguists use computer models and statistical studies to study the changes in languages. After studying three of the world’s major language groups, Indo-European, Austronesian, and Bantu, scientists found that languages evolve in sudden leaps rather than gradually. And rather than evolving to become more efficient, languages evolve in response to a set of different pressures which can even lead to cyclical changes in language.
      Having said this, I’m no linguistics expert and know far more about the evolution of ammonites than that of languages, but I hope this helps a little. 😉

Comments