Origins of Language (Geoffrey Finch)

Bow-wow Theory (animal sounds)

- Noises made by animals as they were being hunted
Yo-he-ho Theory (physical exertion)
- Noises made by humans as they engaged in physical exertion
Pooh-pooh Theory (everyday life)
- Instinctive noises that humans make in the course of everyday life
Mama Theory
- Easiest syllables attached to the most significant objects
Ta-ta Theory
- Language may have derived from gestures
Ding-dong Theory (sound symbolism)
- Mysterious correspondence between sounds and meaning
Sing-song Theory
- Languages comes out of play, laughter, cooing, etc
Hey You! Theory (contract theory)
- Language began as sounds to signal both identity
Hocus Pocus Theory
- Magical sounds
Eureka! Theory
- Arbitrary sounds to mean certain things
Divine source
- Provides humans with language
Natural-sound source
- Primitive words
- Original sounds of language came from the natural cries of emotion
Oral gesture source
- Link between physical gesture and orally produced sounds
Glossogenetics
- Biological basis of the formation and development of human language
Physical adaptation
Interaction and transactions
Interaction- how humans use language to interact with each other (socially/emotionally)
Transactions- humans use their linguistic abilities to communicate knowledge, skills and
information


Male in origin
Michael Hallidays Functions of Language
Instrumental function (I WANT FUNCTION)
- Language serves to manipulate the environment, to cause certain events to happen
- Communicative acts bring about a particular condition
Regulatory function (DO THIS/THAT)
- Language controls events
- Regulation of encounters among people
Representational function (IVE GOT SOMETHING TO TELL YOU)
- The use of language to make statements, convey facts and knowledge; to represent
reality
Interactional function (ME&YOU)
- To ensure social maintenance
Phatic communion- communicative contact between and among human
-allow to establish social contact and to keep channels of
communication open
Personal function (WATCH ME/ HERE I COME)
- Allows a speaker to express feelings, emotions, personality, gut-level reactions
- Persons individuality
Heuristic function (TELL ME WHY)
- Used to acquire knowledge, to learn about the environment
Imaginative function (LETS PRETEND)
- Serves to create imaginary systems or ideas