Case Study 3

Ballesteros, Andrew Paul B. ENG 104

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Introduction

The Origin of Language throughout the years has remained a puzzle to scholars which pieces to complete the picture are not yet at their hands. Most of them have each of his/her own speculation as an attempt to explain such mystery. Several theories are made in order to explain the development of language, however, nothing from those has cited a conclusion.

This paper aims to sum up the theories which the author believes as essential to draw a reasonable determination on when and how language came into humans.

Humans have more than Animals

Human evolution plays a vital role on how sound which is commonly produced by animals turned into speech then in to language. As explained by modern scientists, evolution from hundreds or thousands of years has given the present humans the physical features/physiology/anatomy which capacitates them to speak. Humans as homo sapiens has a larger brain which scientific studies proved that has more ability to process information converting it to knowledge. Other features such as the larynx (which houses the voice box), pharynx, vocal tract, trachea, lungs and mouth are positioned in a way not common to animals.

“To simplify the anatomy required for human speech by using an analogy, think of a small tube resting inside a larger tube.  The inner tube consists of the trachea going down to the lungs, and the larynx (which houses the voice box).  At the larynx, the inner tube opens out to the larger tube, which is known as the pharynx.  It not only carries sound up to the mouth, but it also carries food and water from the mouth down to the stomach.  A rather simplistic description of how humans utter sounds in speech can be characterized by the control of air generated by the lungs, flowing through the vocal tract, vibrating over the vocal cord, filtered by facial muscle activity, and released out of the...