The debate over the origins of language always fascinated me. This week reading particularly interested me as it not provided various theories regarding the origins of language but also focused on the evolution of the languages. Otto Jespersen (1860-1943), a Danish linguist has been a revolutionary figure in linguistics. He grouped commonly held theories and divided them into four group while create a fifth group of his own. He believed these five theories described the essence of languages while describing the origins.
The bow-wow theory refers to a theory which suggests that speech arose through people imitation the sounds of the environment especially animal calls. Word such as splash, quack provides evidence to this theory.
The pooh-pooh theory believes speech arose through people making instinctive sounds caused by pains, anger or other emotions. Words such as Ouch, ooh provides evidence to this theory.
The ding-dong theory argues that speech arose because people reacted to stimuli in the world around them, and produces sounds which in some ways reflect or were in harmony in nature.
The Ye-ho-ho theory believes speech arose because, as people worked together, their physical efforts produced communal, rhythmical fronts, which in due course developed into chants, and thus language.
The la-la theory which was developed by Jespersen himself believed if any single factor was going to initiate human language, it would arise from romantic side of life such as the sounds associated with love, play etc.
Although the theories are essential in understanding the origins of language, I believe one theory cannot be regarded as the most effective theory. All the theories presented by Otto Jespersen, if combined together provide a better understanding of how languages began.
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