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  3. Tracing the origin of language is always an intriguing task especially since some scientists say that language is the very essen

Tracing the origin of language is always an intriguing task especially since some scientists say that language is the very essen

admin2013-08-12  57
问题
    Tracing the origin of language is always an intriguing task especially since some scientists say that language is the very essence of what makes us human. But when did we first start talking and how did language evolve over the millenia into the diverse form of communication it is today? In religious canons we can find stories or parables about the origin of language. Various theories are proposed to account for or speculate about its origin, such as the bow-wow theory, the pooh-pooh theory, and the yo-he-yo theory, etc. Some propose a new interpretation of language origin: language may have begun with gestural expression. Vision could have been the key for syntax to slowly develop because of its great capability of parallel processing. A more dynamic view of the origin of language holds that to trace the origin of language we must first ask ourselves, "do we conceive of language as having sprung into existence full blown or as the result of the accretion of elements gradually coming to constitute something recognizable as language?" Of course, there are many similar and divergent theories. Readers may refer to a multitude of classic books for detailed information. It is not only an interesting reading experience, but also a chance to acquire some basic knowledge of ourselves as human beings. Though many of the classic theories seem to be quite underdeveloped and not strong enough to stand the test of modern science, still it serves as a good tool for us to begin a long journey from the very beginning of human history.
Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
Question: Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard and explain how they support the points made in the reading.
Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
Professor
Well, to begin today’s class I’d like to quote: "In the beginning was the word. "(The Gospel according to John 1, 1)"And the Lord said, behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. "(Genesis, Chapter 11: 6)
    These pieces of scripture seem to suggest some mysterious origin of the language. There are some well-known theories about the origin of language though some of them have now been discredited.
    The bow-wow theory: In primitive times people imitated the sounds of the animal calls in the wild environment they lived and speech developed from that. Onomatopoeic words seem to be a convenient evidence for this theory. But in our discussion below we can find they are very different in the degree of resemblance they express with the natural sounds. This theory lacks supportive evidence.
    The pooh-pooh theory: Because of the hard life of our primitive ancestors, they uttered instinctive sounds of pain, anger and joy. As for evidence, we can cite the universal use of sounds as interjections. What makes this theory problematic though is that there is only a limited number of interjections in almost all languages. Besides, interjections such as "oh, ah, and aiyo" bear little relationship with the sound system of a language and therefore are not good evidence.
    The yo-he-ho theory: As primitive people worked together, they produced some rhythmic grunts which gradually developed into chants and then into language. We do have prosodic use of rhythms in languages, but rhythmic grunts are far different from language in its present sense. The theory is again at most a speculation.
    We may go on with all sorts of fanciful speculations, but suffice it to say here that so far the fruitless search for the origin of language reflects people’s concern with the origin of humanity. In the future we may come up with some enlightening findings. One thing we can say for certain though, language evolves within specific historical, social and cultural contexts.
Question:
Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard and explain how they support the points made in the reading.
选项
答案 According to the reading, there have been various theories put forward to explain the origin of language. Some suggest that language may have developed from gestural expression to syntactical form. Some ask the question of whether language came into existence all of a sudden or evolved gradually. However, the most influential of all are the bow-wow theory, the pooh-pooh theory, and the yo-he-yo theory. Although the existing classic books are not robust enough to provide evidence to support these theories, they can offer detailed information for readers’ general understanding of the topic. Concerning the bow-wow theory, the lecture points out that human speech might have been the result of early people’s imitation of the sounds of the animal calls in their environment with onomatopoeic words as an example. With respect to the pooh-pooh theory, language is considered to have originated from the instinctive sounds of pain, anger and joy, such as interjections. As for the yo-he-yo theory, language might have come from rhythmic grunts and chants made by our primitive ancestors during their hard work. Although none of the theories could provide convincing evidence for the origin of language up to now, they have at lease aroused people’s interest to make further investigations into this research topic.
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