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1、TheOriginofLanguageKeywords:Origin,Language,Creation,Invention,EvolutionScholarshavebeenstudyingtheoriginoflanguageforyears.Varioustheorieshavebeensuggestedonthesubject,butwestillhavenotgotadefinitiveconclusion.Herewewillintroducethemajortheoriesinregard
2、totheoriginoflanguage,whichcanbegroupedunderthreebroadcategories:Creation,Invention,andEvolution.1.Creation(DivineOrigin)Toputitsimply,theDivineOrigintheoryrefersthathumanbeingshavereceivedtheirlanguagefromGod,whichisobviouslyatheorywithreligiouscoloring
3、.AlmosteveryreligionhasstoriesabouthowmanreceivedlanguagefromGod,butthebestknownstorycanbeseeninthebookofGenesis.TheLordGodcreatedthetreesandtherivers,andthen“formedeverybeastofthefield,andeveryfowloftheair;andbroughtthemuntothemanwhathewouldcallthem;and
4、whatsoeverthemancalledeverylivingcreature,thatwasthenamethereof.Andthemangavenamestoallcattle,andtothefowloftheairandtoeverybeastofthefield”.[1]However,itisimpossibleformantonamethingswithoutacquiringlanguage.[2]DivineOriginlacksscientificevidenceandfoun
5、dation,andisobviouslynotcorrect.2.InventionWiththeadvancementofscienceandtheriseofrationalism,moreandmorepeoplebegantosupporttheInventiontheory,whichmeansthatlanguagewasinventedbyhumanthemselves.Butscholarsdifferintheideaofhowhumansexactlyinventedlanguag
6、e.Majortheoriesareasfollows:lGesturesThosewhosupportthistheorythinkthathumanshadnolanguageatfirst,theyusedgesturestoexpressthemselvesjustasweusegesturestotalktostrangersusingdifferentlanguages.Gesturesindeedplayedanimportantroleintheearly-stageoflanguage
7、development.However,therewouldbemanylimitationsifgesturesareusedasanindependentmeansofcommunication.Forinstance,itisnotabletoexpressabstractandcomplicateconcepts.lPooh-poohtheoryThosewhoholdthisviewstatethatlanguageatfirstconsistedofinterjectionstoexpres
8、semotionslikepain,fear,surprise,pleasure,anger,andsoon.However,theamountofinterjectionsinlanguageissmall.Moreover,interjectionsareusedtoexpressemotionsdirectly,whichdoesnotmeanthattheycouldbeusedasthenamesoftheseemotions.A
