Defining Language

If we’re going to be talking about whether or not language can be considered an invention, then we need to start at the beginning. What exactly is language?

Unfortunately, the answer is a bit complicated.

Scholars have been debating this for a considerable time, so what  insight can we gain from their findings? Well, perhaps one of the earliest to broach a definition of  language, was the Greek philosopher Aristotle who did address the idea of ‘speech’, defining it as “the representation of the experience of the mind”.  American anthropologist and linguist Edward Sapir later offered a more developed definition, following a similar train of thought to arrive at the statement that language is “a purely human and non-instinctive method of communication, ideas, emotions and desires by means of a system of voluntarily produced sounds”.  

Notably, both of these definitions arrive at the conclusion that language is a human-based phenomenon (something we’ll discuss a bit further later on) and a speech based one at that. For the purpose of this post, the definition that feels most fitting for both a historical and modern understanding of language has been taken from Britannica, who define language as “a system of conventional spoken, manual (signed), or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity, play, imaginative expression and emotional release”. 

How is this relevant to our question of language as an invention? All of these definitions follow an anthropocentric approach, based entirely on the principle that language is a phenomenon specific to human beings alone. This framing places the communication of animals outside of the scope of ‘language’, a viewpoint that we’ll see affect the theories behind the origins of language itself.

(I’ve linked some articles if you’d like to look further into the thought process behind Aristotle’s and Sapir’s definitions of language). 

Chomsky’s Great Leap Theory

The romance of language as a concept has long inspired different theories as to its origins, and our ability to communicate with each other is viewed by some as a miracle. Biblical origins weave a tale of the Tower of Babel, an imaginative structure in which all languages are understood and studied by humans until their faults cause that understanding to be stripped away, or the concept of language deriving from Adam and the apple.Greek mythology features the gifting of fire and knowledge upon humankind from the god Prometheus.

This successive theme of a single event altering the presence of language in human lives is not too dissimilar to the theories of Noah Chomsky, an American linguist known for his ‘Great Leap Theory’.

Chomsky believes that there was at some point a great advancement in our cognitive capabilities to produce and understand language, branding this individual genetic modification as the ‘Great Leap’. From this point onwards, language became an inherent property of the human brain, a distinctly human skill that our minds are prewired to form and utilise. It is also important to note that he believed in the concept of a ‘universal grammar’ built into all human languages, based on nouns, verbs and adjectives. His theory would suggest that is was through our inherent ability to recognise and replicate this cognitive universal grammar that spoken and later written languages emerged .

Now more than ever sustaining this invention and ensuring it’s continued accessibility is more important than ever. In times of conflict the removal of open access to language and technology (both solitary and combined) is a weaponized attack on populations under oppression. `The press, the translation industry and the dissemination of language on a global scale is a necessary tool to prevent erasure of human rights violations.

Resources

I’ve linked some resources and references below mentioned throughout the post for those who find themselves wanting to delve into this more.

“Language: Crash Course Psychology #16.” YouTube, 26 May 2014, youtu.be/s9shPouRWCs?si=K-ykyd9dyqqRNDCv. 

Naccache, Albert F.H. “Edward Sapir and the Origin of Language.” Evolang, Archaeology Department, Lebanese University, www.evolang.org/neworleans/pdf/EVOLANG_11_paper_31.pdf. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023. 

“The Origins and Evolution of Language: Michael Corballis: TEDxAuckland.” YouTube, 14 Aug. 2018, youtu.be/nd5cklw6d6Q?si=u5n7ruUPkGmA43Bw. 

Qiu, Wen. “Aristotle’s Definition of Language .” International Journal of English Literature and Culture , vol. 2, no. 8, Aug. 2014, pp. 194–202, https://doi.org/10.14662/IJELC2014.056. 

Dor’s Theory of Language Evolution

In contrast, Daniel Dor, an Israeli linguist and media researcher, holds a conflicting theory and one that is more aligned with Darwinism and the concept of evolution. According to Dor, language is simply an avenue used to traverse social situations, a type of social technology we have developed in order to negotiate between our own thoughts and other’s perspectives – an invention of communication. Whereas Chomsky would have argued for universal grammar as a core facet of language, Dor’s theory leans more on the challenges found in language differences. Evolution is driven by the need to adapt, challenges and conflict within speech are the precursors to productive development in language. 

Language is an imagining instructor, just as we react to social relationships through thought and words, language provides a crucial outlet for the development of thoughts and consciousness as human beings.

In 2016, the United Nations declared open access to the internet and the digitalised world as a “fundamental human right”. Understanding the birth of language as a human innovation to ensure our continued evolution is one of the key reminders we can offer ourselves to ensure our civilisations and civil liberties are upheld.

It’s a multi-faceted invention that can be communicated through speech, gesture or other sign systems. Cave paintings featuring humanoid-animal figures (therianthropes) dating back over 90,000 years are in many ways an expression of language before we may have ever had words. 

Dor’s work focuses on language in the social domain, viewing it as an invention developed to tackle the complexities of socialisation and communication, a human innovation that builds off of the natural phenomena all species experience, to communicate. This view leaves more room for complexities such as cultural context and identity in language development. Chomsky’s Great Leap is focused more rigidly on the cognitive function of language, looking at static categories such as structure, grammar and our brains’ reactions to language.

Natural Adaptation into Technology

Now, how does this all fall into place with technology?

As we’ve seen, language was a natural development, a series of constant adaptation and evolution that allowed us to fufill the social and imaginative needs necessary for survival. It carried us through pre-historic times into the era of written language allowing us the basis to create civilisations that have thrived throughout history, the ability to develop academic studies and now extending that branch of communication out of the familial tribe and into the world that is increasingly growing more and more ‘global’. Communication has become a symbol of connecting cultures, expanding industry and an eminent factor in our continuing survival in a modernised, digital age. Storytelling alone has branched into technology to sustain every industry required to fuel our society. Through digital branding, podcasting, the video-gaming industry, advanced translation software and marketing, the imaginative tool has transformed into a force capable of crafting brand narratives and exchange of knowledge across the planet.