THE ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE
Did language begin on the African savannah two million years ago, or much later when man began to express himself symbolically 50,000 or more years ago? The question of language origins has enjoyed a resurgence of interest in recent years due to developments in archaeology and genetics. We will examine some of the theories put forward, before moving on to look at the rise and evolution of the language superfamilies of the world today. We finish with a more detailed look at Proto-Nostratic, the forbear of our own language family according to some scholars, who propose it was spoken around 15,000 years ago in the Middle East.
Course Outline:
- ape vocalisations up to just before the appearance of homo sapiens
- theories on the origin of spoken language
- the appearance of homo sapiens
- the development of language up to the three word stage
- Piraha and Riau Indonesian as examples of what early language might have been like
- homo sapiens out of Africa
- cycles of creation and decay or erosion in language
- a review of common grammatical terminology
- the evolution of the parts of speech
- Proto-Nostratic and its spread
- characteristics of Proto-Nostratic
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of the course learners will
- possess a broad overview of human pre-history from a linguistic perspective
- understand grammatical development and change in language from its origin to the present day
- understand the development of vocabulary and how words change meaning over time
- have a broad understanding of the different types of language
THIS COURSE IS AVAILABLE AS AN ONLINE SELF-STUDY COURSE.
$30 USD
THIS COURSE IS REGULARLY TAUGHT IN AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND.
Seven two hour classes. Please enquire regarding price for in-person courses in Auckland.