When was the origin of language?
95170
Language has exsited as long as humans have.  Humans are the only beings who use language in a technical sense.  Yes, animals can communicate, but their communication is instinctive and does not differ between cultures or socioeconomic statuses.  A dog in Africa will have no problem communicating with a dog from China because there is no differentiation in their communication.  It's all predetermined.  What makes human communication different is that we have great plasticity in our development and a great capacity to learn and create new knowledge.  Any human can and does create an infinate number of speech paterns with an infinate number of meanings every day.  All humans have language in the form of speech, even if they are illiterate.  The only cases of humans not developing language are rare and they are the result of extreme abuse and neglect.  Therefore, as long as there have been humans there has been language.  The first language was not developed any sooner or any later than the first existence of humans.
451782
This is one of the 'biggest' questions to answer I've seen here! \n\nSimply word origin is about where words originally came from and there are so many sources it's impossible to list them all here but, for English, you'll often find the sources are Latin, Greek, Old English, Middle English, German, French etc.\n\nHow they originated is much more difficult, for example we know the word 'sandwich' originated because is was the Earl of Sandwich who first thought of putting meat between two slices of bread but it is very rarely that we can pinpoint the first use of a word and thus its individual point of origin so accurately.\n\nHowever it is often possible to trace how the meanings of words have developed over time.\n\nIf you want to look further into the subject you might try the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (probably available in libraries), which gives the first known use for thousands of words and often traces their development in meaning over the years. Other dictionaries may have a similar approach and you will often find (L), (Gr) etc. in small italics after the word in most dictionaries, indicating the language they come from (Latin and Greek in those two examples) - check the list of abbreviations (usually at the beginning of the dictionary).\n\nHope this helps...
833240
The oldest written records in the world are Sumerian from the southern end of the Euphrates and Tigris River valleys (modern Iraq).  This is the oldest written language based on the dating of the city ruins in which the records were found.  Sumerians were not "an Arab tribe".  Their language is unrelated to any other language in the world.\n\nSumerian (5000 years old), Ancient Egyptian (4500 years old), Hittite (3500 years old), Mycenean Greek (3500 years old), Latin (2800 years old), Sanskrit (2500 years old), Old Chinese (2500 years old), Mayan (2500 years old).
81455
it was created over time by the latin language and other langues build up the language
272482
When the Sun was born. ;)  4.6 billion years ago.
913589
You are very wrong my friend. Look up the history of languages and you will see that there were other languages before that.\nPhoenician greek latin...\nMost languages derive from these ones. And don't try to convince us that phoenician greek and latin come from arabic cause that's a bunch of bull.
330112
The Phoenicians came up with the first alphabet, but it was really the Greeks who placed in the alphabet in more or less the order it is used in English.\nThe Romans really finalized the alphabet, and most of English is derived from Latin, French, German and Greek.
537892
Modern human languages began life in primate communication systems, but complex language began life about 100,000 years ago with the emergence of the first fully modern humans in Africa.  By the time of the first writing about 5000 years ago, languages were already complex structures.  After the development of writing certain very complex structures that are only found in written language evolved, but these structures are not necessary for communication, they only have stylistic functions not needed in oral communication.\n\nIf you want a VERY good book on the subject, look for "The Unfolding of Language:  An evolutionary tour of mankind's greatest invention" by Guy Deutscher (2005, Metropolitan Books).  It is so good I'm going to start assigning it as required reading in my Languages of the World class.
715452
fatima, what other aspect would you choose, would you claim is more important than language?\n\nFor by language, indeed languages, we evolved apes have learned to communicate.  With language, by our communication, we've learned to warn each other of the poisonous berries, or the bad water, downsteam from where the Hippos pooh-pooh....\n\nWith communication, i.e. language, mankind has taken the boldest step ever in the species' progression.  \n\nAbout 6 or 7 years ago, the Arts and Entertainment Channel here in the U.S. catagorized the 100 greatest innovations, of the past 1000 years.  This broadcast was carried over two nights, with the latter 50 on the first night, allowing speculation to build over 48 hours as to what would be the greatest "invention", innovation of human-kind.....  \n\nGuess what Number 1 was???\n\nThe Guttenburg printing press, in the 15th century.  A machine which spread the printed word,.......language........ across the cultures, across the continent, across the span of the world!!\n\nOtherwise, my answer to your question would be: \napsoreiua bnosI:ri 09589063[wimwbmxzDxkgnhmy[\ni.,  \nXd5rlkhxru47d,rji;l\n>>>GIBBERISH, GIBBERISH, GIBBERISH, GIBBERISH<<<
833115
Here's a website on word origins that has a few suggestions:\n\nhttp://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/97.html
6848
English originated from the Old Saxon language and related dialects brought to Britain by Germanic settlers from various parts of northwest Germany. The original Old English language was subsequently influenced by two successive waves of invasion. The first was by speakers of languages in the Scandinavian branch of the Germanic family, who colonised parts of Britain in the 8th and 9th centuries. The second wave was of the Normans in the 11th century, who spoke a variety of French.
450826
Cuniform is the oldest written language. The old testament was written in Hebrew and Chaldean (Daniel)
637280
Since Latin and Greek were the two main languages in the early ages of science, scientists had decided to use the two languages for all the scientific and medical terminology. They did that so that there will be one word that will describe that item. Latin and Greek are universal languages.
414100
Who invented it. No one. Although it has been derived from Anglo-Saxons and the Germanic tribes English is just made up of European languages mushed up together.
1110651
The first spoken human language was about 100,000 years ago in Africa.  This language split apart into different dialects and eventually different languages.  Over time these languages themselves split apart until we have all of the modern languages of today's world.  In a sense, we ALL still speak the original language.
1001700
As a casual perusal of multiple reference works on this subject will reveal, the question, "Which is the oldest language?" quite easily generates several suggestions which almost always include one or more of the following venerable candidates: (in no particular order) SUMERIAN, AKKADIAN, CHINESE, EGYPTIAN, PHRYGIAN, SANSKRIT, PHOENICIAN, etc., etc. And, such a list, of course, obliges the questor to make his own limited choice...\n\nTHUS, a clear-cut answer to the question is not forthcoming, the experts aren't committing, and the end result (if the questor does indeed MAKE a choice) is arrived at kind of like pinning the tail on the donkey.\n\nA fundamental factor which lends to the above-cited indecisiveness in this field of study is the universally held notion (seemingly unassailable) that, historically, language should somehow show a developmental progression ranging from primitive rudiment to modern refinement. However, as the above list indicates, such is not the case! On the contrary, ancient languages are every bit as linguistically refined as the most trafficked languages of today! Furthermore, there is no historical evidence of earlier more rudimentary intermediate languages which provide a bridge between our supposed first grunts and snorts, and the sophisticated cadence of languages such as the above. So until such evidence is definitively in place, the experts remain in a holding pattern and continue to shove palliative lists at us from which we may make our personal choices.\n\nThus, in dealing with the question, "Which is the oldest language?," we continue to work with a theoretical linguistic model which suggests a developmental pattern which is not consequent with reality.
10624
If you're asking for the history of language, that can be traced through various archeological websites. Generally, we can trace our English and many other European languages back to roots in northern India. But that's a "where," not a "how."\nSites that deal with theories about language are referenced below.\n\nNoam Chomsky says:\n".....which meant that the language system is like other biological systems. It develops in its own specific fashion on the basis of its genetically determined properties and in the course of this development it's modified and shaped by interaction with the outside environment in some fashion."(1)\n\nRead more on this and follow the links listed in UsingEnglish.com \n"Jelle Zuidema's essay "The Origin of Language Debate" contains a discussion about the theories put forward by Noam Chomsky and Steven Pinker (who provided the basis for the now widely accepted classical theory on the origin and development of language skills), and those provided by Luc Steels and Brian MacWhinney who attempt to propose an alternative theory." (2)