subject: How Old Is Language? [print this page] How old is language? most of use would think of it as being very young about 6 to 4 thousands years old, but did human language co-incide with our evolution to older homosapiens, did it follow shortly afterwards? Because how else did we do the things we did to become what we are? to spread and communicate effectively enough in-order to form ideas properly and efficiently. We can think with out words and language, but it is easier to speed things up with them.
I have heard that some ideas and concepts don't pop up in some cultures because the different languages have limits which makes it very difficult to realise those ideas. Because we don't have a word for it, or the proper grammar or syntax to give it life. we might still think these things with out words, but would we still understand it with out them?
Which is why language probably started a very long time ago. You know so we could create clothing, turn sharp rocks into spears and other things. For instance to create rudimenary drawings on caves as early religous ideas which is the belief that if you draw a particular animal before you go out hunting for it then you will have dominance over the animal. That along with Creating social concepts, social lives, deify different ideas and aspects of life.
We couldn't of done it with out language and thus culture So Language is very ancient then, Very old indeed. So does that mean language presuppose human thought? Australian cardinal George Pell, ( who was in debate with an athiest at sydney university) thought that i did. It was one of the reasons he gave for our uniqueness in world as apposed to other animals That it presupposes human thought.
And if it didn't coincide with our flourishing does that mean our minds might have another way or language that we use to effectively generate and communicate ideas? I can think and create many things in my mind with out the use of language. This sense of things feels incredibly different; much more like dreaming Probably because language isn't getting in the way.
But just how basic is this sort of languageless thinking? It's uses seem pretty limited and specific. But even so communication would still seem difficult Afterall how do I tell some one else about my idea with this thinking? How would I spread the idea with out language.
