Occasionally I find a subject that really piques my curiosity.

For example, how did human language first begin? According to an article on the Live Science website, “Bow-Wow, Ding-Dong, Pooh-Pooh: Expert Explains Early Theories of How Human Language Evolved — and Their Silly Names” by Karen Stollznow, there are a whole boatload of theories. And some of them do sound really strange.

What if human language started by mimicking natural sounds? There were certainly enough thunderclaps, howls and bird calls to copy. This idea has led to what has come to be known as the Bow-Wow Theory of language. For supporting evidence, English does have words like buzz, hiss, and bang that do suggest sounds from nature.

But that’s only English. The problem is similar sounds get interpreted differently by different cultures. Check out “Dogs Bark in Different Languages” at https://dlsdc.com/blog/dogbarksdifferentlanguages. Also, the overwhelming majority of English words don’t sound like their meaning at all.

Enter the Ding-Dong Theory, which hypothesizes that there is a natural (mystical?) connection between sounds and language. Examples of words that seem to be a good fit for their meanings include “mini” (suggesting small and delicate) and “plump” (evocating heavy and round). Modern linguists have named this sound symbolism. Of course, critics say most meanings still seem arbitrary, implying there is no natural reason for a sound to have a specific meaning.

Other theories concentrate more on emotion and social interaction than on imitation. One good example is the Pooh-Pooh Theory which supposes language came from spontaneous emotional reactions to pain, surprise, fear, etc. One can imagine the vocalization resulting from finding a saber-tooth tiger lurking in the bushes.

And as might be expected, most modern-day experts think no single theory can explain how language actually developed. This ability to communicate probably formed gradually through a combination of gestures, vocalizations, facial expressions, and social cooperation, aided by our evolving brains.

Anyway, if this piques your curiosity as much as mine, the complete article can be found at https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/bow-wow-ding-dong-pooh-pooh-expert-explains-early-theories-of-how-human-language-evolved-and-their-silly-names?