1. Language and Communication ELA 9

2. How do we communicate?

3. Origins  All animals are social and have the ability to communicate with each other, but only humans have been able to develop language.  The beginnings to speech, about 200,000 years ago, may have developed as a result of a mutation in the FOXP2 gene.  A language must have symbols (ex: alphabet) and grammar rules.  There are over 5,000 different languages in the world today (1/3 in Africa).  The language are classified by scholars in about 20 groups.  Many different languages developed from one ancestor language and have similar sounds, words, and grammar.  Language allowed humans to transmit their history, culture, and technology to future generations.  First orally, later written language.

4. Methods of communication  Symbols  Cave Paintings (Oldest: Chauvet Cave, France about 30,000 BC)  Petroglyphs (Carvings in rock surface, about 10,000 BC)  Pictograms (ex: Hieroglyphics, Cuneiform)  Ideograms (ex: Chinese)  Writing (using Pictographs or script, etc.).  Body Language  Sign Language

5. Body Language

6. Sign Language

7. Cave Paintings

8. Symbols

9. Chinese Character Development

10. Cuneiform (Mesopotamia) and Hieroglyphics (Egypt)

11. Western Alphabet

12. Epic of Gilgamesh  The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest known, written story.  Mesopotamia: Sumer  Story describes the ideal king  Written in Cuneiform – the oldest written language.  Wedge shaped characters on clay tablets.