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Unit 2 Language Origins and Language Evolution. Language origins Common development of human kind and language At least, last 100 000 years Homo sapiens.

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Presentation on theme: "Unit 2 Language Origins and Language Evolution. Language origins Common development of human kind and language At least, last 100 000 years Homo sapiens."— Presentation transcript:

1 Unit 2 Language Origins and Language Evolution

2 Language origins Common development of human kind and language At least, last 100 000 years Homo sapiens uses language Development of speech organs (secondary function)

3 Language origins Since the 19th century most linguists considered this question as one that is forever beyond the scope of scientific investigation Language first developed as a gestural system; then converted into a vocal system and increased in vocabulary Language evolved from non-language

4 Language univesrals Language universals: characteristics common to all natural languages Proto-language – carrier of these language universals

5 Language univesrals Some language universals: All languages have vowels and consonants; Through development voiceless consonants become voiced; Syllabic structure: consonant followed by vowel; If a language has gender, it must have number as well;

6 Classifications of languages Genetic (based on time) – language families Areal (based on space) – language associations Typological (based on similarities and differences in language structure) – language types Functional (based on comparison of languages according to their communication and social roles)

7 Periods in the development of English –Old English (OE) – from approximately 700 to 1100 (rather unintelligible to the modern speaker); –Middle English (ME) – from 1100 to 1450 (understandable in print, but not when spoken); –Early Modern English (eModE) – from 1450 to 1600 (quite similar to contemporary English, with some lexical and grammatical differences); –Present-day English (PresE) – from approximately 1600.


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