Mythical origins of language

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Recent studies have suggested the birth of language may have taken place within the last 200,000 years of human history caused by a mutation in the gene FOXP2.^[1] There have however been many explanations of the origin of language prior to any scientific theories. Still today there exist in many cultures, etiological myths and other stories pertaining to the origin of language, the development of language and the reasons behind the diversity in languages today.

These myths have at the same time, similarities, recurring themes, and differences, having been passed down through oral tradition. Some myths go further than just storytelling and are religious, with some even having a literal interpretation even today. Recurring themes in the myths of language dispersal are floods and catastrophies. Many stories tell of a great deluge or flood which caused the peoples of the Earth to scatter over the face of the planet. Punishment by a god or gods for perceived wrongdoing on the part of man is another recurring theme.

Myths regarding the origins of language and languages are generally subsumed or footnoted into larger creation myths, although there are differences. Some tales say a creator endowed language from the beginning, others count language among later gifts, or curses.

[edit] Abrahamic faiths

The "confusion of tongues" by Gustave Doré, a woodcut depicting the Tower of Babel from Abrahamic myth.

One of the most well known examples in the West is the Tower of Babel passage from Genesis in the Bible or Torah. The passage, common to all Abrahamic faiths, tells of God punishing man for technological achievement by means of the confusion of tongues.

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language;

and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them,

which they have imagined to do.

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may

not understand one another's speech.^[2]

Local variations on this myth are found to have followed Christian missionaries on their journeys across the world, although the extent to how much of the tradition existed prior to the arrival of the missionaries is still discussed ^[3].

A group of people on the island of Hao in Polynesia tell a very similar story to the Tower of Babel, speaking of a God who, "in anger chased the builders away, broke down the building, and changed their language, so that they spoke divers tongues" ^[4].

The Tower of Babel myth is also manipulated for other ideological purposes, as in the early years of the Soviet Union, where it was said that, "with the advent of the spirit of labor, the proletariat could fuse heaven and earth and build god-mankind without suffering the discord of a Confusion of Tongues. Enthusiasm would guarantee universal understanding regardless of language" ^[5].

[edit] Asia

A Hindu myth tells of how not only differences in language, but also diversity in culture, or customs came into being, by the punishment of a proud tree, by Brahma.

There grew in the centre of the earth the wonderful `world tree,' or `knowledge tree.' It was so tall that it reached almost to heaven. It said in its heart, `I shall hold my head in heaven and spread my branches over all the earth, and gather all men together under my shadow, and protect them, and prevent them from separating.' But Brahma, to punish the pride of the tree, cut off its branches and cast them down on the earth, when they sprang up as wata trees, and made differences of belief and speech and customs to prevail on the earth, to disperse men upon its surface. ^[6]

The traditional beliefs of the indigenous inhabitants of the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal describe language as being given by the god Pūluga to the first man and woman at their union following a great deluge. The language given was called bojig-yâb-, which is the language spoken to this day, according to their belief, by the tribe inhabiting the south and south-eastern portion of middle Andaman. This language is described by the inhabitants as the "mother tongue" from which all other dialects have been made.

Their beliefs hold that even before the death of the first man,

... his offspring became so numerous that their home could no longer accommodate them. At Pūluga's bidding they were furnished with all necessary weapons, implements, and fire, and then scattered in pairs all over the country. When this exodus occurred Puluga- provided each party with a distinct dialect. ^[7]

Thus explaining the diversity of language.

[edit] Americas

Doré's "The Deluge". Man and beast take refuge on an isolated rock during the Great Flood, a feature of origin myths from around the world.

In common with the mythology of many other civilisations and cultures which tell of a Great Flood, certain Native American tribes tell of a deluge which came over the Earth. After the water subsides, various explanations are given for the new diversity in speech.

The Aztecs' story maintains that only a man, Coxcox, and a woman, Xochiquetzal, survive, having floated on a piece of bark. They found themselves on land and begot many children who were at first born dumb, but subsequently, upon the arrival of a dove were endowed with language, although to each one a different speech was given such that they could not understand one another. ^[8]

A similar flood is described by the Kaska people from North America, however, like with the story of Babel, the people were now "widely scattered over the world". The narrator of the story adds that this explains the many different centres of population, the many tribes and the many languages, "Before the flood, there was but one centre; for all the people lived together in one country, and spoke one language." ^[9]

They did not know where the other people lived, and probably thought themselves the only survivors. Long afterwards, when in their wanderings they met people from another place, they spoke different languages, and could not understand one another.

An Iroquois story tells of the god Taryenyawagon (Holder of the Heavens) guiding his people on a journey and directing them to settle in different places whence their languages changed. ^[10]

A Salishan myth tells how an argument lead to the divergence of languages. Two people were arguing whether the high-pitched humming noise that accompanies ducks in flight is from air passing through the beak or from the flapping of wings. The argument is not settled by the chief, who then calls a council of all the leading people from nearby villages. This council breaks down in argument when nobody can agree, and eventually the dispute leads to a split where some people move far away. Over time they slowly began to speak differently, and eventually other languages were formed. ^[11]

In the mythology of the Yuki, indigenous people of California, a creator, accompanied by Coyote creates language as he creates the tribes in various localities. He lays sticks which will transform into people upon daybreak.

Then follows a long journey of the creator, still accompanied by Coyote, in the course of which he makes tribes in different localities, in each case by laying sticks in the house over night, gives them their customs and mode of life, and each their language. ^[12]

The Ticuna of the Upper Amazon tell that all the peoples were once a single tribe, speaking the same language until two hummingbird eggs were eaten, it is not told by who. Subsequently the tribe split into groups and dispersed far and wide. ^[13]

[edit] Europe

In Ancient Greece there was a myth which told that for ages men had lived without law under the rule of Zeus and speaking one language. The god Hermes brought diversity in speech and along with it separation into nations and discord ensued. Zeus then resigned his position, yielding it to the first king of men, Phoroneus. ^[14]

In Norse mythology, the faculty of speech is a gift from the third son of Borr, who gave also hearing and sight.

When the sons of Borr were walking along the sea-strand, they found two trees, and took up the trees and shaped men of them: the first gave them spirit and life; the second, wit and feeling; the third, form, speech, hearing, and sight.

[edit] Africa

The Wa-Sania, a Bantu people of East African origin have a tale that in the beginning, the peoples of the earth knew only one language, but during a severe famine, a madness struck the people, causing them to wander in all directions, jabbering strange words, and this is how different languages came about. ^[15]

A god who speaks all languages is a theme among African mythology, two examples being Eshu of the Yoruba, a trickster who is messenger of the gods. Eshu has a parallel in Legba from the Fob people of Benin. Another Yoruba god who speaks all the languages of the world is Orunmila, the god of divination ^[16].

[edit] Australia

In South Australia, a people of Encounter Bay tell a story of how diversity in language came about from cannibalism:

In remote time an old woman, named Wurruri lived towards the east and generally walked with a large stick in her hand, to scatter the fires round which others were sleeping, Wurruri at length died. Greatly delighted at this circumstance, they sent messengers in all directions to give notice of her death; men, women and children came, not to lament, but to show their joy. The Raminjerar were the first who fell upon the corpse and began eating the flesh, and immediately began to speak intelligibly. The other tribes to the eastward arriving later, ate the contents of the intestines, which caused them to speak a language slightly different. The northern tribes came last and devoured the intestines and all that remained, and immediately spoke a language differing still more from that of the Raminjerar. ^[17]

Another group of Australian aboriginals, the Gunwinggu, tell of a goddess in dreamtime giving each of her children a language of their own to play with ^[18].

[edit] See also

• Language of the birds
• Creation mythology

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Wayne L. Allison - In The Beginning Was The Word: (The Genesis of Language)